Life imitates art….
From “A Bronx Tale” – the thugs who walked into the wrong bar.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/02/28/biker.meeting/index.html
Hapless robbers target biker meeting
(CNN) — Two masked and machete-wielding men who barged into a club in Sydney, Australia, couldn’t have picked a worse night for their robbery — a monthly meeting of bikers.
The robbers chose the wrong night to burst into the club where the Southern Cross Cruiser Club have their monthly meeting.
About 50 burly bikers fought back with tables and chairs — pretty much anything that wasn’t bolted down. One would-be robber was tied up; the other in the hospital.
Police arrested both.
“These guys were absolutely dumb as bricks,” Jerry Vancornewal, leader of the bikers, told CNN Thursday. “I can’t believe they saw all the bikes parked up front and they were so stupid that they walked past in.”
Vancornewal and his buddies were at the Regents Park Sporting and Community Club in Sydney when the two men wearing ski masks stormed in Wednesday night. They yelled at patrons to drop to the floor as they emptied cash registers at the bar.
Hearing the commotion from an adjacent room, Vancornewal and his pals with the Southern Cross Cruiser motorcycle club stomped through to the bar area to intervene.
“They (the robbers) thought they had the upper advantage with their knives and their machetes,” Jim Webb, night supervisor of the club, told CNN. “They didn’t expect to run into a bunch of guys carrying chairs and tables.”
One of the would-be robbers crashed through a plate-glass door and jumped off a balcony.
“All he had to do was push the button and it automatically opened,” Webb quipped.
New South Wales police said they arrested the 20-year-old man a short distance away.
The second man made a break for it through the club’s service entrance, but the bikers tackled him near a neighbor’s fence.
“We just grabbed him, crash-tackled him to the ground, hogtied him with electrical wire and left him for the cops,” Vancornewal said.
Police confirmed in a statement that club patrons subdued the second man until officers arrived, but did not provide additional details. The suspect turned out to be a 16-year-old boy.
Someone else remembers a saint
A gem of a man
The 70-year-old Khurshid Begum was alone looking for someone to hold her hand and take her upstairs in the Military Hospital’s ophthalmology department. Her eyesight was too weak to walk without anybody’s help. Her daughter was out to get her receipt registered. Realizing, she had left her mother waiting, she rushed to the stairs but got surprised seeing a tall uniformed officer holding her mother’s arm with his arm around her shoulders, helping her to go upstairs. It added more to her surprise when the officer took her to the surgeon-general’s room and himself started checking her eyes. It was her daughter’s first visit to the hospital. She never knew the angelic looking bearded helper was no other than Lt-Gen Mushtaq Baig, who was not only a doctor of great repute but also a human being of great stature.
Today when he is no more amongst us, there is pain and grief in the heart and tears in the eyes of those thousands of patients whom the kindhearted top doctor of the Pakistan army treated.
I have witnessed many friends and colleagues, subordinates and personal staff of the compassionate Mushtaq Baig bitterly weeping as if they had lost their own kin. Those who knew that the surgeon-general of the Pakistan army was also a Hafiz-e-Quran and a regular five-time namazi were seemingly flabbergasted as to why the militants who claim to be torch-bearers of Islam had killed such a precious man. They may boast of his only ’sin’ being the man in uniform, but they are not aware that their act of terror has elevated a true patriotic soldier to the heights of martyrdom.
He had topped the Sargodha Board and won gold medal in the matriculation. The entitlement to scholarship and offers from various colleges paved his way for the FSc studies without getting any monetary help from parents. Again the gold medal in the intermediate exams got him the admission in King Edward’s Medical College, Lahore. After MBBS, he joined the Pakistan army’s medical corps in January 1976. He was promoted as lieutenant-general and appointed surgeon-general of the Pakistan army and director general of the medical services (inter-services) on February 8, 2007. He was the country’s most experienced eye specialist and a number of publications on ophthalmology are to his credit. He attended many national and international workshops, and at present he was serving as principal of the prestigious Army Medical College, Rawalpindi.
One wonders as to what objectives the terrorists have gained by victimizing this innocent soul, a practicing Muslim. No patriotic Pakistani living in whatever part of the country can think of getting involved in such a dastardly act. There is a state of mourning everywhere over the death of Lt-Gen Mushtaq Baig. It has raised many questions about the masterminds of such bombings who appeared to have turned blind to achieve their ambitions and agenda. The incident also proves that terrorism has no religion, no boundary and is a faceless enemy. The incident leaves every Pakistani thinking that by joining hands with the army we have to extirpate this menace once and for all, no matter whatever the cost may be.
Despite her deteriorated health the elderly Khurshid Begum was at Dr Baig’s home, wailing. Her two daughters, holding her hands from sides, brought her near to the coffin of Gen Mushtaq. She leaned and kissed it, saying “farewell my son, the son of soil, farewell.”
Dr Faryal Farooq
Rawalpindi
Finally, someone says, Enough Of the Conspiracy Theories….
http://thenews.jang.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=98702
| ‘Plane-before-the president’ riddle |
 |
|
|
| Thursday, February 28, 2008 By Mian Saifur Rehman |
Of course, the time has come for all of us to untangle the unsolved mysteries and riddles. What has perturbed me for years is yet another controversy, that of ‘empowerment’. Some people with a simplistic bent are found engaged in lengthy, complex debates over this issue. The usual focus is on ‘empowerment of judiciary’ and ‘empowerment of people’. Visualizing the future scenario emerging out of these ‘empowerments’ within the existing conditions, one can expect litigations extending beyond grandchildren’s lifetime, staying of even the simplest human wishes and capture of poor people’s lands and houses by armed guards of ‘empowered’ politicians. For God’s sake, don’t dream about that empowerment. Instead, seek enlightenment. Please stop this empowerment game. We have had enough of power. It’s about time we start thinking in terms of humanity that would give power to the masses, not the politicians or some office-holders of any organ of the state. People at the grass root have suffered at the hands of empowered politicians and functionaries.
And I think we also start reviewing our talk (rather loose talk) for the sake of fashion. Some intelligent people have questioned my opinion that most of us talk for the sake of fashion (i.e without conviction). I can just quote one example to elaborate my point of view. And that is about the loose talk about suicide bombings. Prior to general election, it was stated (out of fashion) that such and such suicide attack or remote control explosion was done at the behest of agencies or the establishment or even the incumbent head of state. For what purpose? The answer usually given was for elections postponement. But in reality, the elections were not postponed inordinately.
Similarly, a large number of people talk about some sad occurrences like Lal Masjid episode and tribal insurgency without knowledge. In this area, we must abandon ‘talk for fashion’ and instead lend support to soldiers whose lives and peace of mind are at stake because they want to bring people of tribal areas at par with 90 per cent of other hapless, shackled Pakistanis obeying Pakistani laws, paying customs duties, taxes and utility bills and avoiding gun-and-drug-trafficking or harbouring of proclaimed offenders connected with arms-supplying foreigners pursuing anti-Pakistan (and of course anti-Islam agenda).
Another Bloody Idiot Anxious To Show His “Enlightenment” by Denigrating Pakistan….
http://dawn.com/2008/02/28/letted.htm#1
“Apology to all“
THIS is with reference to the lead report, ‘PPP apologising to Balochistan for excesses’ (Feb 25). Demonstrating the qualities of a national leader with political courage, the co-chairman of the PPP has apologised to the people of Balochistan on behalf of the people of Pakistan, for the “atrocities and injustices committed against the Baloch people”.
The statement by Asif Ali Zardari about this is a first step towards reconciliation and assures our Baloch brothers that we in other provinces feel sorry for them, but apologising to the Baloch would not be enough.
First, we as a nation must also apologise to the people of Bangladesh for atrocities and killings of innumerable Bengali brothers, for not giving them the basic right to govern, not even providing the due status to the Bangla language it deserved.
The Bengali majority was never treated as the first citizens of the country. They were considered ‘low class’ citizens right from day one.
The Bengali language, one of the richest languages, was neglected and their beloved poet, a Nobel prize winner, was blacklisted from textbooks.
Before tendering a formal apology to the Bangladeshis, a gesture could help assuage the pain by naming some of the main roads, buildings and parks after the Bengali poets, writers and freedom-fighters of the Pakistan Movement. Mr Zardari, with all the other political leaders, members of civil society and, above all, the citizens of Pakistan must come forward to seek pardon from the people of Bangladesh.
It’s also time all our political leaders, following in the footsteps of Mr Zardari, apologised to the nation in general and to the people of the neglected provinces in particular, who had been called traitors, a security risk, or agents of foreign powers, for not even trying to remove their genuine grievances, for not taking them in the boat of patriotic citizens, for considering them simply ‘inferior’.
It’s time our leaders apologised to the nation for their past misdeeds, for their mistakes committed intentionally or unintentionally, for not giving the judiciary and the media the independence, for making fun of the highest judicial authority, for illegally dismissing the elected governments, for the judicial murder of an elected prime minister, for the various operations launched from time to time like ‘Operation Searchlight’, ‘Operation Midnight Jackal’, for massive rigging in general elections, for horse-trading, for attacking the Supreme Court, for inviting the army to interfere by writing letters to the army chiefs, for sidelining the real freedom-fighters and replacing them with the leaders of own choice, for distorting the history of the country, and for introducing the culture of extremism and suicide bombing.
Every citizen of this country must apologise for not paying taxes, for not observing rules and regulations, for remaining a silent spectator on the defeat of Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah in the presidential election, for not raising their voices when the innocent students and intellectuals were killed in Dacca University, when Bacha Khan was forced to live in exile, when Liaquat Ali Khan was killed in broad daylight, and no sincere investigations were conducted.
It’s a long list of errors and mistakes not only on the part of the people in authority, leaders and ruling elite, but also the layman who is fully responsible for the present-day crises.
My Reply: Dollars to Donuts, DAWN, wont publish anything defending Pakistan
With respect to Mr. AAMIR AQIL’s Feb 28 letter “Apology to all”. As a citizen of Pakistan, I would be more than happy to apologize for the purported massacre of Bengali intellectuals. One proviso: I would like to see some remorse from the Bengalis for the mass slaughter of West Pakistanis and Biharis in East Pakistan. And I suppose its too much to hope that anyone will apologize to the hundreds of thousands of Biharis still stranded in Bangladesh thirty-five years after the 1971 war.
Sincerely,
Saad Gul
Some thoughts on the Shaheed General’s Car
A few thoughts.
1. A humble man, he had very little security. No motorcades for him.
2. The car is a Toyota Corrolla. Not sure what the “authorized” or “entitled” transport is for a three star general, but surely modest.
3. This appears to be an early picture – its the only one I saw with the flag and star plate still on it.
This murder, unlike the so many others we unfortunately see in Pakistan, struck me at a very personal level. Maybe because I had met the general. Or because he had operated on family. Or because his humility and piety were universally acknowledged. Rest in Peace Sir.
Mourning a Great Man
General Mushtaq Baig, a wonderful eye surgeon who operated on my grandmother, was murdered in Rawalpindi on Feb 28, along with several other innocent people. A humble man, he was well regarded even in cynical Pakistan, and loved by his patients. The loss is ours.
Some stories.
His participation in the “Peace through Medicine” initiative with his Israeli counterpart is noted here. http://www.health.mil/mhsblog/Article.aspx?ID=198
http://www.dawn.com/2008/02/26/top1.htm
Suicide bomber strikes at Pindi Mall, kills army surgeon-general
By Mohammad Asghar
RAWALPINDI, Feb 25: A suicide bomber blew up an army staff car on The Mall here on Monday, killing the army’s surgeon-general, his guard, driver and three pedestrians.
Lt-Gen Mushtaq Baig, surgeon-general and director general of the army’s Medical Services, was the most senior army officer killed by the militants so far. It was also the first terrorist attack in Rawalpindi after the general election.
Eyewitnesses and officials said the suicide attacker, believed to be in his 20s, had hidden himself under a shed set up by the Nadra Swift Registration Centre on The Mall.The officials said the suicide bomber came close to the surgeon-general’s car and blew himself up when it stopped at a red-light signal on the T&T Chowk at 2.45pm. The general and his driver, Lance Nike Anwar, were killed on the spot, while guard Hawaldar Nazar died later in hospital.
A pedestrian, Ms Ghulam Sakina, and a man were also killed.
National IDs….
This issue continues to be debated even in the U.S., with the Supreme Court holding arguments on this last month. Nevertheless, every citizen of Pakistan must be allowed to vote….
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=20082\13\story_13-2-2008_pg12_1
Bengali, Burmese residents fight for right to vote
Staff Report
KARACHI: Six Pakistanis of Bangladeshi and Burmese origin are fighting for the right to vote in the February 18 general elections by going to the Sindh High Court with a petition.
The petitioners include the Awami Himayat Tehreek Pakistan (formerly Pervez Musharraf Himayat Tehreek Pakistan) chief organiser Maulana Muhammad Ibrahim Khalil and members Abdul Karim, Abdul Qadir, Noor Chaman, Sinwara Begum, Sona Ali. They argue that they are all residents and registered voters of constituency NA-242. They maintain that they possess all the right documents, including a National Identity Card (NIC), but will not be allowed to cast their vote as the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has declined to issue them Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs).
The petitioners have also argued that their names exist on the electoral rolls and that they have completed all formalities, including making the payment for the CNIC fee. They also argued that they had been living in Karachi before Bangladesh came into existence and some of them have even been born in Karachi.
To back up their argument, the petitioners gave the example of the Presidential Referendum of 2001 held by President General (retd) Pervez Musharraf that maintains that he ordered as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) that all individuals living in the territory of Pakistan were declared eligible to cast their votes irrespective of the fact that they did not have a national identity cards i.e. old or computerized NICs or whether their names were on the voter lists or not.
The petitioners requested the SHC to declare that NADRA was bound to issue them and other citizens CNICs or the new ID cards, direct the election commission of Pakistan and the provincial election commission to waive the condition that their names need to be on the voter list.
The bench heard these initial arguments and issued notices to the commissions, NADRA and the SP of the Bangladeshi Registration Cell for Thursday, Feb 14.
