Ram Jethmalani expelled from BJP for 6 years

NEW DELHI: Rebel BJP MP Ram Jethmalani, who had been critical of the BJP leadership and had revolted against then party chief Nitin Gadkari, was on Tuesday expelled from the primary membership of the party for six years on charges of “breach of discipline”.

The expulsion of 89-year-old Jethmalani, who is a member of Rajya Sabha, by the BJP parliamentary board comes weeks after he had barged into a parliamentary party meeting and questioned his continued suspension. He had also asked if he could be issued a whip when he has been suspended.

Turkey’s former military chief arrested over alleged anti-government plot

By Associated Press

ISTANBUL — A former Turkish military chief suspected of leading an Internet campaign to stir revolt was jailed Friday in a sweeping investigation of alleged conspiracies to topple a civilian government that has stripped the armed forces of political clout.

Gen. Ilker Basbug, 68, was the most senior officer to face trial in the anti-terror probes that began years ago, netting hundreds of suspects, many of them retired and active-duty military officers. The government casts the inquiries as a triumph for the rule of law and democracy, but suspicions of score-settling, long imprisonments without verdicts and other lapses have tainted the legal process.

The investigations serve as a pivotal test for Turkey’s ability to put its own house in order even as it seeks a higher profile in a turbulent region where the Turkish brand of electoral politics and Islam-inspired government is viewed by some as worthy of emulation.

Perhaps most notable about Basbug’s arrest was the muted public response in a country where civilian leaders were once beholden to the generals, and any hint of conflict stirred fears of a coup. The power balance shifted in the past decade as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan undermined the premise that the military brass were the untouchable guardians of secularism, as enshrined in the constitution. …

Read more » The Washington Post

Poverty and Richness

By: Bhittai

We want to be rich to be happy, but if we are not happy after being rich then the effort is useless. Most of the time we think that rich people are very happy and the poor are unhappy but that’s not true. The real joy in life comes from the friends, family, the environment and atmosphere, in other words from the society we live in; not the riches. If we knew the truth behind happiness we would like to work more for the betterment of the society than our own self.

Richness either comes from luck/inheritance, hard work or injustices. If we work too hard to be rich then that is useless if it makes us sick and tired. If we get rich by hurting people and by doing injustices then we are causing lawlessness and disorder in the society which will make everybody unhappy eventually. If we are rich because we are lucky then it is a gift from God and we should be thankful; and to be really thankful is to share the bounty among the poor.

More over when we are rich we have normally bad life style which hurts our own self and our health than anybody else. Rich people have responsibility to take care of the downtrodden otherwise there will be rage and revolt which will bring discomfort and destruction to all. Not only that, the rich people are in the laundry list of the criminals who want to rob them of their riches. The wealth which we think will make us happy in fact makes us worrisome.

We don’t live in seclusion, we live in a society. We like to socialize as we are social animals. Our life would come to an end and we will be very unhappy if we are cut off from the society. We know this but we don’t realize that much. If society is corrupt, immoral, full of criminals and with the most corrupt people as our custodians then unhappiness, anger and sadness is our destiny. Therefore we should always strive to build a great society and culture rather than deceiving ourselves with the riches.

Courtesy: http://bhittai.wordpress.com/2011/02/26/poverty-and-richness/

In the US, where 45 per cent of young African Americans have no jobs and the top hedge-fund managers are paid $1bn a year on average, mass protests against cuts in services & jobs have spread to heartland states such as Wisconsin

– Behind the Arab revolt lurks a word we dare not speak

BY John Pilger

The people of Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain, Algeria, Yemen, Jordan and Libya are rising up not only against their leaders, but also western economic tyranny. …

Read more : NewStatesman

Libya unrest : Forces open fire at Funeral

As fresh violence grips Libya.

– Al Jazeera’s Hazem Sika report.

A Tunisami hits the Arab world — Razi Azmi

. Islamists are gaining popularity not because they wish to destroy Israel or the US, but because they give vent to the genuine grievances of their people against incompetent, corrupt and oppressive regimes.

A political tsunami has hit Egypt. Call it a Tunisami, after its place of origin. A contagion of mass revolt is gripping the Arab world. The popular upheaval that started in tiny Tunisia has now engulfed Egypt, the giant of the Arab world. Who would have thought that events in a quiet, small, insignificant country situated on the fringe of the Sahara would have such repercussions? But they have shaken the most populous Arab country and sent shockwaves not only in other Arab capitals but also in Washington and Tel Aviv, but for very different reasons.

While Arab regimes are now worried about their own survival, Washington is sleepless with a different anxiety — instability or an Islamist government in Cairo (and, heavens forbid, in Amman) might threaten Israel’s security. …

Read more : Daily Times

Possibility of “revolution” in Pakistan?

Ripe for revolution? – By Mahreen Khan

…. Despite a wave of public protests, Egypt is unlikely to emulate Tunisia, due to factors also present in Pakistan. Egypt has a sharp religious divide between Coptics and Muslims as well as numerous Islamic groups pitted against each other. Arab analysts cite low levels of literacy and a general feeling of apathy and defeatism in the population as further reasons that Egypt will continue to fester rather than revolt. Pakistan has these and additional factors which militate against a revolution: deep and multiple ethnic, linguistic, tribal and sectarian fault lines; a paucity of alternative intellectual narratives, radical leaders or strong unions; and an elected government and freedom of speech. Ironically, democratic elections and free speech help perpetuate the corrupt, unjust stranglehold of the feudal-industrial power elite. Revolutionary forces require a moral impetus that illegitimate dictatorship provides but elected government does not. Secondly, frustration needs to simmer under a repressive regime until it reaches the temperature for mass revolt. Pakistan’s free media allows an outlet for public dissatisfaction. The often harsh treatment of politicians and police officials at the hands of journalists and judges ameliorates public anger. Vocal opposition parties, unhindered street protests and strikes allow a regular release of fury, draining the momentum necessary for the emotional surge that revolutionary zeal requires. …

Read more : The Express Tribune

Civilian and military atrocities on Baloch people

A Page from the Past – By Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur

Who was an active member of the Balochistan Resistance in the 70s. He recently returned to Pakistan after a 10-year long exile in Afghanistan.

In keeping with the Pakistani tradition of camouflaging history a vital chunk of the country’s past has been shrouded in mystery for over 20 years. This was the period of 1973-1977, when the Baloch rose in revolt against a state that had relentlessly oppressed them for decades and military operations against the Baloch people were at their peak. …

Read more : Baloch Voice

‘Islamic secularism’ in Bangladesh: Jyoti Rahman

Bangladesh will mark its 40th year of independence in 2011.  The celebrations have already begun, and will continue until next December.  The TV channels are already playing patriotic tunes.  One such tune is Shona shona shona.  The song says the land, mati, of Bangladesh is better than gold, and under this land sleeps many heroes: Rafiq, Shafiq, Barkat, Titu Mir and Isa Khan.

Who are these heroes?  Rafiq, Shafiq and Barkat were killed by the Pakistani authorities during the language uprising of 1952 — a milestone moment in Bangladesh’s nationalism. Titu Mir defied the East India Company and organised a peasant revolt in the 19th century. Isa Khan was a Bengali chieftain who resisted the Mughals in the 16th century. …

Read more : Kafila

Nepal’s Maoist Leader Declares India As “Arch Enemy”

Nepal’s Maoist chief Prachanda urges war on India

KATHMADU: Amidst the Indian government’s growing concern about the crisis in Nepal and a renewed war on its own Maoist guerrillas, Nepal’s Maoist supremo Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda has identified India as the arch enemy and urged the party to brace for a war with the southern neighbour, reports said Wednesday.

The 55-year-old former prime minister, who blames New Delhi for the fall of his short-lived government last year and his failure to win the subsequent prime ministerial election, has begun predicting military intervention in Nepal by India and has advocated a “people’s revolt” at a key meet of the party that will formulate the former guerrillas’ future strategy. …

Read more : NewsOfWorld

Al-Qaeda asks Pakistanis to revolt against PPP govt

Al-Qaeda asks Pakistanis to revolt against their govt

Cairo: Al-Qaeda’s second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri has asked Pakistanis to revolt against their “corrupt” government for its “failure” to provide succour to countrymen devastated by worst-ever floods. …

Read more >> MSN

The Hur Movement of Sindh (1930- 43)

Research on Hur Movement
– MANZOOR H. KURESHI, Karachi, Sindh

….The Hur movement (1930-43) is one of the most important chapters that has played most vital role in the history of Sindh. Therefore in order to asses its impact on the pre and post independence period of modern Sindh, not only the Hur movement but the reign of two alien powers (Talpurs and British) who governed it through 19th and almost half of 20th Century also required exhaustive analysis with an eye of impartiality.