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In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Munificent

International Islamic News Agency (IINA) Bulletin

Religious extremism poses big threat to Pakistan

Jeddah – Shaaban 01, 1428/ August 14, 2007– Sixty years after independence, the Pakistani people are still facing myriad problems. These included poverty, unemployment, rapid growth of population, religious extremism, exploitation of religion for personal gain, drug trafficking from neighboring Afghanistan and so on. Adding fuel into the fire of these problems is the country's huge military spending resulted out of an arms race with the neighboring country India. It devours nearly one-fourth of the total budgetary allocations every year.

            In the past years, Pakistan's defense expenditure has always been on the higher end. Even though Pakistan's fragile economy has been unable to support it, the military spending in Pakistan has been at the cost of development expenditure. Pakistan is competing with India both in manufacturing and purchasing of arms. However, it could be a futile exercise considering the fact that India is a bigger country in all respects –population of India is seven times higher than that of Pakistan while the latter's geographical area is one fourth of the former. In addition to this, India is a fast growing country in terms of its economical, industrial and technological sectors.

            Poverty is another major problem facing the country. It is an increasing social problem, and a significant proportion of Pakistan's population does not have adequate levels of food, access to basic services and opportunities and hence are particularly vulnerable to economic, environmental and political shocks. It is estimated that about 32 percent of Pakistan's population are below the food poverty line and about 44 percent are below the poverty line on the human poverty index. Most of the people do not have sufficient food to eat and more than a third of children under five are underweight due to malnutrition.

            The unemployment rate is growing at an alarming rate of six percent per annum over the past few years The number of those committing suicide due to poverty and unemployment is on the rise. Increased migration of people into urban areas is making the condition worse in most of the cities, especially Karachi, which has a population of 12 million. In such a scenario, religious extremism poses a major threat to the country. It is not an exaggeration to note that Pakistan has become a victim of religious extremism and exploitation of religion for vested interests.

Pakistan's religious extremism Cont…

Jeddah – Shaaban 01, 1428/ August 14, 2007– There are three major aspects for this problem. One is rapid growth of population. Pakistan's population reached 160 million, and the majority of people do not have enough resources for a better living. Religious extremists are misleading the common mass that family planning is forbidden and contributing to the growth of population is a religious duty.

            The second aspect is that extremist religious leaders are still trying to impress the people that religious education, especially learning of Urdu and Arabic, is only necessary and the modern education is taboo, labeling it as an education of infidels. This wrong notion is regarded as one of the major reasons for the current situation in which a majority of Pakistanis are lagging behind in acquiring modern education. At the same time, those who have been graduated from religious schools (madrasa) know only Arabic and Urdu languages and do not have any modern education or vocational training. Therefore, they are not in position to take up any challenging jobs. Many of these graduates continue to remain unemployed.

            The third aspect is that religious extremism tried to make an impression from the first day of Pakistan's creation that the goal of Pakistan is to  continue in a state of confrontation with India. This is more obvious as far as the Kashmir dispute is concerned. Kashmir issue has become a ploy in the hands of those who exploit religion for their vested interests. They also misuse Kashmir as a breeding ground for extremism.

            Then, there was another disaster for Pakistan following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Subsequently, a large number of Pakistani youths moved to the neighboring country in the name of holy war (Jihad) against the Communist occupiers. They fought against the Soviet backed Afghan Army with the financial and military support of the United States. As a result of continued war in Afghanistan, as many as four million Afghan refugees took shelter in Pakistan. They were also instrumental in spreading extremism in the country, and they even engaged in drug trafficking into the country.

            Now, President Musharraf is facing a serious trouble in tackling this religious extremism. He is waging an all out war against the extremists who posed a great threat to not only his rule but to the entire fabric of the Islamic nation also. It is noteworthy that Musharraf is the first head of state who took serious initiative to restore peace and normal ties with India. He is also striving hard to find an amicable solution to the Kashmir dispute, in the name of which the two countries fought three major wars. 

Musharraf stresses moderation as Pakistan marks Independence Day

Islamabad – Shaaban 01, 1428/ August 14, 2007– Celebrations are under way across Pakistan to commemorate the 60^th  anniversary of independence from the British and the creation of the country. President Pervez Musharraf marked the anniversary by staunchly defending sovereignty and calling on the nation to unite against terrorism. In an address to the nation, Musharraf today urged the nation to serve as torch-bearers of enlightened moderation by fully participating in the forthcoming electoral process in the country. In a message to the nation entitled “To all who care about Pakistan”, he said the country will be witnessing its first general election under the “open media environment approach”. "I urge all Pakistani citizens to get involved in the electoral process and become the instruments of enlightened moderation in their beloved country,” the President said.

            Musharraf expressed his optimism that together the nation will overcome the short-term challenges it was facing and the country will continue to move ahead on the path of a sustainable progress and prosperity. He said over the years the country has come a long way since its independence. "Pakistan has recently been included in the global “Next-11” emerging economies and was on a sure and sustainable macro-economic footing with investment and entrepreneurial activities spreading across all sectors. During the past six years the country has witnessed a radical transformation of its socio-economic landscape.

The economic upsurge was permeating down, improving the quality of life of the common man and said the government was committed to sustain this trend," APP reported quoting him. Musharraf said ever since the media was deregulated in 2000 by the government, the independent television, radio and print media have been strengthening the social fabric of the nation through open discourse around issues concerning both the state and the society. "I have no doubt that our nation’s rich cultural heritage will rise above the challenges associated with the freedom of speech and expression. The people of Pakistan embody the historical, cultural and commercial links between the peoples of Central, West and South Asia," he said. Musharraf said few nations provide the kind of diversity of thought and experience that Pakistan offers and mentioned the wide spectrum of geographic, cultural, racial, social, political and economic variance that provided it a unique allure.

Ahmadinejad starts Afghan visit

Kabul – Shaaban 01, 1428/ August 14, 2007– Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has arrived in Afghanistan on the first leg of a regional tour. Ahmadinejad is  due to meet his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai in Kabul. This is Ahmadinejad's first visit to Afghanistan since he was elected. Both Tehran and Kabul say they will use the trip to broaden existing ties, BBC reported. The Iranian president is accompanied by Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki; Secretary of Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani and President's top advisor Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi. During his day-long visit which is taking place at the official invitation of President Karzai, Ahmadinejad will discuss major bilateral, regional and international issues with senior Afghan officials, IRNA reported. The two presidents are also expected to sign a comprehensive agreement on bilateral cooperation.

            Issues of mutual interest include continuing reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan and Kabul's ongoing fight against Taleban insurgents. The continuing presence of almost a million Afghan refugees in Iran and Tehran's current operation to expel other groups of Afghans who are living in Iran illegally are also important issues. Kabul's main ally, the United States, recently alleged that Iranian-made weapons had been finding their way into the hands of the Taleban, but that has been strongly denied by Tehran. And during his recent visit to the US, the Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, said Iran had been playing a positive role in his country.

            From Afghanistan Ahmadinejad will travel on to Turkmenistan, where he is expected to sign a number of co-operation agreements. Iran is the largest consumer of Turkmen gas after Russia and the two countries have close economic ties. Ahmadinejad's final port of call will be a meeting of the Shanghai Co-operation Organization in Kyrgyzstan, where he is expected to bid for Iran's status to be raised from observer to full member.

Karimov to open international Islamic conference tomorrow

Tashkent – Shaaban 01, 1428/ August 14, 2007– Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov will open here tomorrow a two-day conference on "Uzbekistan's Role in Islamic Civilization." This conference comes in line with choosing Tashkent, the Capital of Uzbekistan, as the Capital of Islamic Culture in 2007. This selection was made by the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO), an offshoot of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

The opening session will be attended by Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the OIC secretary general and Amr Mousa, secretary general of the Arab League.

The first day will be on the discussion of the formation and development of Islamic Culture in Uzbekistan while the second day will be on Samarkand role In Islamic Civilization.

Four Palestinians killed in Israeli raid

Gaza – Shaaban 01, 1428/ August 14, 2007– Four Palestinians have died during an Israeli incursion into the southern Gaza Strip. The Israeli military said three gunmen were killed by Israeli fire, and a fourth was killed on the ground near the town of Khan Yunis. But Palestinians said two of the dead were civilians, including a 60-year-old woman, and 14 people were injured. It was one of the biggest Israeli incursions since the Hamas movement seized control of Gaza in mid-June.

            The Israeli operation involved ground forces and aircraft. Palestinian reports speak of about 20 tanks and armored personnel carriers being involved. It began early on Tuesday morning. An Israeli army spokesman said its aim was to stop militants digging tunnels and firing rockets into Israel. The Hamas takeover of Gaza has left the Palestinian territories split and under the control of the rival factions - Hamas in Gaza, and Fatah in the parts of the West Bank not controlled by Israel.

Mauritania appeals for flood aid

Nouakchott – Shaaban 01, 1428/ August 14, 2007– Mauritania has appealed for international help in providing food and medicine to about 3,000 families displaced by floods. Tintane, a southern town of 10,000 near the border with Mali, was hit by heavy rains running off nearby mountains, affecting more than 2,000 homes, Abderrahmane Ould Hamma Vezzaz, minister of finance and economy, said. Speaking to diplomats and representatives of international aid organizations late on Saturday, he said: "Several people were injured, others disappeared and the town has been three-quarters destroyed according to accounts from travelers, who say the water also carried off much of the livestock.

            Two people have so far been confirmed dead, but Ould Vezzaz could not confirm how many more were still missing. "I appeal to international solidarity, notably our development partners," he said. "The situation is under control, but we are facing problems with food, safety, electricity and providing drinking water, since the water supply network was washed away by the violent tide of water." Ould Vezzaz said schools, health facilities, roads and market places were also damaged or destroyed. He said the authorities were looking for alternative sites to rebuild houses for residents prepared to move from low-lying districts.

Seasonal rains have arrived across large swathes of West Africa in the past few weeks, giving relief to rural farmers who can now plant their crops, but also bringing devastation to some low-lying and densely populated areas. Mauritania lies at the western edge of the Sahara and is mostly arid for much of the year, except during the seasonal summer rains which can be torrential.

Saudi relief plane leaves for Bangladesh

Riyadh – Shaaban 01, 1428/ August 14, 2007– A Saudi cargo plane left here yesterday for Bangladesh with relief supplies to alleviate the suffering of people in flood-hit regions. The supplies include foodstuffs, carpets and blankets weighing 54221 kilograms.

            This was in line with the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz to provide prompt assistance for Bangladesh following the great damage inflicting individuals and properties.