Pakistani and Yemeni Girls

"…If Malala had been killed in a drone attack, you would neither have heard updates on her medical status, nor would she be called ‘daughter of the nation,’ nor would the media make a fuss about her. General Kiyani would not have come to visit her and neither would the world media be constantly reporting on it. The pliant western media and its liberals do not give even 1% of this attention to the Pakistani and Yemeni girls their government kills with drones everyday. Even humanitarian outrage - they only express it when it serves the interests of their snake governments…"

— Professor Fouzi Slisli

Living Under Drones

http://www.warcosts.com
Since 2004, up to 884 innocent civilians, including at least 176 children, have died from US drone strikes in the North Waziristan region of Pakistan. A new report from the Stanford and New York University law schools finds drone use has caused widespread post-tramatic stress disorder and an overall breakdown of functional society in North Waziristan. In addition, the report finds the use of a "double tap" procedure, in which a drone strikes once and strikes again not long after, has led to deaths of rescuers and medical professionals. Many interviewees told the researchers they didn't know what America was before drones. Now what they know of America is drones, death and terror. Follow the conversation @WarCosts #UnderDrones

Deadlier drones are coming

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Aerial drones are America's newest frontline weapon in an escalating global campaign against Islamic militants. And they could get a lot more dangerous in coming years as their underlying technology advances.
Compared to today's fairly rudimentary Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), the drones of the future will be faster and more heavily armed. They will also have better sensors plus more sophisticated computers allowing them to plan and execute attacks with less human participation

please read on


http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/120920/deadlier-drones-are-coming

The Drone Age

The global market for drones is booming. But what does the coming arms race mean for US national security interests — and the future of warfare? GlobalPost correspondents report from critical locations around the world, from Israel to Iran to Yemen to Brazil — where unmanned aerial vehicles are radically transforming combat and surveillance.

http://www.globalpost.com/special-reports/the-drone-age-why-we-should-fear-global-proliferation-uavs

U.S. drone strike kills muslim families in Yemen,

Sanaa, Yemen (CNN) -- A U.S. drone strike targeting al Qaeda suspects in Yemen killed 13 civilians, including three women, three security officials in the restive Middle Eastern country said.

"This was one of the very few times when our target was completely missed. It was a mistake, but we hope it will not hurt our anti-terror efforts in the region," a senior Yemeni Defense Ministry official told CNN. The official asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue.

The United States typically does not comment on reports it has used unmanned aircraft to target terror suspects, but is widely believed to be doing so in Yemen, a key battleground against al Qaeda.

More: Suspected U.S. drone strike kills 4 in Pakistan

Families of the victims closed main roads and vowed to retaliate. Hundreds of angry armed gunmen joined them and gave the government a 48-hour deadline to explain the killings, which took place on Sunday.

Eyewitnesses said that families attempted to carry the victims' corpses to the capital, Sanaa, to lay them in front of the residence of newly elected President Abdurabu Hadi, but were sent back by local security forces.

Drones in Action

"You want us to stay quiet while our wives and brothers are being killed for no reason. This attack is the real terrorism," said Mansoor al-Maweri, who was near the scene of the strike.

The strike took place near the town of Rada in al-Baitha province on Sunday, Yemeni officials said.

A senior Defense Ministry official said the strike initially targeted two members of al-Thahab clan who lead the terror network's operations in the province. He said the militants were in a vehicle near the one that was hit, and fled unharmed.

At least 200 suspected al-Qaeda fighters are believed to be hiding in the province.

Earlier this year, militants occupied Rada and declared it as an Islamic emirate. But two weeks later, they evacuated the town after authorities released al Qaeda prisoners.

Residents are not denying the existence of al Qaeda elements in their region but say that misdirected strikes work in favor of the militant group, helping them recruit new operatives.

"I would not be surprised if a hundred tribesmen joined the lines of al Qaeda as a result of the latest drone mistake," said Nasr Abdullah, an activist in the district of the attack. "This part of Yemen takes revenge very seriously."

The latest attack was the fourth drone strike reported this week. The first three hit their targets, killing at least 12 suspected al Qaeda militants, according to Yemeni officials.

Radical American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed in September 2011, is the highest-profile target of an American drone hit in Yemen to date. He was linked to several terror plots, including the shootings at Fort Hood in 2009.

" Fair game"

The false statistics of US media reports on civilian drone deaths, including those of CNN, have misled Americans about such deaths caused by Washington’s use of drones, study reveals.

The revelation comes as many US journalists have started to reassess how they report on deaths in drone strikes after the New York Times recently disclosed that the CIA considers all military-aged males in Pakistan’s Waziristan to be ‘fair game’ in its drone attacks.

CNN’s national security analyst Peter Bergen’s views were therefore the subject of strong criticism when he produced a graph claiming that ‘no civilians have been killed in Pakistan this year by US drones’.
Among Bergen’s critics was a columnist for the American magazine The Atlantic, Conor Friedersdorf, who accused CNN and Bergen of running ‘bogus data’.
The accuracy of Bergen’s drone killings data is of great importance as he is the director of the New America Foundation (NAF) - the most common source of statistics for the US media, including CNN.
The New America Foundation has run a database on CIA drone strikes in Pakistan for more than three years and provides estimates of the causalities.
For example, out of 148 - 220 deaths in Pakistan this year until July 16 between three and 27 civilians have been reported killed, some of whom were clearly defined as civilians by news organizations including Reuters and AFP.
Yet the civilian deaths are not necessarily limited just to these. Uncertain reports sometimes refer to those killed as ‘people’ or ‘local tribesmen’ killed.
The US has so far been able to name just 13 individuals of the remaining alleged militants killed thus rendering Bergen’s claim of zero reported civilian casualties this year as "factually inaccurate".
Speaking with such certainty is also illogical. The Bureau’s own data shows that the identities of merely around 500 of the at least 2,500 people killed by the CIA in Pakistan since 2004 are known, whilst most of the others have been reported by local and international media as being ‘alleged militants’.

This inconsistency is not limited to NAF’s 2012 data, in which reliable reports of civilian deaths have been either missed or ignored. There are also factual errors in NAF’s Pakistan data, wherein confirmed strikes are left out and the estimated numbers of people killed are considerably lower than even that of the CIA’s own accounts.
Pakistan contends that the drone strikes against suspected Taliban militants are ‘unlawful’ and ‘counterproductive.’
The US claims the airstrikes target Taliban militants. But locals say civilians are the main victims.
The aerial attacks, initiated by former President George W. Bush, have escalated under President Obama.

UK and France sign deal on Drone cooperation

Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem
And [mention, O Muhammad], when your Lord said to the angels, "Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority." They said, "Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood, while we declare Your praise and sanctify You?" Allah said, "Indeed, I know that which you do not know." 2;30

France and Britain have signed two agreements for further cooperation on the use of military drones, AFP reports.
British Defence Secretary Philip Hammond and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian met in London to agree closer military ties.
Under the first deal France will cooperate with Britain on the Watchkeeper tactical unmanned air system, which provides British armed forces with surveillance and
reconnaissance.
The second agreement represented the first phase of a collaborative "demonstration program" for a Future Combat Air System (FCAS), another unmanned air system, to be completed between 2030 and 2040, the ministers said
According to Le Drian’s aide, Britain and France are soon to make an announcement on plans to jointly develop medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles.

courtesy http://www.passionislam.com/assets/archive/26.pdf

US Drone Attacks Counter Productive

Pakistan Views: US Drone Attacks Counter-Productive by Zaheerul Hassan

According to another report compiled by London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism (BIJ) states that 2,496 and 3,202 persons had been killed in US predators in Pakistan since 2004. Among them were 482 to 832 civilians, 175 of them children. Significantly, President Obama, on January 30, 2012, had claimed that US drone attacks in Pakistan had “not caused a huge number of civilian casualties.”

 Only Allah SWT knows the correct statistics  but we do know not to trust non muslims and munafics and we do know that last Ramadan there were almost daily drone strikes against muslims in the tribal regions. La huwla walla quwaita illah billah .

At least there is a common perception amongst Pakistani muslims that America is an enemy to them and the muslims as a whole and it will be the ordinary God fearing people of Pakistan who will take hold of the situation and return to what pleases Allah Al Muta Aali  and flee from what angers Him .

The winds  are a changing the sweet breeze is producing fruit that is ripening right now and the mercy of Allah is always near AlhumduLillahi Rabil Alaimeen

Conspiracy of silence

The US policy of using aerial drones to carry out targeted killings presents a major challenge to the system of international law that has endured since the second world war, a United Nations investigator has said.

Christof Heyns, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings, summary or arbitrary executions, told a conference in Geneva that President Obama's attacks in Pakistan, Yemen and elsewhere, carried out by the CIA, would encourage other states to flout long-establishedhuman rights standards.

In his strongest critique so far of drone strikes, Heyns suggested some may even constitute "war crimes". His comments come amid rising international unease over the surge in killings by remotely piloted unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Addressing the conference, which was organised by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a second UN rapporteur, Ben Emmerson QC, who monitors counter-terrorism, announced he would be prioritising inquiries into drone strikes.

The London-based barrister said the issue was moving rapidly up the international agenda after China and Russia this week jointly issued a statement at the UN Human Rights Council, backed by other countries, condemning drone attacks.

If the US or any other states responsible for attacks outside recognised war zones did not establish independent investigations into each killing, Emmerson emphasised, then "the UN itself should consider establishing an investigatory body".

Also present was Pakistan's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Zamir Akram, who called for international legal action to halt the "totally counterproductive attacks" by the US in his country.

Heyns, a South African law professor, told the meeting: "Are we to accept major changes to the international legal system which has been in existence since world war two and survived nuclear threats?"

Some states, he added, "find targeted killings immensely attractive. Others may do so in future … Current targeting practices weaken the rule of law. Killings may be lawful in an armed conflict [such as Afghanistan] but many targeted killings take place far from areas where it's recognised as being an armed conflict."

If it is true, he said, that "there have been secondary drone strikes on rescuers who are helping (the injured) after an initial drone attack, those further attacks are a war crime".

Heyns ridiculed the US suggestion that targeted UAV strikes on al-Qaida or allied groups were a legitimate response to the 9/11 attacks. "It's difficult to see how any killings carried out in 2012 can be justified as in response to [events] in 2001," he said. "Some states seem to want to invent new laws to justify new practices.

"The targeting is often operated by intelligence agencies which fall outside the scope of accountability. The term 'targeted killing' is wrong because it suggests little violence has occurred. The collateral damage may be less than aerial bombardment, but because they eliminate the risk to soldiers they can be used more often."

Heyns told the Guardian later that his future inquiries are likely to include the question of whether other countries, such as the UK, share intelligence with the US that could be used for selecting individuals as targets. A legal case has already been lodged in London over the UK's alleged role in the deaths of British citizens and others as a consequence of US drone strikes in Pakistan.

Emmerson said that protection of the right to life required countries to establish independent inquiries into each drone killing. "That needs to be applied in the context of targeted killings," he said. "It's possible for a state to establish an independent ombudsman to inquire into every attack and there needs to be a report to justify [the killing]."

Alternatively, he said, it was "for the UN itself to consider establishing an investigatory body. Drones attacks by the US raise fundamental questions which are a direct consequence of my mandate… If they don't [investigate] themselves, we will do it for them."

It is time, he added, to end the "conspiracy of silence" over drone attacks and "shine the light of independent investigation" into the process. The attacks, he noted, were not only on those who had been killed but on the system of "international law itself".

The Pakistani ambassador declared that more than a thousand civilians had been killed in his country by US drone strikes. "We find the use of drones to be totally counterproductive in terms of succeeding in the war against terror. It leads to greater levels of terror rather than reducing them," he said.

Claims made by the US about the accuracy of drone strikes were "totally incorrect", he added. Victims who had tried to bring compensation claims through the Pakistani courts had been blocked by US refusals to respond to legal actions.

The US has defended drone attacks as self-defence against al-Qaida and has refused to allow judicial scrutiny of the UAV programme. On Wednesday, the Obama administration issued a fresh rebuff through the US courts to an ACLU request for information about targeting policies. Such details, it insisted, must remain "classified".

Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU's national security project, said: "Something that is being debated in UN hallways and committee rooms cannot apparently be talked about in US courtrooms, according to the government. Whether the CIA is involved in targeted lethal operation is now classified. It's an absurd fiction."

The ACLU estimates that as many as 4,000 people have been killed in US drone strikes since 2002 in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. Of those, a significant proportion were civilians. The numbers killed have escalated significantly since Obama became president.

The USA is not a signatory to the International Criminal Court (ICC) or many other international legal forums where legal action might be started. It is, however, part of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) where cases can be initiated by one state against another.

Ian Seiderman, director of the International Commission of Jurists, told the conference that "immense damage was being done to the fabric of international law".

One of the latest UAV developments that concerns human rights groups is the way in which attacks, they allege, have moved towards targeting groups based on perceived patterns of behaviour that look suspicious from aerial surveillance, rather than relying on intelligence about specific al-Qaida activists.

In response to a report by Heyns to the UN Human Rights Council this week, the US put out a statement in Geneva saying there was "unequivocal US commitment to conducting such operations with extraordinary care and in accordance with all applicable law, including the law of war".

It added that there was "continuing commitment to greater transparency and a sincere effort to address some of the important questions that have been raised".

Obama's "kill list"

The Obama administration has sought to block the release of documents related to its use of robot drones to strike suspected terrorists overseas, claiming that it can still not admit that the secretive programme of targeted killing exists.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the New York Times have both submitted freedom of information requests to the department of justice, the CIA and the Pentagon seeking information about the programme. They have now gone to court to try and force the government to answer those requests and release details of its activities.

However, in a motion filed just before midnight ET on Wednesday, the government asked for the cases to be dismissed, saying that to release information would hurt national security, even while still insisting it cannot admit any such programme of targeted killing exists.

"Whether or not the CIA has the authority to be, or is in fact, directly involved in targeted lethal operations remains classified," the government said in a court filing.

The move prompted the ACLU to label the continued refusal to acknowledge the use of drones to kill alleged terrorist leaders as "absurd" given that both President Barack Obama and his counter-terrorism adviser John Brennan have both made public references to it.

There have also been extensive leaks to the press, notably the New York Times, which recently ran a highly detailed story about a "kill list" that the Obama administration maintains.

"The notion that the CIA's targeted killing programme is still a secret is beyond absurd. Senior officials have discussed it, both on the record and off. They have taken credit for its putative successes, professed it to be legal, and dismissed concerns about civilian casualties," said Jameel Jaffer, ACLU deputy legal director.

US drone strikes have been credited by the administration with having badly damaged al-Qaida in places like Pakistan and Yemen, but are widely criticised by rights groups over the secrecy that makes it impossible to determine casualty figures, whether they are military or civilians, or on what legal basis the attacks occur.

Particular points of contention have been the New York Times' revelation that the administration considers any male of military age in a strike zone when a drone hits to be a militant and thus a legitimate target.

The deaths via drone attacks of American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki and his 16-year-old son – who was also an American citizen – have likewise earned condemnation from many human rights and civil liberties organisations.

The London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism, which runs a drone-monitoring project, estimates that the US has used drones against targets in Pakistan up to 332 times in the past eight years, with a huge jump in activity under Obama. The Bureau believes up to 800 civilians may have been killed in the attacks. It has also monitored scores of drone attacks in Yemen and Somalia.

Jaffer called on the administration to be more open and demanded some form of public legal oversight. "We continue to have profound concerns that with the power the administration is claiming and with the proposition that the president should be be permitted to exercise this power without oversight by the courts. That the administration believes a power so sweeping should be exercised in secret is astounding," he said.

Despite its refusal to acknowledge a targeted killing programme exists there have been numerous public statements about the programme.

In April Brennan gave a speech where he said the programme "sometimes using remotely piloted aircraft" was carried out "in full accordance of the law" and used to strike specific al-Qaida terrorists.

Obama himself referenced the programme when asked about it in January. The president said the programme used only "precise, precision strikes against al-Qaida and their affiliates."

Two Inviolable Rights

        

Abu Shuraih Khuwailid bin ‘Amr Al-Khuza’i (radi Allahu anhu) reported that the Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “O Allah, I declare inviolable the rights of two weak ones: the orphans and women.”
[An-Nasaa'i]

Commentary:
The poor are generally treated callously in human society. Women and orphans are regular victims of this cruelty. They are deprived of their share in property to which they are entitled under the Islamic law. In some cases their properties are usurped and they are maltreated at the hands of usurpers. The Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) has threatened them with serious consequences to prevent the Muslims from committing such injustice. The attitude of Muslims and the teachings of Islam in this matter are two different things. How can Islam be blamed for the attitude of Muslims? It is time Muslims should understand that Islam is getting a bad name because of their bad conduct. As a result of this they are committing a double crime. On the one hand, they are guilty of usurping others of their legitimate rights and perpetrating cruelties, and on the other, disgracing their religion. In other words, rather than preaching Islam they are creating obstacles in the way of people joining the fold of Islam. May Allah grant us guidance to follow the right path. Amin!

And Allah Knows Best!

Golden hassinet

Taking Care of an Orphan         

Abu Hurayrah (radi Allahu anhu) reported that the Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “He who takes care of an orphan, whether he is his relative or a stranger, will be in Jannah with me like these two”. The narrator, Malik bin Anas raised his forefinger and middle finger for illustration.

[Sahih Muslim]
Commentary:
The Islamic system of welfare and economic security is not restricted to relatives only. It includes every orphan and needy. If Muslims put this system into practice, there will be no need for insurance – a system which is based on usury. May Allah enable the Muslims to adopt the teachings of Islam so that they will be relieved of the curse of the system of usury.

Sahl bin Sa’d (radi Allahu anhu) reported that the Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “I will be like this in Jannah with the person who takes care of an orphan.” The Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) raised his forefinger and middle finger by way of illustration.
[Sahih Al-Bukhari]
Commentary:
It will be indeed a great honour to be close to the Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) in Jannah. This honour will be given to those who are kind to the orphans. The Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) has regarded it the ‘best house’ in which an orphan is treated with kindness. He declared the worst home in which an orphan child is not treated with affection.
And Allah Knows Best!

                                        Alhumdu Lillahi A Aala kulli hal
                                                   Allah Musta'an

Constitution Of Ansar Ul Yateem

CONSTITUTION 

OF

Ansar Ul Yateem

The name of the Trust is Ansar ul Yateem (Human Rights, Resource, Defense & Development Trust, hereafter would be referred as Trust).

The Registered Office of the Trust will be situated in Islamabad Capital Territory.

The objective for which the Trust is established will be all or any of the followings;

To work for all the matters which can contribute towards the welfare and betterment of widows, Orphans, Prisoners, Poor, destitute, neglected communities including areas  like Federal Administered Areas ( Tribal Areas ) and families effected from the War Against Terror, further including areas and persons effected from natural calamities like Earth quakes, Floods, Famine, etc 

To fight against extremism, radicalism, community empowerment through capacity building and also to work for human rights, human resource and human development.

   

To advance the social welfare of the Community, citizens of Pakistan and other nationals residing legally in Pakistan by identifying their problems while contributing to their solutions.

To advance Community empowerment through capacity building, building of state institutions, like judiciary, police professors and students, jail authorities, providing free legal assistance to prisoners, who could not have legal representation before the court,  jail inmates including juvenile delinquents, working for probation department and also supporting government in reintegration of offenders in the society so that they may be able to contribute as a progressive citizen of the country, trainees of training (TOT) etc.

To establish and train different committees for the welfare of the community and through their involvement and assistance manage the operations of the foundation in the different part of the country, to start with this exercise following committees would be created, later these committees would be increased as per the requirement of the foundation: 

Reform Committees, Human Rights Committees, Human Resource Committees, Jail Committees, Police Committees, Judicial Committees, Development Committees, Evaluation & Monitoring Committees including these committees International Committees would also be formed so that international standards of development may be achieved while working for the welfare of the lower strata, deprived  and neglected segments of the society.

To generate funds from national and international governments, organizations, individuals and communities while educating and briefing them about the problems of the people in Pakistan and also to seek their specialization, support and assistance in meeting the needful effectively.

To act as representatives in the matters associated with prisoners, probation, and reclamation, integration of prisoners after their release in the society, juvenile delinquents/offenders and jail reforms.

 To establish, manage or give grants to run educational/religious institution including alternative methods of learning, in Pakistan to increase the capabilities and skills of the people.

To give award stipends to bright and distinguished students, support to societies, associations, community centres, mosques, libraries, educational and religious institutions in making their contributions effective in educating the masses and bringing awareness though workshops, trainings and other learning methods; and to arrange different learning events for all kind of organizations for their capacity building including seminars, conferences and national a& international day events.

 To open offices and establish branches for conducting the operations of the Trust in any part of Pakistan or outside Pakistan.

To establish or manage or to invest in commercial, industrial or service enterprises for strengthening the Trust, making it self sufficient in order smooth its operations in more sustainable and long lasting manner.

To purchase, effect, hire, take on lease and accept land from the Government by way of grant, exchange or otherwise acquire land, buildings and easement rights of any movable or immovable properties.

To manage, sell, improve, develop, lease, mortgage, dispose off or otherwise deal with all or any of the property of the Trust.

To collect and edit material for and undertake printing and publishing of pamphlets, reports, journals, periodicals, dailies or other works of publications.

To invest the money of the Trust is such manner as may from time to time be determined and appropriate for carrying the operations and meeting the objectives of the Trust effectively.

To make policies, rules and regulations and do all acts, deeds and things required incidental or necessary for the management of the Trust.

Without prejudice to the above, the Trust may undertake any other activity to achieve its objectives as it may deem fit in the circumstances.

Notwithstanding anything contained herein the income and property of the Trust, whatsoever derived shall be applied solely towards the promotion of the objectives of the Trust as set forth in the constitution and no portion thereof shall be paid or transferred, directly or, indirectly or otherwise, howsoever, by way of profit to the persons who at any time are or have been Founders, Trustees or Members of the Trust or to any of them or to any persons claiming through any of them. 

  PROVIDED that nothing herein contained shall prevent the payment of any remuneration to any officer, or servants in the full time or part time employment of the Trust or to any Member, who is in full time employment of the Trust.

No changes or additions shall be made in the Constitution of the Trust except the applicable law.

End cowardly drones attacks

Pakistan's legal fight to end the drone war

As civilian deaths in Pakistan mount from the US drone war, legal groups work to raise awareness - and impose justice.


"You cannot call me lucky," said Sadaullah Wazir as he recounted the events of a drone strike two years ago on his home in North Waziristan.
The strike killed his two young cousins and an elderly wheelchair-bound uncle. It also severed both of then-15-year-old Sadaullah's legs and cost him the use of an eye, turning a normal family dinner into an otherworldly nightmare and radically altering the path of his young life.
"I had a dream to be a doctor," he says. "But now I can't even walk to school."
Today, Sadaullah is one of an increasing number of Pakistanis who are seeking justice in the courtroom against the orchestrators of a drone campaign which is believed to have killed thousands of their fellow citizens; a huge number of whom recent studies have shown to be innocent civilians.
please read more

Pakistan's legal fight to end the drone war

US & UK Drone attacks: Taji Mustafa & Others discussion on TV panel

Hardly Precision

Press reports suggest that over the last three years drone strikes have killed about 14 terrorist leaders. But, according to Pakistani sources, they have also killed some 700 civilians. This is 50 civilians for every militant killed, a hit rate of 2 percent — hardly “precision.”