US holds ‘productive’ talks with Pakistan spymaster

ISI Chief Zaheer ul-Islam


WASHINGTON: The US and Pakistani intelligence chiefs held “productive” talks on Thursday on ways to work together to fight extremists, a US official said, in a new sign of easing tensions between the countries.

Lieutenant General Zaheer ul-Islam, the new head of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, is paying the first visit to Washington in a year by the leader of Pakistan’s powerful spy body.

Zaheer met Thursday with Central Intelligence Agency director David Petraeus and held “substantive, professional and productive” talks, a senior US official said on condition of anonymity.

“The talks provided an opportunity to discuss a number of proposals for how we can enhance our joint efforts against terrorism,” the official said.

“Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to work together to counter the terrorist presence in the region that threatens both US and Pakistani national security,” he said.

The official did not go into further detail. The United States has been looking for ways to cooperate with the ISI, whose relationship with US spies has swung from friendly to hostile in recent years.

The remarks echo those of the US commander in Afghanistan, General John Allen, who on a visit to Pakistan on Thursday praised “significant progress” in improving cooperation between the two countries.

Pakistani intelligence and the military were humiliated in May last year when US forces secretly penetrated the country and killed the world’s most wanted man Osama bin Laden, who was living in the army town of Abbottabad.

Pakistan shut down supply routes into Afghanistan – its key form of support to US forces since the September 11, 2001 attacks – after US forces killed 24 Pakistani troops in a border raid in November.

Tensions have since eased, with Pakistan reopening the routes after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last month apologised for the deaths.

Pakistan on Tuesday signed a deal to keep the border open to convoys until the end of 2015, by which time the United States plans to withdraw most forces.

Frustrated with Pakistan, US intelligence has defiantly carried out drone attacks deep inside the country, despite Islamabad’s protests that the unmanned strikes violate its sovereignty.

US officials have repeatedly pressed Pakistani intelligence over its alleged relationship with the Haqqani network, which is blamed for attacks in Afghanistan including a siege last year of the US embassy.

Burmese Muslim recounts the tale of his escape to Pakistan

Noor Muhammad was captured and forced to carry officers’ heavy knapsacks on his back, surviving without food for two days.

KARACHI: Noor Muhammad, his wife and their two-year-old son left behind their paddy fields and bamboo houses in Arakan, now known as Rakhine, in Burma to set off on the toughest journey of their lives. 

 Back then, the Burmese army was arresting men from the Rohingya community. These men were then killed, tortured or turned into forced labourers. Noor Muhammad was captured and forced to carry officers’ heavy knapsacks on his back, surviving without food for two days. When he was set free, he decided to leave for a safe abode and Pakistan seemed like a good option Around 200 people set out on the journey in 1979, a year after the Burmese military launched the King Dragon Operation in the Arakan province, which is home to the Rohingya Muslims. It took the group three months to get to the Wagah border. “By the time we got to Pakistan, blood was oozing from our feet and there were blisters on our soles.” Only six managed to reach the country, others stayed behind in Bangladesh or India while many died along the way.

Burma Opens Up but Risks Remain

U.S. investors cautioned to take care International economic sanctions have been eased and American businesses are leading the charge to set up shop in Burma. But the Obama administration wants the business leaders to consider more than just making money as a more open Burma risks exposing more of its population to human trafficking and exploitation.

Google, Coca-Cola, Ford, General Electric, Chevron, FedEx, Cargill, General Motors, and Goldman Sachs topped the largest-ever U.S. trade mission to Burma in recent days.

Meeting with business leaders in Cambodia ahead of their trip, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged them “to invest and to do it responsibly,” saying American firms should be agents of positive change, good corporate citizens and doing business transparently.



U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Burmese President Thein Sein line up for a photograph at the ASEAN conference in Cambodia July 13. Photo: AP

In Siem Reap, Clinton also met with Burmese President Thein Sein, who appeared far more relaxed than during their first face-to-face in December. U.S. officials say the former general was more animated and confident, speaking of the need for better telecommunications and stronger health care.

“When the new government started to assume state responsibilities, many looked upon us with suspicion and uncertainties,” President Thein Sein told the business leaders. “With the passage of time and because of our transparency and genuine goodwill efforts, we have started to enjoy the support of many nations.”

Nick Baird, the British foreign investment chief, says that support can help keep Burma on the right track. “It’s not just economic,” he says. “Working together in an open and transparent and responsible business way will actually help the stability of this country.”

Even under the looser U.S. sanctions, firms investing more than $500,000 are required to detail their human rights and anti-corruption policies. American energy firms working with state-owned Myanmar Oil and Gas have to notify Washington of those investments within 60 days.

One of the biggest challenges in a country where more than 30 percent of people live in poverty is child exploitation, especially with Burma’s startling pace of change.

“If government opens up as it said democratically, then obviously it opens up for everything,” says UNICEF country representative Ramesh Shrestha. “That would mean the existing tight control of the situation might be loosened up. That would mean people would do what they want to do. This could be legal or illegal, all these things could happen. There are many risks.”


Child exploitation has been a problem in Burma over the years. This boy was photographed carrying sand to a construction site in Rangoon. Photo: AP

The U.S. State Department report on human trafficking says thousands of children have been forced into commercial sex, militias, or labor both in Burma and in neighboring countries. But it also says President Thein Sein’s government is making progress.

“You have your ups and you have your downs,” says Jesse Eaves, senior policy advisor for child protection at the aid group, World Vision. “I think what’s important is what positive steps are being made. We’ve seen countries like Burma starting to really take a look at what is happening in its own borders, what is happening to their citizens and trying to take the proper response to it.”

World Vision is raising awareness about human trafficking and child exploitation in Burma by working with survivors to speak out.

“It’s amazing the change that you can see just by addressing the issue, by bringing it out in the open and shining a light on it,” Eaves says. “I think the biggest problem we see is that most people don’t know what it is that they’re looking at. They may just think ‘This is normal. This is what we’ve always done.’ But then once you shine a light on it and say, ‘Actually, this is exploitation. This is slavery,’ it takes on a very different light.”

The new U.S. ambassador to Burma, Derek Mitchell, says “the key is to keep moving in the right direction and move step by step: transparency, accountability, openness, and then having partners, inside the country but also outside the country, to work together to try to get to the right place.”

2012 NASA Advanced Technology Concepts Selected For Study

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA's Space Technology Program is turning. The program has selected 28 proposals for study under the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program.

Eighteen of these advanced concept proposals were categorized as Phase I and 10 as Phase II. They were selected based on their potential to transform future aerospace missions, enable new capabilities, or significantly alter and improve current approaches to launching, building and operating aerospace systems.

The selected proposals include a broad range of imaginative concepts, including a submarine glider to explore the ice-covered ocean of Europa, an air purification system with no moving parts, and a system that could use in situ lunar regolith to autonomously build concrete structures on the moon.

"These selections represent the best and most creative new ideas for future technologies that have the potential to radically improve how NASA missions explore new frontiers," said Michael Gazarik, director of NASA's Space Technology Program at the agency's headquarters in Washington. "Through the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts program, NASA is taking the long-term view of technological investment and the advancement that is essential for accomplishing our missions. We are inventing the ways in which next-generation aircraft and spacecraft will change the world and inspiring Americans to take bold steps."

NIAC Phase I awards of approximately $100,000 for one year enable proposers to explore basic feasibility and properties of a potential breakthrough concept. NIAC Phase II awards of as much as $500,000 for two years help further develop the most successful Phase I concepts and analyze their potential to enable new or radically improved future NASA missions and potential applications with benefits for industry and society.

"We're excited to be launching Phase II, allowing the 2012 NIAC portfolio to feature an exciting combination of new ideas and continued development of last year's Phase I concepts," said Jay Falker, NIAC program executive at NASA Headquarters.

NASA solicited visionary, long-term concepts for technological maturation based on their potential value to NASA's future space missions and operational needs. These projects were chosen through a peer-review process that evaluated their innovation and how technically viable they are. All are very early in development -- 10 years or longer from use on a mission.

NASA's early investment and partnership with creative scientists, engineers, and citizen inventors from across the nation will provide technological dividends and help maintain. America's leadership in the global technology economy.

The portfolio of diverse and innovative ideas selected for NIAC awards represent multiple technology areas, including power, propulsion, structures, and avionics, as identified in NASA's Space Technology Roadmaps. The roadmaps provide technology paths needed to meet NASA's strategic goals.

NIAC is part of NASA's Space Technology Program, which is innovating, developing, testing, and flying hardware for use in NASA's future missions. These competitively-awarded projects are creating new technological solutions for NASA and our nation's future.

World record line is the most distracting technology at the Olympics

Rebecca Soni was one of eight swimmers competing in the 200 breaststroke on Thursday night in London. Based on the international camera feed, you’d be forgiven for thinking there was a ninth competitor in the pool. The world record line overlay that’s added to all swimming races is the most distracting technology at the Olympics. Here’s five reasons why:

The line is too thick.

Look at Soni (leading, above). It goes from the middle of her head to the start of her waist. When a swimmer is threatening to break a world record and it



It’s not an actual comparison.

The line isn’t a literal representation of the world record swim, it’s an estimated pace based on the 50-meter splits of the record-setting time.



Swimmers who don’t set record feel like failures. Swimmers race for gold medals, not world records. When those records don’t fall — as in 19 of 24 races thru Thursday night — the line makes the leader feel like a failure. The race should be between the eight swimmers in the pool, not a virtual ninth competitor.

Viewers end up watching the line more than the rest of the field. Was there a good battle for second or third in the 200 breast? You don’t know: You were watching the world record line. Gold-silver-bronze, not gold-or-world-record.



It’s easy to watch a world record pace.

The stopwatch, “world record time” graphic on the bottom of the screen and split differentials at the walls provide more than enough information. If watching world record pace is your thing, you can easily do it without the aid of the line. This isn’t like the football first down line, which is a useful technology that makes it easier to visualize a crucial component of the game. It’s clutter.



BONUS COMPLAINT:

Overlaid lines are bothersome even when they’re not moving. Look at the line used in the rowing events. The same white line is used to denote the 500-meter checkpoints and the finish line.

Casual viewers look up, see the line at the top and think the race is over. Granted, if you watch enough you’ll realize that you can tell whether the race is over by looking at the time graphics. The shot above says “1500m,” the one below says “finish.”

That involves you paying attention, having some common sense and being aware of the time, which happens to be exactly what the swimming world record line thinks you can’t do.

China Seeks New Technology in Oil Deal

WASHINGTON — A major Chinese government-owned oil company’s effort to buy a Canadian company could help Beijing get the new technology needed to exploit the largest shale gas deposits in the world.  This is just the latest in a series of Chinese foreign investments that are helping fuel China’s rapid economic growth and increasing energy supplies.  But the latest Chinese move is raising concerns in the U.S. Congress.

Tar sands projects run by Nexen are one reason the Canadian oil company is being offered $15 billion by the China National Offshore Oil Corporation or CNOOC.

Besides oil sands, Nexen has deepwater drilling operations along the U.S. Gulf Coast and assets in Europe's North Sea and elsewhere.

Economic analyst Andrew Holland, of the American Security Project, says China needs new technology to squeeze more energy out of its oil and gas fields.

"This new technology will open some onshore oil and especially offshore oil.  There are some real technology gaps between Western companies and CNOOC," Holland said.

The head of an oil exploration and production company says it is tough to get energy out of shale rock, tar sands, or wells in very deep water.  Chris Faulkner, the CEO of Breitling Oil, says Nexen has the skills China needs.

"When you are operating in those kinds of extreme environments, that’s the latest and greatest technology that exists in our industry," he said.

The CEO of Armada Oil, Jim Cerna, says better technology could help China tap more energy from its existing reserves.

"Shale deposits in northwest China could be some of the biggest in the world.  There needs to be some advanced technology applied to that, and they could be sitting on a massive reserve," he said.

A previous Chinese effort to acquire the U.S.-based oil firm Unocal failed in 2005 when it sparked strong political opposition in the United States.

So far, there is less opposition this time, but some members of the U.S. Congress say Beijing wants to invest in North America while placing unfair obstacles on U.S. investments in China.

Analysts say China is trying to avoid political problems by keeping Nexen's staff and promising continued investment and research in North America.  But business analyst and author Handel Jones of International Business Strategies says CNOOC may still encounter problems.

"I think there is going to be a high probability of resistance, and my feeling is that, probably, parts of Nexen will have to be split off for the deal to go through.  I don’t think the U.S. is at all happy with Nexen having a fairly strong position in the Gulf of Mexico," Jones said.

But even critics admit China's investments in foreign oil companies are helping increase global energy supplies and tend to keep prices from rising.

Mixed reaction in Pakistan over India’s move to open up investment

Pakistan welcomed India’s decision to open up to Pakistani investment but businessmen and economists maintained that neither this nor a free trade arrangement would realise their full potential in the absence of proper connectivity between the two countries.

Officially, only the Foreign Office spoke on the issue with the spokesman welcoming the decision and maintaining that it would benefit Pakistani investors and industrialists. And, the usual naysayers had not spoken till Thursday evening on the decision that was the lead news item in most newspapers.

According to a Dawn report from Pakistan’s business capital, Karachi, industry and trade circles have advised caution with many fearing a further flight of capital. Due to the crippling energy crisis in the country and the security situation, many industrialists have already relocated to other countries including Bangladesh in recent years.

Karachi-based businessman Majyd Aziz — an ardent advocate of more trade between the two countries — refused to call it a landmark decision but conceded that in the Indo-Pak context even baby-steps can be a leap. His peeve like that of many others is the lack of connectivity where visas require a Herculean effort and shipping lines are non-existent between the two countries.

The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) was more upbeat but again called for liberalising the visa regime to make the move more meaningful and result-oriented. In a statement, LCCI President Irfan Qaiser Sheikh urged India to grant multiple visas to bona fide and legitimate businessmen for easy travel.

As for the decision to allow Pakistani investments in India, Mr. Sheikh said it would promote joint ventures and pave the way for transfer of technology as the two countries have their own strengths in different sectors. He hoped India would lift the ban on Indian investments in Pakistan.

“For a better economic future in South Asia, it will be a huge step when businessmen from both countries can freely invest in each other's country. Allowing our country to invest in India is a great confidence booster.’’

Of the view that India has a good chance of attracting Pakistani capital as long as the power crisis continues, Abid Suleri, Executive Director of Sustainable Development Policy Institute, maintained that the fear of flight of capital was misplaced as the profits would in all likelihood return to Pakistan in foreign exchange, helping the forex reserves.

Again identifying connectivity as the key irritant, Mr. Suleri said the visa regime had to be eased to encourage volumes in trade and traffic. Having said this, he conceded that the Indian decision was a good move as it would mute the scepticism that has been rampant in Pakistan about India’s sincerity in improving bilateral relations as New Delhi had not appeared to have reciprocated to Islamabad’s decision to grant the Most Favoured Nation status to India.

And, for lawyer Waqqas Mir, the decision signalled more work. Welcoming the move, he tweeted: “A lot of work for lawyers on both sides. This is good stuff!’’

US vows to improve ties with Pakistan, as ISI chief begins visit

WASHINGTON - As ISI Chief Lt Gen Zahir-ul-Islam begins his visit to the United States, a State Department spokesman has renewed Washington’s pledge to improve its relationship with Pakistan, noting that the two countries Tuesday signed an agreement that would allow Nato supplies into Afghanistan.

“We’re pleased by this MoU (memorandum of understanding), but our relationship, we continue to get it back on track and look to the future, and we have a number of issues to continue to work through with our Pakistani counterparts,” Patrick Ventrell said at the daily briefing.

But he parried a question on Gen Islam’s visit, saying in general terms, “we’ll continue to work to improve our relationship.”

The spokesman said the conclusion of the agreement - for the transitive cargo to and from Afghanistan – “demonstrates increased transparency and openness between our governments in respect of Pakistan’s sovereignty as requested by their parliament.”

At the briefing, the State Department spokesman noted that the agreement “also underscores our shared commitment to support Afghanistan and regional stability.”

According to media reports, the talks between the ISI chief and the senior American officials are expected to focus on counterterrorism issues, intelligence sharing and controversial drone strikes in Pakistani tribal areas. A dispatch in The New York Times talks about “a vague air of mystery” surrounding Gen Islam, who is visiting Washington in his official capacity for the first time.

“Beyond the bare details of his resume, American officials acknowledge they know little of General Islam, a tall man in his 50s with a flop of black hair, except that he comes across as taciturn, thoughtful and passionate about sports,” the newspaper said in a dispatch from Islamabad.

“His first trip to the United States in 1984, he fondly told one American official recently, was to attend the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. A decade later, while attending a course at the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, he adapted his cricket skills for use on a local baseball team,” the Times said.

“He seemed to be saying, ‘Look, I can master your sport, too,’” the official noted, speaking on condition of anonymity because it was a private conversation.

“Common ground may be harder to find, though, when General Islam meets with American officials, including David H Petraeus, the Central Intelligence Agency director, at a time of American frustration and distrust toward the ISI.”

Citing Pakistani and American officials, the Times said, “From Wednesday, Petraeus and General Islam will seek to rebuild a counterterrorism relationship that has severely frayed.” “Petraeus will try to forge a relationship with him,” one senior Obama administration official said. “We’ve got business to do. Let’s get on with it.”

The dispatch said, “Since his appointment to Pakistan’s pre-eminent intelligence post in March, General Islam has maintained a conspicuously low profile in Pakistan. After being featured in a handful of newspaper articles filled with starchy compliments typically reserved for powerful generals, he largely disappeared from view - by most accounts, a deliberate strategy.

“In contrast with General Pasha, who was known for his sharp-tongued, sometimes impassioned private outbursts, General Islam is described as a low-profile operator, happy to take a back seat in meetings.” “He is cool as a cucumber,” an unnamed serving ISI officer was quoted as saying.

But he has maintained General Pasha’s short rein on CIA activities in Pakistan.

The Times cited one senior American official as saying the ISI now treats its American counterparts with deep hostility. CIA visas are frequently refused, and its officials are periodically stopped and searched.

Meanwhile, Pakistani employees of the American Embassy and consulates have come under intense intimidation: subjected to strip searches, kept in prison for weeks, induced to “turn” against America, and sometimes threatened with weapons, the official said. “It’s Moscow rules,” he was quoted as saying. “The ISI has become very KGB-like - but without the restraint.”

A senior ISI official, according to the newspaper, denied such accusations, and blamed the CIA for souring a once-close relationship through displays of arrogance. During the January 2011 controversy over Davis, General Pasha was furious that the former CIA director, Leon E Panetta, had initially denied that Davis worked for the agency.

It said, “Last summer the previous CIA station chief, who had stormy relations with General Pasha, left his post after just five months, ostensibly for health reasons. He has since been replaced with an undercover officer who officials from both sides say is more open to strengthening the CIA’s relationship with the ISI.”

In his talks in Washington, the ISI official said, General Islam will press the C.I.A. to stop its drone strike campaign in the tribal belt. Instead, he will propose that the United States upgrade Pakistan’s fleet of F-16 warplanes so that it can do the same job - a proposal one Washington official called a “nonstarter.”

General Islam will also request American help in halting cross-border incursions by the Pakistani Taliban from their bases in Afghanistan - a growing Pakistani concern that last week caused testy exchanges between Pakistan’s ambassador to Washington, Sherry Rehman, and a senior Obama administration official at a conference in Colorado. The Times said, “General Islam has a strong military pedigree, and many analysts see him as a favourite to succeed the army chief, Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, when he steps down in late 2013.

“He lauds from a stout military clan in the army’s Punjabi heartland: his father and brothers were officers, while two uncles retired as three-star generals. Unusually for an ISI chief, he has experience in espionage: Between 2008 and 2010 he ran the ISI’s internal wing, which oversees security inside Pakistan. “For Americans, however, it is General Islam’s attitude toward the situation in Afghanistan that is the most pressing unknown.”

India removes ban on Pakistan investments

* Commerce Ministry says a citizen of Pakistan or an entity incorporated in Pakistan can now invest in India

* Ban on investments in defence, space, atomic energy will remain

NEW DELHI: The Indian government, on Wednesday, overturned its ban on foreign investment from Pakistan in a move designed to build goodwill amid a renewed push for a peace settlement between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

"The government of India has reviewed the policy and decided to permit a citizen of Pakistan or an entity incorporated in Pakistan to make investments in India," said a statement from the Indian Commerce Ministry.

India and Pakistan, which have fought three wars since independence, are channelling their peace efforts into "trade diplomacy".

The aim is to build enough trust to tackle the more troublesome issues that divide them, such as the disputed territory of Kashmir.

"We welcome this decision," Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Moazzam Khan told AFP. "It will definitely benefit Pakistani investors and industrialists. We hope this decision will be fruitful for the people of both countries."

"We do appreciate this action by the government of India, but what will be more interesting for me is when the Indian authorities lift its ban on Indian investors investing in Pakistan," said Majyd Aziz, involved in the import and export of minerals and in shipping.

"For a better economic future in South Asia, it will be a huge step when businessmen from both the countries can freely invest in each other's country."

Zubair Motiwala, chairman of the board of investment in Sindh, said it was the "right decision taken at the right time". "Allowing our country to invest in India is a great confidence booster and will pave the way for more cordial bilateral relations," he said.

The warming commercial ties underline the new relevance of the private sector in the peace process, analysts said.

However, a ban on investments in defence, space and atomic energy will remain and all propositions must come via the Indian government.

The decision to accept foreign direct investment from Pakistan was taken in April when the trade ministers of the South Asian rivals met in New Delhi.

They also discussed ways to ease visa curbs on business travel and the possibility of allowing banks from both countries to open cross-border branches.

The improved relations between the rivals stem from Pakistan's decision to grant India "Most Favoured Nation (MFN)" status by the year end, meaning Indian exports will be treated the same as those from other nations.

MFN status will mean India can export 6,800 items to Pakistan, up from around 2,000 at present, and the countries aim to lift bilateral trade to $6 billion within three years, officials have said.

Official bilateral trade is just $2.7 billion and heavily tilted in New Delhi's favour, according to most recent figures, but unofficial trade routed through third countries is estimated at up to $10 billion.

In further progress, the neighbours opened a second trading gate in April along their heavily militarised border, increasing the number of trucks able to cross daily to 600 from 150.

Pakistan has called for a "new era" in economic collaboration with India to build "a legacy of peace and prosperity for our future generations".

The two countries have said there are many sectors with huge trade potential, from information technology to engineering, education and health.

The two nations have voiced hopes that boosting trade can help peace talks, which India warily resumed last year after suspending them after the 2008 attack by gunmen on Mumbai that killed 166 people.

"Commerce is an excellent way to bring countries together," Indian strategic analyst Uday Bhaskar told AFP recently. "Once you institutionalise trade, it becomes hard to slow the momentum for cross-border exchanges."

Pakistan receives $ 1.18 bln from US under coalition support fund

KARACHI: Pakistan said Thursday it had received $1.1 billion dollars from the United States for its fight against militants, the first installment of its kind since December 2010.

Washington released the funds after Pakistan and the United States on Tuesday signed an agreement governing Nato convoys travelling through Pakistan into Afghanistan until the end of 2015.

The fund, which is designed to reimburse Pakistan for the cost of counter-insurgency operations, paid $8.8 billion to Pakistan between 2002 and 2011.

But Islamabad stopped claiming the money as relations collapsed in the wake of the May 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

The crisis fell to a new low when US air strikes killed 24 Pakistani soldiers and Islamabad imposed a seven-month blockade on NATO traffic in protest.

“We received $1.118 billion from the coalition support fund last night,”Syed Wasimuddin, spokesman for the central State Bank of Pakistan, told AFP.

He said it was the first installment since $633 million in December 2010.

Analysts have suggested that the $1.1 billion dollars is particularly beneficial to Pakistan as it tries to head off a new financial crisis created by poor tax revenues, mismanagement and overgenerous subsidies.

The fund has increased the country’s total liquid foreign exchange reserves to $15692.5 million.

Pakistan’s total foreign reserves stood at $14,574.5 million on July 27, 2012, according to SBP. According to break-up, foreign reserves held by SBP were $10,139.3 million and net foreign reserves held by banks (other than SBP) $4,435.2 million on July 27, 2012

On Thursday, the US commander of Nato troops in Afghanistan held talks in Pakistan for the first time since the Nato supply lines resumed.

General John Allen later said that “significant progress” was being made in improving cooperation with Pakistan, which US officials have urged to do more to crush Afghan Taliban havens on its soil.

It may be noted that Pakistan and US had singed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on July 31, 2012 to regularize the Nato supplies to Afghanistan via Pakistan.

The MoU, drafted under the light of the UN Charter and in line with the recommendations of the Parliament, has replaced the existing arrangement for Nato supplies.

Bloodshed of Muslims in Burma

Bloodshed of Muslims in Burma

With the official backing of the government, during the anti-Muslim riots, intermittent massacre of Muslims by Hindus has become a permanent feature of India. In the last few years, more than 3,000 unnamed graves of the innocent Muslims, found in mutilated forms were discovered in the various areas of the Indian occupied Kashmir. Notably, human rights groups have disclosed that the unmarked graves included those Muslims, killed by the Indian security forces in the fake encounters. Similarly the genocide of several innocent Muslim women and children by the Serb forces in Bosnia, Herzegovina and Kosovo presents another example.

While, these atrocities are still fresh in the minds of every Muslim; recently bloodshed of the Rohingya Muslim community at the hands of the Rakhine extremist Buddhists in Burma (present Myanmar) has broken all the record of religious cleansing.

In the recent months, thousands of Burmese Muslims have been butchered, while brutal methods of torturing, killing, inflicting physical and causing mental harm on them were employed by the Buddhists who are in majority in the country. Instead of resolving the problem by protecting the minority Muslims, the Burmese military regime, covertly supported the Buddhist rioters, which created greater hardships for the Muslims.

Eye witnesses disclosed that Buddhist extremists torched several mosques, shops and houses of Muslims, while police and security forces of Myanmar remain silent. Even Burmese military and police have been found involved in massacre, targeted killings, disappearances and rape of Muslim women.

According to reports, 650 of nearly one million Rohingya Muslims have been murdered as of June 28, this year, while 1,200 others are missing and 90,000 more have been displaced.

In 1992, 250,000 Rohingyas fled to neighbouring Bangladesh to escape the persecution. More than 20,000 of them are still in the same refugee camps and around 100,000 more are living in the Gulf States, Pakistan, Malaysia and Thailand. Due to fear of extreme repression, Rohingya Muslims left the northern Arakan region, especially Buthidaung and Maungdaw.

Historically, Rohingya Muslims arrived in Myanmar in early seventh century, but Myanmar military regime maintains that their immigrants came from India during British colonial rule. However, in the seventies, the military junta embarked on a systematic program of religious cleansing of the Burmese Muslims who are denied their basic rights, i.e. the right to freedom of movement, marriage, faith, identity, ownership, language, culture, citizenship, education etc. They have also been barred from government employment. Deplorable as it is, the Muslims in Myanmar are among the most persecuted minorities in the world, according to UN. Although permanently settled in Western Myanmar and making 1/3rd of total population of Burma, they are not recognised as the legal minority.

In March 11, 2006, about the Rohingya Muslims of western Burma’s Arakan Statem BBC reported, “They have been called one of the world’s most persecuted people....in addition to their almost total lack of legal rights, many have been regularly beaten by police, forced to do slave labour and jailed for little or no reason.”

Unfortunately, the Myanmar opposition leader and the Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi only fulfilled formality on July 25 by calling to protect the rights of the strife-torn nation’s myriad ethnic minorities. But she did not ask US or Security Council to take practical measures against the military rulers. It seems that she has forgotten her own words when she had remarked, “The struggle for democracy and human rights in Burma is a struggle for life and dignity.” Meanwhile, Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of the Buddhists did not condemn the massacre of Burmese Muslims.

Although the US and some western countries which claim to be the champion of human rights in the world, have issued some verbal statements regarding humanitarian tragedy in Myanmar, yet no practical action has been taken against the brutal military rulers of the country. Even UN has been fulfilling formality over the slaughter of Muslims. Question arises as to why UN Security Council is silent over this humanitarian catastrophe? However, these powerful entities have remained much active in case of Libya, Syria and elsewhere in the world

In fact, particularly, US double standard is part of its strategic game in Burma. America has also included India in this game. In the recent past, Obama administration lifted restrictions on the US investment in Myanmar. American companies are now free to get partnership with the state-owned energy corporations—the Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE). India has also been availing the opportunity of economic benefits in the country. Now, Burma is undergoing an arranged political change, designed to legitimise its regime, and enlist US-led India and some western partners to evade the influence of China.

Notably, in June 9, 2005 governments of Bangladesh and China were urged by their business leaders to establish a road link between two countries through Burma on a priority basis to boost trade and investment.

Nevertheless, for achieving their political and financial goals, US and India have given a free hand to their secret agencies CIA and RAW to support the military regime’s repression of its people and particularly of Muslims as also part of the ongoing anti-Muslim campaign, noted in some other Islamic countries.

As regards the recent genocide of Muslims, Burma’s Hindu organisations which are in collusion with Buddhists have been propagating that the latter are the most peaceful citizens, and called Muslims as trouble makers and terrorists. Buddhists not only enjoy the tacit assistance of politico-military regime including CIA and RAW, but are also being encouraged by Hindu religious extremists to wipe out the Muslims from Myanmar.

Nonetheless, it is the right hour that human rights organisations, OIC, Security Council and international media must play their active role so as to prevent wretched treatment meted out to Muslim minority, and to stop their bloodshed in Burma.

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations.

Burma’s VP says racial, religious tensions caused Rakhin unrest

Burmese Vice President Sai Mauk Kham has told a government committee coordinating relief in Rakhine State that violence there was based on racial and religious tensions and a long-term solution was needed

Burma's Vice President Sai Mauk Kham: President's office

He said a solution should be “tackled carefully as there is an unbalanced population ratio. Bengalis constitute 94 per cent and Rakhine nationals six percent of the population in Maungtaw and Buthidaung,” the two communities which suffered the most in the recent unrest.

According to a report in the state-run newspaper, on Tuesday he said it is important to maintain security and regional peace and stability in order to allow development to be carried out in the area. Rakhine State is one of the poorest areas of Burma.

Muslim governments and human rights groups have criticized Burma’s response to the sectarian unrest in recent weeks, and a Human Rights Watch report on Wednesday said government security forces have undertaken systematic abuses against Rohingya Muslims, including murder, beatings, arbitrary arrest and other abuses.

Sai Kham said the government has been cooperating with domestic and international non-governmental organizations by opening relief camps providing shelters, food and healthcare services. Relief groups have called for greater access to the area and full access to Rohingya communities.

On Thursday, United Nations Human Rights Envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana is completing a two-day tour of Rakhine State on a fact-finding mission.

On Monday, the government said it had “exercised maximum restraint in order to restore law and order in those particular places in Rakhine state, ” in a foreign ministry statement.

The statement rejected the accusation that abuses and excessive use of force were made by the authorities in dealing with the situation, saying, “The unfortunate incidents are confined to a few townships in Rakhine state as it constitutes an inter-communal violence relating only to the some portion of the population in the state.”

The situation of law and order in Rakhine state is improving, the authorities said people sheltered in relief camps are gradually returning to the places, it said.

The deadly unrest and violence in Rakhine State started with the rape and murder of a Rakhine ethnic woman by three men in Kyauknimaw village on May 28, setting off a series of deadly reprisals and clashes between Rohingya Muslims and Rakhine Buddhists.

According to the ministry statement, 77 people from both communities were killed with 109 people injured. A total of 4,822 houses, 17 mosques, 15 monasteries and three schools were burned down.

The declaration of a state of emergency in the state along with imposition of curfews in six townships has been in force since June 10.

Genocide of Burmese Muslims condemned

Islamabad: Minister In-charge for National Harmony and Chairperson All Pakistan Minorities Alliance Dr Paul Bhatti has condemned the genocide of Muslims in Myanmar and termed it flagrant violation of human rights causing threat to peace, interfaith and international harmony.

In a statement, he said that there is dire need of interfaith, national and international harmony for the sake of peace in the world.

There is need of interfaith and national harmony not only in Pakistan but also all over the world. He requested to all the humanity and peace loving people to come forward to stop the tyranny unleashed on the Burmese by the military rulers.

Dr Bhatti urged the international community to play its role to end genocide in Burma. He said that it is religious duty of all non-Muslim Pakistanis to support our Muslim brothers as no brutality in the world, including genocide of Muslims in Burma and other parts of world can be tolerated.

He said the act of genocide by a community in Burma, which believes in peace, non-violence and love as a part of their faith is beyond understanding. They should follow their faith and teachings of Lord Buddha by give up genocide of Muslims, he appealed.

Burma denies soldiers killed, raped Rohingya Muslims

The Burmese Government has denied allegations its security forces opened fire on Rohingya Muslims, committed rape and failed to intervene as sectarian violence erupted in western Burma.



A new report by Human Rights Watch says the Burmese military failed to protect both Muslims and Buddhists during the clashes in June, and then "unleashed a campaign of violence" and mass arrests against Rohingya Muslims.

The ethnic clashes in Rakhine state, formerly known as Arakan, has left about 80 people dead from both sides.

But the US-based human rights group says the official figures appear "grossly underestimated".

It says when security forces did step in they targeted minority Rohingya people who were killed, raped and arrested.<

The Burmese Government has strongly denied the claims.

line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0.833em; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> Foreign Minister Wunna maung lwin has slammed those he accuses of 'politicising' the unrest.

"Myanmar strongly rejects the accusations made by some quarters that abusive and excessive uses of force were made by the authorities in dealing with the situation," he said.

The violence has displaced more than 100,000 people and focused new attention on the plight of about one million members of the Rohingya who live in Burma but are not accepted as citizens there or in neighbouring Bangladesh.

> The Burmese President, Thein Sein, says the government is only responsible for third-generation Rohingyas whose families had arrived before independence in 1948, and that it was impossible to accept those who had "illegally entered" Burma.

Mr Thein Sein has recommended that the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR take care of them in camps or resettle them in third countries.

Human Rights Watch says the resettlement of the group would be a human rights "disaster".

HRW's deputy Asia director Phil Robertson says Burma must rewrite its citizenship law to include the Rohingya and count them in its 2014 census.

"There's a need now really to make sure that people understand that democracy, human rights and a multi-ethnic Burma is going to require respect for all ethnic groups, of all religions, and that the Burmese Government can't pick and choose who it wants to include and exclude in the union of Burma," he said.

The HRW report has also accused western countries of turning a blind eye to the abuses in Rakhine state, while easing sanctions in response to human rights reforms.

It has called for strong international reaction to the "atrocities" committed during last month's bloody unrest.

"The international community has expressed concern but has not really responded with the urgency that's needed...so it seems like there's a business first approach to Burma that is missing the point," Mr Robertson said.

"That stability and ethnic reconciliation is still not complete and there needs to be a much more focus on this to prevent further outbreaks of sectarian violence like we saw in Arakan state."

Burmese government to blame for ethnic violence: report

Brain finds pleasure in processing abstract art

Studies show we are adept at discerning the intention of design over random doodlings, writes WILLIAM REVILLE
I RECENTLY VIEWED an exhibition of abstract paintings by the artist Josef Albers in the Lewis Glucksman Gallery at UCC.
As usual, when I look at abstract art I find some of the images vaguely pleasing to the eye but many images make little impression. Also, I am unable to explain why some of the images please my eye and some do not. I understand that this is a very common reaction, so the suspicion is naturally widespread as to whether or not there is any real merit in abstract painting. Well, science has confirmed that abstract art appeals to the human brain and this research is reviewed in an interesting article by Kat Austen in New Scientist, (July 14th, 2012).
A new discipline called neuroaesthetics was founded about 10 years ago by Semir Zeki of University College London. It aims to discover the neurological basis for the success of artistic techniques. Most people find the blurred imagery of Impressionist paintings appealing and the new studies show that these images stimulate the amygdala, the area in the brain geared to detect threats in our peripheral vision. The amygdala plays a big role in our emotions, which may explain why we find Impressionist paintings so moving.
The images in abstract paintings do not directly picture anything in the real physical world. The question therefore naturally arises as to whether we would find random lines, shapes and colours daubed on canvas by animals or small children equally as pleasing to the eye as the work of professional artists.
Angelina Hawley-Dolan of Boston College, Massachusetts, did an experiment to answer this question (Psychological Science, volume 22, page 435). Volunteers viewed pairs of paintings, one painting of each pair being the work of a famous artist and the other the doodle of an amateur, infant, chimp or elephant. One-third of the paintings were unlabelled and two-thirds were labelled – however sometimes the labels were mixed up. The volunteers generally preferred the work of professional artists even when the label said it was the work of a chimp or an elephant. Apparently we can sense the artist’s vision even when we cannot explain why.
Abstract painting generally bears no likeness to anything in the real world, but some work is ambiguous and one can begin to discern vaguely familiar shapes in it after a while.
Other studies have shown that when people struggle to find familiar shapes and are successful, they rate the work as “powerful”. Brain scans show very active neural activity as they struggle with the work. The brain sees the work as a puzzle and is pleased when it finds a solution.
Most readers will have seen abstract paintings by the famous Dutch painter Pieter Modrian (1872-1944). Modrian’s abstract work is exclusively made up of horizontal and vertical lines outlining blocks of colour. The paintings look childishly simple but eye-tracking studies show that the patterns are carefully composed. Volunteers’ eyes linger longer on certain places when viewing the original paintings but they pass more rapidly across the work if the painting is rotated. The volunteers also find the original orientation of the work more pleasurable. Readers can easily check out this effect using a book of abstract paintings. Also, making even small changes to the patches of colour in the original painting markedly lessens the enjoyment felt by the viewer. Other studies show that manipulating the original paintings reduces neural activity in areas of the brain linked with interpretation and meaning (Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, volume 5, page 98). It seems that our minds note the deliberate arrangements in the paintings.
Many abstract paintings show fractal patterns. Fractal patterns repeat at different scales and are common in nature, eg clouds, branching pattern in trees, outline of mountain peaks, etc. Since our visual sense evolved in the outdoors where it constantly confronted fractal patterns, it may be naturally attuned to process such types of scenes. This and other inbuilt characteristics of our visual senses might explain the longevity of some artwork as opposed to ephemeral fashionable works.
Of course, scientific validation that the mind can be pleased by professional abstract painting does not prove we are dealing with great art but rather that our minds can somehow detect the artists’ intentions, is somewhat pleased with this and can differentiate professional work from random doodles.
How to accurately rate the value of abstract painting is another matter, but there is more to it than the verdict of Al Capp, the American satirist, quoted by Austen, who said abstract paintings are “the product of the untalented, sold by the unprincipled to the utterly bewildered”.
William Reville is an emeritus professor of biochemistry, and public awareness of science officer at UCC.