2009 Failed State Index

Fund for peace has decided to rank Bangladesh 19 out of 177 states putting it into “alert” state. The higher the ranking, more vulnerability exists in that nation and more likely that nation to spiral into a state-wide crisis. The bad ranking for Bangladesh has to do with corrupted government, social unrest and bad human rights record.  Although new government was able to gain some momentum initially, BDR mutiny and rising cost of living while sliding quality of life has contributed to a high vulnerability within the state.

Pakistan has been ranked 10th putting it into a highly critical category. Somalia ranks 1 in the index.

Among the top 10 ranked states, 7 of them are Muslim majority states.

Somalia (1)
Sudan (3)
Chad (4)
Iraq (6)
Afghanistan (7)
Guinea (9)
Pakistan (10)

This shows the high uncertainty that exists on most of the Muslim states. Corrupted government, rise of Islamic fascism and fundamentalism are tearing these countries apart.

Other than the Muslim states, the South-Asian states have also performed very poorly except India. Among other South-Asian states Sri Lanka has ranked 22 and Nepal 25. Unfortunately Bangladesh has ranked worse than both of these nations even though these countries are recovering from the civil war and unrest.

Click here to look at the original list.

Here is an interactive map.

Pakistani police reportedly found the body of Tariq “Litto” Mashi Ghauri — a 28-year-old university student in Sargodha, Pakistan — lying dead in a canal outside a rural village in Punjab Province on May 15. He had been raped and stabbed at least five times.

“They have sexually abuse him, torture him with a knife on his testicle and genitals,” Ghauri’s brother, 24-year-old Salman Nabil Ghauri, said. “They have tortured him very badly, and after that they have stabbed five times with a knife and killed him.”

The family believes Litto Ghauri was murdered by the brothers of his Muslim girlfriend, Shazi Cheema, after they found him in a compromising sexual position with their sister.

The Rev. Haroon Bhatti, a Christian clergyman in the village and a friend of the Ghauri family, said Cheema’s three brothers came to Litto Ghauri’s house on May 11 and gave him an ultimatum: Marry their sister and convert to Islam.

Source

Hindu Temple in Pakistan

I just returned from a month in India during which time an incredible number of significant events were occurring. My primary mission in going was to document and raise awareness of the ethnic cleansing of Bangladeshi Hindus. I found plenty, including evidence of ongoing attacks on them both in Bangladesh and in West Bengal, India. The border between the two is so porous that terrorists and contraband move freely with and without the help of India’s Border Security Force or West Bengal police. But I also witnessed the tragic beginning of the end for Pakistan’s Hindus. Once one in five Pakistanis, they have been reduced to one percent of the population.

But as the Taliban take over ever larger chunks of that country, that remnant of a people is streaming across the border into Indian Punjab. The stream became a torrent with the Taliban’s seizure of the Swat Valley earlier this year. Hindu refugees report attacks and threats by the Taliban, as well as officials telling them to leave the country “or else.” The February agreement between the Taliban and the Zardari government ceded the area to the former and allowed Sharia law to be imposed on Swat’s 1.2 million inhabitants.

President Obama has used this agreement as a model in his stated quest for “moderate Taliban.” But not only does the agreement countersign ethnic cleansing, it also failed even before Obama’s anticipated speech on US policy in the region. Just hours before the President spoke, one of the Taliban parties to the agreement, Tehrik e Taliban, abrogated it with a terror attack on a mosque in Pakistan’s Northwest Frontier Province, and has engaged in other terrorist attacks subsequently.

One Hindi language channel quoted a Taliban spokesman confirming that his group was pulling out of the agreement not to attack elsewhere in Pakistan because, he said, it would be contrary to Allah’s wishes to limit Sharia to the Swat Valley. Yet, no major media in India, the US, or elsewhere made this connection.

Even more shameful, no media or government has protested the ethnic cleansing of Pakistan’s Hindus, who are being finished off by the Taliban. All governments involved in the region are just allowing it to happen,too. What kind of a world do we live in when India will not defend Hindus attacked for being Hindus; when the US ignores the atrocity; when not a single human rights group or the UN utters a word of protest?

What is happening to Pakistan’s Hindus is a crime, but a crime that is largely accomplished. There remain 13,000,000 Hindus in Bangladesh subject to the same attacks, the same racist laws, and the same intention to eradicate them. Worse, the battle is spilling across the open border into India, and it is changing the demographic balance in the region. It is also allowing terrorists into the country whose intention is to undermine the very nation of Hindustan.

My mission is to prevent that, to prevent the murders and other atrocities, even if I am the only voice of protest to cry out about this crime against humanity.

Sri Lankan Team, a file picture

The India and New Zealand cricketers wore a black band during their ODI match, held in New Zealand. The whole cricketing fraternity was stunned by this disgraceful act and the lack of responsibility shown by the Pakistan government. There were opinions and comments flying in from ex-cricketers and common public from all around the world in protest. The Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Kumar Sangakkara, Tharanga Paranavithana and Ajantha Mendis suffered injuries and were attended duly. However, the tour was immediately called off and the players are returning home soon.

Everyone is in depression and is not seeing anything positive as far as Pakistan is concerned. I am not sure what stance the ICC or BCCI, for that matter would take in this regard, but it seems that there will be no cricket played in Pakistan in the next 4 to 5 years at least. It is time some strong steps are taken and some harsh decisions are made to ensure this type of incident does not occur in the future.

However, the big bang comes in from Pakistan, in which a Pakistani minister, Sardar Nabil Ahmed Gaboi (Minister of State for Shipping) states that the attack on Sri Lankan cricket team was done by terrorists from India, who has crossed over the Indo-Pak border and attacked the Sri Lankan team to defame Pakistan internationally! How ridiculous is this, now? A minister of state who holds high position and much higher responsibility is saying something like this. This not only shows how irresponsible the Pakistani government is, but also is a clear gesture to prove the support these terrorist groups are getting from Pakistan. India is trying to aid Sri Lanka to fight LTTE terrorists in Jaffna and Northern territories of Sri Lanka to give them a better future; and these rascals are talking shameful about India herself! Even there is a segment in India and Sri Lanka which feels that India should not be any part of the steps taken against the LTTE there in Sri Lanka – they do not support India’s humanitarian act for peace.

This is not the only case where India was sent down recently. The recent violence in Bangladesh that saw the BDR taking to arms against the Government and the Army was mentioned to be an act by Indian bureaucrats. A few people did not feel ashamed to even mention it as a conspiracy by India to ignite violence in Bangladesh! Bangladesh, a country which was torn apart from undivided India, got its existence, recognition and language because of India – Indian brotherly behavior from time immemorial. They forgot everything – and why would not they? Indian never tried to influence Bangladesh or its politics in any manner whatsoever. India fought for Bangladesh’s cause and lost brave sons of the soil and just left Bangladesh with their own dirty thoughts and mischievous lives! Well, that was a gesture renowned and appreciated from all groups across the world, but what has that given in return? Conspiracy against India? Home for the black listed ULFA, SULFA, ATTF and NLFT terrorists? Free route to India for Talibani terrorists? What else and what not!

It is alarming! The three neighboring states are at cross with India. And she is going on showing compassion and brotherly gestures – and looking into the recent signals that has come from the Indian government, I doubt this is going to stop in recent times. It is high time to stop and take the bull by its horns. There is no other way out. India has already seen Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Bangalore, Agartala, Guwahati, Delhi and Mumbai shake in terror. What else is she waiting for now? Isn’t it enough now? Hope the government act soon… The Parliamentary elections are here, almost knocking at the door. I hope the people will choose the right persons now, who can and who will act readily. Or else, we would suffer – for all we are banking right now, is suffering and more suffering – for us, and for our coming generations!

Also posted at: Thus Spake Tan!