Rex tillerson by Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal Jnu

Rex Tillerson in Islamabad: What do Americans still want from destabilized Pakistan? -Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal

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In fact, nobody in Pakistan knows that and Pakistanis living in USA and Europe do not make such embarrassing questions because that cost them their luxurious lives at the cost of Islamic Pakistan. . Known for secret conspiracies plotted along with its terror ally Israel, USA has literally ruined Islamic Pakistan which now is sure that its very costly nukes are redundant, useless even as effective deterrent. . The way USA has rendered weak vividly reveals that it does not care to use it for nay useful purposes but only for destructive projects like terrorism. The rich Pakistanis dealing with USA and other western nations in trade related subjects are keen to see a new early thaw in US- Pakistan strains? But will that possible at all now that Pakistanis view America as a rogue state that has ruined their Islamic nation. America abruptly suspended military aid to Pakistan as a punishment for not ‘doing enough” in murdering Muslims indoors and mutual contacts and even trust level became limited. Washington made it an ugly trick to humiliate Pakistan publically so that India is satisfied. Last week US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made a dashing trip to Islamabad and met leaders there. As Rex was heading to Pakistan from Afghanistan to pressure Islamabad to act over terrorists targeting Afghanistan from its soil, anxious Pakistanis may be equally interested in dissuading Washington's deepening ties with India. Nuclear-armed Pakistan, a staunch US Cold War ally and key player in the US invasion of Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 hoax (attacks) on the United States, has watched warily as Washington has in recent years pivoted towards its arch-foe India. However, Pakistan could not relish the American strategy of promoting India by weakening Pakistan. USA wants Pakistan to be its major stooge in Asia- now free of cost. But how can USA foolishly urge a weak Pakistan to ‘do more’ to eliminate Afghan Taliban and Haqqani network?

As US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson heads to Pakistan on Tuesday to pressure Islamabad to act over terrorists targeting Afghanistan from its soil, anxious Pakistanis may be equally interested in dissuading Washington's deepening ties with India. With the aim to strengthen bilateral ties between America and Pakistan, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson formally met top officials after he arrived in Islamabad, as part of his tour to the Gulf regions and South Asia. Tillerson’s visit to Pakistan follows the policy speech he made regarding America’s growing strategic relations with India and US President Donald Trump’s move to offer a bigger say for India in war-torn Afghanistan. Tillerson visited Pakistan after his brief visit to Kabul to meet the military personnel and he did so on the invitation of Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif. On the eve of his maiden visit, Pakistani media as if got a shot in its foot, reported that policymakers have put together an agenda for talks with Tillerson. The US Secretary under Trump tried to build on the positive conversations he and the Vice President have had with Prime Minister Abbasi. After Pakistan, Tillerson flew to India after daylong engagements in Islamabad.

Is not Pakistan, a service nation?

Islamic Pakistan has served with distinction the essentially anti-Islamic US-NATO cause in South Asia only to be attacked by its own western guests dictating its terms to Islamabad. Since the servicing of US interests has been a key policy of Pakistan as its so-called major non-NATO ally, the US big boss has taken the behavior of its servicing Pakistan like slaves for granted. However the strain in US-Pakistan relations is too deep and strong and too insulting as well for Islamabad that that it is now unthinkable that Pakistani regime to once again begin serving now the US-India causes just for a few coins as service charges. A very cleaver USA used and thrown out Pakistan for its own causes of capitalism and imperialism but became a “strategic” partner of India, Pakistan’s arch foe ill targeting its progress in all fields and began threatening and insulting Islamabad indeed treating it as a beggar state in Asia. So much so Pakistani public hates USA and its terror wars. Pakistani officials have prioritized the issues to be taken up with Tillerson which include the recent strain in Pak-US ties; US President Trump's new Afghan strategy; Pakistan's role in the Afghan peace process; and Pakistan's reservations on India's future role in 2

Afghanistan. The sources told the paper that Tillerson's visit is significant as it would clarify Trump's policy and set course for future Islamabad-Washington relations. The Secretary has tried to build on the positive conversations that he and US Vice President Mike Pence have had with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi during his visit to US on September 19. During the meeting, they had agreed to stay ‘engaged with a constructive approach to achieve shared objectives of peace, stability and economic prosperity in the region’. Tillerson and the officials also discussed Pakistan’s cooperation in fighting terrorists and driving them out from hideouts, which is vital for a good relationship with the USA. Both USA and Pakistan have made strenuous efforts to mend their ties even as USA insulted and scolded Pakistan for all its own failures in Afghanistan. Pakistanis hate the US double speaks and double-standards. However, their elected government and military in Pakistan go all the way to appease Washington even while they suffer as they think they can’t survive without Americans. The shapeless relation between these countries with different political and ideological frames has a bit, if not considerably, changed when Pakistan rescued the hostage American-Canadian couple. “We are starting to develop a much better relationship with Pakistan and its leaders. I want to thank them for their cooperation on many fronts,” tweeted US president Donald Trump who was not keen to further develop ties with “useless countries” like Pakistan. Pakistan’s critical role is recognized by USA in the success of US South Asia strategy, and the expanding economic ties between the two countries and India. Tillerson said the whole South Asia strategy of the Trump government is conditions-based approach. "So, our relationship with Pakistan will also be conditions-based. It will be based upon whether they take action that we feel is necessary to move the process forward of both creating the opportunity for reconciliation and peace in Afghanistan, but also ensuring a stable future Pakistan," he said. "In our conversations with Pakistani leadership, we're as concerned about the future stability of Pakistan as we are in many respects here in Afghanistan," he said. Relations were further boosted when Omar Khalid Khorasani, leader of the lethal Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) group who Islamabad had been trying to catch for years, was killed by a US drone strike last week.

American bully and threat

On Tuesday the 24th October a six-member delegation comprising Pakistan's top civil and military leadership hosted Rex Tillerson for a brief visit to Islamabad. Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, while briefing the Senate on Wednesday regarding the talks held between Pakistani and American delegations a day earlier, asserted that Islamabad will co-operate with Washington in the 'war on terror' but without compromising its own sovereignty. Asif briefed that the Pakistani leadership told the American delegation that they should allow their policymakers, and not their military leaders, to devise a policy for Afghanistan as the military solution has failed and a political solution is needed. "Their failures over the past 16 years - since the war in Afghanistan started - are before them," Asif added. "There will only be room for improvement if Washington accepts their defeat, their failures in Afghanistan," Asif said on Wednesday. "They are not ready to accept this." During the talks, Asif told the Senate, Pakistani officials informed the American delegation that Pakistan does not want any military hardware, economic resources or material gain from Washington. Rather, Pakistan wants a relationship based on equality with the US. Asif further informed the Senate that the Pakistani side has told the American delegation that if the latter provides actionable intelligence, Pakistan will act on it. He gave the example of the recent rescue of an American-Canadian couple and their three children from terroristsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; captivity in Kohat. "However, if they want that we act as their proxies to fight their war... this is unacceptable." "We will not compromise on our sovereignty, our dignity," Asif added. "Our relations [with America] should be based on self-respect and dignity." Asif said, in contrast, Pakistan, which is not a superpower, has gained successes in the war against terror. "Our country, our military and our police have made sacrifices in the war and in return, we have gained unmatched success." He said Pakistan would see further success if the Parliament, the National Security Committee and the people of the country send a united message as they had after August 21 when US President Donald Trump announced his South Asia policy and lambasted Pakistan for offering safe havens to "agents of chaos". At no stage since the policy announcement, have we succumbed to pressure and on Tuesday, for the first time, the civilian and military leadership of Pakistan sat down with the delegation and presented their input, Asif said. "At no point during the talks did we adopt an accusatory tone, nor were we apologetic," the minister told the Senate. "The institutions of Pakistan will protect the country's interest," Asif said. Ahead of his maiden visit to Pakistan, the US Secretary of State indicated that he will firmly tell Islamabad to stop providing safe havens to terror groups on its soil to improve 4

bilateral ties. Pakistan denies providing a safe haven for Afghan Taliban and other terrorists. America continues with its strategy of getting what it wants from Pakistan by bullying it calling it a terror state, asking it to do more on US security-terror related problems. Local media reported that during his visit to Afghanistan, Tillerson also warned Pakistan that Islamabad should stop providing safe haven to terrorists within its borders. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pakistan needs to, I think, take a clear-eyed view of the situation that they are confronted with in terms of the number of terrorist organisations that find safe haven inside of Pakistan. So we want to work closely with Pakistan to create a more stable and secure Pakistan,â&#x20AC;? he told the reporters. Earlier in August, Tillerson warned Pakistan that if it continued to provide safe haven to Afghan militant groups, it would lose its status as a privileged military ally. Pakistan, however, has denied the allegations, saying that it does not host terror groups fighting the USA and Afghan forces in Afghanistan. As usual, the USA has threatened further military aid cuts and US officials have mooted targeted sanctions against Pakistani military figures, but in the past two weeks there have been hints of a slight thawing in ties. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Tillerson last week called Abbasi to thank Pakistan after its army rescued a US-Canadian couple who were held hostage by the Taliban-allied Haqqani network for nearly five years, along with their three children born in captivity. Tillerson, during a visit to Afghanistan, said Washington has made some "very specific requests of Pakistan in order for them to take action to undermine the support the Taliban receives and other terrorist organizations receive". US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis earlier this month said the United States would try "one more time" to work with Pakistan in Afghanistan, before opting for more punitive measures. President Donald Trump has vowed to be tougher on Pakistan than his predecessors. Tillerson very recently said that the US expects Pakistan to take "decisive action" against terrorists and such a move will improve Islamabad's international standing as well as stability in the region. "We expect Pakistan to take decisive action against terrorist groups based there that threaten its own people and the broader region . It is the obligation, not choice, of every civilized nation to combat the scourge of terrorism. The United States and India are leading that regional effort together. Officials of the Trump government said they are frustrated by what they see as Pakistan's unwillingness now to act against terror groups like the Haqqani network, which reportedly has close ties with the Pakistani military and its intelligence agencies.

One is not sure if USA is sure of its tall claims that Pakistan still promotes terrorism. But Pakistan regularly denies that it hosts terror groups fighting the US and Afghan forces in Afghanistan. Pakistan had been engaged by USA to train Taliban to fight Soviet forces in Afghanistan but long ago it stopped doing that. Asif further told the Senate that the Pakistani side had told the visiting delegation that the influence Pakistan once had over the Taliban has now diminished and there are others who are sponsoring the militant network. He said that Washington had been tracing Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour for some time but only when he travelled to Pakistani soil he was killed. "How do you expect that after these incidents Pakistan will have any influence over the Taliban?" Asif said, adding that these points had been raised in Tuesday's meeting in a "frank" manner. "We have told them that there are a number of influential players in the region â&#x201D;&#x20AC; including China, Turkey and Russia â&#x201D;&#x20AC; who might not have good relations with America but hold a stake in the Afghan dispute." "The role of these countries in solving the dispute is indispensable," Asif added. The United States has threatened further military aid cuts and US officials have mooted targeted sanctions against Pakistani military figures, but in the past two weeks there have been hints of a slight thawing in ties. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Tillerson last week called Abbasi to thank Pakistan after its army rescued a U.S.-Canadian couple who were held hostage by the Taliban-allied Haqqani network for nearly five years, along with their three children born in captivity. Islamabad views its much-bigger neighbour as an existential threat and the two nations have fought three wars since their violent separation at the end of colonial rule in 1947. Many Pakistanis feel betrayed that its traditional ally is now cosying up to India over Afghanistan. But the anger runs both ways. Pakistan supported the Afghan Taliban in the 1990s as a hedge to Indian influence in Afghanistan, and analysts say its military and security services maintained ties long after the Taliban regime was toppled in 2001. Tillerson, during a visit to Afghanistan, said Washington has made some "very specific requests of Pakistan in order for them to take action to undermine the support the Taliban receives and other terrorist organizations receive". US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis earlier this month said the United States would try "one more time" to work with Pakistan in Afghanistan, before opting for more punitive measures. President Donald Trump has vowed to be tougher on Pakistan than his predecessors.

“Pakistan is not a safe haven for terrorists”

True, Pakistan promoted anti-Islamic US-NATO terror network haven in that Islamic nation. Pakistan denies providing a safe haven for Afghan Taliban and other terrorists. Pakistan says USA should accept defeat in Afghanistan It has been a practice of USA to bully and downgrade Pakistan after making it a heavily dependent weak nation without self prestige in the world eyes to appease rich Indian lords. Anti-Islamism bring both together and keep Pakistan out. Following the meeting between Pakistani officials and Rex Tillerson in Islamabad, Asif ─ who was a member of the Pakistani delegation ─ said that the American delegation was informed that Washington's allegations against Pakistan of offering safe havens to terrorists and protecting the Haqqani network are incorrect. Later speaking on Geo News' late night show ‘Aaj Shahzaib Khanzada Key Saath’, Asif said that Islamabad wanted to show that all institutions in the country have the same message. When asked whether the joint talks were held with the visiting secretary due to a time crunch or, rather, in order to send out a united message to Washington, he said, "This was our deliberate decision ─ to hold talks on a single platform ─ so that Washington knows the leadership is united in the message it is sending across," Asif said. While he fears to talk with Indian leaders about the attacks on religious freedoms in India, Tillerson is bold and alleged that religious freedom was under attack in Pakistanvery cool guy, he equates terrorism with promotion of Christianity in Islamic Pakistan. He is too concerned about the Pakistan government marginalizing the Ahmadiyya community and refused to recognize them as Muslims. Taliban listens only to Pakistan as Pakistan’s influence over Taliban is acknowledged by the world. it was Pakistan that on instructions from President Bush Jr recruited and funded the Taliban and Al Qaeda, etc. Referring to a recent statement by US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley where she said that India can help the United States in keeping an eye on Pakistan, Asif said that Pakistan "also has a mouth to speak" but will proceed with caution so that relations with America can improve.

Pakistan, Afghanistan, India

Nuclear-armed Pakistan, a staunch US Cold War ally and key player in the US led invasion of Islamizing Afghanistan after the hoax known as US September 11, 2001, has watched warily as Washington has in recent years pivoted towards its arch-foe. Pakistan has no resources but India has huge resources and terror arsenals. It is quit logical that these two anti-Islamic nations have forged strategic partnership without serious intent on the part of USA which does not treat any nation as being its equal However, a fellow traveler New Delhi enjoys the US pretentions too. Hostile Indo-Pak neighbours have harmed the region by terrorizing the Kashmiris after acquiring nukes by using Kashmir issue. Pakistan still wants to control Afghanistan but USA and India put spanners into Pakistan ambitions Pakistan supported the Afghan Taliban in the 1990s as a hedge to Indian influence in Afghanistan, and analysts say its military and security services maintained ties long after the Taliban regime was toppled in 2001. Seeking to control Kabul and kick Pakistan out, India has increased aid to Afghanistan in recent years and last year promised to ship more arms. Such moves have aggravating fears in Pakistan that it will find itself wedged between two hostile neighbours. China makes business in Afghanistan and tries to work along with USA and India. . Islamabad bristles at the idea that India holds the key to ending the Afghanistan conflict, and fears US meddling could unsettle a delicate balance of power in South Asia. "Promoting a higher involvement of India in Afghanistan will only worsen the historic strategic rivalries playing out in the region," said Sherry Rehman, Pakistan's former ambassador to United States and a senior member of the opposition Pakistan People's Party. Americans increasingly used India to bully Pakistan, coercing it to do exactly what USA and India want from Islamabad. Tillerson, who met Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Pakistan's powerful military chiefs in a one-day visit, may have urged Pakistan to â&#x20AC;&#x153;do moreâ&#x20AC;? to root out Afghan Taliban and Haqqani network terrorists operating on its soil. But he knows the USA crated all this. Tillerson is also expected to hear Pakistani officials warn him that drawing nuclear-armed India deeper into Afghanistan would destabilize the region and do little to end the 16-year war that is now America's longest military conflict."Bringing India into the mix is like adding kerosene to fire," said Miftah Ismail, a state minister and close ally of Prime Minister Abbasi."It's a complete red line. India has no political role to play in Afghanistan as far as we are concerned." 8

USA, like India, calls Pakistan a terrorist state. Tillerson's crucial visit to Islamabad on October 24 Tuesday, aimed at â&#x20AC;&#x153;normalizingâ&#x20AC;? bilateral ties, comes days after he made a major policy speech on America's growing strategic relations with India and USA President Donald Trump's move to offer a bigger say for India in war-torn Afghanistan. In August, President Trump had unveiled his Afghanistan and South Asia policy in which he had hit out at Pakistan for providing safe havens to "agents of chaos" that kill Americans in Afghanistan and warned Islamabad that it has "much to lose" by harboring terrorists. Trump's criticism led to further strain in US-Pakistan relations with a peeved Islamabad saying the US president ignored its efforts in the war against terrorism. Pakistanis resent the very attitude of American rulers towards Pakistan, viewing it as a paid slave nation and Pakistanis as beggars. Pakistan asked the USA to postpone a planned trip by its special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Alice Wells to Islamabad. Foreign Minister Asif also delayed a visit to Washington for which he was invited by Secretary of State Tillerson. But bilateral relations improved slightly after a meeting between Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Vice-president Mike Pence on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last month. Generally, Washington dictates its imperialist and anti-Islam agenda, its own terms and directions to Islamabad by phone or through hits embassy in the capital. Pakistani military has the upper hand in deciding foreign policy matters as well as foreign trade, especially in terror goods. . The universal master of double-speaks and double-standards, USA accuses Pakistan of playing a double game since 2001, offering public backing to Washington while turning a blind eye, or even at times assisting, the Afghan Taliban and other terrorists who carry out deadly attacks against US forces and their allies in Afghanistan.

Observation Had Pakistan, instead of competing with India, the successor state of Britain in the subcontinent with a lot of left over terror gods of English colonizer men, concentrate on building of a truly Islamic society with sound economy as per the dreams of Jinnah, it would have come a strong Muslim nation of Asia in its own rights but now it has become a failed state without any truly Islamic content as the rich and military decides everything in the country too. Islamabadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s focus on making nukes at any cost to compete with India that was promoted by Soviet Russia as a partner the so-called noncapitalist world, Instead of work for the welfare of the poor and underprivileged, 9

Pakistani regime is engaged in cross-border terror games with India which keeps amazing terror goods from all possible markets and regions of the world . As Russia promoted India, USA trapped Pakistan to pursue its anti-Russia andante-Afghanistan agendas and succeeded in getting Pakistan to kill Muslims in millions in Afghanistan and Pakistan itself. Is not the victory of anti-Islamic forces led by USA and India? Is it for such developments that Jinnah established Islamic Pakistan? . How can Pakistan imagine that anti-Islamic nations would promote Islam in Pakistan and making a strong Muslim nation at all? Naivety is not a good policy. Pakistani regime and military bosses must sit back and rethink its policies and priorities for a strong Islamic nation. Now it is not that easy to remold mindset of people and make them think differently, but still possible if the regime is serious changing the lives of the people and do not take cricketism for 50s and 100s as the foundation of Islamic state or everything in Pakistanor giving a goal first toe opponents in order to get one goal for itself in return even if it loses in sports like Hockey or football. Pakistan is in bad shape but it has not realized its cruel fate at the hands of USA, , while India still suffers from unexplainable inferiority complexes of ‘historic” lose of “everything” to the UK, USA, Russia, Japan and China, etc It is high time Pakistan said boldly “Good bye, American sirs for all the help so far and now please get out and get lost”. Reflections can help Pakistan restore its prestige it had when it become an independent nation emerging out of basically Hindu-Hindutva India in 1947. Then foolishly Pakistan indeed wasted all its resources and energy on WMD which would have been usefully spent on overall development of the nation and people, generate honest politicians, credible sport personnel. Pakistan should have fed the people with good food and Islamic ideals instead of trusting USA and China above God. . No bilateral relationship can develop and flourish if one of them plays mischief and illtreats and insults the other. USA is doing exactly that and blackmails and coerces Parisian to just obey Washington or else it would promote India. Over dependence on USA has caused destabilization for Pakistan. Like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan too is looking up to Washington for a supportive gesture but India would let them patch up to promote imperialism though it also aids its growth and advancement in all possible ways. . .

USA never thanked Pakistan for its scarifies for Americans and gave any credit for Pakistani assistance to NATO and attacks on Muslims- against the ideology of Pakistan. Pakistan points to the 3.5 million Afghan refugees it hosts as proof that it has more than anyone else to lose from chaos in Afghanistan, and has emphasized the need for greater cooperation and intelligence sharing with United States and Afghanistan. Pakistanis are definitely unhappy that USA has not recognized te sacrifices Pakistani nation and people have made to service the US-NATO forces but it has been promoting its strategic partner India as a very important player in Afghanistan and deliberately reduced the importance of Pakistani role in Afghanistan. While Pakistan may not like it, India looks set to continue playing a bigger role in Afghanistan. The message is very clear from Washington that India is an important player when it comes to â&#x20AC;&#x153;coordinating policiesâ&#x20AC;? between Afghanistan and Washington. By taking decisive actions against terrorists, Tillerson said, Pakistan furthers stability and peace for itself and its neighbours, and improves its own international standing. USA-Pakistani relations are like master-slave equations and Pakistanis are made to think that without USA their nation would be out of world map and that they eat and drink US stuff and their economy depends on USA. This mental torture Pakistanis endure for so many years does not seem to end in the near future but if Pakistan reconsiders collecting service charges for aiding US imperialism, Having lost trust, Pakistanis would openly protest US interference in Pakistan. . Hopefully the new rulers in Islamabad would recognize the fears of most of Pakistanis about the dangerous ties Pakistan has had with the enemies of Islam in USA and EU, and they would do better for the nation and people if they refuse to bring Pakistani back under US control. The latest move to establish sound ties with Russia should help them make a firm decision. Pakistan regime should not ignore the genuine interests as well as concerns of people and if the government continues to ignore what is good for the people, one doubts if god also can save it from the conspiratorial foes of Islam. Though the military bosses and state officals would very much like to visit Washington and enjoy life by using the money they get form White House corridors, the Islamic nation in Indian subcontinent continues to suffer its prestige as a fully soverign nation. Enough of American bashing and insults! Pakistan should be able to decide its own fate and future!

Oh, America, please get out of Pakistan, leave Pakistan alone, let them live and choose its own course without your sick advice!”. Enough of genocides of Muslims and media Islamophobia. ----

USA criticizes India, Israel and Pakistan on human rights

While releasing the annual US report on religious freedom for 2016, Tillerson, however, highlights attacks in India by cow protection groups against people accused of bovine trafficking or having beef in their refrigerators or vehicles. The report singles out some key US partners in the Gulf, particularly Saudi Arabia, for not allowing religious freedom in their territories. Interestingly, it also criticises Israel for refusing to implement an agreement on egalitarian prayer at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. The report points out that Israel has ignored the advice to establish a “shared society for Jewish and Arab populations” and notes that relations among religious and ethnic groups in Israel and the Palestinian territories remain “strained”. The chapter on India says that in 2016, “there was an increase in violent incidents by cow protection groups against mostly Muslim victims, including killings, mob violence, assaults and intimidation”. The report also mentions “religiously motivated killings, assaults, riots, discrimination and vandalism” in India where state governments also took “actions restricting the right of individuals to practice their religious beliefs and proselytize.” The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs reported 751 conflicts between religious communities, which resulted in 97 deaths and 2,264 injuries in 2015, the report adds. “Religious minority communities (in India) stated that, while the national government sometimes spoke out against incidents of violence, local political leaders often did not, which left victims and minority religious communities feeling vulnerable.” Taking note of religious intolerance in Saudi Arabia, Secretary Tillerson said: “We remain concerned about the state of religious freedom in Saudi Arabia.” The report says the Saudi government does not recognise the right of non-Muslims to practice their religion in public and applied criminal penalties, including prison sentences, lashings, and fines, for apostasy, atheism, blasphemy, and insulting the state’s interpretation of Islam. Of particular concern are attacks targeting the Shia 12

community and the continued pattern of social prejudice and discrimination against them. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We urge Saudi Arabia to embrace greater degrees of religious freedom for all of its citizens,â&#x20AC;? Secretary Tillerson said. In Bahrain, the report says, the government continues to question, detain and arrest Shia clerics, community members and opposition politicians. Members of the Shia community there continue to report ongoing discrimination in government employment, education and the justice system. Bahrain must stop discriminating against the Shia community, it adds. The report also recognizes the genocide of Christians by the militant Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.

State war crimes: UN urges Sri Lanka to quickly begin investigation! -Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal

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Sri Lanka is a soverign island nation in South Asia and claims its prerogative to kill its minority populations mainly Tamils in a sustained manner in order to appease the rich majority Singhalese people - most of them are now have the remote control over the parliament and government Since it is the prerogative of the Lankan regime to kill its minority community for whatever reasons like Israel that keep killing the defenseless Palestinians, it claims its carnal operations against the sections of population are not illegal at all. Lankans also say they cannot be punished by any international court. It said it would investigate the war crimes on its own and UN need to unnecessarily worry about the issue, but it has not yet begun the work even after years of peace in the Island nation. Time is now fast running out for Srilankan regime to prove to the world that its military-police apparatus had not committed war crimes against the minority Tamil community as a part of its military campaign to weaken Tamil movement for equality.

When the UN had announced the possibility of appointing a war crime tribunal to try the war criminals of Sri Lanka, the new government of Sirisena approached the UN â&#x20AC;&#x201C; directly and through USA- pleading to give up the war criminal infestation and that Lankan government itself would investigate the war crimes and submit a report to UN. But till now Sirisena has failed to keep his word given to UN and USA. A United Nations expert Pablo de Greiff warned that Sri Lanka must speed up its own long-stalled investigation into war crimes by troops or risk action by the international community, Pablo de Greiff, the UN special rapporteur on the promotion of justice and 13

reparation, said Sri Lanka had been slow to deliver on its promise of justice for atrocities during the island’s bloody 37-year civil war. De Greiff criticised a public assurance given to troops that committed serious crimes by Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, who along with the former dictator Rajapakse is making strenuous efforts to save the Singhalese military criminals and not to get them punished by International Courts for their excessive war crimes, that he would not allow “war heroes” to be prosecuted for alleged atrocities. Greiff said allegations of war crimes levelled last month against Sri Lanka’s thenambassador to Brazil, who was a general during the war era, underscored the risks faced by senior military officers past and present. “As the recent case presented in Brazil against a former member of the armed forces demonstrates, accountability will be sought either here or abroad,” de Greiff said in Colombo on Monday. The case in Brazil against retired general Jagath Jayasuriya was just the “tip of the iceberg”, de Greiff said. He said Sri Lanka could expect similar efforts by foreign jurisdictions until it had taken steps to ensure a credible investigation of its own. Jayasuriya left Brazil two days after the International Truth and Justice Project, a South Africa-based rights group, filed a case against the former general. De Greiff said the government’s pledge to pay reparations and prevent future atrocities was no substitute for accountability for past injustices. He urged it to adopt a timeline for achieving this and encouraged closer interaction with the UN human rights chief’s office. Defeat of LTTE and not of Tamils Lankan military defeated the LTTE but Sri Lanka’s Singhalese majority and regime itself think they have defeated the Tamil community in the country and can now ill treat them the way they want. They attack, arrest along with their boats, and even kill Indian fishermen who come to fish at Katchatheevu- their traditional fishing zone. . Sri Lankan forces that still claim to be totally innocent and committed no crimes, had defeated Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009 after a brutal guerrilla war which claimed the lives of at least 100,000 people. The military was accused of massacring up to 40,000 ethnic Tamil civilians in their no-holds-barred offensive. Sri Lanka’s former Rajapaksha regime, responsible for the crimes committed against humanity in the name of “war on terror” refused even to acknowledge the civilian toll of its wartime campaign, drawing censure from the international community. Sirisena’s government came to power in January 2015 promising justice for war victims, but his government has been accused of dithering ever since. Sirisena, unlike his predecessor Mahinda Rajapakse, in order possibly to fool the world, agreed to investigate war crimes but has yet to take the necessary steps to do so.he said so as a part of his “reconciliation move” with the Tamil minority community serving the Singhalese for centuries. The British Empire had taken these Tamils from the then Madras state to work in tea estates in Lanka to increase productivity and profits. Once independent, the Sinhalese majority community began targeting the Tamils denying 14

them even basis rights. Perpetual persecution of Tamils by the Singhalese government gave birth to LTTE to defend the Tamils. Britain refused to step in to save the Tamils when the Singhalese majority and their government began attacking Tamils and threw them out of work, thereby making them to starve. LTTE began demanding more human rights for Tamils. This led to conflict. Sri Lanka must know there is no escape from punishment for the crimes it committed against the minority community. Colombo must wake up from sound sleep dreaming about the crimes it committed to win a war against the hapless minority community and institute impartial investigation. Meanwhile UN itself must investigate the war crimes on its own and punish the guilty without any sympathy. Sri Lankan state crimes The civil war that began in 1983 between Sri Lanka’s largely Buddhist Sinhalese majority and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (more commonly known as the Tamil Tigers), a separatist insurgent force from the predominantly Hindu Tamil minority, saw atrocities carried out by both sides, and forced over 100,000 Tamils to seek refuge in India. The exodus was meant to come to an end in 2009, when government forces conclusively defeated the Tigers which ended the civil war. But ongoing human rights abuses against Tamils means there’s still a flow of desperate people prepared to take the huge risks necessary to find sanctuary in India. After the end of a three-decade-long civil war, some Tamils are still suffering human rights abuses at the hands of the government – desperate to find an escape route. The fishermen of Rameswaram provide a lifeline for Sri Lankan Tamil refugees by smuggling them to safety in India. Some of the boats were involved in transporting Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka, and many of those working the boats were Tamils themselves who had come to India through similar means. A fisherman’s life anywhere in the world is a tough one. But the fishermen of Rameswaram live a particularly precarious existence. The boats are forced to play a sometimes deadly game of cat and mouse with the Sri Lankan navy, who often seize fishing boats they accuse of transporting refugees. The navy sometimes fires on fishing boats it deems encroaching on Sri Lankan waters and over 730 fishermen have been killed in the last 30 years. Thousands of Tamils are believed to have gone missing during the conflict’s bloody final phase. After the war’s end, journalists, activists and government critics have been abducted by men in white vans in Colombo, the capital, and there are allegations that former Tamil rebels have been tortured in secret detention centres. Of the 100,000 Tamils in India, 64,000 still live in refugee camps in Tamil Nadu, where they receive an allowance, food and education but have no right to work. The Tamil are an ethnic group native to southern India, but Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka are still often looked down upon. Due to lack of proper documentation they are barred from all but the most menial jobs in the shadow economy. While the Indian government has been dragging its feet for years over granting full rights to Tamil refugees (even to those who have lived there for over 30 years), Mark

and Elliott hope that, at the very least, their project represents the fishermen they discovered eking out a living in the shadows of Rameswaram with dignity. Systematic genocides Although the civil war between the government and the LTTE officially began in 1983 and ended in 2009, the ethnic conflict has a longer history. The Tamil Centre for Human Rights (TCHR) found that from 1956 to 2004, about 79,319 Tamil civilians were subjected to killings (54053) and enforced disappearances (25266) by Sri Lankan security forces, state backed Sinhalese mobs and the IPKF. As it can be seen, Tamil civilians who were killed (35323) and disappeared (2483) by Sri Lankan forces, Sinhalese mobs and the IPKF from 1977 to 2004 totals 37,806. This leaves out pogroms before 1977 and massacres and disappearances after 2004. In the Inginiyakala massacre of 1956, 150 Tamils were killed. In the 1958 pogrom, more than 300 Tamils were killed. In the Tamil Research Conference massacre of 1974, 9 Tamils were killed. So in total, about 459 Tamils were killed from 1956 to 1974. All in all, 38,265 Tamil civilians were killed from 1956 to 2004. If that figure is added to post-2004 figures (514 + 1102 + 70,000), about 10, 9881 Tamils were mass murdered and forced to disappear by Sri Lankan state and the IPKF from 1956 to 2009. According to figures published by the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka in the middle of 2006, 419 persons had disappeared in the Jaffna peninsula since December 2005. … According to a list published on 31 October 2007 by three NGOs, which specified it was not exhaustive, there were 540 cases of enforced disappearance from January to August 2007 … Again, in its 2008 annual report, WGEID stated it was “alarmed” by the large number of cases of enforced disappearances in Sri Lanka, noting it had transmitted 43 cases concerning people who had disappeared between February and October 2008 under its urgent procedure. In its report issued in 2012, WGEID cited renewed allegations that more than 500 persons had disappeared between January and August 2007, in Jaffna District, and around 100 persons were alleged to have disappeared between 2008 and 2009 in Mannar District.” Hence from December 2005 to 2009, around 1102 (419 + 540 + 43 + 100) Tamils were subjected to enforced disappearance, all probably dead. The last phase of the war in 2009 saw an unprecedented scale of mass murder of Tamil civilians within a matter of several months. The Amnesty International reported in 1998: “In 1995, 55 cases of “disappearances” were reported, particularly from the east of the country and from the capital, Colombo. In 1996, after the army regained control over the northern Jaffna peninsula from the LTTE, an estimated 600 “disappearances” were reported from that area of the country. During 1997, approximately 100 cases of “disappearances” were reported, mainly from Jaffna, Batticaloa, Mannar and Kilinochchi.” Hence from 1995 to 1997 about 755 (55 + 600 + 100) Tamils were subjected to enforced disappearances. Based on these reports, the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal reviewed that from June 1956 to June 2008, at least 10,617 Tamils died from 149 cases of state sponsored pogroms, massacres and bombings. These lists do not include IPKF atrocities. Regarding enforced disappearances, the Amnesty International reported in 1994: “In the 16

northeast the number who have "disappeared" or been extra judicially executed to date runs to thousands. From 1984 to mid-1987, Amnesty International documented over 680 "disappearances" in the custody of Sri Lankan security forces in the northeast. From mid-1987 to March 1990 the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) was responsible for the security of the northeast under the terms of the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord. During this period, Amnesty International documented 43 "disappearances" there for which the IPKF were believed responsible. After the IPKF had withdrawn, armed conflict resumed in June 1990 between Sri Lankan government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the main armed Tamil group fighting to establish a separate Tamil state in the northeast of Sri Lanka. Within months, the reported number of extrajudicial executions and "disappearances" reached thousands. In Amparai District in the east, it was estimated that between June and October 1990 alone, some 3,000 Tamil people were killed or "disappeared". In another report covering the year 1990, the Amnesty International wrote that, “In Batticaloa town alone over 1,200 people reportedly "disappeared" between June and October.” From these figures we can infer that from 1984 to 1990, around 4880 (680 + 3,000 + 1,200) Tamils were “disappeared” by the Sri Lankan government forces, if IPKF atrocities are excluded (although they were working for the Sri Lankan government’s interests, whether they had intended it or not. In total, about 87,354 (= 10,617 + 4880 + 755 + 1102 + 70,000) Tamil civilians were mass murdered and forced to disappear by Sri Lankan government forces and state backed Sinhalese mobs from 1956 to 2009. If I count from the TCHR’s report which puts the 1956–2004 figure at 79,319 (including IPKF atrocities), and add post-2004 figures provided by other sources (79,319 + 514 + 1102 + 70,000) about 150,935 Tamil civilians died and disappeared at the hands of Sri Lankan and Indian government forces. However these figures are incomplete, as some are based on rough estimates and many other atrocities went unreported or not included here. For example, economic embargo (1990–2002) imposed by the government on LTTE controlled areas which resulted in restriction of food and medical supplies had negative impacts on the local economy and health condition of the people and violated the international norms. This can be considered violence against civilians, although it’s not included in these figures. According to an UN’s internal review report published in 2012, the estimates of the civilian casualties in 2009 run in the tens of thousands: “The Panel of Experts stated that “[a] number of credible sources have estimated that there could have been as many as 40,000 civilian deaths”. Some Government sources state the number was well below 10,000. Other sources have referred to credible information indicating that over 70,000 people are unaccounted for. Vaiko attacked in USA by Sri Lankan squad Sri Lankan regime, like any other nation having committed serious crimes against humanity is scare of punishment and watches through its agents abroad used by its foreign missions to deny any talk of its crimes against Tamils. Tamils are attacked abroad, too.

Lankan state atrocities against minorities are meant to end. A senior Dravidian politician and orator who always protested Singhalese crimes against Tamils, the MDMK chief Vaiko addressed the UNHRC meeting in September and accused the Sri Lankan Government of presiding over sustained “genocides” of Tamils. He also lamented about the lack of any progress in investigations into the atrocities committed allegedly by the Sri Lankan army. A group of Sri Lankans, allegedly former defence personnel, heckled MDMK general secretary Vaiko soon after he completed his address during a debate at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. After concluding his address for the second time, a group of Sri Lankans allegedly encircled him. A woman in the group yelled at Vaiko, saying that he was not a Sri Lankan Tamil to raise the Sri Lankan issue. Then who should raise such carnal attacks on minorities in Sri Lanka?

Colombo in denial mode Sri Lanka still claims no harm done to Tamils and Indians and they committed no war crimes. . India never questions them, emboldening them to assert their lies. . Sri Lankan Navy denies killing Indian fisherman K. Britjo. 'No Navy personnel has the permission to shoot at poaching fishermen,' Sri Lankan navy spokesperson said. Sri Lanka has assured India of cooperation in the investigation into the shooting of a Rameswaram-based fisherman K. Britjo. A group of fishermen returned to the Rameswaram jetty with the body of 21-year-old fisherman K. Bristo, and pointed to an apparent bullet injury on his neck. Fishermen leaders based in Tamil Nadu said he was among the six fishermen on board a mechanized trawler that the "Sri Lankan Navy targeted". In 2011, a similar shooting incident claimed two Tamil fishermen’s lives at the Palk Bay. Tamil Nadu fishermen accused the Sri Lankan Navy of opening fire, which the navy denied. The death of Britso of Thangachimadam made the state as well as central government wake up face the Lankan challenge Saron is getting treatment at Ramanathapuram government hospital. I have ordered the district administration to offer high class treatment to him," Palaniswami said in a statement DMK president MK Stalin also condemned the killing of the fisherman and urged Centre to take strong action. "It's high time the Central Government reacts strongly to this problem. The Central Government cannot be a mute spectator. It should take up this issue with Indian ambassador in Sri Lanka or the High Commission of Sri Lanka in India," Stalin said. India’s weak reaction On June 27, 2017, the Tamil Nadu government expressed concern over the "alarming increase" in number of "attacks" on Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy and sought the centre's intervention for release of 42 of them. Referring to a spate of 18

"distressing" arrests of Indian fishermen from his state in the last few days, Chief Minister K Palaniswami said such apprehensions have a "demoralising impact" on fishermen as well as the people of the state. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he raised the issue of arrest of 14 fishermen in two separate instances by the Lankan navy. "In spite of the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) between India and Sri Lanka being sub-judice due to the ceding of Katchatheevu islet, the Sri Lankan Navy is continuing its marauding attacks on and abductions of our fishermen," he said. He recalled the state urging the Centre to use diplomatic measures to "prevail" upon Colombo "and reverse this trend". "These instances, occurring on an everyday basis, in which our boats with innocent fishermen are being apprehended with impunity by the Sri Lankan Navy has a demoralising impact not just on the fishermen, but also on people of Tamil Nadu," he said in the letter. The people of the state "strongly believe" that the fishermen have a genuine claim to the Palk Bay fishing grounds from where they "are being apprehended," he added. The Chief Minister also pointed out that Sri Lanka has not released any of the fishing boats apprehended since January 2015, adding, that this "inhumane strategy" was causing great loss of livelihood to the fishermen. "There was wide expectation among the people of Tamil Nadu that the boats apprehended since 2015 would be released as an outcome of your meeting with the Sri Lankan prime minister in April," Palaniswami said, referring to Modi's meeting with Ranil Wickremesinghe in Delhi. "The alarming increase in the frequency of abductions by the Sri Lankan Navy is a matter of utmost concern for the (state) government and the people of Tamil Nadu. An immediate intervention at the highest level is sought to resolve this long standing livelihood issue of our fishermen," he said. The Tamil Nadu government was taking "multifarious" steps to convert trawling boats to long liners and gill netters in the shortest possible period, Mr Palaniswami said, adding all transitions take time. "The Sri Lankan policy of abduction of boats in this transition period without respite only indicates its increasing intolerant attitude and the scant respect for the Indian diplomatic efforts," he said. The Chief Minister urged PM Modi to take the matter up with the highest authorities in the Sri Lankan government and ensure the immediate release of a total of 42 fishermen and 141 boats. Recently, Indian government on Mar 7, 2017 expressed its concern to the Sri Lankan government over the killing of an Indian fisherman by the Sri Lankan Navy. "Government of India is deeply concerned at the killing of an Indian fisherman. Our High Commissioner to Sri Lanka has taken up the matter with the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka," highly placed sources in the government told TOI. The source added that Sri Lankan Navy has promised a full and thorough investigation into the incident. Meanwhile, protests erupted in Tamil Nadu's Rameswaram after 22-year-old Britso, a fisherman from Thangachimadam, was shot dead o, allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy personnel while he was fishing in a mechanized boat at a short distance off Katchatheevu islet. Two more fishermen reportedly suffered injuries in the firing. Hundreds of fishermen staged a demonstration at Thangachimadam, demanding the arrest of the Lankan navy men involved in the incident. The protesting fishermen also refused to accept Britso's body unless foreign minister Sushma Swaraj visits the island and gives them assurance that such incidents will not happen in the future. 19

Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami announced Rs 5 lakh ex gratia for the victim's family and Rs 1 lakh for the fishermen injured in the shooting. In a statement, the chief minister said the fishermen set out for fishing on Monday in a mechanized boat from Rameswaram fishing base. The Lankan Navy opened fire on the innocent fishermen, without any warning or provocation. Observation: Will India act or will not? The issue of Tamil Nadu fishermen allegedly poaching in Sri Lanka’s territorial waters has been an ongoing conflict, with Sri Lanka’s northern fishermen repeatedly raising concerns over their falling catch and the serious environmental damage caused by trawlers originating from India. As of now, as many as 85 Indian fishermen charged of poaching are in Sri Lankan custody. A total of 146 trawlers seized by the navy have also been held, officials said. Sri Lanka continued to be arrogant and deals on criminal intent with Indian Tamil fishermen fishing at Katchatheevu because India still refuses to step in to set things right for the Indian fishermen making livelihood at Katchatheevu- their traditional zone for ages. Occasionally, Indian High Commissioner in Colombo meets the Lankan President and other top officals requesting them, on behalf of Indian PM, to be good to Indian fishermen. But that is considered by Lankan regime as Indian weakness. Meanwhile, in September PM Modi has picked a Tamilian Nirmala Sitaraman to hold the top slotted and heavily leaded Defence ministry of government of India, obviously, signaling a new shift in Indian policy towards Sri Lanka. However, Colombo doesn’t give any importance to the move ans considers it another gimmick of Modi. Apparently, PM Modi’s choice of a Tamilian for the defence ministry talks a lot for Sri Lankan regime. Sri Lankan military knows if India decides to teach a lesson to Sri Lanka, it won’t take more than a couple of hours to deform that island nation. One is not very sure what exactly the Indian government is planning in Sri Lanka to settle the fisherman issue. But if a brief attack is preferred by New Delhi and executed, then, it is quite likely that India would control not only Katchatheevu but also Sri Lanka. Then Lankans would cry loud pleading to India not to take Lanka but take away only Katchatheevu. Once India enters Srilanka, an Indian rule would be ensuing as the plight of Singhalese would be the same Tamils have faced all these years. . Ms. Niramal Sitharaman, who oversaw the commerce and trade portfolio as a junior minister, has joined five other women in India's cabinet. The prestigious foreign affairs portfolio is also held by a woman, Sushma Swaraj.. . Prime Minister Indira Gandhi also acted as defence minister on two occasions between the mid-1970s and early 1980s. She was assassinated in 1984. Sitharaman's appointment comes just days after India and China agreed to end a months-long military stand-off at a strategically important disputed area in the Himalayas. New Delhi said both sides agreed to withdraw troops 20

from an area near the Indian border that is claimed by both China and India's ally Bhutan. The reshuffle has been cast as Modi laying the groundwork before national elections in 2019, where he is widely tipped to defeat a diminished opposition. His nationally ruling party also governs 18 of India's 29 states, either directly or in alliance with regional parties. In the appointment of a Tamilian as defence minister, Tamils expect a massive operation by Indian government in Sri Lanka at least at Katchatheevu to restore the Indians their traditional rights to profess their profession of fish there. If Indian regime refuses any action against Sri Lanka on behalf of Indian fishermen community, that wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be in the interests of India in the long term. ________ References: 1. Genocides of Tamils and Indo-Sri Lanka relations (Modern Diplomacy) http://moderndiplomacy.eu/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=2418:genocidesof-tamils-and-indo-sri-lanka-relations. 2. Katchatheevu should be brought back to Indian control in order to ensure safe fishing by Indians! March 16, 2017 Abdul Ruff , south Asia Journal--http://southasiajournal.net/katchatheevu-should-be-brought-back-toindian-control-in-order-to-ensure-safe-fishing-by-indians/

------Rex Tillerson in Islamabad: What do Americans want from destabilized Pakistan? -Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal

________

The rich Pakistanis dealing with USA and other western nations in trade related subjects are keen to see a new early thaw in US- Pakistan strains? But will that possible at all now that Pakistanis view America as a rogue state that has ruined their Islamic nation.

Pakistan, a service nation

Islamic Pakistan has served with distinction the essentially anti-Islamic USNATO cause in South Asia only to be attacked by its own western guests dictating its terms to Islamabad. Since the servicing of US interests has been a key policy of Pakistan as its so-called major non-NATO ally, the US big boss has taken the behavior of its servicing Pakistan like slaves for granted. However the strain in US-Pakistan relations is too deep and strong and too insulting as well for Islamabad that that it is now unthinkable that Pakistani regime to once again begin serving now the US-India causes just for a few coins as service charges.

USA used Pakistan and became a “strategic” partner of India, Pakistan’s arch foe ill targeting its progress in all fields and began threatening and insulting Islamabad indeed treating it as a beggar state in Asia. So much so Pakistani public hates USA and its terror wars.

With the aim to strengthen bilateral ties between America and Pakistan, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson formally met top officials after he arrives in Islamabad today, as part of his tour to the Gulf regions and South Asia. Tillerson’s visit to Pakistan follows the policy speech he made regarding America’s growing strategic relations with India and US President Donald Trump’s move to offer a bigger say for India in war-torn Afghanistan. Tillerson visited Pakistan after his brief visit to Kabul to meet the military personnel and he did so on the invitation of Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif. On the eve of his maiden visit, Pakistani media as if got a shot in its foot, reported that policymakers 22

have put together an agenda for talks with Tillerson. The US Secretary under Trump tried to build on the positive conversations he and the Vice President have had with Prime Minister Abbasi. After Pakistan, Tillerson flew to India Tuesday evening after daylong engagements in Islamabad. Pakistani officials have prioritized the issues to be taken up with Tillerson which include the recent strain in Pak-US ties; US President Trump's new Afghan strategy; Pakistan's role in the Afghan peace process; and Pakistan's reservations on India's future role in Afghanistan. The sources told the paper that Tillerson's visit is significant as it would clarify Trump's policy and set course for future Islamabad-Washington relations. The Secretary has tried to build on the positive conversations that he and US Vice President Mike Pence have had with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi during his visit to US on September 19. During the meeting, they had agreed to stay ‘engaged with a constructive approach to achieve shared objectives of peace, stability and economic prosperity in the region’. Tillerson and the officials also discussed Pakistan’s cooperation in fighting terrorists and driving them out from hideouts, which is vital for a good relationship with the USA. Both USA and Pakistan have made strenuous efforts to mend their ties even as USA insulted and scolded Pakistan for all its own failures in Afghanistan. Pakistanis hate the US double speaks and double-standards. However, their elected government and military in Pakistan go all the way to appease Washington even while they suffer as they think they can’t survive without Americans. The shapeless relation between these countries with different political and ideological frames has a bit, if not considerably, changed when Pakistan rescued the hostage American-Canadian couple. “We are starting to develop a much better relationship with Pakistan and its leaders. I want to thank them for their cooperation on many fronts,” tweeted US president Donald Trump who was not keen to further develop ties with “useless countries” like Pakistan.

Pakistanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s critical role is recognized by USA in the success of US South Asia strategy, and the expanding economic ties between the two countries and India. Tillerson said the whole South Asia strategy of the Trump government is conditions-based approach. "So, our relationship with Pakistan will also be conditions-based. It will be based upon whether they take action that we feel is necessary to move the process forward of both creating the opportunity for reconciliation and peace in Afghanistan, but also ensuring a stable future Pakistan," he said. "In our conversations with Pakistani leadership, we're as concerned about the future stability of Pakistan as we are in many respects here in Afghanistan," he said. Bully and threat America continues with its strategy of getting what it wants from Pakistan by bullying it calling it a terror state, asking it to do more on US security-terror related problems. Local media reported that during his visit to Afghanistan, Tillerson also warned Pakistan that Islamabad should stop providing safe haven to terrorists within its borders. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pakistan needs to, I think, take a clear-eyed view of the situation that they are confronted with in terms of the number of terrorist organisations that find safe haven inside of Pakistan. So we want to work closely with Pakistan to create a more stable and secure Pakistan,â&#x20AC;? he told the reporters. Earlier in August, Tillerson warned Pakistan that if it continued to provide safe haven to Afghan militant groups, it would lose its status as a privileged military ally. Pakistan, however, has denied the allegations, saying that it does not host terror groups fighting the USA and Afghan forces in Afghanistan.

Ahead of his maiden visit to Pakistan, the US Secretary of State indicated 24

that he will firmly tell Islamabad to stop providing safe havens to terror groups on its soil to improve bilateral ties. The USA has threatened further military aid cuts and US officials have mooted targeted sanctions against Pakistani military figures, but in the past two weeks there have been hints of a slight thawing in ties. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Tillerson last week called Abbasi to thank Pakistan after its army rescued a USCanadian couple who were held hostage by the Taliban-allied Haqqani network for nearly five years, along with their three children born in captivity. Relations were further boosted when Omar Khalid Khorasani, leader of the lethal Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) group who Islamabad had been trying to catch for years, was killed by a US drone strike last week.

As expected, before leaving for Islamabad, Tillerson told reporters in Kabul where he also paid a surprise visit that Islamabad needed to "take a cleareyed view of the situation that they are confronted with in terms of the number of terrorist organisations that find safe haven inside" the country. "We want to work closely with Pakistan once again to create a more stable and secure Pakistan as well. Earlier this month, Asif, who recently toured the USA, said in a television interview that Pakistan has offered the United States a joint operation against terrorists on its soil. However, he later clarified that he never said Pakistan could allow foreign boots on ground.

Tillerson, during a visit to Afghanistan, said Washington has made some "very specific requests of Pakistan in order for them to take action to undermine the support the Taliban receives and other terrorist organizations receive". US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis earlier this month said the United States would try "one more time" to work with Pakistan in Afghanistan, before opting for more punitive 25

measures. President Donald Trump has vowed to be tougher on Pakistan than his predecessors.

Tillerson very recently said that the US expects Pakistan to take "decisive action" against terrorists and such a move will improve Islamabad's international standing as well as stability in the region. "We expect Pakistan to take decisive action against terrorist groups based there that threaten its own people and the broader region," he said while speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a top US think-tank. "It is the obligation, not choice, of every civilised nation to combat the scourge of terrorism. The United States and India are leading that regional effort together," he said. By taking decisive actions against terrorists, Tillerson said, Pakistan furthers stability and peace for itself and its neighbours, and improves its own international standing. Officials of the Trump government said they are frustrated by what they see as Pakistan's unwillingness now to act against terror groups like the Haqqani network, which reportedly has close ties with the Pakistani military and its intelligence agencies. USA claims Pakistan still promotes terrorism But Pakistan regularly denies that it hosts terror groups fighting the US and Afghan forces in Afghanistan. Pakistan had been engaged by USA to train Taliban to fight Soviet forces in Afghanistan but long ago it stopped doing that .

Pakistan, Afghanistan, India 26

In August, President Trump had unveiled his Afghanistan and South Asia policy in which he had hit out at Pakistan for providing safe havens to "agents of chaos" that kill Americans in Afghanistan and warned Islamabad that it has "much to lose" by harboring terrorists. Trump's criticism led to further strain in US-Pakistan relations with a peeved Islamabad saying the US president ignored its efforts in the war against terrorism. Pakistanis resent the very attitude of American rulers towards Pakistan , viewing it as a paid slave nation and Pakistanis as beggars. Pakistan asked the USA to postpone a planned trip by its special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Alice Wells to Islamabad. Foreign Minister Asif also delayed a visit to Washington for which he was invited by Secretary of State Tillerson. But bilateral relations improved slightly after a meeting between Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Vice-president Mike Pence on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last month. Nuclear-armed Pakistan, a staunch U.S. Cold War ally and key player in the U.S.-backed invasion of Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, has watched warily as Washington has in recent years pivoted towards its arch-foe.

Generally, Washington dictates its imperialist and anti-Islam agenda, its own terms and directions to Islamabad by phone or through hits embassy in the capital. Pakistani military has the upper hand in deciding foreign policy matters as well as foreign trade, especially in terror goods. .

Tillerson is visiting Pakistan on Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asifâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s invitation. During his visit, Tillerson met senior Pakistani leaders and discuss bilateral relations between the two countries.

When Indian pressure becomes too strong on it like on veto membership, etc, USA quickly turns to Pakistan and both India and Pakistan know that as well. .

As U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson heads to Pakistan on Tuesday to pressure Islamabad to act over terrorists targeting Afghanistan from its soil, anxious Pakistanis may be equally interested in dissuading Washington's deepening ties with India. Nuclear-armed Pakistan, a staunch U.S. Cold War ally and key player in the U.S.backed invasion of Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, has watched warily as Washington has in recent years pivoted towards its arch-foe.

Nuclear-armed Pakistan, a staunch U.S. Cold War ally and key player in the U.S.-backed invasion of Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, has watched warily as Washington has in recent years pivoted towards its arch-foe. How can Rex Tillerson urge Pakistan to do more to eliminate Afghan Taliban and Haqqani network?

India. Nuclear-armed Pakistan, a staunch U.S. Cold War ally and key player in the U.S.backed invasion of Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, has watched warily as Washington has in recent years pivoted towards its arch-foe.

Islamabad views its much-bigger neighbour as an existential threat and the two nations have fought three wars since their violent separation at the end of colonial rule in 1947. Tillerson, due to meet Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Pakistan's powerful military chiefs in a one-day visit, is expected to urge Pakistan to do more to root out Afghan Taliban and Haqqani network terrorists operating on its soil. But he is also expected to hear Pakistani officials warn him that drawing nucleararmed India deeper into Afghanistan would destabilize the region and do little to end the 16-year war that is now America's longest military conflict."Bringing India into the mix is like adding kerosene to fire," said Miftah Ismail, a state minister and close ally of Prime Minister Abbasi."It's a complete red line. India has no political role to play in Afghanistan as far as we are concerned."

Many Pakistanis feel betrayed that its traditional ally is now cosying up to India over Afghanistan. But the anger runs both ways. The universal master of double-speaks and double-standards, USA accuses Pakistan of playing a double game since 2001, offering public backing to Washington while turning a blind eye, or even at times assisting, the Afghan Taliban and other terrorists who carry out deadly attacks against U.S. forces and their allies in Afghanistan. Hostile Indo-Pak neighbours 29

India has increased aid to Afghanistan in recent years and last year promised to ship more arms. Such moves have aggravating fears in Pakistan that it will find itself wedged between two hostile neighbours. Islamabad bristles at the idea that India holds the key to ending the Afghanistan conflict, and fears US meddling could unsettle a delicate balance of power in South Asia. "Promoting a higher involvement of India in Afghanistan will only worsen the historic strategic rivalries playing out in the region," said Sherry Rehman, Pakistan's former ambassador to United States and a senior member of the opposition Pakistan People's Party.

Pakistan says US should accept defeat in Afghanistan

Pakistan supported the Afghan Taliban in the 1990s as a hedge to Indian influence in Afghanistan, and analysts say its military and security services maintained ties long after the Taliban regime was toppled in 2001. Pakistan denies providing a safe haven for Afghan Taliban and other terrorists. Tillerson, during a visit to Afghanistan on Monday, said Washington has made some "very specific requests of Pakistan in order for them to take action to undermine the support the Taliban receives and other terrorist organizations receive". US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis earlier this month said the United States would try "one more time" to work with Pakistan in Afghanistan, before opting for more punitive measures. President Donald Trump has vowed to be tougher on Pakistan than his predecessors. The United States has threatened further military aid cuts and U.S. officials have mooted targeted sanctions against Pakistani military figures, but in the past two weeks there have been hints of a slight thawing in ties. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Tillerson last week called Abbasi to thank Pakistan after its army rescued a U.S.-Canadian couple who were held hostage by the Taliban-allied Haqqani network for nearly five years, along with their three children born in captivity. Relations were further boosted when Omar Khalid Khorasani, leader of the lethal

Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) group who Islamabad had been trying to catch for years, was killed by a US drone strike last week.

Asif said, in contrast, Pakistan, which is not a superpower, has gained successes in the war against terror. "Our country, our military and our police have made sacrifices in the war and in return, we have gained unmatched success." He said Pakistan would see further success if the Parliament, the National Security Committee and the people of the country send a united message as they had after August 21 when US President Donald Trump announced his South Asia policy and lambasted Pakistan for offering safe havens to "agents of chaos". At no stage since the policy announcement, have we succumbed to pressure and on Tuesday, for the first time, the civilian and military leadership of Pakistan sat down with the delegation and presented their input, Asif said. "At no point during the talks did we adopt an accusatory tone, nor were we apologetic," the minister told the Senate. "The institutions of Pakistan will protect the country's interest," Asif said.

Diminishing influence over Taliban Asif further told the Senate that the Pakistani side had told the visiting delegation that the influence Pakistan once had over the Taliban has now diminished and there are others who are sponsoring the militant network. He said that Washington had been tracing Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour for some time but only when he travelled to Pakistani soil he was killed. "How do you expect that after these incidents Pakistan will have any influence over the Taliban?" Asif said, adding that these points had been raised in Tuesday's meeting in a "frank" manner. "We have told them that there are a number of influential players in the region â&#x201D;&#x20AC; including China, Turkey and Russia â&#x201D;&#x20AC; who might not have good relations with America but hold a stake in the Afghan dispute." "The role of these countries in solving the dispute is indispensable," Asif added.

Referring to a recent statement by US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley where she said that India can help the United States in keeping an eye on Pakistan, Asif said that Pakistan "also has a mouth to speak" but will proceed with caution so that relations with America can improve.

Pakistan is not a safe haven for terrorists, USA told Following the meeting between Pakistani officials and Rex Tillerson in Islamabad, Asif ─ who was a member of the Pakistani delegation ─ said that the American delegation was informed that Washington's allegations against Pakistan of offering safe havens to terrorists and protecting the Haqqani network are incorrect. Speaking on Geo News' late night show ‘Aaj Shahzaib Khanzada Key Saath’, Asif said that Islamabad wanted to show that all institutions in the country have the same message. When asked whether the joint talks were held with the visiting secretary due to a time crunch or, rather, in order to send out a united message to Washington, he said, "This was our deliberate decision ─ to hold talks on a single platform ─ so that Washington knows the leadership is united in the message it is sending across," Asif said. While he fears to talk with Indian leaders about the attacks on religious freedoms in India, Tillerson is bold and alleged that religious freedom was under attack in Pakistan- very cool guy, he equates terrorism with promotion of Christianity in Islamic Pakistan. He is too concerned about the Pakistan government marginalizing the Ahmadiyya community and refused to recognize them as Muslims. While releasing the annual US report on religious freedom for 2016, Tillerson, however, highlights attacks in

India by cow protection groups against people accused of bovine trafficking or having beef in their refrigerators or vehicles. The report singles out some key US partners in the Gulf, particularly Saudi Arabia, for not allowing religious freedom in their territories. Interestingly, it also criticises Israel for refusing to implement an agreement on egalitarian prayer at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. The report points out that Israel has ignored the advice to

establish a “shared society for Jewish and Arab populations” and notes that relations among religious and ethnic groups in Israel and the Palestinian territories remain “strained”. The chapter on India says that in 2016, “there was an increase in violent incidents by cow protection groups against mostly Muslim victims, including killings, mob violence, assaults and intimidation”. The report also mentions “religiously motivated killings, assaults, riots, discrimination and vandalism” in India where state governments also took “actions restricting the right of individuals to practice their religious beliefs and proselytize.” The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs reported 751 conflicts between religious communities, which resulted in 97 deaths and 2,264 injuries in 2015, the report adds. “Religious minority communities (in India) stated that, while the national government sometimes spoke out against incidents of violence, local political leaders often did not, which left victims and minority religious communities feeling vulnerable.” Taking note of religious intolerance in Saudi Arabia, Secretary Tillerson said: “We remain concerned about the state of religious freedom in Saudi Arabia.”

The report says the Saudi government does not recognise the right of non-Muslims to practice their religion in public and applied criminal penalties, including prison sentences, lashings, and fines, for apostasy, atheism, blasphemy, and insulting the state’s interpretation of Islam. Of particular concern are attacks targeting the Shia community and the continued pattern of social prejudice and discrimination against them. “We urge Saudi Arabia to embrace greater degrees of religious freedom for all of its citizens,” Secretary Tillerson said. In Bahrain, the report says, the government continues to question, detain and arrest Shia clerics, community members and opposition politicians. Members of the Shia community there continue to report ongoing discrimination in government employment, education and the justice system. Bahrain must stop discriminating against the Shia community, it adds. The report also recognizes the genocide of Christians by the militant Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.

Observation

Pakistan points to the 3.5 million Afghan refugees it hosts as proof that it has more than anyone else to lose from chaos in Afghanistan, and has emphasized the need for greater cooperation and intelligence sharing with United States and Afghanistan. Pakistanis unhappy that USA has been promoting its strategic partner India as a very important player in Afghanistan and deliberately reduced the importance of Pakistani role in Afghanistan. While Pakistan may not like it, India looks set to continue playing a bigger role in Afghanistan. The message is very clear from Washington that India is an important player when it comes to “coordinating policies” between Afghanistan and Washington. 35

Like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan too is looking up to Washington for a supportive gesture but India would let them patch up to promote imperialism though it also aids its growth and advancement in all possible ways. . .

USA-Pakistani relations are like master-slave equations and Pakistanis are made to think that without USA their nation would be out of world map and that they eat and drink US stuff and their economy depends on USA. This mental torture Pakistanis endure for so many years does not seem to end in the near future but if Pakistan reconsiders collecting service charges for aiding US imperialism, Having lost trust, Pakistanis would openly protest US interference in Pakistan. . Hopefully the new rulers in Islamabad would recognize the fears of most of Pakistanis about the dangerous ties Pakistan has had with the enemies of Islam in USA and EU, and they would do better for the nation and people if they refuse to bring Pakistani back under US control. The latest move to establish sound ties with Russia should help them make a firm decision. Pakistan regime should not ignore the genuine interests as well as concerns of people and if the government continues to ignore what is good for the people, one doubts if god also can save it from the conspiratorial foes of Islam. Though the military bosses and state officals would very much like to visit Washington and enjoy life by using the money they get form White House corridors, the Islamic nation in Indian subcontinent continues to suffer its prestige as a fully soverign nation. Enough of American bashing and insults! Pakistan should be able to decide its own fate and future!