Pakistan

Elektra 1, the homemade electric car

Sophie Team Observers — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:30:58 +0100

Faraz Khan has something to be proud of. He drives around his home city of Karachi in one of Pakistan's few electric cars. And he built it with his own hands.

It's called the Elektra 1. From the outside it looks just like a Susuki Mehran, the region's most common car. Take a look under the bonnet however, and you'll see that Faraz has replaced the traditional petrol-run motor with one that runs entirely on electricity. On a "full tank", or 4-6 hours of charging, the car can run for 30km.

And up next, the Elektra 2, which is already under construction. This new model will be able to reach 110 km/h and travel for 160 km when fully charged. Faraz publishes step-by-step instructions to build both models on his blog, Elektra Automotive . For him, travelling on an electric battery brings both economic and environmental benefits. In 2006, pollution levels in Karachi were 20 times higher than the limit laid out by the World Health Organisation.

Obama boosts joystick funding for war on terror

Sophie Team Observers — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:13:32 +0200

The Obama administration has just handed over five billion dollars to the armed forces to buy more robots. The country's ongoing "War on Terror" employs more unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for its operations in Pakistan and Afghanistan than it does manned planes. Our Observer and expert in robotics tells us that the ethical concerns behind the programme have gone unnoticed.

Below, videos of two of the planes in question. The first is an MQ-9 Reaper, capable of carrying 14 hellfire missiles. The second, its predecessor, is the MQ-1 Predator, which can take only two missiles onboard.

Our Observer describes the humanitarian disaster in Swat valley

Ségolène Team Observers — Fri, 29 May 2009 16:12:50 +0200

One of our Observers in Karachi, south Pakistan, has travelled the length of the country in order to administer humanitarian aid in the war-torn region of Swat valley. The refugees are left with absolutely nothing, and getting aid to them is hindered by the local authorities, he tells us.

Awab Alvi is a dentist from Karachi. He writes the blog Teeth Maestro.

Day three of our Swat relief drive was hectic to say the least. We (Hasnain, Youshey, me and Faris) left Peshawar at around 9am without having eaten breakfast."

Our aim was to start bright and early in order to get to Bagheecha Deri, where around 150 bags had been delivered the night before and were stored safely in a house. En route we decided to split the team. Faris and I continued to Baghecha Deri while Youshey and Hasnain would escort the truck to our warehouse in Takht Bhai, oversee the unloading and prepare for the delivery of 250 hampers being given to refugee families housed in that region."

When we got there, we asked a few local maluvis (religious leaders) to announce the availability of relief aid. Within moments there was a small crowd. This being our first experience with distribution there was a bit of confusion. Documentation was needed as we only dealt with those refugees with an ID card or yellow social services relief cards. In the mêlée we were worried about locals falsely claiming to be refugees, which was tough.

We got Bagheecha Deri over with quickly and then headed towards Takht Bhai, where the third truck was in the process of being unloaded. Even before getting there, Youshey and Dr. Maqbool Shah had already departed with around 120 relief hampers to deliver to refugees in schools around Takht Bhai. Their progress was slow -- each stop catered to four or five families, and they were frequent, plus it took a while to physically verify that each recipient was a refugee."

By now we had a small crowd assembled at our warehouse, mostly consisting of anxious women from affected families. Seeing the urgent need to hand these refugees some relief we asked them to form a line and calmly distributed some 30-40 hampers among them. This ended up being a strategic mistake in hindsight as very soon word spread like wildfire that relief goods were being distributed on the Takht Bhai hospital premises and ever so slowly the crowd swelled, to enormous proportions by late evening.

During the very hectic afternoon we prepared another 300 relief hampers for Parkhro Deri, where a local Pakistani People's Party, or PPP, Nazim (a local branch affiliated to the PPP) had organized a distribution point for us. Hasnain was sent to Parkhro Deri where he did his best to filter those in real need from the fakes. The organisers were naturally insistent on pushing for their favourites but Hasnain held his ground for an orderly distribution. On their return they told us about the massive crowd of more than 500 families. Since they barely had 300 relief hampers, they left behind a disgruntled crowd."

At around 6pm we had run out of the 800 relief hamper bags that were provided to us by Makro, but still had a lot of loose aid lying around: abundant water bottles, sugar bags, biscuits, tea and many other items. This gave us the idea of handing them out directly to the roadside refugees. It would have been impossible to set up relief centres on the road and expect an orderly distribution, as open-air disbursement was prone to ransacking. Our plan was to ramble along the road, tossing essential relief goods en route. Our team hired two pickups and loaded them with loose items like ghee, biscuits and tea. The plan worked -- we were mobbed, but the moving vehicle kept people from snatching. It was a sad sight to see people fighting over food, but in hindsight I felt satisfied that we were able to directly touch the lives of many extremely deserving people who did not even have a shelter over their heads."

After two runs we came back to base camp in time to discover an angry crowd mounting outside the warehouse. Seeing a disaster waiting to happen, I asked the Mardan president of the PTI to help disperse the crowd. He was kind enough to talk to the people and slowly things did calm down, enabling us to mobilize our last set of disbursements to a local NGO (KhwandKho, a reliable set of people working with the Omar Asghar Foundation). We were assured that these items would be dealt out to the various schools that had been adopted by the Khwandhko Foundation. That left us with only a few last items -- approximately 40 stainless steel dishes, 50 stainless steel serving spoons and a few steel cups, which were handed out to some refugees in the area.

Wrapping up the day, we realized none of us had had either breakfast or lunch. So apart from the free-flowing tea, we were running on mere adrenaline. Late at night I sat down to pay various truck drivers and offered a short stipend to a few helpful members, most of whom refused it as they said it was a contribution to a noble cause. At 1am we arrived in Peshawar and had some much-needed food, courtesy of a local friend, Rashid Chughtai, whose team had already helped us extensively over the last three days, aiding us in translation and physical labour."

The Mingora diaries: “a fierce battle is going on”

Julien — Fri, 15 May 2009 18:07:40 +0200

Pakistan’s army has temporarily suspended a curfew in the Swat valley to help stranded civilians escape raging battles between Pakistani forces and the Taliban.

Three days ago our Observer in Mingora told us his family had escaped, but he was staying behind. Now, his brother says he has no news from the war zone.

Nazir (not his real name) has fled Mingora, in Pakistan's war-torn Swat valley.

When we reached Dargai, where we are now staying with our relatives, we were able to get Aziz on the phone to tell him that we had arrived safely after a very difficult journey. He told us that a fierce battle was going on in the Mingora area, with air strikes and artillery fire. Every one is very frightened, but there are about a thousand people who refuse to leave their homeland.

Aziz spoke to his elder son and promised that he would “come soon” – but I know it is a promise he cannot keep.

That was our last conversation with him. We have tried calling him and other people who are still in the Swat valley, but there was no answer. Many people are now dead.

As his wife started weeping I decided to call a contact Aziz had told us about. His name is Ajmal Shah Din. We asked him to help us broadcast an appeal to the Pakistani government to lift the curfew again so that the remaining people may flee the Swat valley. My cousin, who owns a car, had promised to bring go back to Mingora to fetch Aziz if the curfew was relaxed.

Ajmal said he would help us contact Pakistani TV channels. They started broadcasting our appeal on Thursday. One of his colleagues, the famous TV anchor Naseem Zehra, even spoke to me during her show on Dunya TV.

I think our efforts have worked because the government has just announced it is suspending the curfew to help people flee the war zone. The authorities have also organised some means of transport.

My cousin Behroz has moved his car back towards the Swat valley, and we are anxiously waiting to see Aziz.

Read previous entries from the Mingora diaries.

The Mingora diaries: a heart-wrenching farewell

Julien — Tue, 12 May 2009 18:06:04 +0200

As Pakistan’s armed forces step up their offensive against Taliban fighters in the country’s north-west, hundreds of thousands of civilians are desperately trying to flee the conflict zone. Our Observer, who lives just outside the city of Mingora in the restive Swat Valley, tells us his family has joined the growing flow of refugees – but he is staying behind.

Mohammed Aziz (not his real name) lives in Saidu Sharif, just outside Mingora.

My brother was anxious to get out of this hell, so he jumped on the first opportunity. The authorities had earlier announced that they would temporarily lift the curfew to allow those who wished to flee to do so. The government is actually trying to empty the region of its inhabitants in order to reduce civilian casualties. But the Taliban is doing the opposite to ensure that the army cannot use air strikes.

We prepared a little travel pack for my brother, and I asked him to bring my wife and children with him, too. My oldest child, aged seven, broke into tears as he asked: “Baba, why are you not coming with us?” I told him I would be following in a few days, but I know I have to stay here to protect our house and our belongings.

As we approached the road, we came across thousands of people trying to get away. It was as though they were emptying Mingora. Truck drivers were charging much higher fares, but we decided not to take any chances this time [in an earlier post, Mohammed explained he had dropped the idea of taking a truck to leave the area because of the cost]. So my brother asked them to bring them to the nearest place outside Mingora. I said "Allah Haifiz"(God protect us) to my wife and children, who replied goodbye in English. I don’t know what will happen to them after the journey - nor do they know if they will see me again in life, or not.

Soon after, the curfew started again – and so did the battle."

Read Mohammed's previous accounts.

The Mingora diaries: trapped between the Taliban and the army

Sophie Team Observers — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:51:07 +0200

The Pakistani Army has launched a widespread offensive against the Taliban, pushing the militants back to the city of Mingora, in the restive Swat Valley, north-west of the capital Islamabad. Our Observer, who lives three kilometres from the centre, tells us that the residents there are rapidly running out of essentials, and, for the first time, he's considering fleeing his home.

Mohammed Aziz (not his real name) lives in Saidu Sharif, just outside Mingora.

After several days of fighting people are desperate to leave their homes and their beloved city because there is no food, no water and no electricity. The medical stores are closed: people who suffer from ailments like diabetes and blood pressure problems are very much in trouble. As the curfew was relaxed a bit today, I went outside to have a look at the situation. As I reached the road I saw a very long line, about 2-3 kilometres long, of people waiting for the city's out-roads to open. They must have been in the thousands.

Swat Valley has a population of about 1.8 million people and half of them have already left this heavenly city. There were vans and trucks loaded with people and their luggage. The majority of the people however are too poor; workers paid on a daily basis. I myself packed a small amount of luggage and tried to make a deal with a driver but he demanded four to five times more than the normal amount. I don't have that much money so I abandoned the idea of leaving. My elder child keeps asking me again and again, ‘Baba, when are we going to Dargai?' Dargai is a place where a refugee camp has been set up. My wife is worried about tonight's meal. Today there were hundreds of women and children in the queue for the only natural water fountain in the town. Sometimes quarrels start up about whose turn it is.

Today more army troops reached us and we hear that more soldiers are coming from Malakand. They have control of three of the outgoing roads while the main road is still in possession of the Taliban. Today there were no big battles, but planes and helicopters fly overhead on an hourly basis. I think the army is preparing for a big battle. The Taliban radio announced today that they are ready to take on the enemy.

At the moment, there is a very cool breeze and it looks like it may start to rain. My son is asking again, Baba, when are we going to leave?"

Read Mohammed's previous accounts.

The Mingora diaries: “the firing never stops”

Sophie Team Observers — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:08:21 +0200

The Pakistani Army launched a heavy-handed offensive against the Taliban militants squatting in Swat Valley yesterday, pushing thousands of residents to flee the area. One of our Observers however, remains just outside the city of Mingora, the region's main town.

Mohammed Aziz (a pseudonym) lives in Saidu Sharif, on the outskirts of Mingora.

Tuesday night was a very horrible one. The Taliban attacked Saidu Sharif, where all the government headquarters are located. All night we heard gunshots and battle sounds. Frontier police were defending their positions, and in some parts there was man-to-man fighting. The army wasn't present — they're busy in Mingora centre.

The results of the long night came yesterday morning. The Taliban had captured the deputy inspector-general's office, the district mayor's office and various other government buildings. They'd also robbed three banks in the valley. One of them, a Muslim commercial bank, is not far from us.

Yesterday, was a little easier (apart from in central Mingora), but we're in a lot of trouble because there's neither water nor electricity. People, especially women, make their way to natural fountains to fetch water.

Yesterday evening, the army reached Saidu Sharif and they announced that the curfew would be tightened: we're not allowed out after 9 pm. So we stay at home. Everyone is terrified. About 60 medical students are stuck in their college with only biscuits to eat. I'm trying to sleep, but the firing from Mingora city never stops. I don't know when we'll get out of this hell, which was once heaven on earth."

Read Mohammed's previous entry.

“The Taliban say they have an army of 2,000 suicide bombers”

Julien — Tue, 05 May 2009 13:58:02 +0200

Residents across various cities and villages in Pakistan's Swat valley are evacuating their homes ahead of an imminent military operation to rout the Taliban militia in the region. The Taliban has been slowly gaining control of Pakistan’s Northwest Frontier Provinces. The Swat valley, once a popular tourist destination, has now become a Taliban stronghold. Our Observer in the Swat valley’s main town of Mingora says preparations are underway for a full-blown operation.

Pakistan’s ghost schools… "partly funded by the World Bank"

Team Observers — Mon, 04 May 2009 10:52:00 +0200

A school which serves as a barn for animals. Photo published on the front page of daily Dawn 30 April 09.

One of our Observers in Pakistan tells us that in the Sindh province alone, there are more than 7,000 schools - partly financed by the World Bank - which don't actually exist. The money is pouring into the local authorities, but the schools are never opened.

Another of our Pakistani Observers, Awab Alvi alerted us to this story.

The Taliban advance in Pakistan and America's 'double game'

Sophie Team Observers — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:24:57 +0200

"Taliban Bush". Source: www.anvari.org

The Taliban have positioned themselves less than 100km from the Pakistani capital. One of our Observers in the country tells us that she doesn't see the militant group taking power. She explains however that the US, which has today expressed alarm over the advancing Taliban, is partly responsible for the mounting success of Islamic extremism in the country.

Earlier this month Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari agreed to allow the Taliban-controlled region of Swat Valley to implement Sharia law, provided that the aforementioned put down their weapons. The Taliban law did indeed change, but the Taliban chose to ignore their part of the pact. This was demonstrated by their continued military offensive, which soon brought them to the district of Buner, just 100km from Islamabad. Last Wednesday US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the advances a serious threat, saying that the Pakistani government was "abdicating to the Taliban and the extremists".