Blast near polio workers

A Taliban bomb that exploded on Monday near a polio vaccination team in Pakistan's volatile northwestern city of Peshawar killed two people, police said, in the latest in a string of attacks on health workers.

Islamist violence has been on the rise in Pakistan, undermining Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's efforts to tame the insurgency by opening peace talks with the Taliban.

Peshawar has borne the brunt of much of that violence, with the frontier city near the Afghan border hit by at least four attacks that killed scores in the past month.


Monday's blast appeared to target police assigned to protect the vaccination team. Health workers have been attacked repeatedly since the Taliban denounced vaccination as a Western plot to sterilize Muslims.

Aid workers' life at risk

The huge rise in militancy across Pakistan (pdf), is also creating a number of hazards for aid workers. On New Year's Day gunmen on motorbikes ambushed and killed six female aid workers and a doctor in Khayber-Pakhtunkhwa province. It marked the latest in a series of attacks on polio vaccination charity workers.

On December 18, five female aid workers were killed as they were administering polio vaccinations. The following day another polio supervisor was killed along with her driver in the north-western town of Peshawar.

Naseer Memon, the Chief Executive of Strengthening Participatory Organization writes in an op-ed on Dawn:


Political instability, a fragile law and order situation, frail institutions and sociopolitical polarisation make the country a breeding ground for violent elements. These elements find humanitarian workers ‘soft targets’ because of their ubiquitous presence, especially in far-flung areas. A number of high-profile cases of kidnapping and killing of aid workers occurred in Pakistan in recent years, jeopardising the outreach of humanitarian organisations.

Targeting anti-polio efforts in Pakistan

Pakistan along with neighboring Afghanistan and Nigeria are among the few countries where Polio still remains endemic. In response, the United Nations, International Red Cross other humanitarian organizations have been campaigning for anti-polio efforts in various remote districts of Pakistan However, they are often targeted by militant groups and are even subject to conspiracy theories.

For instance, Ehsanullah Ehsan, a spokesperson for the Pakistani Taliban, claimed that in the aftermath of revelations that Shakil Afridi had used a fake vaccination program to gather information that led to the assasination of Osama bin Laden, many Pakistanis suspected anti-polio workers of being US agents.

A Pakistani Foreign Office official also suggested that fears by militants that NGO and health workers could be spies “may be spreading into other realms.” In September last year, Pakistani authorities ordered six aid workers from Save The Children to leave the country, allegedly for helping a spy agency.

Justin Wilder, author of a petition that demands an investigation into the murder of eight aid workers suggests:


Part of the problem is the reaction by religious leaders to the immunization program. Conservative clerics issued an announcement denouncing the UN program that helps administer oral and injected vaccinations to children in high-risk neighborhoods. There have been rumors spread among these communities that the program is a plot to sterilize Muslim children.

Walter Russell, a blogger for The American Interest magazine, blames Pakistani leaders for not doing enough:


As we saw in December, these attacks have been condemned by the public, and numerous Pakistani Muslims have been extremely vocal in their opposition to the evil perpetrated in the name of their religion. But despite the outcry, Pakistan’s leaders have proven completely powerless to stop things like this from happening. It’s a sad tragedy in one of the world’s saddest countries, and far too many Pakistanis will end up paying for it with their lives.

However, many humanitarian organizations are determined to remain in Pakistan despite the attacks. Shaheen Begum, who narrowly survived an attack by militants in mid-December, told the Sunday Telegraph:


Now, our work is becoming more dangerous with every passing day. I am still scared to be part of the campaign, but it would be a sign of cowardice if I withdraw my support, So I have decided to continue vaccinating children till the eradication of poliomyelitis from Pakistan… Though my family is extremely concerned about my safety, they allow me to protect other children from being crippled. Given the determination of the government and the health workers, it is possible that we can eradicate the disease once and for all.

Similarly, Bushra Arian of All Pakistan Lady Health Workers Association told PBS Newshour interview:


We go out door to door and risk our lives to save innocent children from being permanently handicapped.

For what? So that our coming generations turn out to be healthy. We work for our country, and we are being rewarded in the form of death. What kind of justice is this? Why are we targeted and killed?

2012 Human Rights Watch Report on Pakistan

Pakistan had a disastrous year in 2011, with increasing attacks on civilians by militant groups, skyrocketing food and fuel prices, and the assumption of near-total control of foreign and security policy by a military that operated with complete impunity. Religious minorities faced unprecedented insecurity and persecution. Freedom of belief and expression came under severe threat as Islamist militant groups murdered Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer and Federal Minorities’ Minister Shahbaz Bhatti over their public support for amending the country’s often abused blasphemy laws. Pakistan’s elected government notably failed to provide protection to those threatened by extremists, or to hold the extremists accountable.

In August and September the southern province of Sindh experienced massive flooding for the second year running, displacing some 700,000 people. Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, suffered from hundreds of targeted killings perpetrated by armed groups who are patronized by political parties.

Security continued to deteriorate in 2011, with militant and sectarian groups carrying out suicide bombings and targeted killings across the country. The Taliban and affiliated groups targeted civilians and public spaces, including marketplaces and religious processions. Ongoing rights concerns include the breakdown of law enforcement in the face of terror attacks, a dramatic increase in killings across the southwestern province of Balochistan, continuing torture and ill-treatment of criminal suspects, and unresolved enforced disappearances of terrorism suspects and opponents of the military. Abuses by Pakistani police, including extrajudicial killings, also continued to be reported throughout the country in 2011.

Relations between Pakistan and the United States—Pakistan’s most significant ally and its largest donor of civilian and military aid—deteriorated markedly in 2011, fueled by a diplomatic crisis over a CIA contractor killing two men at a Lahore traffic junction and the US’s killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Shifting Media's Agenda from politics to People

Photo Courtesy: Google

“Politics, politics and politics, I am fed up, what the hell our News TV channels are doing, don’t they have other social responsibilities except giving marathon coverage to dirty politics”, said Hamza Ali,23, one of the university students who were having discussion on media’s role in the society.

There has been electronic media expansion and explosion in our country since the turn of the 21st century with more than 80 TV channels disseminating an influx of information to millions of viewers.

The expansion is good but Mr. Ali, who is studying Journalism and Mass Communication in Islamic International University Islamabad, has rightly raised questions whether the media is fulfilling its functions in society as a responsible actor? Does it regulate and improve itself to be more responsible with the speed it expanded and is expanding? Is it playing its role as the fourth pillar of state and a watchdog of the society?

However, unfortunately, Pakistani media is neither responsible nor people-centric. Prime significance is given to political issues. Over 150 televised talk shows telecasted every day during the prime hours have set their agenda to discuss nothing but so-called political issues.

Moreover, these shows are overcrowded with politicians who deceive the nation with hollow slogans and traditional rhetoric. Politicians have nothing to do with problems; they are concerned only about their political gains and scorings.

Pakistan is in a quagmire of crises. Thus media definitely have something that deserves to be highlighted in the media beyond "dirty politics". Then, why don’t the media divert its focus from politics to people? Why not to give more coverage to social issues?

Media managers have to reprioritize their agenda as ambassadors of Pakistan, a link between government and people of Pakistan and a national image builder, before it is too late to regain its credibility.

Why to Shop Online..?

Photo Courtesy: Google

This is the age of Internet which has brought world into our bedrooms and offices. Things are just a click away. With development of the technology new trends are being set.

Online Shopping is one such trend becoming more and more popular every passing day. People are using the Web to shop for a variety of items ranging from blankets to shoes and from cellphones to airplane tickets and what not. Besides some disadvantages, Online Shopping offers many advantages.

Shop anything anytime
Online shoppers can choose any time of the day or night to get on the Web and shop. They need not to worry about inclement weather, wait for taxi or opening of the market. Even some people are home-bound so they can buy thing sitting in their homes.

Online market is very wide
Online shopping also offers wide range sellers. Online market is unending. One can move to another vendor easily and quickly. Moreover, it also provides the chance to compare prices from hundreds of different vendors.

Informed purchases
Another advantage is it’s easy to access consumer reviews for pretty much any product one can think of online, which makes for more informed purchases.

No Sales Pressure
Online shopping also makes people free from pressure of sales. We've all been awkwardly propositioned by eager salespeople. One doesn't have to put up with that online.

What can deter buyers to buy online?
It is, however, rightly said that a coin has two faces. The online shopping is not the different too. It has disadvantages too.

One can’t try things on. If, for example, one intends to buy a clothing item, he/she doesn’t have the ability to feel the material, try it on, and see how it's made.

When a customer wants to talk to seller immediately, he/she may have to wait for a quite long time to get his/her question answered.

Internet is insecure, non-personal
Privacy and security are legitimate concerns for any online shopper, but there are precautions you can take to make sure your transaction is a safe one.

Know your Rights Please!

Human Rights in US
The protection of fundamental human rights was a foundation stone in the establishment of the United States over 200 years ago. Since then, a central goal of U.S. foreign policy has been the promotion of respect for human rights, as embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The United States understands that the existence of human rights helps secure the peace, deter aggression, promote the rule of law, combat crime and corruption, strengthen democracies, and prevent humanitarian crises.

Because the promotion of human rights is an important national interest, the United States seeks to:
Hold governments accountable to their obligations under universal human rights norms and international human rights instruments;
Promote greater respect for human rights, including freedom from torture, freedom of expression, press freedom, women's rights, children's rights, and the protection of minorities;
Promote the rule of law, seek accountability, and change cultures of impunity;
Assist efforts to reform and strengthen the institutional capacity of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Commission on Human Rights; and
Coordinate human rights activities with important allies, including the EU, and regional organizations.


The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) applies three key principlesto its work on human rights:
First, DRL strives to learn the truth and state the facts in all of its human rights investigations, reports on country conditions, speeches and votes in the UN, and asylum profiles. Each year, DRL develops, edits, and submits to Congress a 5,000-page report on human rights conditions in over 190 countries that is respected globally for its objectivity and accuracy. DRL also provides relevant information on country conditions to the Immigration and Naturalization Service and immigration judges in asylum cases.

Second, DRL takes consistent positions concerning past, present, and future abuses. With regard to past abuses, it actively promotes accountability. To stop ongoing abuses, the bureau uses an "inside-outside" approach that combines vigorous, external focus on human rights concerns (including the possibility of sanctions) with equally robust support for internal reform. To prevent future abuses, it promotes early warning and preventive diplomacy. Each year DRL ensures that human rights considerations are incorporated into U.S. military training and security assistance programs; promotes the rights of women through international campaigns for political participation and full equality; conducts high-level human rights dialogues with other governments; coordinates U.S. policy on human rights with key allies; and raises key issues and cases through diplomatic and public channels.

Third, DRL forges and maintains partnerships with organizations, governments, and multilateral institutions committed to human rights. The bureau takes advantage of multilateral fora to focus international attention on human rights problems and to seek correction. Each year, DRL provides significant technical, financial, or staff support for U.S. delegations to the annual meetings of several international human rights organizations; conducts regular consultations with Native American tribes and serves as the Secretary's principal advisor on international indigenous rights issues; maintains relations with the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights; and supports the creation of effective multilateral human rights mechanisms and institutions for accountability.

Sexual, physical and mental abuse in military!

Australia apologizes to victims of abuse   

Defence minister acknowledges sexual, physical and mental abuse in the military after report lists 775 cases since 1951.

Defence Minister Smith said a taskforce would rule on compensation of up to $52,200 for victims [File:AFP]

Australia's government has apologised to hundreds of victims of abuse within the military, clearing the way for victims to receive compensation.

In an address to parliament on Monday, Stephen Smith, defence minister, acknowledged that soldiers, sailors and member of the air force had suffered abuse, often by superiors under the excuse of toughening up younger recruits, since the early 1950s.

"Young men and women have endured sexual, physical or mental abuse from their colleagues which is not acceptable and does not reflect the values of a modern, diverse, tolerant Australian society," Smith told parliament.

"On behalf of the government, I say sorry."

An independent report into abuse within the military earlier this year found 775 plausible allegations of sexual, physical
and mental abuse within the armed forces since 1951.

The report detailed 24 allegations of rape that never went to trial.

Smith said senior military leaders were committed to changing a defence force culture which has often turned a blind
eye to abuse and was often hostile to women or those who spoke out or complained about their treatment.

Independent report

The apology follows an independent report sparked by an incident in 2011, when footage of a female defence academy cadet having consensual sex with a male colleague was streamed online to other cadets without her knowledge.

"That at the time, was said to be an isolated incident," Al Jazeera's Andrew Thomas, reporting from Sydney, said.

"But very quickly, other people came forward and said similar sorts of abuse had happened to them while they were in the military.

"The government asked a law firm to conduct a review and over 1,000 people came forward, saying they had suffered some form of abuse."

General David Hurley, defence force chief, also apologised, saying he recognised "the damage and suffering that has been caused to some".

The Australian Defence Force has begun addressing these causes through its cultural reform programme," he said.

Smith said an independent task force would now examine specific allegations and rule on compensation of up to A$50,000 ($52,200) for victims. It will also refer matters to police or the military justice system if there is evidence of a crime.