FATA rejects Al-Qaueda

[Toramana]

ISLAMABAD – An overwhelming majority – 73% – of residents in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) responded to a survey that they reject al-Qaeda, while 68% demanded the government expel all foreign militants living in the area.


The findings emerged in a report released December 14 by an NGO, the Community Appraisal & Motivation Program (CAMP), financed by the British High Commission in Islamabad.


It is the fourth in a series of surveys titled “Understanding FATA: Attitudes towards Governance, Religion & Society in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas” (Volume IV).


Pollsters interviewed about 4,000 men and women in 960 villages throughout the tribal region, including residents of 403 villages characterised as “inaccessible,” to solicit the views of tribal people on various issues. ...

“The 2010 edition of ‘Understanding FATA’ is a comprehensive assessment of perceptions the people of FATA have in several key policy areas including governance, society, religion and politics,” Naveed Ahmed Shinwari, Chief Executive of CAMP, told Central Asia Online.


Some 39.5% of respondents expressed their views of al-Qaeda freely, the survey report said.


“Surprisingly, an overwhelming majority (60.5%) professed to not know about al-Qaeda or did not respond to query related to al-Qaeda,” according to the report.


“It may be that the expression of ignorance (of al-Qaeda) is in reaction to widespread fear among local population about intelligence agencies, Taliban informers, etc.,” Shinwari said referring to the fact that 60.5% of people said they didn't know about the group.“Al-Qaeda is so often mentioned in media and discussed at Hujras gatherings it may be that the expression of ignorance is in reaction to widespread fear among local population about intelligence agencies, Taliban informers, etc.,” Shinwari said of that response.


However, among those who expressed their views of al-Qaeda, 73% had a very unfavourable view of the organisation.


Pollsters asked the tribe members to give their opinion of foreign fighters or jihadis fighting against the international coalition in Afghanistan.


“An overwhelming number, 68%, said that foreign fighters should leave the area,” pollsters found.


Of them, 42.5% demanded that the Pakistani army expel foreign fighters, while 25.3% said the foreign fighters should leave or their hosts should ask them to leave the FATA.


Only 2.7% supported having the foreign fighters stay unconditionally, while 11.4% said they could stay if they shunned violence.
The foreign fighters came to the tribal areas during the Soviet-Afghan war in the early 1980s, but took advantage of local tribes’ hospitality under the code of Pakhtunwali to stay afterward, according to the report.


To deal with the Pakistan Taliban, al-Qaeda and other foreign fighters, the Pakistani military have conducted 15 operations against Taliban and al-Qaeda groups since 2002.


Farhatullah Babar, a spokesman for President Asif Ali Zardari, declared the report encouraging for policymakers.


“We need an alternate voice (against) the religious extremists, possible only by extending the Political Parties Act to tribal areas and mainstreaming them with the rest of Pakistan,” Babar told Central Asia Online.

http://centralasiaonline.com/cocoon/.../16/feature-02

[BarakzaiAbdali]

ISLAMABAD – An overwhelming majority – 73% – of residents in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) responded to a survey that they reject al-Qaeda, while 68% demanded the government expel all foreign militants living in the area.


The findings emerged in a report released December 14 by an NGO, the Community Appraisal & Motivation Program (CAMP), financed by the British High Commission in Islamabad.


It is the fourth in a series of surveys titled “Understanding FATA: Attitudes towards Governance, Religion & Society in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas” (Volume IV).


Pollsters interviewed about 4,000 men and women in 960 villages throughout the tribal region, including residents of 403 villages characterised as “inaccessible,” to solicit the views of tribal people on various issues. ...

“The 2010 edition of ‘Understanding FATA’ is a comprehensive assessment of perceptions the people of FATA have in several key policy areas including governance, society, religion and politics,” Naveed Ahmed Shinwari, Chief Executive of CAMP, told Central Asia Online.


Some 39.5% of respondents expressed their views of al-Qaeda freely, the survey report said.


“Surprisingly, an overwhelming majority (60.5%) professed to not know about al-Qaeda or did not respond to query related to al-Qaeda,” according to the report.


“It may be that the expression of ignorance (of al-Qaeda) is in reaction to widespread fear among local population about intelligence agencies, Taliban informers, etc.,” Shinwari said referring to the fact that 60.5% of people said they didn't know about the group.“Al-Qaeda is so often mentioned in media and discussed at Hujras gatherings it may be that the expression of ignorance is in reaction to widespread fear among local population about intelligence agencies, Taliban informers, etc.,” Shinwari said of that response.


However, among those who expressed their views of al-Qaeda, 73% had a very unfavourable view of the organisation.


Pollsters asked the tribe members to give their opinion of foreign fighters or jihadis fighting against the international coalition in Afghanistan.


“An overwhelming number, 68%, said that foreign fighters should leave the area,” pollsters found.


Of them, 42.5% demanded that the Pakistani army expel foreign fighters, while 25.3% said the foreign fighters should leave or their hosts should ask them to leave the FATA.


Only 2.7% supported having the foreign fighters stay unconditionally, while 11.4% said they could stay if they shunned violence.
The foreign fighters came to the tribal areas during the Soviet-Afghan war in the early 1980s, but took advantage of local tribes’ hospitality under the code of Pakhtunwali to stay afterward, according to the report.


To deal with the Pakistan Taliban, al-Qaeda and other foreign fighters, the Pakistani military have conducted 15 operations against Taliban and al-Qaeda groups since 2002.


Farhatullah Babar, a spokesman for President Asif Ali Zardari, declared the report encouraging for policymakers.


“We need an alternate voice (against) the religious extremists, possible only by extending the Political Parties Act to tribal areas and mainstreaming them with the rest of Pakistan,” Babar told Central Asia Online.

http://centralasiaonline.com/cocoon/.../16/feature-02

Ah Toramana,

Salaams wrorre, you might consider changing your screen name to the Holy Bible or NewTestamentKhan and Pakhtunyar can be OldTestamentKhan. Farhat Taj ANDERSEN can be the pope amongst you. The reason being, the contradictions in your posts (ayaats/verses?) abound just like in the Bible itself. I wont even reply with my own words, I will use your own words for this one. Consider it Toramana, Pashtunyaar, and Farhat Taj ANDERSEN reply to another absurd posting by Toramana;

Now, for visitors, above is the article you post. Note the article references CAMP, an NGO:

Here is your statement endorsing the article you post, in case you try to shimmy out of saying you did not endorse the article itself:

“No they would not. Pashtuns in FATA want to to be taken out of Al-Qaueda clutches no matter who are the saviours...Read the other thread FATA rejects Al-Qaueda”

Link to the above statement

http://www.pashtunforums.com/politic...tan-nyt-10667/

Per our past debates, here were a few comments about CAMP from your comrade Pakhtunyar:

“However AIRRA's or for that matter Farhat's work is subject to scientific scrutiny, and making any allegation against these doesn't justify the results of a survey (CAMP's survey) which was never conducted on ground.”

“Yet the CAMP's survey would like us believe its electoral prospects as low as at around three percent, to comparative 28 % of Imran's . How would you explain this gap with the so stark reality staring your eyes that you cannot name a single person belonging to PTI from FATA.”

link:

http://www.pashtunforums.com/politic...09/index4.html

Another Pakhtunyar pearl of wisdom is found here:

“MY CLAIM IS THAT THIS SURVEY WAS NEVER CONDUCTED ON GROUND. BY THIS I DO NOT CHALLENGE THE CREDENTIALS OF TFT. I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THE FACT THE NGO AND THE PIMPS WHO OWN IT, IS OF NO CREDIBILITY TO BE TRUSTED FOR SUCH AN ASSIGNMENT. AND IF TFT HAD TO ENGAGE IN INEVITABLY THEY WOULD HAVE MADE SURE THAT THE CAMP DO NOT PROVIDE THEM THE DATA BY BRINING STUDENTS FROM IQRA UNIVERSITY IN PESHAWAR AND QUAID-E-AZAM UNIVERSITY IN ISLAMABAD TO FILL IN THE PAPERS. THIS SURVEY WAS NEVER CONDUCTED IN FATA BUT IN THE OFFICES OF CAMP IN ISLAMABAD AND PESHAWAR, AND THE PRICE CAMP PAID TO THE STUDENTS WAS ONLY TIKKA KARAI, AND OF COURSE WITH GREEN TEA. AND THATS WHY IMRAN KHAN HAS 28% ELECTORAL PROSPECTS WHO DON'T HAVE ANY CANDIDATE WORTH THE NAME TO CONTEST ELECTIONS FROM FATA.”

link:

http://www.pashtunforums.com/politic...09/index5.html

Another Pakhtunyar commentary is found here:

“Besides this also bear mention that it was not long ago that the NGO which conducted the same survey for TFT was blamed by some tribal leaders for collaborating with the intelligence agencies and FATA secretariat to sabotage legal reforms in FATA. ....”

Link:

http://www.pashtunforums.com/politic...09/index4.html

Here is your adjoining commentary on the unethical aspects of what CAMP-TFT did previously, where you deride them as unethical:

“Now the last issue with NFA report is also Academic in nature. In every study aimed at ascertaining the true situation, it is ensured that the quality/authenticity of the primary data is not compromised in any way. The quality is affected by a number of things but the areas where there is instability or war, the forces of fear and intimidation usually influence the fact finding process. In such areas, the fact-finders may stage fake interviews, surveys, etc. This is especially true of FATA where no foreigner can step foot without the escort provided to him/her by Pakistan's military (or FC). Even Pakistani born foreign nationals are hounded by a number of agencies e.g., ISI, MI(Military Intelligence), FIA(Federal Investigative Agency), IB (Intelligence Beaureau), etc. if they visit FATA what to talk of non-native foreigners. No NGO can in the present circumstances can work in FATA without the strict scrutiny of these intelligence agencies and many NGOs operating in FATA are just fronts with other aims (as TFT has been blamed for Tribal Maliks). Even the journalists in Peshawar cannot report independently on FATA.”

Link

http://www.pashtunforums.com/politic...09/index5.html
Here is Miss Taj ANDERSEN’s commentary on CAMP TFT and the linking article:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...-10-2010_pg3_4

Here are her words of wisdom to you from the above:

“CAMP, a local NGO in Pakistan, conducted fieldwork for the survey. I have heard researchers, journalists, NGO activists and intellectuals from across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA accuse CAMP of fabricating data about FATA and making quick bucks out of it. Those FATA tribesmen who have had the opportunity to actually observe the fieldwork conducted by the NGO either ridicule its work or, at best, question it on many counts. This column is not the place to critically analyse the FATA research of this NGO. Suffice it to say that a critical analysis by anyone who is well informed about the factual reality in FATA would find previous research by CAMP, known as ‘Understanding FATA’, highly questionable.”

**I await her response to this survey. After all, it is you that pointed out Miss Taj ANDERSEN is an equal opportunity, honest, and fair critic. I shall see how avidely she discusses CAMPs findings here in any upcoming editorial on the issue***

Regarding your statement:

“No they would not. Pashtuns in FATA want to to be taken out of Al-Qaueda clutches no matter who are the saviours...Read the other thread FATA rejects Al-Qaueda”

Link to the above statement

US planning ground attacks in Pakistan: NYT


It is fundementally academically dishonest on your part to take a survey that in no way introduces the question of whether the FATA citizenry approves of American ground incursions and extend it to say that the FATA folks want Fair rangees and NATO soldiers running around doing house to house searches and ground incursions on their land. It would be the equivalent of me taking a study that only analyzes patients with heart failure on drug X and then making the drastic step of saying: Because heart failure patients want to be on drug X they all want surgical heart transplants as well.

[BarakzaiAbdali]

Bottom line, you have an evidence conundrum here... you cannot endorse one CAMP survey simply because it buttresses your view, with your hectic criticism of the CAMP NGO organization ON RECORD in the past when their work did not agree with it.

[pakhtunyar]

This NGO Camp' is another front of spooks, peddling pakistani establishment's narratives, every now and then as required. Now that the americans are threatening action inside FATA they started churning out reports arguing how anti Taliban and anti Alqaeda the tribal population is, and that the people want the military action only be taken by pakistani military forces.
Its prior report, with the same title issued in late 2008, claimed that only 3 percent of the FATA population consider Taliban as terrorists. In its previous reports it has been drawing on the colonial and pakistani stereotyping of the people in Fata - prefer gun over bread, blind faith on mullahs and bla bla. But again, do these people don't have an iota of shame. Most unfortunate aspect is that the owner of this NGO is a peshawar based individual and claims his descent from shinwari tribe in khyber agency.

[BarakzaiAbdali]

This NGO Camp' is another front of spooks, peddling pakistani establishment's narratives, every now and then as required. Now that the americans are threatening action inside FATA they started churning out reports arguing how anti Taliban and anti Alqaeda the tribal population is, and that the people want the military action only be taken by pakistani military forces.
Its prior report, with the same title issued in late 2008, claimed that only 3 percent of the FATA population consider Taliban as terrorists. In its previous reports it has been drawing on the colonial and pakistani stereotyping of the people in Fata - prefer gun over bread, blind faith on mullahs and bla bla. But again, do these people don't have an iota of shame. Most unfortunate aspect is that the owner of this NGO is a peshawar based individual and claims his descent from shinwari tribe in khyber agency.

Well, that may or may not be the case, but you and Toramana then ought to start debating, with eachother I might add, the validity of the article he provided and then signed, sealed, and delivered to forum members.

You might also want to get in touch with Miss ANDERSEN to comment and write another editorial about yet another failed CAMP NGO run study. I look forward to her article.

[کیش]

Those camels should leave are land. Go to Palestine or Yemen if their serious. afghans dont need them they have overstayed their welcome and taken advantage of us

[pakhtunyar]

I hope you can somehow comprehend this. If you don't I strongly recommend you ask a pakhtun to make you understand these, and can convey what I said in its fullest sense

Well, that may or may not be the case, but you and Toramana then ought to start debating, with eachother I might add, the validity of the article he provided and then signed, sealed, and delivered to forum members.

You might also want to get in touch with Miss ANDERSEN to comment and write another editorial about yet another failed CAMP NGO run study. I look forward to her article.

[BLS_1919v2.0]

Barakzai and Pakhtunyaar back to the topic at hand...no need for these attacks. You can't use such language. Differences are one thing, bringing mothers into it is taking it too far.

Pakhtunyaar- you don't need to go someone's family that is taking it too far.
Barakzai, contrary to you claiming not to care about people's personal lives, you clearly are using it to discredit farhat taj. Why else would you capitalize her last name. It is getting blatantly obvious and irritating.

Manana

[PakhtunWarrior]

I know people from bajuar,north waziristan , mohmand agency and they are sick of taliban...

Toramana is right...

And I know people from swat waziristan and mohmand agency who fully support them and their goals.

[ScimitarXEdge]

Even if FATA didn't actually reject Al-Qaeda, they should because Al-Qaeda bring nothing but ruin. Their strategies are totally erratic and harm more innocent than tyrannic Imperialists. This is why the Anbar Uprising happened in Iraq.

[BarakzaiAbdali]

Barakzai and Pakhtunyaar back to the topic at hand...no need for these attacks. You can't use such language. Differences are one thing, bringing mothers into it is taking it too far.

Pakhtunyaar- you don't need to go someone's family that is taking it too far.
Barakzai, contrary to you claiming not to care about people's personal lives, you clearly are using it to discredit farhat taj. Why else would you capitalize her last name. It is getting blatantly obvious and irritating.

Manana

Let me ask you a question? How is capitalizing her name any different than deleting her last name as you have done?

That is exactly what tactic Toramana, M16, and Pakhtun-ghul-lagaar have done time and time again. It is a deceptive practice that involves them doling out a study without published data that they claim is endorsed by someone representative of the Pushtana. They have in fact attempted to argue EXACTLY this point with her tribal origin. They post her work and then wax poetic on her many nationalistic and representative traits. You have to live on the moon to actually believe that a single rural villager in the hills between Wana and Der Adam Khel would ever except her as such a representative.

As I definitively showed above in the first post on this thread this same group is opportunistic when it comes to using evidence. If it suits their thesis, they grab it and froth at the mouth to capitalize on it. They accuse others of academic immaturity but then practice OPEN academic dishonesty and no one here that is an editor calls them out on the apparent contradiction in their aforementioned statements.

Yet these same folks are harbingers of death and destruction for their own people. As they have done above they advocate massive interventionalism that is homicidal and negligent.

So, Sir, let us attempt a comprimise... I will stop capitilizing her surname the moment you, and these other folk stop deleting it. She has published under this name but ceased to do so the moment she was called out about her fifth column citizenry both in her adopted country and amongst her ethnic people. She cares not a wit or a lick about the hundreds of Norwegians she sends to their deaths on a fool's errands to do the job that she, Toramana, and Pakhtunyaar know they cannot accomplish on their own.

We can agree to refer to her as simply, Dr. Farhat Taj Andersen.

[BarakzaiAbdali]

Even if FATA didn't actually reject Al-Qaeda, they should because Al-Qaeda bring nothing but ruin. Their strategies are totally erratic and harm more innocent than tyrannic Imperialists. This is why the Anbar Uprising happened in Iraq.

Anbar failled more because of the brutal stupidity of the Jordanian Al Zarqawi than because of Al Qaeda's apparent capability to reproduce their man power and inflict massive amounts of economic damage to the US and NATO

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/wo...?_r=2&emc=eta1

As the above shows, they are extremely capable of rebounding and adjusting tactics. This in fact makes thema very capable insurgency, with the inherent strategy of now backing local insurgent outflit organizations.

[BLS_1919v2.0]

Let me ask you a question? How is capitalizing her name any different than deleting her last name as you have done?

That is exactly what tactic Toramana, M16, and Pakhtun-ghul-lagaar have done time and time again. It is a deceptive practice that involves them doling out a study without published data that they claim is endorsed by someone representative of the Pushtana. They have in fact attempted to argue EXACTLY this point with her tribal origin. They post her work and then wax poetic on her many nationalistic and representative traits. You have to live on the moon to actually believe that a single rural villager in the hills between Wana and Der Adam Khel would ever except her as such a representative.

As I definitively showed above in the first post on this thread this same group is opportunistic when it comes to using evidence. If it suits their thesis, they grab it and froth at the mouth to capitalize on it. They accuse others of academic immaturity but then practice OPEN academic dishonesty and no one here that is an editor calls them out on the apparent contradiction in their aforementioned statements.

Yet these same folks are harbingers of death and destruction for their own people. As they have done above they advocate massive interventionalism that is homicidal and negligent.

So, Sir, let us attempt a comprimise... I will stop capitilizing her surname the moment you, and these other folk stop deleting it. She has published under this name but ceased to do so the moment she was called out about her fifth column citizenry both in her adopted country and amongst her ethnic people. She cares not a wit or a lick about the hundreds of Norwegians she sends to their deaths on a fool's errands to do the job that she, Toramana, and Pakhtunyaar know they cannot accomplish on their own.

We can agree to refer to her as simply, Dr. Farhat Taj Andersen.

Barakzai unlike you and the rest of the crew I don`t make it my job to capitalize or delete....I happen to know her from her pen name Farhat Taj. This is the name she puts on her article. I quite frankly don`t care if people add andersen to it or delete it. What worried me was that you used it on purpose as a means of maligning her. No one is that foolish to not see that. It was a really simple thing, until you tried to turn it into an issue.

[Toramana]

Barakzai Saib, don't bring my name into that. I know her by the name Farhat Taj and will continue calling her as that...We are not tied to any cause be Arab or West...I simply cannot question someone's credentials that is not present here to defend herself/himself.

[pakhtunyar]

Tormana...the simple fact is, even if someone is present or not, this is simply not the way to discuss things and issues. This rascal has not an issue with Farhat Taj, he takes issue with anyone and everyone who stand for pashtun cause.

Just look through this rascal narrative: Asfandyar Wali, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Afrasiab khattak .. everyone is an 'agent' , and only this rascal represent pashtuns and arrogate to himself the right to speak for pashtuns. This is unacceptable.

Barakzai, don't bring my name into that. I know her by the name Farhat Taj and will continue calling her as that...We are not tied to any cause be Arab or West...I simply cannot question someone's credentials that is not present here to defend herself/himself.