Happy Birthday O’ Canada

As Canada becomes 147 YEARS OLD on July 1st 2014, the excited Canadians tend to be merry making indoors or outdoors. As usual, Canada Day Parade and fireworks display is ready to offer fun and enjoyment.

Since ‘Canada Day’ is a federal statutory holiday, it’s celebrated throughout Canada with full fervour in recognition of the “July 1, 1867 enactment” of the British North Americas Act (BNA), also called “The Constitution Act, 1867.”

Historically speaking, the Canadian founders of confederation were the representatives of the British North America colonies who attended the three major conferences on Canadian confederation. Sir John A. Macdonald became the first Prime Minister of Canada on that day. Not only was he the ‘father of confederation,’ but he also drafted two-thirds of the provisions of the BNA creating the ‘Dominion of Canada.’ As a result, Canada became a self-governing dominion of Great Britain.

The four provinces were created from the former British colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario.

Currently, Canada consists of ten provinces and three territories. This Canadian national holiday was enacted in 1879 under the name “Dominion Day.” In fact, the formation of the union of provinces under a new country is the basis of Canada’s July 1 celebration each year. However, the 'Dominion Day' changed into 'Canada Day’ on October 27, 1982.

The official lyrics "O Canada" were finalized in 1968 by a special joint committee of the Senate and House of Commons. This day also marks the anniversary of the officially proclaimed “O Canada” as national anthem. The Royal anthem plays 'God Save The Queen' at some festive locations celebrating Canada Day.

More exciting is the fact that Ottawa always welcomes Canadians from all across Canada who go to the national Capital to enjoy the specifically tailored festivities. This year again, thousands of Canadians are expected to congregate on the Parliament Hill to mark their country’s birthday.

In the morning between 9:00-10:30 o’clock, the visitors will be able to attend the Peace Tower carillon concert, the traditional flag-raising ceremony and the changing of the guard ceremony.

From Noon to 1:30 PM is reserved for the Canada Day Noon Show which would be including a CF-18 fly-over, and performances from Brett Kissel, British Columbia Boys Choir, Marianas Trench, Nadja, Serena Ryde, Terry Kelly, Véronic DiCaire.

Parliament Hill Afternoon Program:

From 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., visitors can enjoy 1930s- and 1940s-style swing dancing, with its spirit of joy and exuberance

Parliament Hill Evening Show will start at 7:30pm featuring Brett Kissel, Daniel Lavoie, Marianas Trench, Nadja, Serena Ryder, Véronic DiCaire, Whitehorse, DJ A-Rock and VJ Video Girl.

Major’s Hill Park will host an exciting all day line-up featuring a variety of cultural performances; the inspirational stories of Canadian Olympic and Paralympics Athletes will be highlighted.  At Jacques Cartier Park in Gatineau (10:00am-10:45pm), a variety of activities for families, especially children aged 3 to 12 will be held.

Also, the Canada Day fun includes games, physical activities, performances, inflatable slides, and special activities to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the 1864 Charlottetown and Québec Conferences and Canada Day Fireworks would start at 10:00pm.

The celebrations will be all over Canada; similarly, Surrey, BC has its own celebration features that include the World-class entertainment, great food, games and amusement rides, and indeed a spectacular fireworks finale.

Listen-in on this year’s main stage to be presented by Chevron, for another stellar lineup. In addition, shooting star amusements will have a full range of family-oriented fun for the younger crowd, including amusements, interactive games and bouncy castles. Here, Canada Day will be held at the same venue as last year. The public may come to join at 10:00am- and stay till 10:15pm, when there will be the fireworks show.

Some people would celebrate the special day by joining BBQ parties and enjoying the fireworks all over the country.

Let’s not forget, the Multicultural Society has contributed significantly to keep Canada going with excellence. Last year, a spectacular Canada Day Celebration at Strathcona Park was successfully organized by the Muslim Coordinating Council (MCC-NCR) and the Indonesian Canadian Congress (ICC) followed by a positive feedback from so many Canadians of different ethnic and religious background. It was a lot of fun, especially for the children.

Indeed, the event serves as a good bridge to facilitate Muslims to build ties with Canadians of other faiths. The international "mouth watering" food and dishes from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Eritrea, Somalia, Egypt, Yemen, Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, and Turkey were available.

Nevertheless, this year due to Ramadan starting on 29th of June, the Muslim Canadians will have to adjust a little respecting the sacred month of “pre-dawn to dusk” fasting.

Despite the insurmountable difficulty, a tolerance level among the members of multi-cultural society is a real blessing, as it has been playing a big role in promoting diversity in schools, work places, businesses and academic institutions. Of course, the credit goes to millions of motivated immigrants who kept building this nation to make Canada an attractive country to live peacefully.

Constitutionally, the Canadian society enjoys equal rights, opportunities regardless of their ethnicity, race, creed or color.

As said above, every year, tens of thousands of Canadians celebrate Canada Day in grand style in the nation's capital flocking to Parliament Hill to join with the Governor General, the Prime Minister, and the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages.

Of course, the Canadians are entitled to celebrate their legacy, pride and opportunities.

On the 147th Canada Day, the celebration in Surrey BC feature: world class entertainment, great food, games and amusement rides, and a spectacular fireworks finale. Plus, there will be a main stage presented by Chevron, for another stellar lineup. In addition, Shooting Star Amusements will have a full range of family-oriented fun for the younger crowd, including amusements, interactive games and bouncy castles - wow!

Certainly, Canada Day unites all Canadians regardless of creed, culture or ethnicity; it help us understand the significance of the Canadian life.

LONG LIVE CANADA

Quest for Revolution

Sheikh ul Islam Professor Dr. Tahir ul Qadri (TUQ) of Minhaj ul Qur’an said in his video-linked presser, ‘I am returning to Pakistan on June 23 for the sake of the 200 million Pakistanis, and risking my life.’ While explaining the purpose of his visit, he said, ‘Revolution is the only way out of the problems facing the country.’ What is the revolution about? His explanation was, ‘the revolution will end monopoly of a few families on power, include one million people in decision-making, devolve powers to the grass-roots and enforce the Constitution of Pakistan in its true spirit.’

How can we ignore that the current government was elected under the 1973 Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on which all political parties were on board?  Question of toppling a democratic government is beyond comprehension. In fact, a few years back, the judicial activism blocked all avenues leading to adventurous toppling.

However, a drastic change in the constitution is still pending to accommodate the total elimination of malpractice, exploitation, oppression, injustice and the corruption in all forms express or implied.

Unfortunately, the PPP or the PML-N haven’t been able to deliver as required, which is why the dual national –Canadian of Pakistani origin Mr.TUQ is back to Pakistan for the second time in order to right the wrongs.

Angrily, he asked, if what happened in Model Town is democracy, “Our revolution is where children of the poor could get education and employment, our revolution is elimination of poverty,” he said. “Awami Tehreek’s revolution is democratic and constitutional.”

Originally, the trouble started when the Punjab police carried out “operation nonsense,” around TUQ’s residence in Model Town Lahore where many of TUQ’s-loyalists lost their lives, while many were seriously injured.

Secondly, diversion of TUQ’s plane created chaos. Thank God, Governor Punjab Ch. Sarwar Husaain did his magic to diffuse the crisis and TUQ finally disembarked at Allama Iqbal international Airport, otherwise a case of hijacking could have been filed by the Emirates Air line and upon conviction his returning to Canada would have been jeopardized.

Wisdom is choosing the right time for the right move: In view of operation zarb-e-azb, Mr.TUQ chose the wrong timing. Pakistan is at war with terrorists in Waziristan. Thus, the whole nation must be on one page supporting the Pak military to avoid any unpleasant surprise against the State. An extreme caution is the key to cope with delicacy of the sensitive matter.

The political differences/democracy issues can always be dealt with amicably later on.

With regard to TUQ’s arrival in Islamabad, the government has actually overreacted due to fear and other reservations. The plane should have been allowed to land. Diverting the flight to Lahore is quite irksome causing international mockery against the country. The silly show off was witnessed across the globe; exchanging of rhetoric attitude between TUQ and the government caused a lot of discomfort.

TUQ’s publicity-generating plan was to land at Islamabad, and then lead his convoy to Lahore, from where he was planning to lead his self-proclaimed green revolution.

Basically, Dr. Qadri appears to be well determined to fight off the prevalent unfair system of governance as it works in favour of the elite who can afford to spend a large chunk of cash and resources on their election campaigns. The system lets them indulge in rigging, and sneak into the assemblies by even getting a low percentage of cast votes in their constituencies. The system is also prone to rigging on a massive scale and even ballot stuffing are among a few of the norms. One may call TUQ’s approach as non-democratic shortcut to true democracy or wrong approach towards unconstitutional power transfer, yet the fact is the ‘have-nots’ of Pakistan are fed up with the stinky system, so is TUQ who has been dreaming for a fair election system aimed at bringing in the true democracy based only on a reformed electoral system.

Surprisingly, TUQ isn’t even considering the current development whereby the National Assembly has unanimously passed a motion on June 23, 2014 - authorising the speaker to constitute a parliamentary committee on electoral reforms. The committee will present its recommendations within three months.
Indeed, this one is a positive development because it underlines the fact that almost all the stakeholders acknowledge the need for reforms in the present electoral system and its replacement with an arrangement that guarantees free, fair and transparent elections in the country.

As a citizen of Canada, TUQ is ineligible to be a candidate in Pakistan general elections and has no real stake in the country. It seems as if elections are not what he seeks. What happens next is unclear too. Mr.TUQ like all patriotic Pakistanis wants to see Pakistan as a real welfare state, but due to the ongoing war emergency, all parties, especially the party in power, must proceed with absolute caution to survive the critical situation.

To correct the stinky system, the best avenue is one leading to the parliament house where the objection/complaint can be moved with respect to changing the system because otherwise the undemocratic means would further isolate Pakistan from the rest of the World. Let’s hope TUQ doesn’t take a U Turn and returns to Canada leaving his job unfinished.

On the contrary, the government is already saying TUQ can leave Pakistan only under law implying he will have to face the music as does Musharraf being on the ECL. It clearly means on account of twin cities incidents, TUQ and his followers will have to face the inevitable consequences of a lot of criminal as well as civil cases.

Conclusion:

No doubt, Pakistan’s elected leadership is the principal custodian of the democratic project and its transition to democracy. Thus, democracy will only be strengthened if the custodians demonstrate restraint and unflinchingly adhere to the law and the Constitution. And, those interested in the politics of protest must stay within the ambit of constitution whole heartedly in the best interest of Pakistan.

“Afghanistan’s Survival” Post NATO Withdrawal

The US led NATO forces have been in Afghanistan for so long now that it is almost hard to remember why they went in. (Frank Gardner talks to former Afghan Intelligence Chief Amrullah Saleh) 28 January 2013 Last updated at 00:06 ET= http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-21225926. However, the officials often justify by asserting that it was in direct response to Al-Qaeda's attacks of 9/11, planned from Osama Bin Laden's Afghan base. Surprisingly, there is no explanation as to why there have been more than 100,000 troops from 51 countries for more than a decade. And, despite the large number of highly trained army combatants, the insurgency remains a major threat.

Reportedly, by the end of this year, the NATO combat units will quit which means the Afghanistan's national security forces will be on their own when faced with the insurgency.

Initially, the U.S. led NATO forces went into Afghanistan to free the people from the allegedly oppressive regime and to stop terrorism worldwide, yet nothing worked as intended except the country ended up in a real mess. Consequently, there is heightening in the terror activity/insurgency in and around Afghanistan. The expensive “NATO forces’ stay” in Afghanistan reminds of Vietnam-like scenario. Thousands and thousands have been killed that includes the innocent, the elderly and the children. But the bloody conflict is still far from over and of course the financial strain is tremendous.

Wars can be partially won by first hitting the ‘command-and-control’ centre by the air force just to overpower the enemy through destroying its offensive/defensive/ capability. The combatants on the ground have rough time fighting an asymmetric warfare because of the the general population around. Trying to win the "hearts and minds" doesn't work either especially when the locals have suspicions about the intruders or foreign occupiers. The Afghanis are born fighters who love to fight to save each inch of their land. They never compromise when it comes to foreign dominance. Historically, in the past, no foreign army has ever been able to conquer Afghanistan. It’s the tough resistance that makes the attackers retreat. Having lost another war, the NATO is now in ‘retreat mode.’ Billions and billions of dollars have been wasted in Afghanistan.

Mr Obama finally is realising the gravity of the situation: "We have to recognize that Afghanistan will not be a perfect place, and it is not America's responsibility to make it one," Obama said. And, recently, he admitted the lengthy U.S. presence in Afghanistan is proof that "it's harder to end wars than it is to begin them." He outlined a plan to withdraw all but 9,800 American troops by the end of 2014 reducing the number to half by the end of 2015. A complete pull out would take place by the end of 2016.

The left over troops will have advisory role, train Afghan forces and help guide missions to weed out the remaining al Qaeda remnants The U.S. military presence beyond 2014 is conditional upon Afghan government signing a bilateral security agreement. In this regard, the outgoing Afghan President Hamid Karzai has already flatly refused to sign the said treaty. But, the two leading candidates in Afghanistan's presidential race, Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani, seem more than willing to sign the treaty quickly right after one of them wins in the second round of voting set for Saturday June 14.

Apparently, Pakistan is nervous adjusting to changes in Afghanistan after 2014. It wants its own influence in Afghanistan where India has little or no presence. The problem is the “non-Pakhtun Afghanis” view Pakistan suspiciously in its power struggle with “Pakhtun Afghanis.” Pakistan’s concern is the non-Pakhtuns’ friendship with Iran and India.

President Obama acknowledged Pakistan’s efforts to support an ‘inclusive reconciliation process’ in which Afghans can determine the future of their country. In this regard, both Obama and Nawaz Shareef are in agreement to let the Taliban join the political process and enter into dialogue with the Afghan government.

Furthermore, Pakistan’s policy depends on the ethnic division in Afghanistan. It seems as if Pak-Afghan relations will not undergo much change because Dr Abdullah or Ashraf Ghani will not waste time in correcting anti Pakistan feelings of Afghanis. The chosen president will surely work for stronger ties with India.

The war is still ongoing: Once a war on terror begins it never ends. Whether there is a treaty with Taliban is not clear. However, non-intervention is affordable medicine because that keeps everyone safer by not getting involved in foreign conflicts."We never signed up to be the permanent security force in Afghanistan to fight against the Taliban," the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters. The United States now has about 32,000 troops in Afghanistan. U.S. military leaders had pushed for a force of at least around 10,000, saying it was the minimum required. Remaining U.S. and NATO forces will advise Afghan forces, focusing on functions such as budgeting, logistics, and support for security institutions. It’s claimed that the NATO countries have helped build Afghanistan’s military and other forces from scratch since 2001. The Afghan forces have progressed to independence level, yet they lack skills in intelligence collection and air power. Therefore, a small number of U.S. soldiers is expected to conduct counterterrorism operations against al Qaeda and other hardline militants, located mainly in remote areas along Afghanistan’s eastern border with Pakistan. (Re: presence in Afghanistan by 2016 by Steve Holland Washington Tue May 27, 2014 6:28pm EDT).

The partial withdrawal deadline nears, so does the need to regenerate “friendly environment” in the region. There is still a role for Islamabad; however, its ability to influence the outcome has been compromised a little due to the ongoing anti Pakistan propaganda. Nevertheless with passage of time, the Afghans would feel the reality of real love for them that actually stems from Pakistan. Certainly, Pakistanis and Afghanis are related and are sincerely in friendship in deed from the depth of their hearts. Pakistan can still be part of the solution; it can become a relevant and significant player provided it adjusts to the fast-changing situation in Afghanistan as well as in the region. There is strong belief that without Pakistan’s active involvement, Afghanistan will remain highly vulnerable politically, economically and militarily.

Strategic Strike at the Commercial Hub

Regardless of legality, the strategy of warfare against Pakistan has changed from the conventional methodology to non-conventional approach. Believe it or not, disarming a nuclear armed country is not that easy. However, the cunning enemy has found out the remedy alternatively. They know the proxy is the best answer and that’s exactly what has been happening in Pakistan for more than a decade. Therefore, it’s not wrong at all to expect the enemy attack 24/7 from any un-imaginable angle.

Among the available tools are the “Fool Taliban,” that includes those belonging to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and many other groups. In fact, there are more than hundred groups and factions residing in the hide outs of Waziristan/ the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) which is strategically located between the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and the settled areas of KPK (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa).

It’s generally believed that there are good people and bad people residing in the FATA. But the area is mostly infested with criminal groups that are conveniently available to the internal and external enemies of Pakistan based on who pays them the most. The said criminals are also involved in drugs and other crimes for their livelihood. Naturally, heavy cash attracts them to do anything. Remember! If the criminal culture prevails, the religious people are among the innocent sufferers as collateral damage. The fact is religion has nothing to do with the nasty behaviour of criminals/terrorists.

Only heavy cash motivates them to attack the military and civilian targets beyond doubt.

Since Karachi happens to be the commercial hub of Pakistan, it’s in the best interests of those who want to make Pakistan bend backward. Especially, attacking the international airport is a signal to the world about the safety issue aimed at nothing but isolating the country economically.

Sadly, the aftermath of five-hour attack on the Karachi airport left at least 37 dead including 10 militants. This reminds us of all the previous terrorist attacks on army bases on GHQ in 2009, PNS Mehran in 2011 and on the Kamra airbase in 2012.

As usual, the Taliban have taken responsibility of this first large-scale attack on a civilian installation. It was aimed at hijacking as claimed. Whoever the terrorists were, they demonstrated their reach and skill which is comparable to that of highly trained army soldier. Based on sophistication, it can be safely assumed the Karachi attackers had foreign commandos among them.

The breaking news brought Pakistan on TV channels all over the globe just for the nonsense. Doesn’t this indicate a failure of Pakistan law enforcement apparatus? Where was the ISI, MI or civil agencies? Unbelievably, the enemy managed to enter the most secured of site.

This shows the true level of protection to Pakistanis is almost zero, and the sub standard governance is all we see.

Nevertheless, at the terrible hour, it was Pak Army that showed up as usual to defuse the alarming scenario. Rightly, the public always ends up loving the armed forces.

Question is what is it that makes Taliban jump in taking responsibility based on revenge or several other nonsense reasons which divert public attention away from the possible foreign hand?

Although, the magnitude of terror strike suggest differently, yet the TTP itself is claiming the attack. Maybe, it is trying to take the CREDIT just to FAKE its power.

Reportedly all attackers met their fate and their bodies are now in the state’s custody for further action to establish their identities and whereabouts.

If the story as told by the Taliban is believed to be true, then Pakistan needs to fix itself internally sooner the better. On the contrary, some people believe that the Karachi attack was carried out by the foreign agencies and army soldiers from the neighboring countries, but the TTP had to claim responsibility just to tell that TTP was still alive.

Unless the writ of state is adequately protected, the human life remains vulnerable, national exchequer will be touching the bottom in the absence of secured economic activity. If the most secured areas are vulnerable, what can be expected in non secured public areas?

Enough is enough:

Why should the terrorists be allowed to continue crippling the country and making people’s life miserable?

Any negotiated settlement with the terrorists/aggressors is pointless unless the enemy is first pin pointed, declared and designated officially. Pakistan armed forces must be given a free hand to crackdown on these foreign sponsored terrorists who have made our country a living hell.

Pakistan National assembly, the senate, and all provincial assemblies must be on a single page to legislate some tough laws to deal with the ongoing terrorism, militancy, social and economic terrorism keeping in view of non conventional warfare.

All private parallel governments and feudalism must be declared unlawful and unconstitutional.

Now or never approach to deal with challenges may offer some way out.