Southern Sudan Feels Freedom Close at Hand

By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN

“This is a dream,” Mr. Nyuol said, “a dream we always hoped would come true, even if it took one thousand years.”

JUBA, Sudan — Philip Geng Nyuol started fighting for independence with his hands.

He eventually graduated to a machete, then Molotov cocktails, then a gun.

“I crossed rivers full of crocodiles,” he said. “And slept in camps in Congo. And ate wild fruits in the bush.”

That was nearly 50 years ago — Mr. Nyuol was on the ground floor of southern Sudan’s independence struggle, before the rebels even had proper weapons. The memories come flooding back to him, bright but patchy, like sun streaming through the trees.

After decades of war and more than two million lives lost, southern Sudan has arrived at the moment it has been yearning for, a referendum on independence. Polls opened on Sunday just after 8 a.m. local time. All signs point to the people here voting overwhelmingly for secession, and the largest country on the continent will then begin the delicate process of splitting in two. …

Read more : The New York Times

Salman Taseer’s death has changed my perception about him.Why?

by K. Ashraf

I was never a fan of Salman Taseer. I considered him more a sort of politician. His death has changed my perception about him. Here is it why.

His death changed my perception because I think he stood for the weakest person—a Christian woman who was practically treated as untouchable in Pakistani society. He went to jail cell to meet her, console her, and give her hope in a society which conducts itself on extremely hypocrite religious values.

It is a very rare example in Pakistani society where a Governor would die for a poor Christian untouchable woman. It is the noblest thing a Governor can do. As a Muslim governor he has set a shinning example in true sense of Islamic principles by protecting a minority woman.

Courtesy: CRDP, Jan 8th, 2011.

PAKISTAN: Appeasement policy towards religious intolerance leads to murder of a governor

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission

AHRC-STM-001-2011 : The nation has suffered a great loss due to this tragic murder. A voice of sanity has been silenced. This has happened at a time when the kind of political leadership provided by Salman Taseer is most needed. He stood for basic values which are essential for the stability of Pakistan. His shocking death should be an awakening for all right-thinking people of Pakistan about the perils that the country is facing. Creating chaos is not difficult under the tense conditions under which Pakistan has functioned for a considerable time now. The benefits of such chaos will only go to a few. However, the consequences of this death can seriously harm the population which may begin to react with fear of such murders. It is time for all concerned persons and the government to react soberly but strongly on this occasion in order to ensure that the benefits of this situation will go to those are bent on creating chaos.