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June 20 (Reuters) – Iran hanged the convicted leader of a Sunni Muslim rebel group on Sunday for his involvement in “terrorist” attacks in the Islamic state, state television reported.
“Abdolmalek Rigi was hanged at dawn today … he was convicted for many crimes like being behind many deadly attacks … and killing dozens of innocent people,” state television said.
(Writing by Parisa Hafezi, Editing by Michael Roddy)
Peshawar, May 16 (ANI): At least five persons were killed and many others injured in a suspected US drone strike in Khyber region of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan.
While unmanned Predator aircrafts regularly target militant hideouts located in the volatile tribal regions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, the missile hit, which military and intelligence officials said targeted a house and a truck loaded with extremists, is probably the first such drone attack in the region.
The death toll could not be confirmed independently with some sources saying it could be anywhere between five to fifteen, The Dawn reports.
Although Pakistan publicly opposes the attacks, saying they violate its sovereignty and fuel anti-American sentiments amongst the population, it is believed that it was sharing intelligence with the US about the insurgents and their hide-outs.
More than 850 people have been killed in over 90 such strikes in Pakistan since August 2008, with a surge in the past year as President Barack Obama has put Pakistan at the heart of his fight against Al-Qaeda. (ANI)
Quetta, May 15 (ANI): The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has threatened several schools, including two girls’ school in Quetta of ‘severe consequences’ if they do not pursue its guidelines regarding the dress code.
A number of schools in the provincial capital and Mastung region have received threatening letters warning them against allowing students to wear ‘western’ clothes, and asked them to observe the ‘purdah’ system strictly.
Following the terror warning some of the schools have closed down fearing an attack from the TTP, The Dawn reports.
The threat letter also warned about the presence of ‘informants among the students and staff members.’
The threatening mail has resulted in a wave of panic sweeping among students and school administration across the province. (ANI)
Islamabad, May 15 (IANS) The Pakistani Taliban has sent threatening letters to schools in Balochistan province, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, which has forced the institutions to shut down, a media report said Saturday.
A number of schools, including two girls’ schools, have closed in Balochistan provincial capital Quetta after the school managements received threatening letters, sent by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Balochistan chapter, Dawn.com reported.
The letters threatened that if ‘purdah’ was not observed in schools, then teachers and administrative heads will have to bear the consequences. The militant outfit said there were many TTP informants among the students and staffers and warned the school authorities of dire consequences in case of non-compliance.
Similar letters threatening action against wearing ‘western clothes’ were sent to schools in Mastung district.
Abbottabad, May 15 (ANI): A local court here while declaring former President General Pervez Musharraf an ‘absconder’ has directed authorities to confiscate his property.
The District and Sessions Judge Abdul Mateen directed the police to impound Musharraf’s property and submit its report to the court till May 17.
On Thursday, the Peshawar High Court’s Abbottabad bench had upheld a decision by the lower court nominating Musharraf as the main accused in a case concerning the mysterious disappearance of a scientist who worked for the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC).
Scientist Attiqur Rehman’s family had claimed that he was picked up by intelligence officials on June 25, 2004, the day he was about to get married.
A case naming Musharraf as the main accused was filed in the lower court in this regard. The district and sessions judge had then ordered the local police to record the statement of Sadiqur Rehman, Attiqur’s father.
Following a prolonged trial, the judge issued an order on October 30, 2009 directing the authorities to declare the main accused as a proclaimed offender. The order also called for confiscation of the property of the accused, The Dawn reports. (ANI)
Islamabad, May 13 (ANI): Father of Saif-ur-Rehman, the Pakistani man who was arrested in Chile on charges of entering the US Embassy with traces of explosives on his clothes, has alleged that his son is being implicated in a trap, and has been made a victim of racial profiling.
Mehmood Ahmad Rehman Khan said his son, who is doing an internship in a hotel in Chile, had received a phone call asking him to appear for an identification check at the US Embassy in Santiago.
He claimed that Saif, 28, had a visa, which was valid for five years.
“Saif, while chatting on the Skype with his family on May 7 (Friday), told me that a person named Bill had called him from the US embassy in Santiago and asked him to come to the US embassy for some identification check-up,” The Dawn quoted Khan, as saying.
“My son became a victim of racial profiling and has been detained without a valid reason or evidence. His arrest was clearly a setup,” he added. (ANI)
Melbourne, May 11 (ANI): No matter if you are staying in a 5-star hotel or a sub-standard budget lodge, there will be many things you’ll find wrong as far as the place’s services are concerned.
Many establishments seem to get it wrong when it comes to basic parts of their service.
And here are 10 of the most annoying things hotels consistently get wrong:
The Age reports, “1. Breakfast is served … from 7.30am to 7.45am
You”re on holiday, but if you actually want to get that breakfast that was included in the room rate, you”ve got to be up at the crack of dawn or risk missing out. Some hotels have gotten the message in recent times and extended breakfast hours through to 11am, but plenty of others are lagging behind.
2. Bathroom nightmares
A decent bathroom should be a simple thing for a hotel to achieve, but consistently hotels fail on little details that become major pains. Poor design is one. Some places offer no space to place your toiletries in the bathroom, other than on the floor, or put the soap holder outside the shower, instead of in it.
3. Hidden fees and charges
This is a speciality of North American hotels – the fees are there to cover certain ”extras” that the hotel provides, but there”s no way to opt out.
4. Do not disturb? What does that mean?
Many hotel cleaners ignore do not disturb signs.
5. Internet is free, unless you”re paying 400 dollars a night
It”s slowly beginning to change, but one of the big pains with high-end hotels is their expensive Internet charges, whether in-room or at the business centre. Rarely can you pay by the minute or half-hour – it”s normally a 24-hour minimum at an exorbitant price. The irony is that if you stay in a cheaper place – like a backpacker hostel – there”s normally free wireless or at least a couple of free computers available for use.
6. Check-in/check-out times
Late check out is becoming increasingly common in the hotel industry and this is a welcome development. But plenty of places still want you out by 10am on the dot, regardless of how busy the establishment is. Even worse are the places that threaten with charging you for a half-day”s stay if you happen to oversleep and overstay by 30 minutes. And the downside of more late check-outs is that check-in times have also become later. 2pm used to be standard but increasingly this has been pushed back to 3pm.
7. Bigger doesn”t mean better
With so many guests, personal service often goes out the window. Stay in a mega-hotel with hundreds of rooms and you may find yourself stuck on hold when trying to contact the front desk or queuing up for ages in the lobby to ask a simple question.
8. Thin walls, noisy corridors
This is a real problem in buildings that were not designed as hotels. That grand old room that is now three separate guest rooms is likely to be divided by a paper-thin bit of plaster, meaning you can hear your neighbours rolling over in bed – or worse. And the location of windows facing loading bays, foyers or bars can lead to a sleepless night or rude awakening in the early hours.
9. We hear your complaint, but we”re not going to do anything about it
They”ll thank you for bringing it to their attention, but you”re crazy if you think they”re going to do anything about. After all, you”ll be gone in a day or two and then a new guest will arrive – and they might not notice what you were complaining about.
10. How many pillows do you need?
It”s a more minor gripe (which is why it comes in at number 10), but why do high-end hotels insist on burying their beds beneath so many pillows?” (ANI)
Islamabad, May 10 (ANI): A blame game has started over the leakage of the report of the enquiry commission, which was constituted by the Pakistan Cricket (PCB) to look into reasons behind the team’s deplorable performance during Australia tour, with both former captain Younis Khan and the board blaming each other for disclosing the details of the report to the media.
Younis’s lawyer Ahmad Qayyum said the report was leaked deliberately by the PCB, instead of handing it over to him.
“The report published on the front page of a leading English daily today was leaked by the PCB, but I did not receive the report. It is amazing that the concerned party has no copy of the report while it is made available to the media. I only received a hard copy today, in fact just five minutes before getting here. It is an attempt to conduct a media trial of Younis Khan,” The Dawn Qayyum, as saying.
The PCB’s counsel, Talib Hyder Rizvi, however, insisted that the board had kept the report a well-guarded secret till it had to be handed over to a few people for filing appeals against the ban on players.
“I had expressed my doubts that the report will not remain a secret for long and will be leaked to the media after it was handed over to the others and now you have seen all of it in the media,” Rizvi said.
It may be noted that a Pakistani English Daily had quoted former coach Intikhab Alam describing his team as a bunch of uncivilised players who do not know how to wear clothes or talk.
The newspaper’s report said that Alam had told the PCB enquiry commission that skipper Shoaib Malik had a ‘negative attitude’, and blamed him for infighting in the team.
“They do not know that they are representing the country. They don’t know how to wear their clothes and how to talk in a civilised manner,” the report quoted Alam, as saying during a hearing of the six-member commission,
Alam, who was sacked after the tour, however, refused to comment on the leaked report.
“I don’t remember exactly what I said, but I focused on cricketing issues,” he said. (ANI)
Peshawar (NWFP, Pakistan), May 8 (ANI): Pakistan security forces on Saturday killed at least eight suspected militants in the Orakzai Agency.
The Dawn quoted official sources, as saying that after the security operation, the Daboori area was secured.
Security forces confirmed the sanitisation of the Daboori area and the setting up of security checkposts.
Over 600 militants have so far been killed in the agency since the beginning of April. (ANI)
Beijing, May 8 (ANI): Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said that a leader of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which China accuses of orchestrating attacks in its restive Xinjiang region, has been killed which has subsequently served a severe blow to the group.
Interacting with reporters on the last day of his two-day China visit, Malik said Pakistan together with Beijing has been able to break ETIM’s back and has eliminated its top leaders.
“I am happy to inform you that their back is broken, it’s weakened. We treat ETIM not only as an enemy of China but also as an enemy of Pakistan … Now the other so-called gang leader Haq has been killed recently, I can confirm that,” Malik said while referring to Abdul Haq, an ETIM leader, who is also known as Memetiming Memeti.
“We have witnessed that the ETIM terrorists are weakened and they are no more that kind of organisation,” Malik added.
Beijing maintains that Haq had taken over the ETIM’s leadership after the death of its Pakistani commander Hasan Mashum in 2003.
However, the World Uyghur Congress has denied any knowledge about any such ETIM leader being killed.
“We have also heard this but we don”t have any further information and so cannot elaborate. We don”t know this person so we have no way to verify,” The Dawn quoted
Dilxat Raxit, a spokesman for the World Uyghur Congress, as saying.
In July last year, about 200 people were killed in Xinjiang’s ethnically divided Urumqi city in violent clashes between Han Chinese workers and Uighur workers. (ANI)
Karachi, May 7 (ANI): Following two consecutive losses against Australia and England in the on going World T20 Championship in the West Indies, former Pakistan cricket captain Rashid Latif has advised incumbent coaches Waqar Younis and Ijaz Ahmed not to let pressure on them affect the team strategy.
Latif pointed out that during the match against Australia, both Waqar and Ijaz looked under immense pressure, which had an adverse effect on team’s performance as well.
“World Twenty20 is a tough event and absorbing pressure in tough games by players and coaches is vital. Positivity of coaches is very important because it will send a good message to the players,” The Dawn quoted Latif, as saying.
He said Pakistan should not let the defeats affect their performance in the coming matches of the coveted tournament.
“It’s not the end of the world,” Latif said.
He pointed out that Pakistani bowlers, especially the pacers, failed to vary their speed and length, which resulted in them being thrashed by opponent teams’ batsmen.
“Our bowlers failed to bowl with variations when they came under pressure. Sami received thrashing because he did not vary his pace and bowled short which allowed the Australian batsmen to punish him,” Latif said.
Pakistan was comprehensively beaten by Australia by 34 runs in the last of their group matches. The defending World T20 Champions suffered another humiliating six-wicket defeat at the hands of England in the first match of the Super Eight Stage of the tournament on Thursday. (ANI)
Islamabad, May 5 (ANI): Media reports suggests that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chieftain Hakeemullah Mehsud may be behind the failed Times Square bombing plot.
According to The Dawn, nearly two months back Hakimullah had written a letter to Dr. Aafia Siddiqui’s sister assuring her of all help and cooperation.
In the letter, Hakimullah reportedly told Aafia’s sister that the TTP would give a memorable response to the US for detaining her and falsely charging her in terror cases.
Hakimullah also purportedly said in the letter that Pakistani leaders would also face a fitting response for failing to save Aafia, the alleged Al-Qaeda terror suspect.
The Pakistani neuroscientist has been charged for firing at American investigators in Afghanistan in July 2008, and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 6.
A New York court has found her guilty on charges related to the attempted murder and assault of US nationals and US officers and employees in Afghanistan. (ANI)
Imphal, Apr 27 (ANI): Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chungsei Haokip was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Imphal.
Sixty-year old Haokip was having food with a friend at a hotel here on Monday, when unidentified gunmen opened fire just after dawn.
His friend Haokai Lungpheng also received bullet injuries in his right calf.
The duo was rushed to the local hospital where doctors declared Haokip brought dead.
The functionaries and supporters of NCP condemned the killing and demanded immediate action by the concerned authorities.
“It is very unfortunate that such a fine person, a fine leader, a very rare leader of his community has been killed in a very merciless manner. The NCP, all together, condemned strongly this drastic act and demanded that the culprits should be found out,” said Leader of Opposition in the Manipur Legislative Assembly Radhabinod Koijam.
“They should be caught and punished very severely according to the law of the land,” he added.
Meanwhile, the police have registered a case and launched official investigation into the murder of Haokip, who was the Vice President of the Manipur state unit of NCP. (ANI)
Lahore, Apr 26(ANI): Pakistan Twenty20 skipper Shahid Afridi believes the national team is balanced enough to defend their Twenty20 World Cup title in the West Indies, despite the absence of their most experienced fast bowler, Umar Gul.
Gul, Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker in the previous two editions of the Twenty20 World Cup, has been ruled out the tournament after he hurt his shoulder during a training camp at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore earlier this month.
“Umar is an expert of reverse swing. He could have been lethal on the slow pitches in the West Indies, but all the other available players are also equally good and eager to perform in the mega event,” The Dawn quoted Afridi, as saying.
He believes that spinners would be Pakistan team’s major weapon, and would play a crucial role on the slow pitches.
“Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Hafeez and Abdul Rehman are all talented spinners and can play the role of match-winner against any team,” Afridi said.
He further admitted that being the defending champions, Pakistan would be under pressure to perform well and win, but said: “We have to learn to handle that kind of pressure to give hundred per cent.” (ANI)
Lahore, Apr 26(ANI): Pakistan coach Waqar Younis insists that the national team needs aggression and firepower to win the forthcoming Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies.
“I will try to induct the same kind of aggression and fire in the team, which was Pakistan’s trademark in 1990s as it is necessary for us to win and retain the title,” The Dawn quoted Waqar, as saying.
“The boys have put in plenty of hard work during training camp. They look very much in form and rhythm to deliver and defend the title,” he added.
When asked who will be the favourites for the tournament, the 38-year-old said that it would be very difficult to predict a winner.
“Twenty20 is a different type of cricket where no one can predict anything, but it is important to perform to your potential…you have to bowl, bat and field well on the given day in order to win the match,” he added.
The entire squad, except for fast bowlers Mohammad Sami and Mohammad Asif, and eight officials left from Lahore for the West Indies via Dubai and London.
Sami left for the West Indies from Karachi via New York, while Asif boarded a direct flight from Lahore to London, as he is banned from travelling to Dubai. (ANI)
Peshawar, Apr.24 (ANI): At least 10 policemen were wounded when a suicide attacker targeted a prison van in Pakistan’s troubled tribal region of North West Frontier Province (NWFP).
Senior police officials said that the attackers came in an explosives laden car, which they rammed into the prison van as it arrived at a jail in Timergarh town of the Lower Dir District.
The prison vehicle was empty at the time of the attack, The Dawn reports.
“We have found the engine of the car used in the attack and some body parts of the bomber including his sliced head from the site,” senior police official Shakeel Ahmad said.
Another senior police official, Qazi Jamil, confirmed the attack, saying: “It was a suicide attack targeting the police van.”
Timergarah, which is situated near the Afghan border, was a stronghold of the Taliban 2009 when the Pakistan Army launched a major offensive and established its control over the region.
Extremists have been targeting security forces stationed in the region since they were forcibly flushed out last year, which shows that they still hold ground. (ANI)
Islamabad, Apr.24 (ANI): The Pakistan Government has decided to form a new joint investigation team to further probe the role of officials and others who have been indicted in the UN enquiry commission’s report on former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s assassination.
According to highly placed sources, the decision was taken during the recent core group meeting of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and President Asif Ali Zardari.
The new joint investigation team will comprise of senior police and intelligence officials, The Dawn reports.
The team would be tasked with interrogating recently suspended police officials and former military officials and would try to unmask the mastermind of the deadly assassination plot Bhutto.
Confirming the report, senior PPP leader Nazar Mohammad Gondal said the government is committed to bring the perpetrators to justice and find all punish all those who are found accountable for the crime. (ANI)
Karachi, Apr.24 (ANI): Pakistan T20 captain Shahid Afridi has said that his squad is all geared up for defending the World T20 Championship in the West Indies, adding that it needed support of both people of the country and the media.
Afridi said his boys are well prepared to tackle world’s best teams during the coveted tournament but they needed fans support to transform their talent and will into performance on the field.
“My team and I are geared up to, tactically and technically, live up to the expectations of the nation for accomplishing the task of winning in the West Indies,” Afridi said in an interview prior to departure to Caribbean.
The 15-member Pakistan contingent would leave on Saturday (today) and reach St. Lucia via Dubai and London.
“Without the prayers of the nation and supporters across the world, the Pakistan cricket team cannot achieve anything. Besides playing patriotically for Pakistan we need support of countrymen and the media. My appeal to the national media is to go for healthy criticism while keeping Pakistan’s interest above everything,” The Dawn quoted Afridi, as saying.
Afridi denied being under any pressure to perform, and stressed that players would have to lift their fielding standards if they have to repeat last year’s success.
“Fielding is crucial area in this fastest version of the game, and a lot of hard work was done to raise the standard. We are ready give our best and rest with Allah,” he said.
Afridi said his team has good mix of youth and experience that can create trouble for even the world’s best teams.
“T20 cricket is altogether different. We got a lot of firepower in our batting.
We have experienced Misbah-ul-Haq, Abdul Razzaq, young Umar Akmal, Khalid Latif and Salman Butt,” he said. (ANI)
Peshawar, Apr 19 (ANI): At least 25 persons have reportedly been killed in a second bomb blast in Peshawar”s crowded Qisa Khawani bazaar area on Monday evening.
Television reports said that Peshawar”s Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) has died in the incident.
Earlier, a child was killed in the blast and over ten others were left injured, the Dawn reported.
There are reports that a Jamat-e-Islami rally protesting against load shedding was the target. (ANI)
Peshawar, Apr 19(ANI): An eight-year-old boy was killed and at least 11 people were injured when a bomb exploded outside a school in the Khyber Road area of Peshawar on Monday.
The injured, mainly students of the Police Public School, have been rushed to the Khyber Teaching Hospital.
“It was an IED (improvised explosive device) planted near a shop. It was a timed device. One child was killed and 10 others were wounded. Schoolchildren were the target,” The Dawn quoted senior police official Mohammad Karim Khan, as saying.
The Medical Superintendent of the Khyber Teaching Hospital, Khizr Hayat, said that at least seven injured children were brought to the hospital, adding the body of a minor is also present at the hospital.
According to bomb disposal squad officials, at least two-kilogram of explosives were used in the blast, and it also damaged two vehicles parked outside the school.
Peshawar University and other educational institutions have been cordoned off for the investigation to be carried out quickly. (ANI)
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