The current crisis in Pakistan, with the military dictatorship now reportedly even encouraging killing of civilians to stamp out dissent, could lead to further fuelling of anti-American movements in Pakistan and the region. And, later, to a possible civil war in Pakistan.
At least 27 people were killed and about 90 injured yesterday in clashes between rival political groups in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, a senior security source said, says Australia’s The Age.
“Most of the victims were members of Opposition parties who were rallying in support of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, who was suspended on March 9 by President Pervez Musharraf.
” ‘There are 27 people dead in the violence. The number could go up. The majority of those killed are workers of opposition parties, mainly the Pakistan People’s Party,’ the official said.”
It is important to recall that Pakistan’s People’s Party is led by exiled Ms Benazir Bhutto, who is reportedly trying to reach a compromise with General Musharraf to return to Pakistan.
“New York-based Human Rights Watch said the government and its allies had apparently ‘deliberately sought to foment violence in Karachi’, and police stood by as ‘silent spectators’.”
One of the greatest problems with the US administration is that it seemingly loves to put all its eggs in the basket provided by tin pot dictators (military and civil), while in the same breath keeps a running commentary about the virtues of democracy.
Will this Orwellian double-speak at all help in the “War-against-Terror’?
To read a Chinese Xinhua report on the violence please click here…
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.