ISLAMABAD: Without ruling out the involvement of Taliban in the killing of federal minister Shehbaz Bhatti, the intelligence agencies are also taking a hard look at the possible involvement of Xe International, (formerly Blackwater) and indian intelligence agency RAW, and are specifically looking into the activities of a white foreigner who is acting as a “security consultant” in Islamabad. “There is some rock-solid evidence indicating foreign involvement in the high profile murder,” intelligence sources told The News. They also do not rule out the involvement of the Indian intelligence agency RAW (Research & Intelligence Wing), which is known to have a role in destabilizing Pakistan in different areas. “Keeping in view the evidence, the aspect of using the name of Tanzeem al-Qaeda and Tehrik-e-Taliban Punjab by hidden hands, cannot be ruled out altogether,” sources said. Intelligence agencies expect to track the assassins of federal minister through geo-fencing. “But it could take around three weeks as the geo-fencing is very complex and time consuming job,” a source said. Geo-fencing is a process in which, using highly sophisticated equipment, the agencies can go through the entire call date of the relevant transmission towers in the vicinity. Though the number of telephone calls may run into hundreds of thousands, the system cuts through the maze with the use of certain buzz words. REFERENCE: Taliban say they did it but agencies also looking at Xe, RAW By Shakeel Anjum Friday, March 04, 2011 http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=4380&Cat=13&dt=3/4/2011Now watch this GEO TV Clips where Jang Group tried its best to link Mumbai Tragedy with Pakistan
GEO TV Prepared Case Against Pakistan for Mumbai Attack.
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfhxfjWWH6g&feature=channel_video_title
http://ejang.jang.com.pk/3-4-2011/Karachi/pic.asp?picname=34.gif
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Hamid Mir & GEO TV Supported Lal Masjid Operation. (Dunya TV 15 Feb 2011)
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTkrOW0krd4&feature=related
Indian Hand is behind Fomenting Terror in Pakistan and In Aman Ki Asha as well [Don note the Dates of Aman Ki Asha and Jang Group's WikiLeaks Headline in your mind while reading below:)
Closer ties to help Pakistani, Indian IT firms
By our correspondent
KARACHI: Closer business ties between the information technology companies in Pakistan and India can create thousands of jobs and help bring down cost of making new software applications, said an official of a top multinational firm.
Some companies on both sides of the border trade ideas and use each other's human resource in indirect ways, which increase the cost, said IBM Country Manager Humayun Bashir.
"There is no escaping direct business linkage now. The world has changed," he said, ahead of an important meeting between Indian and Pakistani delegates that starts from Friday. "India is running out of skills. That is one reason Indian companies have expanded operations to Philippines, China and many other countries."
Top executives of some of the largest Indian IT firms arrive in Karachi today (Thursday) to meet their Pakistani counterparts as part of the Aman Ki Asha initiative- a collaboration between Times of India and Jang Group.
Bashir said that problems arise at the communication level as well. "The fiber optic connection between the two countries is poor. It needs to be improved for faster online interaction."
Representatives of the Pakistani IT industry have already met and deliberated upon the opportunities that should benefit both the countries.
None of the members of Aman Ki Asha IT committee raise any concern about losing market share to Indian companies.�The committee includes President Pakistan Software Houses Association Jehan Ara, CEO Infotech Naseer A Akhtar, Managing Director Systems Limited Ashraf Kapadia, Yousuf Jan, Salman Akhter and Bashir.
Bashir said that Pakistan has some of the best brains and it was wrong to assume that human resource in IT sector remains behind that of India. "The benefits are going to be mutual. We have some software programmes that the Indian companies could use and similarly they could help us in the same way."
The meeting follows Aman Ki Asha's economic conference held in New Delhi in May.
The Indian delegation includes Dr Ganesh Natarajan, CEO Zensar Technologies and a key member of Confederation of Indian Industry,
CEO Global Talent Track Dr Uma Ganesh Natarajan, Chairman NASSCOM Harsh Manglik and CEO iResolvIT Rahul Mohod.
Pakistan's IT industry is unanimous on the need for private sector to take the lead in normalising relations between the two countries as governments on each side harbour doubts about the intentions of the other state.
Getting visas and security clearance remains time consuming and difficult on both sides even as countries around the world form regional blocks to spur economic growth, Pakistani IT industry officials said.
Pakistan's software development and business process outsourcing sub-sectors need some type of protectionist regime as they are in their infancy stage compared with regional peers. But some people believe that the IT industry will excel only with increase in competition. Thursday, December 09, 2010 http://amankiasha.com/detail_news.asp?id=330
Hamid Mir (Jang Group/GEO TV) Involves Pakistan in Terrorism on Indian TV Channel
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DhsivI9b4Q&feature=channel_video_title
A 'brand' new look at Aman Ki Asha Updated at 2000 PST Tuesday, November 23, 2010 by Ashwini Gangal
One of the most well-received and moving sessions on the first day of the INMA (International Newsmedia Marketing Association) 4th Annual Conference, was a case study presented by Rahul Kansal, chief marketing officer, The Times of India, New Delhi and Shahrukh Hasan, group managing director, Jang Group, Karachi. The duo behind Aman Ki Asha took turns at the microphone before a packed hall at New Delhi's plush Lalit Hotel, revealing the story of the Indo-Pak peace initiative and speaking about how it was launched in the media as a regular brand.
Sticking to the day's theme, 'Redefining the Newspaper Business', Kansal began on a generic note. He noted that in the sub-continent, print media is growing, despite TV and new media. Giving a peek into the history of the Jang Group, Hasan informed, "The Jang was launched in 1939 as a four-page tabloid from Delhi that reported on war, hence the name."
The Aman Ki Asha campaign, which saw the light of day on January 1, 2010 in both countries, in a sense succeeded a campaign called Zara Sochiye ('Just Think') in Pakistan, which campaigned against the imperfections in the controversial Hudood Ordinance, an anti-women law. This gave way to Aman Ki Asha, a campaign launched to improve relations with India - an imperative for facilitating greater overall growth in Pakistan, stressed Hasan.
The campaign, Hasan told the INMA delegates, had commerce, people-to-people contacts and cultural exchanges as key drivers together with dialogue on the contentious issues.
By August 2009, it was learned that youngsters were unanimous in the belief that there needs to be an opportunity for India and Pakistan to view one another in a holistic manner. This revelation paved way for the Aman Ki Asha team in India to visit Karachi; they returned with the pleasant knowledge that tremendous levels of sincerity prevailed on either end.
"Aman Ki Asha had to be launched as a brand," said Hasan, before revealing how the name 'Aman Ki Asha' and its accompanying logo were arrived at. "After considering scores of logos from both the Times of India and Jang Group teams, we narrowed down our options to two logos - one, a product of the Indian stable and another a product of the Pakistani team. The 'winner' was determined by a vote from those present - four Pakistanis and eight Indians. We thought we would be out-voted for sure, but it was delightful that the Indians unanimously voted for the Jang Group's creation, which shows how fair they were, and how much above petty nationalism," narrated Hasan.
Even the name, 'Aman' (Urdu) and 'Asha' (Hindi), was a combination of different names coined by the TOI and Jang teams. The final name was a deliberate merger of the two, signifying all that the campaign stood for. Just like any other brand, this one too was launched with a well thought out logo, meaningful name, mission statement and a brand philosophy.
The Aman Ki Asha anthem was then conceived, with lyrics by Gulzar, a poet with deep roots in both nations. Shankar Mahadevan of India composed the music for the anthem, and sang it, along with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan of Pakistan. Amitabh Bachchan lent his voice for the narrated version.
The launch, revealed Kansal, was carried out in consultation with stakeholders of the Times Group, and politicians in power on both ends were brought on-board. "With or without government support, we were going to launch this. Interestingly, in Pakistan, support was received, amongst others, from rightist group, Jamaat-e-Islami."
Following this, the much talked about joint editorial - a first of its kind - was developed. It was a front-page joint statement, by editors of both groups. Additionally, a joint survey (with common questions) was conducted in both countries. This brought to the forefront the voice of the silent majority that is screaming for peace between the two nations.
Aman ki Asha activities include the Peace Hankies Campaign and The Tug of Peace Campaign, which were combined into a spectacular show at the Wagah Border, where handkerchiefs bearing 'peace messages' from both nations were tied in a symbolic knot. More than 200,000 school children participated in making these hankies. A Public Interaction Campaign was held at Park Towers, a popular mall in Karachi, where people signed huge banner for peace. TOI Mumbai's bureau chief Balakrishnan, who happened to be in Pakistan, also participated in this activity and was the centre of much attention, said Hasan.
Another event was Poetry for Peace, a gathering of Indian and Pakistani poets in Karachi. In Talking Peace - a conference in where editors and anchors from India were invited to meet their counterparts in Pakistan - they discussed the role of the media in worsening, instead of abating, tense Indo-Pak situations. Both sides agreed that the media does tend to fan existing tensions between the two nations and vowed to obtain the other point of view more diligently.
Other activities included Common Destiny (a strategic conference); Milne Do (A campaign against visa restrictions, lobbying for the need to make it easier for Indians and Pakistanis to acquire visas for each other's country; issues such as single-city visas were discussed); and The Water Conference in New Delhi (that addressed the issue of tensions based on water issues, concluding with an agreement that while India was not re-directing water as some in Pakistan alleged, telemetry and monitoring systems were essential).
Additionally, advertisements on the "Indo-Pak Express" were carried, in the wake of India's Bopanna and Pakistan's Qureshi teaming up for several international tournaments. Music and food festivals in key cities in both nations were a major part of this campaign too.
Kansal mused, "The campaign was based on culture, commerce and conflict resolution," adding, on a forward-looking note, "In the pipeline are events such as Love All -- an exhibition tennis match; TV exposes; a strategic seminar series; Art Across Borders; Foreign Minister Conclaves; and the London Peace Conference to be held in the spring of 2011."
Hasan concluded emotionally, "We are still waiting for a happy ending for our story."
Courtesy: afaqs! India www.afaqs.com
Jang Group/Hamid Mir Propaganda against Pakistan Army and Agencies
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m36hEqGmXOI&feature=channel_video_title
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The Times of India Group and the Jang Group have come together to energize the process of peace between our two countries. We believe that this is an intervention whose time has come. We recognize that set backs will occur but these should not derail the process. We will need to reach out and pluck the low hanging fruit in the beginning before we aim higher. Issues of trade and commerce, of investments, of financial infrastructure, of cultural exchanges, of religious and medical tourism, of free movement of ideas, of visa regimes, of sporting ties, of connectivity, of reviving existing routes, of market access, of separated families, of the plight of prisoners, will be part of our initial agenda. Through debates, discussions and the telling of stories we will find commonalities and space, for compromise and adjustment, on matters that have bedevilled relations for over 60 years. Our subcontinent needs to follow the footprints left behind by the great poets, sufi saints and the bhakts who preached and practiced love and inclusiveness. This is the land of Tagore and Ghalib, of Bulleh Shah and Kabir, of Nanak and Moinuddin Chisti. It is their spirit that will guide us in this journey. The one and half billion people of this region await the dawning of an age where peace, equality and tranquility prevails. This will happen when every heart beats with Aman ki Asha. REFERENCE: Aman Ki Asha - Destination Peace http://www.geo.tv/amankiasha/Eng_joint.asp"UNQUOTE"
Jang Group/The News International/GEO TV also support this Anti Pakistan Army/ISI Campaign of Times of India. Just a Glimpse
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ISI helped Taliban supremo Mullah Omar flee from Quetta to Karachi PTI, 20 November 2009, 12:53pm IST WASHINGTON: Fearing that Taliban supremo Mullah Omar might be targetted by US drones, Pakistan's ISI has helped him to flee from the border town of Quetta to the mega port city of Karachi, where he has established a new Shura council. One-eyed leader of the Afghan Taliban recently found refuge from potential US attacks in Karachi with Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) assistance, the Washington Times reported quoting US intelligence officials."Mullah Omar travelled to Karachi last month after the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. He inaugurated a new senior leadership council in Karachi, a city that so far has escaped US and Pakistani counter-terrorism campaigns," the officials said. The paper said the ISI helped Mullah Omar move from Quetta, where they felt he was exposed to attacks by unmanned US drones. "The development reinforces suspicions that the ISI, which helped create the Taliban in the 1990s to expand Pakistani influence in Afghanistan, is working against US interests in Afghanistan as the Obama administration prepares to send more US troops to fight there," the daily said.
Bruce Riedel, a CIA veteran and analyst on al Qaeda and the Taliban, confirmed that Mullah Omar had been spotted in Karachi recently, the daily said. "Some sources claim the ISI decided to move him further from the battlefield to keep him safe" from US drone attacks, Riedel was quoted as saying. "There are huge madrassas in Karachi where Mullah Omar could easily be kept," he said. Riedel noted that there had been few suicide bombings in Karachi, which he attributed to the Taliban and al Qaeda not wanting to "foul their own nest". At the same time, the daily said so far there has been no indication that the top Al Qaeda leadership too had moved to Karachi.
Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahri are still thought to be in the tribal region of Pakistan on Afghanistan's border, he said. However, the newspaper said according to intelligence officials, other mid-level al Qaeda operatives who facilitate the travel and training of foreign fighters have moved to the Karachi metropolitan area, which with 18 million people is Pakistan's most populous city. "One reason, [al Qaeda] and Taliban leaders are relocating to Karachi is because they believe US drones do not strike there," a official was quoted as saying adding that it is a densely populated urban area.URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/ISI-helped-Taliban-supremo-Mullah-Omar-flee-from-Quetta-to-Karachi/articleshow/5250365.cms
Go to jail or join jihad against India: ISI tells surrendered Taliban Vishwa Mohan, TNN, 7 October 2009, 12:13am IST - NEW DELHI: In a new shift in tactics, Pakistan is planning to push as many as 60 "surrendered" Taliban into Jammu and Kashmir to become part of the "jihad" against India. The ISI is said to have offered the extremists the option of either going to jail or crossing the Line of Control. The "jail or jihad" option offered to the Taliban seems a useful diversion for ISI. The Pakistan military establishment has had to fight the Taliban, once its close allies in Afghanistan, but is looking to turn the situation to its advantage. Apprehensions in Indian security circles that the crackdown by the Pakistan army on Taliban — seen as a last resort after the jihadis turned their guns on the Pakistani state — could mean trouble in Kashmir are being proved correct. Not only have infiltration attempts by regular jihadi outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba gone up, the presence of Taliban poses a new threat.Highly placed sources said BSF and the Army had been alerted about the developments after intelligence intercepted talk about infiltration bids in the next 15 to 20 days. "Although the Taliban is yet to successfully infiltrate into India, the coming days will pose a challenge as their attempts to sneak in are expected before the onset of winter," said a senior official. The infiltration is closely controlled and monitored by the ISI and Pakistan army which is often involved in the crossings. The issue cropped up as a major security concern during the two-day visit to Srinagar by a high-powered central team led by cabinet secretary K M Chandrashekhar and comprising home secretary G K Pillai, defence secretary Pradeep Kumar and other senior officials.
Top security and intelligence officials deliberated over the move by state actors in Pakistan to utilize the Taliban for their objectives in Kashmir. Taking note of the assessment, officials are learnt to have unequivocally noted during the reviews in Srinagar that there was no change in Pakistan's support to terror groups post 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. The Taliban, who recently fought against Pakistan army in Swat Valley and other areas along the Pak-Afghan border, were well trained and battle-hardened. They could put their experience of fighting US troops to use in Kashmir. Apart from the group of 60, there are nearly 250 to 300 jihadis — armed with sophisticated weapons, Thuraya satellite phones and Indian mobile SIM cards — poised at launch pads along LoC. This feeds into the view that violence could escalate in J&K in the winter months.
The meeting in Srinagar, attended by senior Army and paramilitary personnel, also took note of repeated use of Pakistani Air Force helicopters to evacuate injured infiltrators along the LoC and as many as 42 terror camps in PoK and Pakistan. "Such incidents (like use of choppers) clearly show the involvement of Pakistani authorities in facilitating infiltration. Though our forces are fully alert to thwart Pakistani designs, the next 15-20 days are quite crucial as this is the period when they will do everything to infiltrate as many terrorists as possible," said a senior official. That is when winter will begin to set in. URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Go-to-jail-or-join-jihad-against-India-ISI-tells-surrendered-Taliban/articleshow/5095277.cms
CIA paid millions of dollars to ISI since 9/11: Report IANS, 16 November 2009, 12:24pm IST LOS ANGELES: The CIA has paid millions of dollars to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) since 9/11, accounting for as much as one-third of the foreign spy agency's annual budget, says a media report. The ISI also collected "tens of millions of dollars through a classified CIA programme", which pays for the capture or killing of wanted militants, the Los Angeles Times reported on Monday citing current and former US officials. An intense debate has been triggered within the US government due to "long-standing suspicions that the ISI continues to help Taliban extremists who undermine US efforts in Afghanistan and provide sanctuary to al-Qaida members in Pakistan". But US officials have continued to make the payments as ISI's assistance is considered critical: "Almost every major terrorist plot this decade has originated in Pakistan's tribal belt, where ISI informant networks are a primary source of intelligence."The report went on to say that the payments to Pakistan are authorised under a covert programme initially approved by then president Bush and continued under President Obama. "The ISI has used the covert CIA money for a variety of purposes, including the construction of a new headquarters in Islamabad, the capital. That project pleased CIA officials because it replaced a structure considered vulnerable to attack; it also eased fears that the US money would end up in the private bank accounts of ISI officials." "What we didn't want to happen was for this group of generals in power at the time to just start putting it in their pockets or building mansions in Dubai," a former CIA operative was quoted as saying. CIA officials argue that their own disbursements - particularly the bounties for suspected terrorists - should be considered a bargain. "They gave us 600 to 700 people captured or dead," a former senior CIA official, who worked with the Pakistanis, was quoted as saying.
"Getting these guys off the street was a good thing, and it was a big savings to (US) taxpayers." Another US intelligence official said Pakistan had made "decisive contributions to counter-terrorism". "They have people dying almost every day," the official said. "Sure, their interests don't always match up with ours. But things would be one hell of a lot worse if the government there was hostile to us." The ISI is a highly compartmentalised intelligence service, with divisions that sometimes seem at odds with one another. Units that work closely with the CIA are walled off from a highly secretive branch that has directed insurgencies in Afghanistan and Kashmir, the Los Angeles Times report said. "There really are two ISIs," the former CIA operative said. "On the counter-terrorism side, those guys were in lock-step with us," the former operative said. "And then there was the 'long-beard' side. Those are the ones who created the Taliban and are supporting groups like Haqqani."
The network led by Jalaluddin Haqqani has been accused of carrying out a series of suicide attacks in Afghanistan, including the 2008 bombing of the Indian Embassy in Kabul. URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/CIA-paid-millions-of-dollars-to-ISI-since-9/11-Report/articleshow/5235067.cms
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CIA agent Hamid Mir of GEO TV exposed
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX2OWWJtN4I&feature=player_embedded
Whereas the very same Jang Group/GEO TV had played a very dirty role during Mumbai Tragedy in 2008 while relaying a bogus "Investigative Report on Ajmal Kasab" on GEO TV and the same Jang Group is now lecturing Pakistanis for Peace with India whereas very Muhammad Saleh Zaafir and Jang Group have no shame left in them because they forget while lecturing PPP and Zardari about Kerry Lugar Bill, No First Strike, Patriotism and National Security not too long ago while running the campaign of "Joint statement by editors of the Jang Group and Times of India" Friday, January 01, 2010 Aman Ki Asha". http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=26398 AMAN KI ASHA - DESTINATION PEACE http://www.geo.tv/amankiasha/default.aspGEO News report proves Ajmal Kasab is Pakistani
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQrI4WPTSUE&feature=player_embedded
truth about ajmal kasab indian terrorist by pakipowerboy
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hoxa8c648E&feature=player_embedded
Some members of the Pakistani establishment and especially those agencies (nowadays this role has been taken over by the Jang Group of Newspapers), which have assumed the role of determining what is ‘national interest of Pakistan’, and who is loyal, and who is anti Pakistan, have perhaps done more damage to Pakistan than known enemies of Pakistan. It is unfortunate that every blunder, be it at national level or in foreign affairs, is made in the name of ‘national interest of Pakistan’. People of Pakistan are perplexed as they fail to understand what is ’national interest of Pakistan. People are further bewildered when some of these leaders, perceived and declared as ‘anti Pakistan’ or ‘security risk’ are sworn in to hold some kind of office in Pakistan. There are many examples where people declared as an ‘Indian agent’ or ‘traitor’ had taken high public office; even those who had no Pakistani nationality or rescinded it, had an opportunity to become Prime Minister of Pakistan. Once these people have decided that something is in the ‘national interest of Pakistan’, they will pursue that agenda without having any system of check and balance and appraisal. If any one dares to criticize what they do in the name of ‘national interest of Pakistan’, he/she is declared as ‘anti Pakistan’. Similarly if a Pakistani person criticizes Pakistan government, or holds demonstration against the government policy, he is declared as ‘anti Pakistan’. Day in day out Pakistanis have to tolerate the Lessons of Loyalty and Anti-Americanism from Jang Group of Newspaper, The News International, GEO TV and their Employees, now watch what Company the CEO OF GEO TV "Mir. Ibrahim Rehman enjoys"
As per a note blogger "Cafe Pyala"
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Guess who was spotted on November 9 in Washington D.C. at a reception for American and Pakistani media personnel thrown by US AfPak ambassador Richard Holbrooke's media assistant Ashley Bommer? Mir Ibrahim Rehman, scion of the house of Jang and CEO of the Geo TV Network. He walked in with The Friday Times editor and Dunya TV's Najam Sethi but stayed long after Sethi left the party.
Mir Ibrahim Rehman (c) at his master's convocation earlier this year
Mir Ibrahim (MIR) apparently jetted in for a mysterious three-day visit to the US, during which, our sources say, the main objective was to convince the US administration that Geo was neither anti-US nor anti-democracy, the line being peddled by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government. MIR also wished to gather official American support for the Jang Groupagainst the PPP boycott of the group as an instance of an assault on freedom of the media.
Our sources claim that MIR did not find too much traction among US officials against the idea of a media boycott, perhaps because the Obama administration itself has a similar boycott against Fox News (albeit without the shoe-throwing rent-a-demos and vile grafitti scrawlsagainst Fox News owners). However, what is particularly interesting about the Jang Group's attempts to woo the American establishment is the fact that there has been apparently a lot of discussion within the US government about whether it should support and even subsidize a media group that has no qualms about running shrill propaganda against the US, and sometimes even promoting a pro-Taliban line. In particular, Hamid Mir's contribution to whipping up Blackwater hysteria in Pakistan, Ansar Abbasi's rants about Western puppets, and the space given to nutjobs such as Zaid Hamid (Aag TV) and Ahmad Quraishi (Aag TV and The News) have apparently raised quite a few eyebrows in the US administration.
The Americans have reason to be upset with the Jang Group, and MIR has reasons to find their upset unsettling. The running of the banal American propaganda Voice of America (VoA) programme Khabron Se Aagay[Beyond the Headlines] as an 'advertorial' on Geo since 2005 has netted the Jang Group and its owners, by some accounts, millions of US taxpayer dollars. Although the exact 'compensation package' doled out to Geo by the US government is still secret, it should be noted that the deal between Geo and VoA was mediated during the Bush-Musharraf era by the then Information Secretary Anwar Mahmood and advertising whiz-kid Asif Salahuddin, the latter of whom is reputed not to touch 'small' deals. Apparently, part of MIR's discussions with the US administration included those on the future of the Geo-VoA deal.
Incidentally, while Najam Sethi was ostensibly in the US for medical check-ups and may have been present at the Bommer reception only coincidentally, as we have reported in the past, he too has been trying to persuade American-backed NGOs to fund a new 'liberal' channel to be headed by him.
Coming back to MIR, it seems that more than American upset, a potential threat of withdrawal of lucrative financial support may be the trigger for a panic at the Jang Group. As they say, bullshit may walk but it's money that talks. I have a strong feeling that you may well see the (media) house line shifting very soon. If you suddenly begin to miss the casual anti-US vitriol in the group's publications and on Geo, you'll know why. REFERENCE: Money Talks TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2010 http://cafepyala.blogspot.com/2010/11/money-talks.html
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GEO TV Owner Mir Ibrahim Rahman is a Foreign Agent.
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_gLOfzbpVU&feature=channel_video_title
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The Program will also draw on the intellectual resources present at the Kennedy School, Harvard University, and other academic and policy institutions in the Boston area and beyond. http://www.hks.harvard.edu/cchrp/sbhrap/aboutus/affiliates.php
R. Nicholas Burns Burns was previously the highest-ranking career diplomat at the U.S. Department of State, appointed Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Richard Clarke Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard, Clark served the last three presidents as a senior White House Advisor. He has held the titles of Special Assistant to the President for Global Affairs, National Coordinator for Security and Counter-terrorism, and Special Advisor to the President for Cyber Security.
Mir Ibrahim Rahman Mir Ibrahim Rahman is founder and CEO of GEO TV Network, one of Pakistan’s fastest growing and most popular media brands. According to Raham, GEO’s mission is “to create an enabling platform for thinking and questioning in Pakistan.” The New York Times has noted that “GEO has changed the media landscape” of Pakistan. Mir graduated Suma Cum Laude from Babson College in Economics, Finance and Entrepreneurship. He currently taking a leave from his CEO duties, to pursue a Masters in Public Administration at the Harvard Kennedy School.
"UNQUOTE"
Note: Richard A. Clarke - Partner
Richard A. Clarke is an internationally-recognized expert on security, including homeland security, national security, cyber security, and counterterrorism. He is currently an on-air consultant for ABC News and teaches at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. Mr. Clarke served the last three Presidents as a senior White House Advisor. Over the course of an unprecedented 11 consecutive years of White House service, he held the titles of:- Special Assistant to the President for Global Affairs
- National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism
- Special Advisor to the President for Cyber Security
Prior to his White House years, Mr. Clarke served for 19 years in the Pentagon, the Intelligence Community, and State Department. During the Reagan Administration, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence. During the Bush (41) Administration, he was Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs and coordinated diplomatic efforts to support the 1990-1991 Gulf War and the subsequent security arrangements.
As a Partner in Good Harbor, Mr. Clarke advises clients on a range of issues including:
- Corporate security risk management
- Information security technology
- Dealing with the Federal Government on security and IT issues
- Counterterrorism http://www.goodharbor.net/team/clarke.php
LAHORE: The US government is considering a ban on issuance of visa to those people who supported the assassination of former Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer earlier this month. Sources in Washington told Daily Times that the Congress took serious view of cheering, supporting and condoning Taseer’s assassination by one of his bodyguards in Islamabad on January 4, or for publicly encouraging, directly or indirectly, the killing of “blasphemers.” They said the US government was preparing a list of Pakistani journalists, parliamentarians, lawyers and religious leaders who would not be issued visas or allowed to travel to the US for supporting the assassination of Taseer and lionising his assassin. They said journalists Meher Bokhari, Ansar Abbasi, Majeed Nizami, Irfan Siddiqui and Mir Shakilur Rehman, MNAs Shaikh Waqas Akram and Maulana Fazlur Rehman, lawyer Ashraf Gujjar, and religious leaders Sahibzada Fazal Kareem, Syed Munnawar Hassan, Asadullah Bhutto, Maulana Shah Turabul Haq Qadri, Muhammad Ahmed Ludhianvi, Syed Mazhar Saeed Kazmi, Allama Syed Riaz Hussain Shah, Allama Zamir Sajid, Haneef Tayyab, Shahid Ghauri, Farid Paracha, Mufti Naeem of Jamia Binoria, Maulana Asad Thanvi, Maulana Shabbir, Pir Khalid Sultan, Pir Ghulam Siddiq Naqshbandi, Allama Syed Khizr Hussain Shah, Alhaj Amjad Chishti, Allama Ghulam Sarwar Hazarvi, Allama Syed Shamsuddin Bokhari, Pir Syed Ashiq Ali Shah Jilani, Mufti Muhammad Iqbal Chishti, Allama Fazal Jamil Rizvi, Agha Muhammad Ibrahim Naqshbandi Mujaddidi, Maulana Muhammad Riaz Qadri, Maulana Gulzar Naeemi, Allama Syed Ghulam Yaseen Shah, Abul Khair Muhammad Zubair, and all leaders of the Tahaffuz-e-Namoos-e-Risalat Mahaz might face the proposed ban. REFERENCE: US mulls visa ban on several Pakistanis Staff Report Thursday, January 20, 2011 http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\01\20\story_20-1-2011_pg1_6
NEW YORK: Gilani-Zardari government aides have got perturbed because of objective criticism, disclosures of corruption scandals, economic set backs, incompetence and government’s ignorance of public issues raised by the media, and have expanded their conspiracies against outstanding and bold journalists from Islamabad to Washington. Its obvious proof is a recent letter addressed after the assassination of Governor Salman Taseer to the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by the leading members of the anti-Pakistan lobby Congressmen Garry Ackerman, Peter King and their two colleagues support this impression. The signatories of the letter had asked for not granting American visa to media men not condemning the killing of Salman Taseer and political and religious leaders supporting the act of the assassin. No name of any Pakistani journalist, political and religious personality was mentioned in the letter. The letter was written by only four Congressmen out of 435 who are familiar with their anti-Pakistan stance. Secretary Clinton has so far not responded to the contents of the letter but indications are there that the US State Department had prepared a list of journalists and others on whom entry in the US may be denied by cancelling or denying visas. News published in this regard had also named persons who may face the curbs. When approached, an official of the US State Department told this correspondent that he was aware about the news, adding, the designated spokesperson was only competent to comment over the subject.
When insisted, the official sought anonymity and confirmed as backgrounder the communication by the four Congressmen. However, Secretary Clinton had so far not responded to the letter, he said. He set aside the news as baseless about curbs on Pakistani journalists, saying that freedom of press and expression was the cornerstone of the US democratic system and principles of democracy. He said that neither any list of Pakistani journalists had been prepared nor it was being contemplated. The congressmen had also not mentioned names of any Pakistani newsmen in their letter. Some elements cropped up when an effort was made to dig out facts with regard to the news. They are:
1. The letter of four congressmen came into limelight during the recent brief visit of President Asif Ali Zardari to Washington when the series of statements, editorials and condemnation of the killing of Salman Taseer was still on.
2. It is fact that Zardari during his stay in Washington and interactions with Americans and Pakistani diplomats had referred negatively about Pakistani media especially the Jang/Geo Group. He had tried to convince certain US officials that reports in the Pakistani media about his government were at the core of de-stabilisation of his government. In spite of will and commitments Pakistani media is the main hurdle in fulfilling the obligations of safeguarding American interests in Pakistan, he said.
3. It was in this scenario that the aides of the Zardari-Gilani government taking notice of the sentiments, perceptions and also complaints of their boss lobbied with the anti-Pakistan congressmen and made them to write a letter to Secretary Clinton. Without waiting a response or reaction from her, they also managed to get the news published about a long list of Pakistani newsmen and other leaders whose entry to the US was about to be restricted. It is interesting that the dateline of the news about the list being considered in Washington was Lahore. On the contrary the American Embassy in the country was also ignorant about any such under consideration list.
4. Informed circles are of the opinion that government aides frustrated with criticism had dispatched this story from Washington to build pressure on the media and appease President Zardari. It predominantly contained names of newsmen from the Jang Group.
No doubt the killing of Salman Taseer was a great tragedy but government aides are exploiting it for their interest and hatching conspiracies against the free media of the country and its chain has been extended up to Washington. It would have been better for them before going to such an extend that they had studied the US political system, democratic norms and informed sources of the US government. REFERENCE: Conspiracies against Pak media By Azim M Mian Sunday, January 23, 2011 http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=3505&Cat=13&dt=1/23/2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011, Safar 18, 1432 A.H
http://jang.com.pk/jang/jan2011-daily/23-01-2011/main4.htm
How do we know these meetings didn’t include discussions of Jang Group followed by lobbying US Congressmen for a letter to be sent to Hillary Clinton? The letter to Hillary Clinton was written on 13 January 2011 – the day BEFORE the meetings. REFERENCE: First US Controls the Weather, Now Time Travel Also http://pakistanmediawatch.com/2011/01/24/first-us-controls-the-weather-now-time-travel-also/
Jang Group says anti-Pakistan lobby Congressmen Garry Ackerman but what's this?
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Washington, D.C. - The Voice of America (VOA) will launch Beyond the Headlines-its new television program in Urdu-on Monday, Nov. 14. The half-hour program will air on GEO TV in Pakistan at 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on selected international satellites, including AsiaSat (Virtual Channel 409) and IOR (Virtual Channel 420). Beyond the Headlines (Khabron se Aage), a fast-paced, contemporary production designed with young and urban Pakistanis in mind, will continue VOA's 63-year tradition of broadcasting accurate and balanced information. Programs will examine international developments, technology, politics, social issues, education, religion, sports, and entertainment. "We look forward to opening this important new channel of communication between the American people and Pakistan," said Steven J. Simmons, a member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), which oversees all United States international radio and television services. Simmons is chairman of the BBG's Voice of America Committee, and has played a key role in increasing radio and TV service to Pakistan, including Beyond the Headlines. "We're particularly delighted with our partnership with GEO TV, the leading cable/satellite broadcaster in the Urdu language," Simmons added. "This new program, together with our expanded radio service, demonstrates our growing commitment to reach the people of Pakistan with new, engaging programs on both radio and TV." "The links between Pakistan and the United States are strong and growing, and our new show is a reflection of that," said VOA Director David S. Jackson. "Beyond the Headlines will focus not only on the big issues of the day, but also on features, business, and culture stories that illuminate the world we live in. For example, we'll show how Pakistanis live and work and go to school in the U.S. We want to provide a unique mix of stories that viewers can't find anywhere else."
Farah Ispahani is the managing editor and executive producer for Beyond the Headlines. She joined VOA earlier this year, bringing more than 20 years of experience in print and television media at such news organizations as CNN, ABC, and NBC. Before she joined VOA, Ispahani, who is a fluent Urdu speaker, was instrumental in the launch of CNN's Paula Zahn Now and Anderson Cooper 360. Anchoring Beyond the Headlines will be Aneka Osman. A familiar face to Pakistanis, Osman worked as an English language news anchor on Pakistan Television. She has covered regional and national security issues, Pakistan-India relations, the conflict in the Middle East, and Pakistan's general elections. She has also worked on Prime Television, the UK-based Pakistani channel, and on the Business Plus Channel.
Ayaz Gul is VOA Urdu's Chief Reporter and Pakistan Coverage Coordinator for Radio Aap ki Dunyaa (Your World Radio), VOA's Urdu radio service, and Beyond the Headlines. Gul, who is based in Pakistan, has been filing on-the-scene reports in Urdu and English for VOA since 1996, and his reports are translated into numerous languages throughout VOA. Prior to joining VOA, he worked for the Japanese network NHK and for the German news agency DPA as a reporter specializing in Pakistan's foreign and domestic news. VOA's Urdu Service broadcasts 12 hours a day of news and information to millions of Pakistanis and other Urdu speakers on Radio Aap ki Dunyaa. The program is distributed by medium wave at 972 kHz, digital audio satellite, the Internet and a three-hour shortwave broadcast. The launch of Beyond the Headlines adds two-and-half hours of television to the Urdu Service's weekly broadcast schedule. The Voice of America, which first went on the air in 1942, is a multimedia international broadcasting service funded by the U.S. government through the Broadcasting Board of Governors. VOA broadcasts more than 1,000 hours of news, information, educational, and cultural programming every week to an estimated worldwide audience of more than 100 million people. Programs are produced in 44 languages. REFERENCE: PRESS RELEASES VOA Launches Urdu TV For Pakistan 11/13/2005 For more information, call VOA’s Office of Public Affairs at (202) 203-4959 or E-Mail publicaffairs@voa.gov http://islamabad.usembassy.gov/pakistan/h05111301.html
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