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Legionnaires from the French Foreign Legions 2REG (2e Régiment étranger de génie) during training while on deployment to Djibouti – 2014
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his advisers sit across from Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov before their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on December 15, 2015. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]
Legionnaires from 4th Company, 2ème Régiment Etranger d'Infanterie, taking part in a mechanized warfare exercise – March 2019
Photo: 2ème Régiment Etranger d'Infanterie
Members of the French Foreign Legion conduct urban operations as part of Exercise Bold Alligator 17 at Military Operations in Urban Terrain Town on Camp Lejeune, N.C., Oct. 29, 2017. Bold Alligator 17 is a large scale, multinational amphibious exercise designed to execute complex shaping operations, amphibious landing and attack, and sea basing operations to improve U.S. and coalition ship-to-shore capabilities. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Abraham Lopez)
A French paratrooper from 2Rep, French Foreign Legion, looks in as his section move out after being delivered into battle by an RAF Chinook, during Exercise Wessex Storm.
Across three days of high tempo activity on both the ground and in the air British, French and American paratroopers demonstrated how they can go by air to battle together.
Exercise Wessex Storm saw the 2 PARA Battlegroup training on Salisbury Plain to confirm its skills and readiness to serve as the lead infantry unit within 16 Air Assault Brigade, the British Army’s global response force.
The battlegroup includes a company of some 150 troops from the French 2e Régiment Etranger de Parachutistes (2e REP) and a 40-strong platoon from the US Army’s 2nd Battalion, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment.
Their involvement is about growing understanding of each other’s capabilities and tactics, to be able to operate together better on any future operations, to be ready to respond together to international crises.
Photos:Cpl Rob Cane
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I wanted to try a handmade composition and I fell in love with the result :) Here are some coins and a banknote I got from previous holidays..plus some euros to complete the composition.
French Foreign Legion (Legion Etrangere) army men parade in Satory, near Paris, on July 10, 2010, during the rehearsal of the French national celebration, the Bastille Day, which will take place on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, on July 14, 2010. 13 African countries will parade with French troops 50 years after their independence.
Former Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt meeting Iraq Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari in London, 30 March 2011.
Un groupe de légionnaires du 2e Régiment étranger d'infanterie (REI) patrouille lors de l'opération ''Prométhée'dans le secteur de Géryville.
Operation "Prometheus" – Algeria 1960
Legionaries of 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment (REI) during operation "Prometheus"
around the mountainous terrain in the region of Géryville in Oran, This operation is designed to eradicate the separatist in South Oran Algeria
The soldiers were delivered by Sikorsky Helicopters and despite the heat, which forced them to take short breaks, they move through the mountains, which highlights the breathtaking scenic panorama of the region. When contacted the Algerian independence fighters several were killed and one Legionnaire was wounded, the latter is transported on a stretcher awaiting evacuation.
At the end of the mission, a transmitter establishes a radio signal giving the helicopter to approach the helicopter for the troops.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry delivers remarks at the Foreign Affairs Policy Board meeting at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. on September 13, 2016. [State Department Photo/ Public Domain]
Artizen HDR Natural
George Gilbert Scott’s Grand Staircase of the Foreign Office. The murals on the first floor surrounding the staircase are by Sigismund Goetze, who painted them at his own expense throughout the First World War. Presented to the Foreign Office in 1921, they depict the ‘origin, education, development, expansion and triumph of the British Empire, leading up to the Covenant of the League of Nations’. The two great ormolu and bronze chandeliers were produced by Skidmore’s Art Manufacturers Company of Coventry, while the mosaic pavement on the ground floor was executed by Minton-Hollins to designs in the antique style by Scott.
Before people get offended the Open Mic were 80% gay males behind female avis who also performed but were dissing fat women and women that are mothers... and molested children. I used to go every Thursday til one of the Hosts aka Amadi ejected me because I unfriended her for kissing ass.
Enjoy ^ . ^
A French Foreign Legion soldier provides security during a patrol in Deh Rawod, Afghanistan, Nov. 4, 2008. (Photo by U.S. Marine Cpl. John Scott Rafoss)
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg meets with Ararat Mirzoyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia
An orientation class of Foreign Service officers is sworn in by Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on May 19, 2023. [State Department Photo by Freddie Everett/ Public Domain]
Introduction
A veteran diplomat, Mr. Shahid Muhammad Amin served in the Pakistan Foreign Service from 1958 to 1997, including 18 years as Ambassador. He was Ambassador to Libya, Soviet Union, France, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, with concurrent accreditation to several other countries. During his diplomatic career, he had postings in New York, Geneva, Kabul, Brussels, Jeddah, New Delhi, Tehran, London, Tripoli, Moscow, Paris, Lagos and Riyadh, apart from serving at the headquarters in Islamabad.
Mr. Shahid M. Amin represented Pakistan in several conferences as leader or as a member of Pakistani delegations. He attended Islamic Summits of 1973, 1984 and 1994. He traveled widely in Africa as Special Envoy of the President/Prime Minister of Pakistan. During his diplomatic career of 39 years, he held some very sensitive political assignments including New Delhi, Kabul, Moscow, Tripoli, Riyadh and Paris, He reopened the Pakistan Mission in India in 1976 after a five-year rupture of diplomatic ties, He was Ambassador to the Soviet Union at the peak of the Afghan crisis and was closely involved in the conclusion of Geneva Agreements.
Since retirement, Mr. Shahid M. Amin has written extensively on foreign policy and national affairs. He is a regular participant of television and radio programmes and public seminars, and is teaching at the College of Business Management in Karachi. His book entitled Pakistan’s Foreign Policy: A Reappraisal was published in 1999 by the Oxford University Press. He’s writing another book on foreign policy, He is married and has five children. He is a golfer and a cricket fan. Reading is his favorite hobby.
Interview with KalPoint.com
KalPoint.com (KPDC): Please tell briefly about your self, your education and brought up.
Shahid M. Amin (SMA): I was born in Delhi, India in 1936. Because of my father’s posting in Rawalpindi we had to move there. I started my education in Rawalpindi. I did M.A (English Literature) from Punjab University and then I did M.A (International Relations) from Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, Boston USA. I also rendered my services as lecturer of English Literature at Gordon College Rawalpindi. I started foreign services from junior posts like 3rd Secretary, 2nd Secretary, 1st Secretary, Counselor, Minister and then finally Ambassador. I spent 39 years in Pakistan Foreign Service. I was ambassador for 18 years to several countries lastly Saudi Arabia as well as I was ambassador to Soviet Union, France, Nigeria and Libya. I saw so many Governments in that period in Pakistan, starting from Ayub Khan till Nawaz Sharif when I retired in 1997. Since then I am involved in writing and speaking on Foreign Policy. I published the book “Pakistan Foreign Policy in 1999 Reappraisal" by the Oxford University Press. Another book of Foreign Policy is currently in the making. I write a lot for newspapers, deliver speeches at seminars and also appear on different radio and Television Talk Shows. So, essentially my interest in foreign affairs continues. I have 5 children and I like my retired life with relatives and friends.
KPDC: Since you have written numerous articles on foreign policy, what do you think about the current foreign policy of Pakistan?
SMA: By and large we are following the right foreign policy at this time. I support it and generally speaking President Pervez Musharraf has been remarkably successful since 9/11. I don’t recall any other Pakistani President who has had that kind of high profile coverage in the world news media, which President Musharraf has received. He’s pragmatic and he’s capable of understanding the situation accordingly. But off course the problem with Pakistan's Foreign Policy has always been there. We have a kind of unending confrontation with an adversary who’s 9 times larger than us. So this has handicapped us. This has really forced us in the direction in which we might not have walked. We have been forced to look for security from the world. Why? Because basically we are worried about India attacking us or creating a serious situation, so we have looked for the equalizer and have endeavored to establish strength from the military point of view.
Fortunately in the last couple of years we have seen an improvement of relation between the two countries. Public opinion is now more assertive. I have not been to India in the recent past but those who have lived in India say that the Indian mood is now changing. People are now in favor of having good relations with Pakistan. But I am afraid that the kind of problem we have had in past is still continuing which is firstly living in a sense of insecurity and secondly looking towards countries like US and a feeling of unequal relationship. If we did not have this factor, we wouldn’t have worried about what US thinks of us today, Pakistan is relatively in a good position. We have a very important geostreg location and then in the presence of fore, occupations, not only by USA but also Russia, China, European Union and other countries are very worried about what they regard as militant extremism in Islam or fundamentalism in Islam. So they look at Pakistan as a progressive, moderate country .The country, which tries to stabilize matthers and this is where Pakistan is getting so much support. They want to support us on the ground that we are responsible. This trend must continue.
KPDC: What is the main function of OIC? Is it really working or not?
SMA: To be honest Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) is not really effective. It has got some impressive figures. There are 57 members in OIC, which makes more than ¼ of the total membership of the United Nations. They have the capability, after all number is important. There are some major producers of oil. Other countries may not be that affluent but they are equally important like Pakistan because Pakistan has nuclear capability. We have got a very talented manpower. We are really like a kind of a Laboratory a think tank of the Muslim world in many ways. If we create unity amongst OIC’s countries it will havea certain importance. The question is, how we have utilized this entity to advance the interest of the Islamic countries together? There, we have failed generally.
Whatever is happening in Iraq, OIC doesn’t take any action. Also as far as Kashmir is concerned there’s no role that problem OIC has played so far. So it has greatly disappointed Muslim opinion. The reasons are complex; one basic is that Islamic countries are many but they don’t have their umanimty of views, they have different interests and different priorities. Kashmir is the priority for Pakistan but not for Syria or Palestine. Now we support the Palestine for that matter but they haven’t supported us on Kashmir. So priorities are different because India is a key country and they don’t want to deteriorate their relations with India. They have their own compulsions and local cir*****stances, which impel them. So this is the problem that we don’t have common positions or same priorities. What was happing in Bosnia? What did the Islamic world do? Nothing!! These are our problems where firstly we need the political will and that means good coordination at very highest level. Like now, we know President Pervez Musharraf has been very active but you can’t name any other leader except Mahatir Mohammad of Malaysia but he is also retired now. In the past we had people like Shah Faisal, Suikarno and others but now have no towering personality. So we need to have strong leaders with sense a of purpose and then there has to be some coordination. OIC can become effective if it has unity and harmony of opinions.
KPDC: How do you see the implementation of WTO in 2005 and it’s implications on Pakistan‘s economy?
S.M.A: Generally speaking this is some thing that is coming globally, there’s no escape. I tend to take a positive view of this. It means more fair trade. We have presently near about 10 to 11 billion dollar export. We have seen complaining of tariff and other restrictions but after this all such quarrels will hopefully go away. Pakistan is capable of making a spectacular growth in exports and then we can double it. Such kind of thinking we need in Pakistani Economy and over all you must be export oriented without that it’s very difficult to really get any where in the world.
We have the example of the East Asia that how well they have done. What did Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan and South Korea do 30 years back when they were not any better than ourselves but now they have left us far behind. China was not doing any thing mentionable till a few years ago and now the Chinese seem to be coming up like a super power at least in the world economy. So if they can do it so why can’t we? What we need is the enterprise and awareness of the international economic opportunities and then making the best use out of it. We have a very talented people but we should know how to utilize their abilities to the maximum.
KPDC: In your opinion what are the key factors Pakistani Government should take to attract foreign investment in Pakistan?
S.M.A: We have very good reasons to attract foreign investment in Pakistan. I have always been writing and emphasizing on television and newspaper that it’s not enough to make speeches that we have very attractive investment opportunities. Actually investors are very concerned about the law and order situation here and Government seems to be unable to control it . Now that is not an isolated issue. We have these extremist indoctrinated people in the country and something has to be done in this regard. We must seriously stop poisonous propaganda and brain washing which produce the terrorists and fanatical elements.
Another issue in the context of foreign investment is of quality. When I was abroad, I heard so many people saying Oh we got this shipment from Pakistan. The 1st shipment was very good but the 2nd shipment has all kind of defects. For that reason, the reputation is hurt so we should improve our quality control. The world expects certain standard and we must follow them. In Pakistan we may not be use to of those standards but when we are in the world market we’ll have to maintain those standards. We’ll have to be quality conscious and should acquire better technical business practices and good law & order. At this time, there is a willingness in Western Europe, Japan and other countries to help Pakistan in the economic sector. They do wish to come here in greater number.
KPDC: Do you think Pakistan should give up the slogan of Kashmir as core issue for strengthening peace process in the region? Or having this Slogan can other issues be resolved?
S.M.A: I have written so many times in my books and newspapers on this issue. Kashmir is the case where India has always been guilty morally and legally. Pakistan’s demand has been correct that the people of Kashmir should be allowed to determine their own future. At the same time we also have to look at the ground reality. 57 years have passed and there is no solution of the Kashmir issue. Unless something radical is done the Kashmir issue is not going to be solved for many years to come. In this process Pakistan has been hurt and India has also been hurt. We are the smaller country so we have been hurt more.
In the case of Kashmir we need to consider whether it should be given the high priority (that we have been giving) or not. We should always try to support our Kashmir brothers. At the same time we must think of the interest of Pakistan as well. In the context of Afghanistan and Taliban, we said ‘Pakistan First’. ‘Pakistan First’ also applies in the case of Kashmir. We know Jammu, which has a non-Muslim majority, is not going to vote for Pakistan even though you hold the and ‘Ladakh’ also seems to have a population non-Muslim that would go for India rather then with Pakistan. Then we have the valley of Kashmir, which is solidly Muslim and Anti India. But is it ro-Pakistan? Will they give vote to Pakistan or will they choose to be independent? So finally we have to ask these pragmatic questions, at the end of the exercise that will areas under Indian occupation come to Pakistan or not? In the long run, we have to find ways of co existence. The present process, which has started, must not be interrupted.
KPDC: Don’t you think that creating Security Council and giving veto power to a few members, is against the basic objectives of United Nation? It has created a lobby of the countries, which have the Power tool against any other nations?
SMA: The principle of veto is really undemocratic but it has been there since 1945 and veto power has been given to five major countries USA, Russia, UK, France and China. The philosophy behind the veto power was to give the five key countries right to veto any thing, which they cannot accept. No doubt it’s an undemocratic idea but still these five countries are the big power. They are like ‘Chaudhry’ of the world. This is unfair but at the same time it is realistic.
Q8: How do you see the coming up of China in economic sector? It already has a military power and it’s also going to become world economic super power. Do you think that after the collapse of USSR China is going to take the place of USSR?
SMA: Yes, it is a possibility it may happen but not in a hurry. China is entirely concentrating on its economic development. It has firmly followed the policy of not having any kind of confrontation with any country. They’re against war between India and Pakistan. Their approach is to build their economy. I have read several article and reports that it will take another 30 to 40 years before it reaches the kind of super power status like USA. China has a spectacular growth rate but will it be maintained? This is the question.
KPDC: What would you like to say about your visit to Kalia Group?
SMA: It has been a fascinating visit to KalSoft (Pvt) Ltd. This project of Kalia Group is truly a diversified project and it is maintaining high standards in IT and related fields. There seem to be many very bright young people working tremendously. Congratulations & best wishes to Kalia Group for running such an institution.
KalPoint.com is doing excellent work in dissemination of information and an enterprise of this kind deserves all encouragement. Best of luck
KPDC: What message would you convey to the youngsters of our country?
SMA: We have a wonderful country. We struggled so hard by sacrificing a lot. We must learn the value of this country. We must be above all patriotic. We must do every thing to protect and keep its independence and survival. We must have a sense of national purposes. We must allow and help it to make economic progress. We are a very talented people by Allah’s grace. We can do anything but what we lack is the unified effort of a strong leadership. Education and Information Technology is the path to progress.
Questions by Netizens Top
Q1: With the collaboration of USSR we have established the Steel Mills. Can you tell me is there any other project that was made with the cooperation of Russia? (Amjad - Islamabad)
SMA: We have had collaboration with the former Soviet Union now Russia since back in 1961. Firstly they came here for oil exploration and they did find some oil in the 60’s. They were with the Oil & Gas Development Corporations (OGDC) at that time. But there were other projects also in Energy Sector including the production of electricity with the help of fuel. KotAddu and some other places in Punjab have had some Russian involvement .The Steel Mill remains the most famous example and it is now currently doing well. In the past, people thought that this might be a White Elephant but now we get very optimistic reports that they are making profit. The Russians have always been very proud of the Karachi Still Mill. They have built Steel mills in many countries of the world but they term the Karachi Still Mill as the finest, which had been built with the Russian collaboration in any country.
Q2: Is there any chance of war between US and Iran. Will US attack on Iran and does Iran have a sufficient force to face US? Will Iran see the same situation like Iraq in that case? (Yumna – Sharjah, UAE)
SMA: I don’t think there‘s going to be any war between the US & Iran. We must understand that US is the sole Super Power of the World not only Iran but no other country can match the US. In case of Iraq we know that limited power is being used, otherwise USA has the capability to destroy the whole of Iraq in a matter of few minutes.
There are limitations in use of power and also world opinion & the reactions of others friends and allies must be kept in mind. So I’m sure, in case of Iran they will be under pressure by countries like Pakistan not to resort to force against Iran because this will convey a kind of a hatred message to Muslims especially a country like Pakistan, which has very close relations with Iran. But at the same time the Iranians must show sense of responsibility too. What exactly the problem is that they have already signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty [NPT] and they seem to be violating it. It’s not only the United States but also the European union and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, have been monitoring activities of Iraq and there are reasons to think Iran has been violating its commitment under the [NPT]. Iran should honor its commitment under the [NPT] then there will be no question of aggression of USA on Iran.
Q3. Sir I have done MBA and want to join Foreign Services of Pakistan? Can you tell me please how can I join Foreign Service of Pakistan? (Mohi Uddin - Lahore)
SMA: You can appear in a competition examination, providing which you can get a reasonably high position. When I appeared I was first in Pakistan at that time and Foreign Service was considered No.1 service but now it seems Foreign Service is not so highly rated. If you are 55 or 75 in position, you can still enter the Foreign Service.
KPDC: Thank you very much for sparing your time here and giving us this very informative interview. C U On Net.
The history of the Pakistan Foreign Service is as old as Pakistan itself. Just as the country has gone through its periodic ebbs and tides, so have the Foreign Service and its mandarins experienced periods of perfect calm followed by strong currents of unsettling tumult. It has, in the process, had more than its fair share of challenges and storms.
A constant in the 60 years of Pakistan Foreign Service is the element of envy — of its mandate to man the ramparts of Pakistan abroad, often in unfriendly environs and under daunting conditions — and hostility to those charged with the onus to discharge the mission. Foreign Service mandarins, predominantly drawn from the country’s shrinking middle-class, have been a target of derision, mockery and, often, open hostility from its political masters, representing its feudal elite and soldiers-of-fortune.
Dr Samiullah Koreshi is one of the early pioneers of the Foreign Service and has deftly woven an interesting pastiche of this and other unsavory aspects of the unwelcome ambience in which the service has been cultured over the past decades. Although these are his memoirs and his reason for writing them couldn’t be any other than to highlight the personal imprints he has left on the passage of the Foreign Service over the decades since its inception, and the meandering course of Pakistan’s foreign policy, the history of the service, of which he was a luminary, unconsciously threads its way into his personal account.
He recounts, for instance, a truly hare-brained scheme of Manzoor Qadir, who, as foreign ninister under Ayub Khan, had the reputation of being a genius and a foreign policy wizard, to have only a handful of Pakistani embassies in the outside world: not more than a dozen, to cover the whole wide world. Ayub’s finance minister, Mohammad Shoaib, had an even sillier scheme up his sleeve; he sought not only to reduce the number of embassies abroad but also slash their manpower to an unworkable minimum; just an ambassador and a junior officer. He impishly christened it as ‘a man-and-boy’ team of diplomats.
Shoaib, too, was undeservedly hailed as a financial genius and ace economist whereas his only qualification was that he was a World Bank implant in Pakistan. The fetish with America-returned wizards has robustly flourished to date in Pakistan. The current power dispensation is larded, to our dismay, with such wizard-wonders, aplenty. Bankers with money-laundering credentials have been ruling the roost in Pakistan as economists, par excellence.
Dr Koreshi recalls that all these schemes were the brainchildren of powerful and power-hungry CSP officers who’d struck up an alliance with the army under Ayub. They wanted to do away with the Foreign Service altogether and have, instead, only a general pool of officers, crisscrossing the boundaries of civil and foreign services. The snide purpose was to open the rich pickings of foreign postings to the CSP cabal.
But the gods were kind to the Foreign Service mandarins because they happened to have a man as intelligent and suave as Mr Ikramullah as foreign secretary, for a second time. He saved the service by convincing Ayub of its fatuity. But the service didn’t prove to be as lucky under those who followed Ayub, especially those wearing the khaki in Pakistan. The present regime has taken the process of stuffing the embassies abroad with its favourites to the extreme, at the obvious cost of the service Brahmins.
Dr Koreshi makes some other fascinating, if not exactly sensational, revelations.
For instance, he lifts the veil on the cloak-and-dagger operation of October 27, 1958 — barely 20 days after Ayub had proclaimed martial law in Pakistan — when Ayub’s co-conspirator, President Iskandar Mirza, was unceremoniously bundled off to London in the dark of the night. He reveals, on the authority of Air Commodore Maqbool Rab, his ambassador in Ankara, that Iskandar Mirza had ordered him (Rab) to arrest Ayub upon his arrival at the Mauripur Airbase of Karachi. Rab was Vice-Chief of the Pakistan Air Force and out of inter-services loyalty reported it to his military colleagues. Ayub rewarded Rab for his loyalty with the embassy in Turkey.
Dr Koreshi, who served nearly 40 years in the diplomatic service, has other interesting anecdotes and episodes to tell in his memoirs. All diplomats, invariably, have such anecdotes to recount in their repertoire of memories. Dr Koreshi was lucky that he served in some very interesting places, India (where he served in three different locations, Jallandar, Chandi Garh and Delhi), Russia, Canada, Turkey, Lebanon, Nigeria, Japan, Indonesia, et al and met some of those who were prominent in the making of history. Some of those were colorful characters, like Yasser Arafat, General Yaqubo Gowan of Nigeria and General Suharto of Indonesia, among others.
There’s a lot of Dr Koreshi in these memoirs, a little too much, for some. But this is understandable. It’s basically an account of his personal journey as a Pakistani diplomat, who climbed the ladder of the Foreign Service with hard work, dexterity, wit and great perseverance. He earned a place under the Foreign Office sun on the dint of sheer labour and intelligence. None should begrudge him if he’s suspected of giving airs to himself at some places. Like any other diplomat, he’s entitled to prize some trophies in his bag, as he went around the world, selling his staple merchandise of words and wits.
He credits himself, for instance, for convincing Yasser Arafat to go personally to New York, in 1975, to address the UN General Assembly. That’s was Arafat’s maiden appearance at the UN when he delivered the famous speech in which he said he was carrying a gun in one hand and an olive branch in the other. Dr Koreshi claims he was the only Pakistani of any consequence whom the legendary Arafat respected from his heart, and listened to like a brother. Well, there seems little reason to dispute this statement, especially now that Arafat has been dead for three years.
Like any other Foreign Service mandarin, Dr Koreshi, too has his fill of regrets and remonstrations. For example, he feels bitter about the in-palace intrigues — quite shameless, at that — of some of his senior colleagues that robbed him of the chance to become foreign secretary under General Ziaul Haq. To become the head of the Foreign Office is a prize coveted by every service Brahmin. He, thus, has every right to feel betrayed and sourly let-down by his own service colleagues. But, the, the Pakistan Foreign Service is, and has always been, like a strait-jacket with room at the top terribly constricted. Being a smaller service, compared to the civil service or police, it has annoyingly suffered from the syndrome of ‘dog-eating-dog’ and colleagues frequently stabbing colleagues in the back, with little remorse or compunction. It’s simply survival of the smartest, not necessarily the most intelligent or competent. To Dr Koreshi’s credit, he doesn’t name the names of those villains who were his nemeses.
But Dr Koreshi himself doesn’t sound too complimenting to his Bengali colleagues, when writing about their conduct in the backdrop of the break-up of Pakistan, in 1971. He faults them for carrying chips on their shoulders against a united Pakistan but conveniently glosses over the less-than-edifying contribution of bureaucrats of West Pakistan who contributed, immensely, wittingly or unwittingly, in the widening of the gulf between East and West Pakistan.
The author had earlier written his memoirs in English. Why did he think of writing them in Urdu, too, should best be known to him. However, in doing so he has done himself and Pakistan a service, perhaps unwittingly. The readership of English books in Pakistan has been on a downward curve for sometime and readers of English abroad aren’t quite that interested in reading the memoirs of a Pakistani diplomat, no matter how colourful or controversial. By contrast, Urdu readership has a much larger and accommodating circle in Pakistan. Dr Koreshi’s memoirs, written in a fluent and uncluttered prose, should be a good and interesting read for Pakistanis, of this generation, as well as for those to follow.
The book is well studded with Dr Koreshi’s collection of mementos and memorabilia, as also with photographs of his with many of those who made history.
DAWN November 25, 2007
01/12/2021. Riga, Latvia. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss arrives to attend the NATO Summit in Riga, Latvia. Picture by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street
The Turkana inhabit the arid territories of northern Kenya, on the boundary with Sudan.
Nilotic-speaking people, they have for a long time stayed outside of the influence of the main foreign trends. Nomad shepherds adapted to a almost totally desert area, some also fish in the Turkana lake. They are divided in 28 clans. Each one of them is associated with a particular brand for its livestock, so that any Turkana can identify a relative in this way.
The majority of the Turkana still follow their traditional religion: they believe in a God called Kuj or Akuj, associated with the sky and creator of all things. He is thought to be omnipotent but rarely intervenes in the lives of people. Contact between God and the people is made though a diviner (emeron). Diviners have the power to interpret dreams, foresee the future, heal, and make rain. However, the Turkana doubt about those who say they have powers, but fail to prove it in the everyday life. Estimates are that about 15% of the Turkana are Christian. Evangelism has started among the Turkana since the 1970s. Various churches have had work for some decades and church buildings have been built. The most astonishing element one can notice in the villages, is that the only permanent structures are churches, with huts all around. Infact, in the late 1970s, feeding projects as well as literacy courses and other services have been provided by Baptist workers. This easily explains the importance acquired by the Church.
They don't have any physical initiations. They have only the asapan ceremony, transition from youth to adulthood, that all men must perform before marriage.Turkana marriage is polygynous. Homestead consists of a man, his wives and children, and often his mother and other dependent women. Each wife and her children build a sitting hut for daytime and, in the rainy season, a sleeping hut for nighttime. When a new wife comes, she stays at the hut of the mother or first wife until she has her first child. The high bride-wealth payment (30 to 50 cattle, 30 to 50 camels and 100 to 200 small stock) often means that a man cannot marry until he has inherited livestock from his dead father. It also implies that he collect livestock from relatives and friends, which strengthens social ties through the transfer of livestock. Resolution is found to conflicts through discussions between the men living in proximity to one another. Men of influence are particularly listened, and decisions are enforced by the younger men of the area. Each man belongs to alternating generation sets. If a man is a Leopard, his son will be a Stone, so that there are approximately equal numbers of each category. These groups are formed when there is a need to make large groups rapidly. The Turkana make finely crafted carved wooden implements used in daily life. During the rainy season, moonlight nights' songs have a particular place in the Turkana's life. They often refer to their cattle or land, but they are sometimes improvised and related to immediate events. The Turkana have a deep knowledge of plants and products they use as medicine. That is why the fat-tailed sheep is often called "the hospital for the Turkana".
© Eric Lafforgue
Soldiers from the Castelnaudary 4th Foreign Regiment (Legion etrangere) march down the Champs-Elysees during the annual Bastille day parade in Paris, on July 14, 2011.
Award recipients participate in a Foreign Affairs Day awards ceremony event at the Department of State in Washington, D.C., on May 5, 2023. [State Department photo by Ron Przysucha/Public Domain]
PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 14: Soldiers from the Castelnaudary 4th Foreign Regiment (Legion etrangere) march down the Champs-Elysees during the annual Bastille day parade on July 14, 2011 in Paris, France. The French National Day celebrates its revolution in the storming of the Bastille in 1789 through various parades and official ceremonies throughout France.
10/12/1986 President Reagan in a staff briefing with Ken Adelman George Shultz Donald Regan Paul Nitze Max Kampelman and John Poindexter in Hofdi House during the Reykjavik Summit in Iceland
Service members with the French Foreign Legion’s 6th Light Armored Brigade and U.S. Marines with Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response-Africa step out towards an objective during a training exercise on Quartier Colonel de Chabrieres, France, May 29, 2015. Marines stationed at Moròn Air Base, Spain, conducted a seize and capture training exercise with the French infantrymen to further improve interoperability between the two NATO forces as they concurrently deploy their service members to Africa. (U.S. Marine Corps photograph by Lance Cpl. Christopher Mendoza/Released)
52 weeks again - week 36
for the teleidoscope week#35 theme: foreign
foreign is a very broad word with lots of meanings i went for the "alien" approach here :-)
i feel like my photoshop skills are a little out of practice... but i hope to flex these muscles soon.
this weekend i discovered a new photographic tool: lightroom. it's less manipulations oriented but great for the other tweaks. also this week i got my new toy which i'm currently using and will post more stuff with it soon... eheh
earworms from this week:
- danny elfman - mars attacks theme
- ramin djawadi - game of thrones main title
- yoav (feat emily browning) - where is my mind
A soldier of the French Foreign Legion from the 1st section "Les Aigles" (the Eagles) of the 2nd REG (Regiment Etranger du Genie) patrols near Tagab in Kapisa Province on January 26, 2011. The French Foreign Legion, a military unit established in 1831, was created for foreign nationals of any nationality wishing to serve in the French armed forces.
Legionnaires dressed in traditional pioneer outfits and holding hatchets parade during the commemoration ceremony of the 1863 battle of Camerone, at the Foreign Legion base of Aubagne, near the southern city of Marseille, Friday, April 30, 2010. The Foreign Legion marked the 147th anniversary of the Camerone battle in which some 65 French Foreign Legionnaires resisted a Mexican army of more than 2,000 men.