A new Great Game is evolving in Afghanistan

15.07.2011

In the 19th century, it was the Russians and the British who wrestled for influence in Afghanistan and Central Asia in a highly-explosive endeavor known as the Great Game.

 

Today, Afghanistan's natural resources are estimated to be worth billions of dollars. The resources in the neighboring Central Asian states are thought to be worth even more - the cake is huge and as yet largely untouched.

While the US and China want an especially large slice of it, neighboring states Iran, Pakistan, India and Russia all have their eyes on it as well. Most experts agree that a battle for natural resources is underway, alongside the war against terrorism.

 

 

Not enough has been done to define who has access to the natural resources, says Thomas Greven, a political scientist who teaches at Berlin's Free University.

 

"If conflict arises, in the worst-case scenario, it will not be sufficient to have contracts on exploiting natural resources. The access has to be secured via military bases, as well as political and security cooperation," says Greven.

 

Setting the tone

 

New roads built by the US and used by ChinaThe US and China have been competing for the world's natural resources for at least a decade now. Both countries know that direct access to energy resources will determine who can maintain their wealth. Greven points out that the new Great Game in Central Asia will thus decide whether the 21st century ends up being Chinese or American.

 

"The US is not indifferent to the fact that there are natural deposits in Afghanistan," says Greven, adding that Washington would not be thrilled to see China take control of the war-torn state's natural resources without taking part in the fight against international terrorism.

 

The Chinese government has been conducting an offensive "shopping spree" in Afghanistan and other Central Asian states for some time now. To Washington's displeasure, Beijing was able to secure the exploitation rights for the region's biggest copper mine, by shelling out three billion dollars. Now, fully-laden trucks head from the mine in eastern Afghanistan to China on roads built by the Americans.

 

Officially, Beijing insists it does not have any great ambitions in Afghanistan and the region. But many observers think China at least wants to set the tone.

 

For Jürgen Stetten, the head of Asia at the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the truth lies "somewhere in the middle."

 

"Even if it wanted to, China could not afford not to be a player in the geo-strategic game, including in Afghanistan," he says.

 

Avoiding direct confrontation

Until now, China has deliberately avoided direct confrontation with the US. The emerging superpower feels threatened by the 100,000 US soldiers in its direct vicinity. Stetten says Beijing is also concerned about the US' plans to maintain a presence in Afghanistan after 2014.

 

"Obviously China has no interest in being surrounded by US military bases," he says, adding however, that the situation does not look likely to change in the immediate future. This is why he thinks China is looking more at cooperating closely with Pakistan.

 

Beijing sees in Islamabad a loyal ally against India - its biggest rival in the region - and also thinks that with Pakistan's help it will better be able to consolidate its interests in Afghanistan, particularly after the US withdraws.

 

Stetten says that it is difficult to predict the outcome of the new Great Game in Afghanistan, but he believes it could very likely be catastrophic for Afghanistan. "A return of the Taliban, or proxy wars between the region's big rivals, China or India, or the US, could land the country in a conflict that it will not get out of for some time."

 

Author: Ratbil Shamel (act)
Editor: Sarah Berning

--
Shahzad Afzal
http://www.pakistanprobe.com/

US Rejects Demands to Vacate Pakistan Drone Base

US Rejects Demands to Vacate Pakistan Drone Base

By REUTERS

July 01, 2011 "Dawn" - -The United States is rejecting demands from Pakistani officials that American personnel abandon a military base used by the CIA to stage drone strikes against suspected militants, U.S. officials told Reuters.

U.S. personnel have not left the remote Pakistani military installation known as Shamsi Air Base and there is no plan for them to do so, said a U.S. official familiar with the matter, who asked for anonymity to discuss sensitive material.

"That base is neither vacated nor being vacated," the official said. The information was confirmed by a second U.S. official.

The U.S. declaration that drone operations in Pakistan will continue unabated is the latest twist in a fraught relationship between security authorities in Washington and Islamabad, which has been under increasing strain for months.

Regarding the Shamsi base in particular, Pakistani officials have frequently suggested it is being shuttered, comments that may be aimed at quieting domestic opposition to U.S. military operations using Pakistani soil.

Earlier this week, Pakistani Defense Minister Ahmed Mukhtar told the Financial Times that Pakistan had already stopped U.S. drone operations there.

On Thursday, Mukhtar told Reuters: "When they (U.S. forces) will not operate from there, no drone attacks will be carried out."

He said Islamabad had been pressuring the U.S. to vacate the base even before the May 2 commando raid in which U.S. Navy SEAL commandos killed Osama bin Laden. After the raid, Mukhtar said, "We told them again."

A senior Pakistani military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, added that when U.S. forces first launched counter-terrorism operations in Afghanistan, Pakistan "provided Americans two bases in Jacobabad and Shamsi. Jacobabad base has been vacated for long time ago, but Shamsi is still with them."

"They are vacating it," the official insisted. "Shamsi base was for logistic purpose. They also used it for drones for some time but no drones have been flown from there."

DIFFERENT STORIES

The official said no base in Pakistan was presently used by the Americans for drone operations. But he did not give a precise date for when drones supposedly stopped operating from Shamsi.

The U.S. officials disputed that account. If anything, the Obama administration is moving to a counter-terrorism strategy based more on drone strikes and other covert operations than on deploying large numbers of troops.

On Wednesday, John Brennan, president Barack Obama's top counter-terrorism advisor, promised that in the tribal regions along the Afghan/Pakistan border, the U.S. would continue to "deliver precise and overwhelming force against al Qaeda."

"And when necessary, as the President has said repeatedly, if we have information about the whereabouts of al Qaeda, we will do what is required to protect the United States -- as we did with bin Laden," Brennan said in a speech.

Pakistani officials have faced fierce criticism for tacitly allowing the CIA to conduct drone operations on Pakistani soil. Allegations that civilian bystanders have been killed in drone attacks have only compounded the political problems facing Pakistani authorities.

Brennan rejected suggestions that U.S. drone attacks had caused numerous civilian casualties, claiming that the U.S. had been "exceptionally precise and surgical" in its operations. "Not a single collateral death" had been caused by U.S. counter-terrorism operations over the last year, he said.

U.S. officials have said that since the United States in July 2008 greatly increased the rate of drone-borne missile strikes against suspected militants along the Afghan/Pakistan border, the number of civilian deaths caused by such attacks has totaled under 40. Some Pakistani officials and human rights activists have claimed the death toll is much higher.

 

--
Shahzad Afzal
http://www.pakistanprobe.com/

8 Radiation Sickness Signs

8 radiation sickness signs (Slideshow) 
By Deborah Dupre, Human Rights Examiner
June 18, 2011 3:28 pm ET 

..Due to nuclear assaults on the environment and life on it, humans are increasingly susceptible to irradiation poisoning them. Little information is being broadcasted about radiation sickness and its eight main signs. People who have been radiated often, therefore, attribute their new conditions to other than the actual cause, radiation.

 
The eight most common signs of radiation are:

1. Nausea and vomiting are typical early symptoms of radiation sickness. The higher the dose of irradiation, the faster they appear and the worse the overall prognosis. Irradiation is the process by which an item is exposed to radiation. 

If vomiting begins one hour after irradiation, death is probable. Very often, people who suffered radiation exposure first feel awful, but then improve. As a rule, however, more severe symptoms occur in a few hours, days or even weeks.

2. Nose bleeding often occurs with radiation sickness. Blood of the throat, bleeding gums or blood from the rectum are also signs that radiation has impacted the body. Bleeding bruises occur, sometimes hematemesis. The bleeding is caused by the radiation reducing the number of platelets that clot blood in the body.

3. Diarrhea, sometimes bloody: Burning, or "hits" are common. "Hits" along the body's cells that rapidly reproduce, including in the digestive tract cells. Irradiation causes irritation of the digestive organs that can cause diarrhea, sometimes bloody diarrhea.

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4. Severe sunburn appearance: Skin exposed to radiation can become red and covered with blisters as though strongly sunburned. In some cases, ulcers appear and in others, the skin may climb in round pattern.

5. Hair loss: One of the most common signs of radiation poisoning is hair loss, as cancer survivors note soon after radiation treatment. Radiation damages hair follicles so people being radiated usually oblyseet two or three weeks. In some cases, the hair loss is irreparable.

6. Fatigue and exhaustion: Radiation sickness causes weakness that feels similar to the flu and is often mistaken for "having the flu." Decreasing the number of red blood cells results in anemia and increased risk of fainting.

7. Mouth sores: Radiation sickness causes ulcers on lips or and in the mouth. Similar ulcers occur inside the esophagus, stomach and intestines.

8. Infection susceptibility: Radiation acts on white blood cells responsible for resisting infections, so people become more susceptible to viruses, bacteria and fungal diseases.

For free copies of Mr. Jeff Rense's ebook that he stated is "guaranteed to save lives," "Coming Clean, From Denial to Detox," see TriageTVNews.com. 

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Continue reading on Examiner.com 8 radiation sickness signs (Slideshow) - National Human Rights | Examiner.com
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http://www.examiner.com/human-rights-in-national/eight-horrid-radiation-sickness-signs#ixzz1PyIBKwWj

--
Shahzad Afzal
http://www.pakistanprobe.com/

Drama of Devolution under 18th Amendment

It is not surprising to note that despite high sounding drum-beating of 'Devolution of powers to Provinces' nothing has been practically devolved under 18^th Amendment in respect of policy decisions, financial controls and regulatory powers.

 

Everybody knows that the ministries exercise their powers and functions through attached Departments / Organizations. Take example of Federal ministry of food and agriculture; the subject was a provincial matter even before the 18^th Amendment but all policy matters, foreign aid/loan and regulatory functions were exercised by the Federation.

 

Now notionally the ministry has been devolved to provinces but the situation on the ground is still as under;

 

Sr.	Attached Department / Mega Project	Devolved to Provinces	Shifted to Another Federal Ministry	Remarks
1	Department of Plant Protection	No	Yes To Min of Commerce
2	Seed Certification & Registration Department	No	Yes To Min of Science & Tech
3	Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation	No	Yes To Min of commerce
4	Pakistan Agricultural Research Council	No	Yes to Min of Sc. & Tech
5	Pakistan Central Cotton Committee	No	Yes To Min of Textile
6	Pakistan Oilseed Development Board	No	No	Closed
7	Soil Survey of Pakistan	Yes	No	To Punjab
8	Agriculture Policy Institute	No	Yes to Min of Planning
9	Economic Wing	No	Yes to Min of Planning
10	WTO Cell	No	Yes to Min of Econ. Affairs
11	Animal Quarantine Department	No	Yes To Min of Commerce
12	Federal Water Management Cell	No	Yes To Min of Power
13	Pakistan Tobacco Board	No	Yes to Min of Sc. & Tech
14	Pakistan Horticulture Board	No	Yes To Min of Commerce
15	Mega Project NAPHIS	No	Yes To Min of Commerce	Rs 773 Million
16	Mega Project Vegetable Hybrid Seed Production	No	Yes To Min of Science & Tech	Rs 500 Million
17	Mega Project Bio-saline Agriculture	No	Yes To Min of Science & Tech	Rs 826 Million
18	Mega Project Crop Maximization	No	Yes to Min of Sc. & Tech	Rs 8,013 Million
19	Mega Project National Commercial Seed Production	No	Yes To Min of Science & Tech	Rs 3,500 Million
20	Mega Project Commercialization of Tea Production	No	Yes To Min of Science & Tech	Rs 492 Million
21	Mega Project Boosting Fodder Availability	No	Yes To Min of Science & Tech	Rs 611 Million
22	Mega Project Neelibar Agri. Res.	No	Yes to Min of Sc. & Tech	Rs 348 Million
23	Mega Project Benazir Bhutto Res. Station	No	Yes To Min of Science & Tech	Rs 916 Million
24	Mega Project Pak China Coop	No	Yes to Min of Sc. & Tech	Rs 691 Million
25	Mega Project Indigenization of Hybrid Seed Prod	No	Yes To Min of Science & Tech	Rs 655 Million
26	Mega Project Pak China Rice	No	Yes to Min of Sc. & Tech	Rs 433 Million
27	Mega Project Pak China Cold storage	No	Yes To Min of Science & Tech	Rs 2,229 Million
28	Mega Project National Institute of Genomics	No	Yes To Min of Science & Tech	Rs 482 Million
29	Mega Project Water Conservation	No	Yes To Min of Power	Rs 18,000 Million
30	Miscellaneous Projects	No	Yes to Min of Sc. & Tech

 

Conclusion: It is evident that nothing is going to change after so called devolution and the ministry may be re-established with a new name within few days to continue business as usual. Chief Minister of Punjab has raised his concerns on the superficial process of devolution without handing over of assets and infrastructure in case of all devolved ministries. In return the movement of wheat from Punjab (to Balochistan and for export) through Sindh has been subjected to 'Private Tax' levied by private army of a sitting Sindh Minister.

Source:msarwar80@hotmail.com

--
Shahzad Afzal
http://www.pakistanprobe.com/