US declassifies documents recovered in Bin Laden raid

WASHINGTON: United States intelligence officials on Wednesday released documents they said were recovered during the 2011 raid on a compound in Pakistan where US forces killed Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

The declassified documents shed new light on the mindset of Al Qaeda's founder, his debates over tactics, his anxiety over Western spying and his fixation with the group's media image.

“The focus should be on killing and fighting the American people and their representatives,” the late Al Qaeda figurehead wrote in a letter.

The letter was among thousands of files found by US Navy SEALs on May 2, 2011 when they descended on Bin Laden's hideout in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad and shot him dead.

The revealed documents also include a loving letter by Bin Laden to his wife and a job application for his terrorist network.

US intelligence agencies have now declassified more than 100 of these documents taken from Bin Laden's archive, after lawmakers ordered the move and critics accused the CIA of withholding material.

AFP was given exclusive access to the documents ahead of their release, and they have since been posted online by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Jeff Anchukaitis, spokesman for the office, said the release of “a sizeable tranche of documents” was in line with President Barack Obama's call for “increased transparency.” It was also in accordance with a law obliging the spy agencies to review all the Bin Laden material for possible release, he said.

The documents released are English translations of the originals, and AFP had no way to independently verify the materials or the accuracy of the translation.

The release comes shortly after US journalist Seymour Hersh alleged that Washington's official account of the hunt for Bin Laden and the raid that led to his death was a lie.

Explore: Ex-intelligence man told US about Osama’s hideout: author.

But CIA spokesman Ryan Trapani said the declassification had been planned for at least a year and had not been intended as a response to Hersh's report.

Bent on attacking the 'West' again

From strategic and theological discussions to the mundane details of domestic funding and security measures, the documents show the man behind 9/11 preoccupied with once again attacking the West in spectacular fashion.

Mindful of drone strikes taking out senior jihadist figures, Bin Laden frequently refers to security headaches and advises against communicating by email.

He scolds his followers for gathering in large groups and frets about a microscopic bug being inserted in his wife's clothes.

He lays out plans to groom a new cadre of leaders, and his associates discuss arrangements for smuggling Bin Laden's favorite son and likely heir, Hamza, to Pakistan.

French economics and conspiracy theory

The spy agencies also released a list of English language books and articles found in Bin Laden's compound.

The “bookshelf” of PDF files showed the Al Qaeda leader was particularly interested in France's economy and conspiracy theories — including those questioning accounts of the 9/11 attacks.

Intelligence officials said the texts suggested Bin Laden was possibly planning to strike at the French economy in hopes of triggering a wider collapse in the West.

Jeffrey Anchukaitis, spokesman for the US director of national intelligence's office, said Bin Laden “appears to have been interested in attacking the economy of France in the hope that an economic collapse there would trigger one in the US or the rest of the Western world."

US intelligence analysts were not surprised Bin Laden was interested in attacking the economies of west, but Anchukaitis said “it was surprising that he asked for so many books on France. “The spokesman told AFP that “just because he had these books doesn't mean he was committed to that course of action."

Before he was killed, Bin Laden wrote of plans for an elaborate propaganda blitz to mark the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

And among the material posted by US spy agencies was an unreleased video in which Bin Laden appears to stumble delivering a speech.

But the documents also highlight deep divisions among the militants over how to wage their terror campaign.

Bin Laden warns that conflict with regimes in the Middle East would distract the extremists from hitting hard at what as far as he is concerned is the real enemy — America.

“We should stop operations against the army and the police in all regions, especially Yemen,” he writes.

IS and Bin Laden

Al Qaeda's branch in Iraq, which would later morph into the Islamic State group — and which now increasingly overshadows Al Qaeda — also comes up in the documents.

Bin Laden and his then deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, receive a scathing rebuke in a letter from some Iraqi supporters, who demand they denounce the bloodletting in Iraq.

In a letter dated May 22, 2007, the Jihad and Reform Front warns Bin Laden that God will hold him to account “for blessing the work done by the Al Qaeda organisation in Iraq without disavowing the scandals that are committed in your name.” Bin Laden writes of the need for large-scale terror operations, even though some of his deputies are finding it difficult to organise mass attacks with drones overhead and US eavesdropping.

One document recently declassified in a terrorism trial in New York but not released on Wednesday quotes Abu Musab al-Suri, an Al Qaeda veteran, who advocates going after smaller targets of opportunity as a more realistic approach, officials said.

“Bin Laden at the time of his death remained focused on large-scale operations while other Al Qaeda leaders believed smaller operations, or inciting lone terrorist attacks, could succeed at bleeding the West economically,” the intelligence analyst said.

Bin Laden lost the argument. After his death, Al Qaeda's leadership called for lone wolf attacks, and Suri's idea of “individual jihad” has won out.

The IS group, which was officially rejected by Al Qaeda, now controls vast swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria and its online propaganda has been blamed for inspiring attacks from Paris to the Dallas suburbs.

history of lyari

Lyari Town

LyariTown (Sindhi: لیاری ٽاؤن Urdu: لیاری ٹاؤن ‎) is one of the eighteen constituent towns of the city of Karachi, in the province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the smallest town by area in the city but also the most densely populated town. It is bordered by the towns of SITE Town to the north across the Lyari River, Jamshed and Saddar to the east, and Kemari to the west across the main harbour of Karachi.

Lyari is one of the oldest places in Karachi. There are few schools, substandard hospitals, a poor water system, limited infrastructure, and broken roads. Lyari is a stronghold of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Lyari is also the centre of Karachi's Sheedi community, who are nowBalochs of African descent. There is also a large Zikri Muslim community residing in Lyari Town.

Contents

  [hide] 

• 1 Sports
• 2 History
• 3 Union councils
• 4 See also
• 5 References
• 6 External links

Sports[edit]

Lyari is known as a football hotbed in Pakistan. Many of the nation's top players come from the area. Football is so popular that crime levels dip significantly during the FIFA World Cup season.

History[edit]

The federal government introduced local government reforms in the year 2000, which eliminated the previous third tier of government (administrative divisions) and raised the fourth tier (districts) to become the new third tier. The effect in Karachi was the dissolution of the former Layari Division and the merger of its five districts to form a new Karachi City-District with eighteen autonomous constituent towns including Lyari Town.

Lyari Town is home of the majority Balochis speaking. The ethnic groups include: Balochs, Kutchis, Zikris, Gujratis, Muhajirs, Chhipas and others.

he load shedding: Problems and Solutions 

One of the most important problems faced by people of Pakistan is outage of electricity. It causes disruption in all spheres of life. Every now and then we see politician making false promises to general public that the problem of load shedding will soon be overcome. However, within last 5 years no improvement has been witnessed. On the contrary, the problem is getting worse with every passing day. The following article will have a look at the problems created by load shedding and will recommend few solution to overcome it.

Students are one of the many groups that are affected by the problem of load shedding. Their studying schedule is greatly disturbed due to the excessive hours of load shedding. The problem becomes worse during the months of summers and that is the time when many students appear for their final exams. They can not concentrate on their studies at school due to intense heat and not a single fan working in a room filled with students. Similarly, the problem continues at home as well due to which they are unable to finish their home assignments on time or prepare for upcoming quizzes and exams.

The industrial sector of Pakistan has also suffered a lot due to the intensive electricity load shedding. All large industries are capital intensive and rely on heavy machinery for the production activity which is run by electricity. Due to breakages in electricity, the production has reduced many folds, workers sit redundant during the hours of load shedding, and installing of generators has increased the cost of production and reduced the competitiveness of Pakistan made products in international market.

However, the question that arises is what needs to be done in order to overcome the menace of load shedding. Pakistan just rely on water for the generation of electricity whereas it can be produced using other resources as well such as wind, gas, coal etc. the largest province of Pakistan, Baluchistan, has large untapped reserves of natural gas and coal which can be used to produce additional electricity in the country and overcome the problem of load shedding.

As consumers we also need to play our part in reducing the problem of load shedding. We should try to minimize the use of air conditioners, instead of using all ACs of a home, all family members can sit in one room and just use a single AC. In addition, we need to adapt the habit of turning off lights and fans whenever coming out of our room in order to save electricity. Such small measures can make a huge difference. Instead of wasting electricity, we should use it wisely. It will not only save our money on electricity bills but would improve the problem of load shedding.

The problem of load shedding is acute and has created several difficulties for different groups of people. Government needs to take different measures to overcome it as soon as possible but at the same time the users of electricity should also act in a responsible manner to minimize its wastage.

List of terrorist incidents in Pakistan since 2001

[show] v t e Terrorist attacks in Pakistan (since 2001)

This is the list of major terrorist incidents in Pakistan. The War on Terror had a major impact on Pakistan, when terrorism inside Pakistan increased twofold. The country was already gripped with sectarian violence, but after the September 11 attacks in the United States in 2001, it also had to combat the threat of Al-Qaeda andTaliban militants, who fled from Afghanistan and usually targeted high-profile political figures.

In 2006, 657 terrorist attacks, including 41 of a sectarian nature, took place, leaving 907 people dead and 1,543 others injured according to Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) security report.^[1]

In 2007, 1,503 terrorist attacks and clashes, including all the suicide attacks, target killings and assassinations, resulted in 3,448 casualties and 5,353 injuries, according to the PIPS security report. These casualties figure 128 percent and 491.7 percent higher as compared with 2006 and 2005, respectively. The report states that Pakistan faced 60 suicide attacks (mostly targeted at security forces) during 2007, which killed at least 770, besides injuring another 1,574 people. PIPS report shows visible increase in suicide attacks after Lal Masjid operation.^[2]

In 2008, the country saw 2,148 terrorist attacks, which caused 2,267 fatalities and 4,558 injuries.^[3] Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) in its annual report indicated that there were at least 67 suicide attacks across Pakistan killing 973 people and injuring 2,318.^[4] Further, a source in the investigation agencies disclosed that the total number of suicide blasts in Pakistan since 2002 rose to 140 (till December 21, 2008) while 56 bombers had struck in 2007.^[5]

In 2009, the worst of any year, 2,586 terrorist, insurgent and sectarian-related incidents were reported that killed 3,021 people and injured 7,334, according to the "Pakistan Security Report 2009" published by PIPS.^[6] These casualties figure 48 percent higher as compared to 2008. On the other hand, the rate of suicide attacks surged by one third to 87 bombings that killed 1,300 people and injured 3,600.^[7]

Terrorist attacks staged in Pakistan have killed over 35,000 people, 5,000 of which are law enforcement personnel, and caused material damage to the Pakistani economy totalling US$67 billion by the IMF and the World Bank.^[8]

According to an independent research site pakistanbodycount.org ^[9] maintained by Dr. Zeeshan-ul-hassan Usmani a Fulbright scholar deaths from suicide bombings up to October 2011 were 5,067 with over 13,000 injured. The website also provides analysis ^[10] on the data showing an evident increase in suicide bombing after the Lal Masjid operation. All death counts are verifiable from news sources placed online.

---

Contents

  [hide] 

• 1 Lists by year
• 2 See also
• 3 References
• 4 External links

Human trafficking in Pakistan

 women, and children subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically forced labor and prostitution. The largest human trafficking problem is bonded labor, concentrated in the Sindhand Punjab provinces in agriculture and brick making, and to a lesser extent in mining and carpet-making. Estimates of bonded labor victims, including men, women, and children, vary widely, but are likely well over one million. In extreme scenarios, when laborers speak publicly against abuse, landowners have kidnapped laborers and their family members.

Contents

  [hide] 

• 1 Trafficking of children
• 2 Abuse
• 3 Prosecution
• 4 Protection
• 5 Bonded laborers
• 6 Prevention
• 7 See also
• 8 References

Trafficking of children[edit]

Boys and girls are also bought, sold, rented, or kidnapped to work in organized, illegal begging rings, domestic servitude,prostitution, and in agriculture in bonded labor. Illegal labor agents charge high fees to parents with false promises of decent work for their children, who are later exploited and subject to forced labor in domestic servitude, unskilled labor, small shops and other sectors. Agents who had previously trafficked children for camel jockeying in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were not convicted and continue to engage in child trafficking. Girls and women are also sold into forced marriages; in some cases their new "husbands" move them across Pakistani borders and force them into prostitution.

NGOs and police reported markets in Pakistan where girls and women are bought and sold for sex and labor. Non-state militant groups kidnap children or coerce parents with fraudulent promises into giving away children as young as 12 to spy, fight, or die as suicide bombers. The militants often sexually and physically abuse the children and use psychological coercion to convince the children that the acts they commit are justified.^[1]

Abuse[edit]

Many Pakistani women and men migrate voluntarily to the Persian Gulf States, Iran, Turkey, South Africa, Uganda, Greece, and other European countries for low-skilled employment such as domestic work, driving or construction work; once abroad, some become victims of labor trafficking. False job offers and high fees charged by illegal labor agents or sub-agents of licensed Pakistani Overseas Employment Promoters increase Pakistani laborers’ vulnerabilities and some laborers abroad find themselves in involuntary servitude or debt bondage. Employers abroad use practices including restrictions on movement, non-payment of wages, threats, and physical or sexual abuse. Moreover, traffickers use violence, psychological coercion and isolation, often seizing travel and identification documents, to force Pakistani women and girls into prostitution in the Middle East and Europe. There are reports of child and sex trafficking between Iran and Pakistan; Pakistan is a destination for men, women and children from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan and Iran who are subjected to forced labor and prostitution.^[1]

The Government of Pakistan does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking, but is making significant efforts to do so. The government’s prosecutions of transnational labor trafficking offenders and substantive efforts to prevent and combat bonded labor – a form of human trafficking – demonstrated increased commitment, but there were no criminal convictions of bonded labor offenders or officials who facilitated trafficking in persons. It also continued to lack adequate procedures to identify trafficking victims among vulnerable populations and to protect these victims.^[1]

Prosecution[edit]

The Government of Pakistan made progress in law enforcement efforts to combat human trafficking in 2009. While the lack of comprehensive internal anti-trafficking laws hindered law enforcement efforts, a number of other laws were used to address some of these crimes. Several sections in the Pakistan Penal Code, as well as provincial laws, criminalize forms of human trafficking such as slavery, selling a child for prostitution, and unlawful compulsory labor, with prescribed offenses ranging from fines to life imprisonment. Pakistan prohibits all forms of transnational trafficking in persons with the Prevention and Control of Human Trafficking Ordinance (PACHTO); the penalties range from seven to 14 years’ imprisonment. Government officials and civil society report that judges have difficulty applying PACHTO and awarding sufficiently stringent punishments, because of confusion over definitions and similar offenses in the Pakistan Penal Code.

In addition, the Bonded Labor (System) Abolition Act (BLAA) prohibits bonded labor, with prescribed penalties ranging from two to five years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both. Pakistani officials have yet to record a single conviction and have indicated the need to review and amend the BLAA. Prescribed penalties for above offenses vary widely; some are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with those for other serious crimes such as rape. Others – with minimum sentencing of a fine or less than a year in prison – are not sufficiently stringent.^[1]

During 2009, the government convicted 385 criminals under PACHTO – 357 more than 2008. The government did not disclose the punishments given to the trafficking offenders. Reported sentences under this law in previous years were not sufficiently stringent. Moreover, despite reports of transnational sex trafficking, the FIA reported fewer than a dozen such cases under PACHTO. Government officials also often conflated human smuggling and human trafficking, particularly in public statements and data reported to the media.

In 2009, Pakistan reported 2,894 prosecutions and 166 convictions under the vagrancy ordinances and various penal code sections which authorities sometimes use to prosecute trafficking offenses; it is unclear how many of these prosecutions and convictions involved trafficking. It is confirmed that the government convicted at least three child traffickers; it is unknown whether these convictions were for forced prostitution or labor and what the imposed penalties were. The government prosecuted at least 500 traffickers: 416 for sex trafficking, 33 for labor trafficking, and 51 for either sex or labor trafficking. Only one person was prosecuted under the Bonded Labor System Abolition Act, with no conviction.^[1]

Some feudal landlords are affiliated with political parties or are officials themselves and use their social, economic and political influence to protect their involvement in bonded labor. Furthermore, police lack the personnel, training and equipment to confront landlords’ armed guards when freeing bonded labors. Additionally, media and NGOs reported that some police received bribes from brothel owners, landowners, and factory owners who subject Pakistanis to forced labor or prostitution, in exchange for police to ignore these illegal human trafficking activities.

In 2009, 108 officials were disciplined, 34 given minor punishments, four permanently removed, and one was compulsorily retired for participating in illegal migration and human smuggling; some of these officials may have facilitated human trafficking.^[1]

In efforts to enhance victim identification practices, FIA officials and more than 250 law enforcement officers participated in anti-human trafficking training in 2009, provided in partnership with NGOs and governments of other countries. Various Pakistani government agencies provided venue space, materials, and travel and daily allowances, and law enforcement officers led and taught some of the training workshops. Police and FIA officials continued to receive anti-trafficking training in their respective training academies.^[1]

Protection[edit]

The Government of Pakistan made some progress in its efforts to protect victims of human trafficking. The government continued to lack adequate procedures and resources for proactively identifying victims of trafficking among vulnerable persons with whom they come in contact, especially child laborers, women and children in prostitution, and agricultural and brick kiln workers.

The FIA and the police referred vulnerable men, women and children, many of whom were trafficking victims, to federal and provincial government shelters and numerous NGO-operated care centers. There are reports, however, that women were abused in some government-run shelters. Shelters also faced resource challenges and were sometimes crowded and under-staffed. Sindh provincial police freed over 2,000 bonded laborers in 2009 from feudal landlords; few charges were filed against the employers. The FIA expanded protection services overseas and provided medical and psychological services to Pakistani trafficking victims in Oman. Some NGOs provided food, legal, medical, and psychological care to vulnerable children, including child trafficking victims, in facilities provided by and partially staffed by the Government of Pakistan. Some NGOs and government shelters, like the Punjab Child Protection and Welfare Bureau, also rehabilitated and reunited children with their families. Female trafficking victims could access 26 government-run Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Centers and the numerous provincial government “Darul Aman” centers offering medical treatment, vocational training, and legal assistance. In September 2009, the government opened a rehabilitation center in Swat, which included a team of doctors and psychiatrists, to assist child soldiers rescued from militants.^[1]

Bonded laborers[edit]

The federal government, as part of its National Plan of Action for Abolition of Bonded Labor and Rehabilitation of Freed Bonded Laborers, continued to provide legal aid to bonded laborers in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (formerly the North West Frontier Province), and expanded services to Balochistan and Sindh provinces. The Sindh provincial government continued to implement its $116,000 project (launched in 2005) which provided state-owned land for housing camps and constructed 75 low-cost housing units for freed bonded laborer families.

The government encouraged foreign victims to participate in investigations against their traffickers by giving them the option of early statement recording and repatriation or, if their presence was required for the trial, by permitting them to seek employment. During 2009, all foreign victims opted for early statement recording and did not have to wait for or testify during the trial. The government did not provide foreign victims with legal alternatives to removal to countries where they may face hardship or retribution. Foreign victims reportedly were not prosecuted or deported for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked. Not all trafficking victims were identified and adequately protected. Pakistani adults deported from other countries, some of whom may have been trafficking victims, were fined up to $95, higher than one month’s minimum wages. Due to lack of sufficient shelter space and resources, police sometimes had to keep freed bonded laborers in the police station for one night before presenting them to a judge the next day.^[1]

During 2009, the Government of Pakistan completed a four-year project to repatriate and rehabilitate child camel jockeys who had been trafficked to the United Arab Emirates. The federal and provincial governments also collaborated with NGOs and international organizations to provide training on human trafficking, including victim identification, protective services, and application of laws.^[1]

Prevention[edit]

The Pakistani government made progress in its efforts to prevent human trafficking. The Punjab provincial government continued implementation of its $1.4 million project, Elimination of Bonded Labour in Brick Kilns (launched in 2008). To date, this project helped nearly 6,000 bonded laborers obtain Computerized National Identification Cards, in collaboration with the government National Database and Registration Authority. It has also provided $140,000 in no-interest loans to help free laborers from debt and established 60 on-site schools that educated over 1,500 children of brick kiln laborers.

The Bureau of Emigration continued to give pre-departure country-specific briefings to every Pakistani who traveled abroad legally for work; these briefings included information on how to obtain assistance overseas. The Punjab Child Protection and Welfare Bureau continued to fund 20 community organizations aimed at preventing child labor trafficking. The federal and provincial governments developed and began implementation of the Child Protection Management Information System, a national monitoring system that collects district-level data in five thematic areas, including child trafficking.^[1]

In 2009, all 250 Pakistani UN Peacekeeping Mission forces received training in various government training academies that included combating human trafficking. The government also took measures to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts, some of which may have been forced prostitution, by prosecuting, but not convicting, at least 64 clients of prostitution. Government officials also participated in and led various public events on human trafficking during the reporting period. In February 2010, the federal government hosted an inter-agency conference for more than 30 federal and provincial officials that focused on practices for identifying and combating child trafficking, transnational trafficking, and bonded labor. Pakistan is not a party to the 2000 UN TIP Protocol.^[1