Two religious scholars from Jamia Uloom-e-Islamia
of Banuri Town and a student were ambushed and killed in a brazen target
killing operation in the very crowded Nursery area of Karachi on Thursday,
January 31. Abdul Majeed Deenpuri, Mufti
Saleh Muhamad , and student Muhammad Hassan Ali Shah (driver) were traveling in
a Suzuki high-roof when they were targeted in broad daylight.
Here is the camera footage of the killing.
We believe this a fairly simple case to solve. Here is how.
What do we know about the killing?
We know the date, time, and exact place.
Any basic information about the killers?
The surveillance camera footage is not very clear
to recognize the faces of the three men, but heights of two men who fired their
guns can be estimated in comparison with the height of the Suzuki high-roof-- based
on the time of the day and the length of the shadows, estimates of heights can
be corroborated.
Information about where the killers came from and
where they went
The same camera that shows the killing can possibly
give us information about the time when these three men arrived at the scene,
and the direction they came from. Based
on that information we can use surveillance cameras on other buildings to trace
their path to the scene. The footage
clearly shows where they went. Footage
from cameras mounted on various buildings should be pieced together to
establish the escape route of the killers and any other information we can
gather.
Eye-witnesses
Yes, there were at least two. The two people (roadside vendors?) you see running
to take cover at 0:21 (after hearing the first shots) must have seen the three
men waiting at the crime scene, for the arrival of the high-roof.
Establishing the identity of the killers
The target-killers knew that the high-roof was
coming to that intersection. Clearly there
was a regular daily schedule people in the high-roof people kept. How did the killers find out that
schedule? Most probably by following the
high-roof for a couple of days. We
should look at the surveillance camera footage from previous days to establish
who had been following the high-roof.
It is also very certain that someone followed the Suzuki
high-roof on the day of the killing too.
The high-roof could be stuck in traffic, but the killers needed to be
alert at the right time. There must have
been someone who followed the high-roof from the point it started moving and
came following it the all the way to Nursery.
Who was it? We believe it was the
motorcyclist in light-colored shirt we see at 0:27 (he stops his motorcycle to
check out the scene).
The person who was following the Suzuki high-roof
must have been communicating with these three people on the mobile phone. Anyone who
uses modern technology to commit a crime leaves behind a lot of evidence. Narrowing the time of the killing,
investigations can be made about the cell phone numbers in connection with the
cell-phone towers of the area, during that time. The investigators can get records from the
cell phone companies having service in that area, for calls made in that
particular geographical area (cell) on that day and at that time. There can possibly be hundreds of cell phone
calls made through various phone companies during that time, in that particular
cell, but unnecessary information can be quickly eliminated narrowing on time and using the other very big clue: the phone
that was in communication with the killer’s phone was changing towers (as it
was moving towards Nursery).
With all these evidences left-behind by the killers
nabbing them should be easy and quick.
This Martin Luther King Day over 150 protesters gathered at the San Jose City Hall to remember victims of terrorist attacks in Pakistan in general and of Quetta blasts of January 10 in particular. The twin blasts on Alamdar Road in Quetta targeted Hazara Shias and claimed more than 100 lives.
Speakers at
the vigil protested against routine Shia killings in Pakistan and spoke highly
of the Hazaras of Quetta who, after the January 10 blasts, sat in open, in sub-zero
temperatures, with the coffins of their family members and friends killed in
the blasts, to register their peaceful protest.
The candlelight vigil organized by SABA Youth was attended by members of SABA (Shia Association of Bay Area) and other concerned citizens.
Let me tell you about two Parsi friends.
They were in the wine trade.
Then came Pakistan.
And Rustom said, Let’s have whisky. You
bring yours, and I'll bring mine.
We will finish two bottles today.
At the end of the dinner they finished their bottles
Then one said, We are damn fools.
Fourteen hundred years ago we were thrown by these MFs, and now we are caught
again.
It is not a story.
We ran away 1400 years ago from these MFs, Chs, MCs, and then we are caught
again.
Yes, yes, difference of 1400 years.
Like what?
Who worries about the language?
There was a time when Jews were made to wear yellow badges.
I'll show you a picture of the Parsi community of Iran. All wearing yellow medals.
It was done to the Parsis, Anybody who is not a Musalman,
pay the jazia tax or whatever, and he will be wearing a yellow badge. So these chaps got together and said, If instead
of wearing a round thing, we make it look like a medal, and wear it as an
insignia, these Chs will be happy, and we will be able to live.
That's what they did.
They are all wearing yellow medals.
(In Urdu) Ask us to put red, and we will put red.
The thing to do is to survive.
What am I? Trying to
change them? I am trying to survive this
lot.
We had the largest empire. Cyrus had the largest empire.
He was a generous man.
But then he had something here.
Persepolis
He had something here.
I don’t want an empire.
People come and tell me, Parsi race is getting extinct. Yes,
So?
Parsis are getting extinct.
They will disappear from the face of the earth. Yeah. So?
What’s your problem?
You know these guys who write PhD thesis. They say, You are finishing.
Yes, So?
In Pakistan there are 2000 (Parsis).
This guy came from Multan. Visiting me. He runs the Cancer Society there. Because of his name and he is a Parsi, people
(trust him and) give money.
I gave him money. I
said, how many (Paris) are left now (in Multan)? He said, Just one.
I can worship in my shower.
I can worship sitting on the pot.
I don’t believe in temples.
I mean, all these gurus and priests.
Who said you cannot pray sitting on the pot?
How does your sitting on the pot make you impure?
You are still you.
I say ’thank you’ every night. That’s all.
When I go up I say goodbye to all these buggers (pointing to
the statues of his ancestors). Thank
you.
[On Pakistan’s direction.]
Do I look worried?
[Telling me why living in the US, Pakistan-Americans should
not worry about Pakistan.]
My son is in America. He is an architect. He said, “I would like to start my life
here" when he finished his architecture at Cornell and then he went to
Harvard. He is a Harvard graduate. Did
his masters. Master of (unintelligible)
design. Then for five years he was with
I.M. Pei. He said, “Why would I come to Karachi?” He says, “I would like to (unintelligible).” I said, “Go, do.” He was sharp enough, I mean good enough for
I.M. Pei to say, “Join us.” Joining I.M. Pei, you know who I.M. Pei is? American architect, of Chinese descent. He sent my son to China. He stayed there forever. (unintelligible) (unintelligible)
Business was gone. This
MC called Bhutto, he nationalized shipping.
Business is carrying on. (unintelligible)
It is still running (unintelligible), partners. My brothers are there, my daughter is
there. When it will die it will
die.
It ran for five generations.
It cannot go on forever.
[On telling him that some are upset on his support of
Musharraf.]
Why?
If you are a better person than the bloody lot I see, I…
System? You think we
have democracy? I mean these guys are
running a democracy?
Is this a democracy?
NO, these chaps, MQM fellows.
PPP, thieves?
Nawaz Sharif, thief?
Chaudhry (Shujaat Hussain), thief?
Mullah, MC.
So, who should one choose?
I said he (Musharraf) is the best of the worst lot, I say
that way.
One can say (unintelligible)
Am I a supporter of Musharraf? Yes.
Yes, yes. (unintelligible)
All I want is good governance.
In Urdu,
Be it the garbage collector, the cobbler, or MC thief, or
whoever. All I want is peace.
(unintelligible)
democracy all these years. Up till
Jinnah
[On asking him if there is any hope.]
(You keep asking me if) There is hope, there is hope. I say ‘No.’
And why do you waste the film?
You will get nowhere.
You follow? So keep the subject
off.
Why are you wasting your time, my time, and the bloody film.
(You keep repeating) Why did you say this, why did you say
this?
I just look at what’s available. And choose the best I think.
What has been the American policy?
It is to follow what George Washington said. That you can’t have permanent friends or
permanent enemies. (unintelligible)
They have not shifted from their original policy.
Who was Washington?
General. Who was
Eisenhower? A general. Who was MacArthur? A general.
Some were not, some were.
The fact that they were generals does not disqualify them.
(unintelligible) come
up (unintelligible) MacArthur.
If there had been another bloody general the (unintelligible)
No.
[On what is his opinion of Imran Khan.]
Who? Imran Khan?
Good f****er.
Good Cricketer.
He has lots of ideas.
That’s his (Hoodbhoy’s) opinion.
No.
He (Musharraf) is the best of the worst lot. I have written that he is the best of the
worst lot.
It is like saying if there are many CHs then he is the best CH.
Best of the five that I see.
You like Altaf Hussain?
You like Benazir?
You like Asif?
You like Mulla?
Mullas (unintelligible)
we are afraid (of them)
Scary, man!
[On Zil e Huma’s murder.]
Why (unintelligible)
poor woman (unintelligible)
Beautiful woman, at the prime of her life.
The bugger did not feel like appreciating (unintelligible)
Why is he alive today?
He should be locked up in seven days, but he won’t be locked
up.
[Introducing the visitors who came at that point.]
Zahoor, the artist was married to his sister.
A man came and shot Zahoor, and his daughter.
This is the mother, his mother, you’ll be mixed up.
You know that bugger is still free.
No, no, no. He is
sentenced to death.
He is on death row.
How many years ago was it?
Seven…Eight, nine years ago.
This bugger will stay on for another seven eight years. He’ll survive Musharraf.
If you ask me today, Who will die earlier, he or
Musharraf? I’ll say chances are Musharraf will go before
him.
In the initial period of
the second Iraq war when the phrase ‘embedded journalism’ gained currency, one
journalist in California wondered—quite loud-- how an embedded journalist can
remain neutral. If you spend your day
and night with a group of people, how can you possibly be critical of that
group? That writer called an embedded
journalist an in-bed journalist. Nine
years later, Paula Broadwell, an embedded journalist with General Petraeus in
Afghanistan, has proved the point. All
In, Petraeus’s biography written by Broadwell, should now be seen as an eulogy
written not by a neutral observer but by a lover. After the exposed Petreaus-Broadwell affair
you will be justified in guessing the context in which Boradwell used the
expression ‘All In.’
On October 28, around 500 people gathered to listen to Imran Khan, head of the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf, in San Jose. The most important part of Khan’s speech was when he described his views on the Taliban in response to a question about his party’s tepid condemnation of the Taliban atrocities. It helped people understand how Imran Khan views the situation even when many would disagree with Khan’s analysis.
It is always hard to tell how many attendees of these fundraisers genuinely agree with Imran Khan’s political views instead of only being interested in having a photo with the pretty boy. Imran Khan believes there are six types of Taliban. The ones who want to enforce their 'Shariyat' are a minority among the bigger umbrella of the 'Taliban.'
Imran Khan does not seem to like criticism. He is probably only used to people who get speechless in his presence. The Mick Jagger look alike Pakistani politician dyes his hair regularly and does daily workout to maintain his fashion-model appearance. And in Pakistan—in the Pakistani diaspora as well--you go a long way by just being pretty. In a fundraiser speech on October 28 in San Jose, California Khan lumped sectarian violence in Pakistan with the Taliban reaction to the drone attacks and got away with the ridiculous analysis.
Festivities at the eighth annual NED Alumni Convention held
in Washington DC started Friday night when NEDians coming from all over North
America were welcomed at a dinner and live music program.
On Saturday, October 13, this correspondent attended only
one morning session: a presentation of ‘NED Alef’, a program to create a large
endowment fund to benefit the NED University.
The presentation was made by Rashid Ali Baig.
According to the program brochure, the following two simultaneous
presentations took place in the morning:
“Setting up MBE / 8(a) Enterprise” and “Intelligent
Transportation Systems” [with Chris Francis, VDOT].
Project Indus was described as an “NEDians’ Initiative for
building a stronger Pakistan.” According
to the program brochure the following speakers made up the panel of ‘Project
Indus’: Touqir Hussain (Former
Ambassador), Walter Andersen, Ayesha Jalal, Hassan Abbas, and Moeed Yusuf.
After lunch, two buses hauled over 200 attendees of the
convention to various Washington DC monuments.
In the evening speeches and dinner were followed by a music
program that ended with NED alumni jamming the dance floor.
The
program held at the Stanford University was sponsored by Stanford’s ‘Center on Democracy, Development, and the
Rule of Law’ and the ‘Center for South Asia’; and by the ‘Friends of South
Asia.’
निखिल डे, अरुणा रॉय, मजदूर किसान शक्ति संगठन, स्तान्फोर्ड उनिवेर्सित्य , फ्रिएंड्स ऑफ़ साउथ एशिया
Around
fifty people gathered to listen to Aruna Roy & Nikhil Dey of the Mazdoor
Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) speak on “Beyond Jan Lokpal: Laws to Combat
Corruption and the Role of Social Movements in India's Democracy.”
Sunday, September 16, 2012
NED Alumni Association of the
Silicon Valley, an Introduction
The silicon content of the Silicon
Valley dirt is no higher than that of other dirt in other places. The Silicon Valley derives its name
from the fact that the area around the south San Francisco Bay—and especially
the south peninsula area with the Santa Cruz mountains to its west and the Bay
to its east—has for decades provided a lion’s share in pushing the world in the
modern age of fast communications and light speed computations; the semiconductor
industry—using silicon based wafers—being the backbone of this high-tech
revolution. The NED
graduates have been at the forefront of this technology revolution. With the oldest NED alumni in the San
Francisco Bay Area being a 1958 graduate and the young ones coming every year,
the Valley is estimated to have over two hundred NED graduates. The NED Alumni Association of the
Silicon Valley with a mission ‘to connect, serve, empower and support NEDians
and the NED University’ holds regular meetings on the third Wednesday of every
month. Join their Yahoo
group athttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDIANS-SV
Yes, the past should be
remembered, but there is no reason for one to celebrate their history of misery
imposed by others. The caste system had
its "merits", in antiquity. The caste
system made a society functional by designating specific professions to groups
of people. In societies where day to day
survival was the ultimate goal, social mobility made little difference, and the
majority of people acquiesced to class distinctions decided by those who chose
the best for themselves. But times have
changed. Human conscious has evolved to
a point where social justice matters, civil liberties matter, the freedom to
choose a profession matters. This
conscious in itself precludes the existence of a caste system that would lock
people in their places through generations.
When social structures in a place are too rigid to change in response to
the changing times, people indicate their disapproval of them by moving
out. Immigration to a new land is a way
to start anew, to completely reject the old social structures that one was
forced to accept. To escape to a new
place but still gloat over the old miserable life is nothing but masochism.
