Pakistan lifts Facebook ban but restrictions remain

June 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – A Pakistani court on Monday lifted a ban on social networking website Facebook which had carried a competition to draw the Prophet Mohammad, but access to any “blasphemous” material will remain blocked, officials said.

Media

Any representation of the Prophet Mohammad is deemed un-Islamic and blasphemous by Muslims, which constitute the overwhelming majority in Pakistan, and Facebook was blocked two weeks ago because of the online caricature contest.

The Lahore High Court ordered Facebook unblocked after getting assurance from the government that “blasphemous material” would no longer be available in Pakistan, lawyer Azhar Siddique told Reuters.

“The government has assured the court on behalf of the website that the blasphemous material would not seen in Pakistan,” said Siddique, a representative of the Islamic Lawyers Forum, who sought ban on Facebook.

“The court … told me that I can file a contempt of court petition if blasphemous material is again seen on the website in Pakistan, because it is a violation of Pakistani law.”

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the official telecommunications regulatory agency, said it had received officials instructions to unblock Facebook except for links which contain “blasphemous content.”

“We are issuing instructions to Internet service providers to restore Facebook, and it will be done by evening,” PTA spokesman Khurram Imran told Reuters.

The Pakistani authorities had also blocked access to video networking site, YouTube, to contain un-Islamic content, but this was partially lifted last week although links to videos containing “sacrilegious or profane material” remain restricted.

The contest to draw caricatures of Prophet Mohammad was described by its organizers as a “snarky” response to Muslim bloggers who had objected at the creators of the Comedy Central television show “South Park” depicting him in a bear suit.

While many Pakistanis supported the online crackdown, some said the government should have blocked specific videos or pages instead of blocking entire websites.

The publication of cartoons of the Prophet in Danish newspapers in 2005 sparked deadly protests in Muslim countries. About 50 people were killed during violent protests in Muslim countries in 2006, five of them in Pakistan.

On Sunday, Bangladesh, another majority Muslim country, also blocked access to Facebook over “objectionable” material about the Prophet Mohammad.

(Editing by Chris Allbritton and Miral Fahmy)

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Ahmadiyyas blame Pakistan’s policies for Lahore massacre

May 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Toronto, May 29 (IANS) Canada Friday joined its Ahmadiyya Muslim community in condemning the massacre by Pakistani Taliban of 70 members of the minority sect in two Lahore mosques. There are about 50,000 Ahmadiyyas in Canada.

At a condolence meeting here, Lal Khan Malik, president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat in Canada, said, ‘Once again, seeds of hatred sown by fanatical clergy and supported by the Pakistani government have resulted in death of innocents Ahmadiyyas.

‘Each year, Ahmadiyya Muslims are being martyred in Pakistan for no reason other than their faith.”

The condolence meeting, attended by Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney on behalf of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, said the massacre ‘represents a serious escalation in the continuing official persecution of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Pakistan, a persecution that has been noted and documented by numerous human rights agencies and governments around the world.”

Dr Aslam Daud, general secretary of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat, said, ‘We request Canada and the international community to put pressure on Pakistan to immediately stop violence against our people.”

Ensuring the community on behalf of the prime minister, Kenney said Canada will ensure that those behind the massacre are brought to justice.

Later, Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon said in a statement that Canada is urging ‘the Pakistani authorities to ensure equal rights for members of minority communities, and we hope that the perpetrators of this horrendous attack are brought to justice. We will continue to work with Pakistan and our allies to help Pakistan address the challenges it faces.”

A high-profile group among the one-million Muslim community in Canada, the Ahmadiyyas inaugurated North America’s largest mosque in Calgary two years ago. Open to people of all faiths and built at a cost of $15 million, the Baitun Nur mosque is spread over 48,000 square feet.

Outlawed as un-Islamic in Pakistan in 1984, the community claims 70 million followers worldwide.

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U.S. studies options for possible Pakistan attack – Wpost

May 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

U.S. miliary leaders are reviewing options for a unilateral strike in Pakistan if there is a successful attack on American soil tied to the country’s tribal areas, The Washington Post reported in its Saturday edition.

The newspaper said senior U.S. military officials stressed a possible strike would only be considered under extreme circumstances such as a catastrophic attack that convinced President Barack Obama that the campaign using CIA drone strikes is not working.

The officials said airstrikes would be the most effective option in reducing the threat posed by al-Qaeda and other groups, but the United States must be careful not to damage its miliary relationship with Pakistan to a point where it cannot be repaired.

CIA-operated drones have targeted Taliban figures in Pakistan’s tribal areas and the group has vowed to avenge missile strikes that have killed some of its leaders.

The failed Times Square bombing on May 1 has revived international fears about Pakistan, a U.S. ally in the campaign against militancy. It also has forced the Obama administration to review how it would respond to a successful attack on U.S. soil.

U.S. authorities say Faisal Shahzad, a Pakistani-American, has admitted to the Times Square bomb attempt and has been cooperating with investigators since his arrest on May 3.

American and Pakistani authorities are likely scrambling for clues on whether those detained have ties to militants in Pakistan, who are bent on toppling the state and are violently opposed to the U.S. presence.

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Indian officials should respect Pakistan’s courts: Malik

May 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The Pakistan government honours the Supreme Court’s decision upholding the release from house arrest of JuD chief Hafiz Saeed and Indian authorities should accord “similar respect to the verdicts of Pakistani courts,” Interior Minister Rehman Malik said today.

Malik made the remarks while talking to reporters a day after the apex court upheld the Lahore High Court’s decision to free Saeed from house arrest and dismissed appeals filed by the federal and Punjab governments challenging his release.

The Interior Minister said Indian authorities should show the same respect for verdicts of Pakistani courts as that shown by the Pakistan government.

“We had also honoured the Indian court’s decision against Ajmal Kasab,” Malik said, referring to the death sentence recently awarded by an Indian court to the Pakistani national for his role in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

India yesterday expressed disappointment over Pakistan Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the release of Saeed, whom New Delhi has blamed for masterminding the Mumbai attacks.

Indian officials have said they have provided sufficient evidence against Saeed to Pakistani authorities.

Malik also called for a joint struggle against terrorism by Pakistan, India and Afghanistan.

He said Faisal Shahzad, the Pakistani-American arrested by the US for a botched car bomb attack in New York, had links in the restive South Waziristan tribal region.

An investigation into these links is underway though no one has so far been arrested, he said.

“Faisal Shahzad had links in South Waziristan and his accounts are the focus of our investigation,” Malik said.

Media reports, however, said Pakistani authorities had detained 11 suspects, including an army major, for alleged links with Shahzad.

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Obama sending top security aides to Pak to push harder against terrorists on its soil

May 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, May 18 (ANI): President Barack Obama is likely to send two of his senior most national security aides to Pakistan this week to pressurise the Yousuf Raza Gilani government to investigate the botched Times Square bombing plot and more importantly prevent any such similar terror schemes against the US.

According to sources in the Obama Administration, Central Investigation Agency (CIA) director Leon Panetta and National Security Advisor General James Jones are likely to arrive in Islamabad on Tuesday (today, May 18).

This would be first such visit of top US officials to Pakistan since the bungled terror plot.

The top level American officials would prod Pakistan to take tougher steps against the Taliban and other insurgent groups, and would convey the risks regarding Pakistan’s relationship with the US if a deadly terrorist attack originated in that country, The New York Times reported.

“In light of the failed Times Square terrorist attack and other terrorist attacks that trace to the border region, we believe that it is time to redouble our efforts with our allies in Pakistan to close this safe haven and create an environment where we and the Pakistani people can lead safe and productive lives,” National Security Council spokesman Michael Hammer said.

One of the prime concerns for the US officials, which is likely to be discussed at length during their Islamabad visit, is the growing interconnection between Islamic extremist groups flourishing in Pakistan’s volatile tribal regions.

Soon after the May 1 failed bombing plot, Pakistani authorities detained a man named Muhammed Rehan from a mosque in Karachi, which is known for its links with the banned terror group Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM).

“Shahzad was able to connect with people (Rehan) in Pakistan who travelled with him to North Waziristan and back. How he did that without the Pakistani intelligence service knowing about it is a worry,” the newspaper quoted another American official privy to the probe, as saying. (ANI)

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Pak now has two of Shahzad’s ‘collaborators’ in custody: US official

May 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Islamabad, May 15 (ANI): At least two men suspected of having helped fund Faisal Shahzad, the man behind the botched Times Square bombing plot are currently in custody of Pakistani authorities, a top US military official has said.

Speaking on conditions of anonymity, the official revealed that the Pakistani authorities have detained at least two suspects in connection with providing money to Shahzad, The Daily Times reports.

Earlier, media reports said that Pakistan has arrested a man, who claims to have helped Shahzad.

“The suspect in Pakistani custody is believed to have a connection to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Clues have added to authorities” understanding of the plot, but what is definitely true is that a lot of this comes from the statements of people directly involved,” The Washington Post had quoted a US intelligence official, who refused to be named, as saying.

U.S. officials declined to identify the suspect, but said American investigators have direct access to him, and described him as a facilitator for the TTP.

Officials privy to the probe said the suspect, during interrogation, described the whole story about the Shahzad’s arrival in Karachi last year and his travel north to Waziristan for training with elements of the Pakistani Taliban.

However, some other US official, briefed on the investigations said there are some “conflicts and disconnects” in the accounts of Shahzad and the man in custody.

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said no “formal” arrests have been made concerning the May 1 New York terror plot.

“I would like to tell you that there has not been any formal arrest by us,” Malik said when asked whether Pakistani agencies have detained any accomplice of Shahzad. (ANI)

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Tribal elders asked to expel Pak Taliban living as IDPs

May 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Peshawar, May 12 (ANI): The Pakistani authorities have sought help from elders of the Ahmedzai Wazir tribes to oust the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan terrorists, living with families and posing as internally displaced people (IDP) from South Waziristan.

The authorities demanded immediate ouster of TTP cadres from Wana and other towns, officials and tribal chieftains said on Tuesday.

“We have reports that the Mehsud militants have been staying with their relatives and posing as IDPs, who have been provided shelter by the Ahmedzai Wazirs in Wana and other towns,” Wana Assistant Political Agent Ghafoor Shah told a jirga of Ahmedzai Wazir elders.

The Daily Times quoted a tribal elder as saying that the government expressed the concern at the presence of Mehsud Taliban in Ahmedzai Wazir areas where security situation was better than other tribal regions since Mullah Nazir ousted foreign terrorists, especially the Uzbeks in 2007.

“We have already talked to Mullah Nazir and he is very much against the presence of Mehsud commanders or foot soldiers disguised as IDPs.

“There is complete unanimity among all stakeholders that we should be on high alert against these militants,” the tribal elder said on conditions of anonymity.

The officials said intelligence agencies picked up the movement of Mehsud Taliban visiting their relatives staying with Ahmedzai Wazir families and “we fear these Mehsud militants may attempt to disturb the peaceful environment in these areas.”

The tribal elder said the Mehsud families had come from Tiarza area and settled with friends in Shakai Valley, Wana and other towns. (ANI)

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Failed Times Square bomber was 26/11 mastermind’s childhood friend: Officials

May 7, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, May 7 (ANI): Sources close to the investigations concerning confessed Times Square bomb plotter Faisal Shahzad have revealed that he has claimed that he was childhood friends with one of the masterminds of the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, in which 166 people were killed by Pakistani terrorists.

According to ABC News, intelligence sources privy to investigations into the botched bombing plot, Shahzad has claimed that he had contacts with many top notch extremist leaders, such as killed Pakistan Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, radical American-born Muslim cleric Anwar Awlaki and others.

However, the name of the Mumbai attacks mastermind with whom Shahzad is said to have close relations were not revealed.

Shahzad is also said to be linked to a man named Muhammed Rehan, who is believed to be a Jaish-e-Muhamed (JeM) operative and is in the custody of Pakistani authorities at present.

According to sources briefed on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) probe, Shahzad, during his interrogation has revealed that he was angry over the continuous US drone strikes in Pakistan’s tribal areas, and that he had suffered a personal crisis in his life.

Shahzad has reportedly said he carried out the attempted bombing because he was under duress and that he feared for his family’s safety if he didn’t fulfill the mission, sources added. (ANI)

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Pak sets free six top Taliban commanders: Report

April 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Lahore, Apr.29 (ANI): Pakistan has set free at least six top Taliban militants, including the extremist outfit’s second-in command Mullah Abdul Ghani Barader’s close aide Abdul Qayum Zakir, a report in a magazine has claimed.

According to Newsweek magazine, Zakir, who was nabbed days after Barader was picked up from Karachi, was among the six Taliban commanders who were released by the Pakistani authorities recently.

Zakir was Baradar’s top military commander and one of the Taliban chieftain Mullah Omar’s most effective and most feared commanders during the Taliban’s fight to defeat the resisting Northern Alliance 10 years ago, the magazine said.

It said that several Taliban sources have also confirmed the arrest and his subsequent release.

However, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told said he has no information about the arrest and release of these militant leaders.

The incident has also been confirmed by a US official, who declined to be identified, who said that there was nothing surprising about it.

“It’s not a surprise that in a country where politics is often messy, competing interests are carefully balanced, and relationships are complex, some of those people have been let go,” the official said.

“We know they don’t have a consistent policy that they apply consistently, but that doesn’t mean we can’t work with them. Quite frankly, we have to,” he added.

The report regarding the release of Taliban commanders by Pakistan comes days after The Washington Post reported that US officials believe at least two of the arrested Taliban commanders were released by the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) recently.

U.S. military and intelligence officials said the releases, detected by American spy agencies but not publicly disclosed, are evidence that parts of Pakistan’s security establishment continue to support the Afghan Taliban. (ANI)

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Why Azad Kashmir is called Azad?

April 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, Apr.27 (ANI): The United Kashmir Peoples National Party arranged a seminar in London, titled: Challenges, Options and Role of Kashmiri Diaspora was attended by around 150 people from all walks of life; and addressed by many important leaders.

Among them were pro-independent prominent Kashmiris, Pakistani leaders, Pakistani analysts, Baloch and Swiss leaders.

The topic was important and all the speakers made a valuable contribution to enrich the debate, but what caught my attention and attention of many other people was the remarks of Baloch nationalist leader and a former provincial minister, Sardar Hyrbayar Mari, the son of Sardar Kher Baksh Mari and a brother of Balaj Mari who was killed by the Pakistani forces after the murder of Nawab Akbar Bugti.

In his speech, Mari paid glowing tribute to the struggle of the Kashmiri people, which was in many ways similar to the struggle of the Baloch people.

He said like Balochistan, Kashmir was also an independent country, but it was soon occupied and now Kashmir is divided and occupied.

He said one part of Kashmir that is occupied by Pakistan is called Azad Kashmir.

He said: “There are hundreds of independent countries in the world, but no country write independent with its name, as it is understood that they are all independent. However, with Kashmir Pakistani authorities have included Azad (independent), it clearly means there is something wrong – daal main kuch kala hai – something sinister is at play; and they have something to hide. This
Word is included to fool people of Jammu and Kashmir, just to give them false sense of independence.

He further said: “All oppressed and occupied people should unite and coordinate their activities to fight forces of occupation. We have no other choice, but to fight for our rights and our national independence.”

One can disagree with the kind of politics promoted by Mari, but no one can dispute that he is very committed to his cause and is sincere nationalist Baloch leader.

Furthermore, his observation on Azad Kashmir truly represents the situation in Azad Kashmir.

Of course Azad Kashmir is not Azad or independent. It is a ‘colony’ of Pakistan, in which they have established a political set up that is more interested in promoting and protecting national interests of Pakistan than the interests of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Those people who become Prime Ministers or Presidents in this set up are not even allowed to travel to other constituent parts of the State of Jammu and Kashmir. For example, no Prime Minister or President of Azad Kashmir is allowed to visit Gilgit Baltistan which is part of the State and which is on the Pakistani side of the LOC. They don’t need a visa or a passport to go there, but they do need NOC (No Objection Certificate) from Pakistani authorities.

The main complaint the people of Gilgit Baltistan have from the leadership of Azad Kashmir is that they left them at the mercy of the Pakistani agencies and bureaucrats who ruled the territory of Gilgit Baltistan with an iron fist; and denied people of their fundamental human rights. Because of lack of communication and people to people contact, distance between people of Gilgit-Baltistan and rest of Jammu and Kashmir, especially Azad Kashmir widened and sense of belonging weakened.

These Pakistanis decide what is good for the people of Azad Kashmir; and subservient Azad Kashmiris leaders happily come back and implement those decisions.

These helpless and impotent rulers of Azad Kashmir have to declare that they will be loyal to Pakistan. (ANI)

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Kidnapped ex-ISI men, British journalist’s release unlikely: Afghan Taliban commander

April 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Apr 26(ANI): Two former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) officials and a British journalist who went missing in North Waziristan Agency earlier this month, are unlikely to be released by their captors, who believe the former ISI sleuths had been spying on them.

Two former ISI officers, Colonel (retd) Imam and Squadron Leader (retd) Khalid Khwaja and journalist Asad Qureshi, went missing in North Waziristan, where they had been working on a documentary on the Taliban.

Qari Ziaur Rehman, an Afghan Taliban commander, confirmed that the trio was not in the captivity of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, but one of the scattered groups of the Pakistani militants, either the Punjabi Taliban or any other group.

Rehman said the captors of the trio believe that they had succeeded in smashing a network that had been spying on them.

He also said that different groups of the Afghan Taliban made hectic efforts for the release of the kidnapped men, but the captors did not oblige them.

“All the efforts made by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Afghan Taliban) to secure release of the two former ISI officials and the British journalist have failed,” The News quoted Qari Ziaur Rehman, a Taliban commander in Kunar.

“The Taliban commander said the Punjabi Taliban groups, including the one led by Ilyas Kashmiri, were extremely annoyed with the two former ISI officials, particularly Khalid Khwaja, because they believed that they played an important role in the arrest of all their operatives and leaders by the Pakistani authorities,” he added. (ANI)

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Kidnapped ex-ISI men, British journalist’s release unlikely: Afghan Taliban commander

April 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Apr 26(ANI): Two former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) officials and a British journalist who went missing in North Waziristan Agency earlier this month, are unlikely to be released by their captors, who believe the former ISI sleuths had been spying on them.

Two former ISI officers, Colonel (retd) Imam and Squadron Leader (retd) Khalid Khwaja and journalist Asad Qureshi, went missing in North Waziristan, where they had been working on a documentary on the Taliban.

Qari Ziaur Rehman, an Afghan Taliban commander, confirmed that the trio was not in the captivity of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, but one of the scattered groups of the Pakistani militants, either the Punjabi Taliban or any other group.

Rehman said the captors of the trio believe that they had succeeded in smashing a network that had been spying on them.

He also said that different groups of the Afghan Taliban made hectic efforts for the release of the kidnapped men, but the captors did not oblige them.

“All the efforts made by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Afghan Taliban) to secure release of the two former ISI officials and the British journalist have failed,” The News quoted Qari Ziaur Rehman, a Taliban commander in Kunar.

“The Taliban commander said the Punjabi Taliban groups, including the one led by Ilyas Kashmiri, were extremely annoyed with the two former ISI officials, particularly Khalid Khwaja, because they believed that they played an important role in the arrest of all their operatives and leaders by the Pakistani authorities,” he added. (ANI)

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Corruption cases cannot be re-opened against Zardari : Swiss Prosecutor General

April 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Apr.1 (ANI): Rejecting reports that Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has asked the Swiss government to reopen corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari, Swiss Prosecutor General has said that the money laundering cases against Zardari could not be reopened as he enjoys immunity under country’s Constitution.

“Zardari cannot be prosecuted in Switzerland because Pakistan’s constitution grants him immunity as a head of state,” said Daniel Zappelli, who had decided to close the case in Switzerland against Zardari and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, in August 2008.

Zappeli made it clear that Geneva cannot reopen cases against Zardari until Pakistani authorities remove the amnesty granted to the President.

“We could go further only if the competent authorities in Pakistan decide to lift the immunity of the head of state, which I do not know whether it is possible according to their constitution. If not, we can’t. Absolutely not,” The News quoted Zappeli, as saying.

Zardari and Benazir , were convicted by a Geneva court in 2003 of laundering 13 million dollars linked to kickbacks, but that verdict was overturned on appeal. In 2008, Swiss judicial authorities said they had closed the file related to the case.

Zappelli said that Pakistan’s embassy in Switzerland had officially notified him in June 2008 of a decision by Pakistan’s prosecutor-general in April to withdraw proceedings against Zardari.

A trial for money laundering in Switzerland would have to be based on the proceedings of the criminal activity, but that would require proof that a crime had been committed, he said.

“Immunity is the key question. We can’t prosecute Zardari while he has immunity unless Pakistan lifts that immunity. And if he doesn’t have immunity, why don’t they try him in Pakistan,” Zappelli questioned. (ANI)

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Baloch and Sindhi activists demand Pak be declared as ‘terrorist state’

March 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Mon, Mar 29 05:17 PM

Baloch and Sindhi activists here have demanded that Pakistan be declared a ”terrorist state”.

A large number of people from the two communities converged in front of the BBC World Service office in London to protest and observe Pakistan’s illegal occupation of the “independent state” of Balochistan on March 27, 1948, a day that has since been declared as ”Black Day”.

“This is the time the world should realize and they should, I think, this is the time for the security, for the peace and for the stability of the region, and the international community that they should declare Pakistan as a terrorist state,” Samad Baloch, a member of the Baloch Human Rights Council, said.

The protest intended to tell the international community, including the UN, that Balochistan should be recognized as an occupied country.

The protesters, holding placards with anti-Pakistan slogans, its military, and human rights violations, blamed Pakistani authorities for settling Taliban militia everywhere in the country.

“Basically, they are settling Taliban everywhere; they are settling Taliban in Gilgit and Baltistan; they are settling Taliban in Pakistani-occupied Kashmir; they are settling Taliban in Sindh; they are settling Taliban in Balochistan, because they are their strategic extension,” said Lakhu Luhana, Secretary General, World Sindhi Congress, UK.

Luhana said that Sindhis and Balochs are being denied their basic rights.

“People are being disappeared, the political activists, and the Sindhi people… historical rights, political rights and legal rights and cultural rights, they have been completely denied them. There is no law and order, they have entered into poverty and suffering and that has descended on Sindh and Balochistan,” he said.

The protestors also said their struggle would continue until they had achieved their goal of a free Balochistan.

They said that Pakistan never wants to resolve the Kashmir issue, as it would then stop receiving international aid.

“If the Kashmir problem solved, how Pakistan General…becoming…take money, so they are the most corrupt army in the world, people call it fifth largest army of the world, but we say this is the most corrupt army in the world,” Mir Ghulam Hussain, Information Secretary, Baloch Human Rights Council, UK, said.

New Delhi accuses Pakistan of sponsoring terror in Indian-administered Kashmir. Pakistan, which claims Kashmir in full, has consistently denied its involvement in abetting an anti-India insurgency that has killed more than 47,000 people since 1989.

Former legislative assembly member from Balochistan and member of the powerful Marri tribe, Harbiya Marri, also said that Pakistan has no intentions to have peace with India, and the dialogue between the two countries is a farce.

“They have no intention of having peace with Pakistan because they have to maintain this large army and the army is main ruler of Pakistan, which is controlling Pakistan for the last 62 years. So this is the creation of this artificial stage. So, they have to have some sort of dialogue to show we want peace but in reality the intentions are not peace. They want these camps to be maintained to keep on terrorizing Indian government, people and the whole world,” he said.

India broke off a four-year-long sluggish peace initiative with Pakistan after the November 26, 2008 Mumbai attacks, saying dialogue could resume only if Islamabad acted against militants on its soil. It blamed the attacks, which killed 166 people, on Pakistan-based militants.
ANI

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Baloch and Sindhi activists demand Pakistan be declared as ”terrorist state”

March 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, March 29 (ANI): Baloch and Sindhi activists here have demanded that Pakistan be declared a ”terrorist state”.

A large number of people from the two communities converged in front of the BBC World Service office in London to protest and observe Pakistan”s illegal occupation of the “independent state” of Balochistan on March 27, 1948, a day that has since been declared as ”Black Day”.

“This is the time the world should realize and they should, I think, this is the time for the security, for the peace and for the stability of the region, and the international community that they should declare Pakistan as a terrorist state,” Samad Baloch, a member of the Baloch Human Rights Council, said.

The protest intended to tell the international community, including the UN, that Balochistan should be recognized as an occupied country.

The protesters, holding placards with anti-Pakistan slogans, its military, and human rights violations, blamed Pakistani authorities for settling Taliban militia everywhere in the country.

“Basically, they are settling Taliban everywhere; they are settling Taliban in Gilgit and Baltistan; they are settling Taliban in Pakistani-occupied Kashmir; they are settling Taliban in Sindh; they are settling Taliban in Balochistan, because they are their strategic extension,” said Lakhu Luhana, Secretary General, World Sindhi Congress, UK.

Luhana said that Sindhis and Balochs are being denied their basic rights.

“People are being disappeared, the political activists, and the Sindhi people… historical rights, political rights and legal rights and cultural rights, they have been completely denied them. There is no law and order, they have entered into poverty and suffering and that has descended on Sindh and Balochistan,” he said.

The protestors also said their struggle would continue until they had achieved their goal of a free Balochistan.

They said that Pakistan never wants to resolve the Kashmir issue, as it would then stop receiving international aid.

“If the Kashmir problem solved, how Pakistan General…becoming…take money, so they are the most corrupt army in the world, people call it fifth largest army of the world, but we say this is the most corrupt army in the world,” Mir Ghulam Hussain, Information Secretary, Baloch Human Rights Council, UK, said.

New Delhi accuses Pakistan of sponsoring terror in Indian-administered Kashmir. Pakistan, which claims Kashmir in full, has consistently denied its involvement in abetting an anti-India insurgency that has killed more than 47,000 people since 1989.

Former legislative assembly member from Balochistan and member of the powerful Marri tribe, Harbiya Marri, also said that Pakistan has no intentions to have peace with India, and the dialogue between the two countries is a farce.

“They have no intention of having peace with Pakistan because they have to maintain this large army and the army is main ruler of Pakistan, which is controlling Pakistan for the last 62 years. So this is the creation of this artificial stage. So, they have to have some sort of dialogue to show we want peace but in reality the intentions are not peace. They want these camps to be maintained to keep on terrorizing Indian government, people and the whole world,” he said.

India broke off a four-year-long sluggish peace initiative with Pakistan after the November 26, 2008 Mumbai attacks, saying dialogue could resume only if Islamabad acted against militants on its soil. It blamed the attacks, which killed 166 people, on Pakistan-based militants. (ANI)

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‘Unfazed’ Mullah Omar appoints two new deputies following Baradar’s arrest

March 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Kabul, Mar. 24 (ANI): Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar has named two new deputies to succeed his arrested military chief, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.

The BBC quoted a senior Taliban leader as saying that the aim to appoint Abdul Qayuum Zakir and Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor is to send across a message that “one arrest will not affect our movement.”

Mullah Baradar was arrested in Karachi in February in what was seen as a blow to the militants as they gear up to face a major NATO offensive this year.

Earlier the Taliban denied Mullah Baradar’s arrest by Pakistani authorities but later a Taliban spokesman confirmed it.

“Such arrests will not deter us from carrying on our activities,” he told Newsweek.

The role of both new Taliban deputies will be vital at a time when the US is pouring in thousands of men as part of a troop “surge” before a withdrawal begins next year.

Abdul Qayuum Zakir, a former inmate at the US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, is said to be very popular with the younger generation of Taliban fighters because of his willingness to fight on the ground beside his men.

According to reports, Zakir was detained in Guantanamo Bay until 2007 and then deported to Afghanistan before being freed in 2008.

Soon after his release, he was back amongst his old comrades and has risen swiftly up the ladder.

Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor is seen as a key behind-the-scenes leader.

Mansoor, who was part of the original Taliban leadership prior to the 9/11 attacks, has been instrumental in managing Taliban logistics and raising funds, especially from the Gulf countries. (ANI)

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Kidnapped British boy released in Pakistan

March 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A five-year-old British boy kidnapped earlier this month while on holiday in Pakistan with his family has been released.

Sahil Saeed was taken from his grandmother’s house in the town of Jhelum, about 100 kilometres south of Islamabad, on March 4.

His relatives said he was taken by robbers who stole jewellery, cash and demanded a $US120,000 ransom.

“This is fantastic news. It brings to an end the traumatic ordeal faced by Sahil and his family,” British high commissioner Adam Thomson said in a statement.

“I would like to praise the high level of cooperation between UK and Pakistani authorities and in particular I would like to thank the Jhelum police for their role in bringing about the safe return of Sahi.”

The British high commissioner gave no details on when, where or how the boy had been released, nor did he confirm his current whereabouts.

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British boy kidnapped in Pakistan freed unharmed

March 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – A British boy kidnapped 12 days ago while on vacation in Pakistan was freed unharmed by his abductors on Tuesday, police said, ending a high-profile ordeal.

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“We are very happy. Thank God he is safe and sound,” said Raja Basharat, the grand-uncle of five-year-old Sahil Saeed.

Pakistan will hand the boy over to the British embassy, Aslam Tarin, regional police chief, told a news conference.

Sweets were handed out at the home of the boy’s relatives in the town of Jhelum after they received a call from the kidnappers that he had been left in the nearby garrison town of Kharian.

Tarin said Sahil was “playing with the police.”

Gunmen held several of Sahil’s family members at gunpoint for several hours and took away 150,000 rupees ($1,750) and some gold during the kidnapping, and later demanded a 10 million rupee ($118,000) ransom.

Provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah told Reuters an “international gang of kidnappers” was responsible.

“We are trying to bust this gang with the help of other countries,” he said, without elaborating.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik had said he suspected some relatives were involved in the abduction, which made big news in the British and Pakistani media.

But Tarin said: “We have found no evidence of involvement of his father or any of his family members in it (the crime).” The father has returned to the United Kingdom, he added.

“It is fantastic news which brings an end to the traumatic ordeal faced by Sahil and his family,” the British High Commissioner in Islamabad, Adam Thomson, said in a statement.

“I would like to praise the high-level of cooperation between U.K. and Pakistani authorities and in particular, I would like to thank the Jhelum police for their role in bringing about the safe return of Sahil.”

Kidnapping is a major problem in Pakistan and many of the crimes go unreported. Local media said on Tuesday that the dead body of a two-year-old Pakistani girl who was kidnapped for ransom was found near the northwestern city of Peshawar.

(Additional reporting by Kamran Haider and Zeeshan Haider in ISLAMABAD; Writing by Michael Georgy)

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5 dead in Pakistan shootings

March 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Pakistani authorities say unidentified gunmen killed five people, including the head of a hardline religious organisation, in two separate shooting incidents in Karachi.

A senior official for the southern province of Sindh says both attacks were “sectarian killings”.

The port city of Karachi, Pakistan’s economic hub, is the capital of Sindh.

“Unidentified gunmen on motorcycles attacked a car in (eastern) Gulzar-e-Hijri neighbourhood of Karachi late on Thursday night and killed Mufti Saeed Jalalpuri and three of his companions,” provincial government spokesman Jameel Soomro said.

Jalalpuri was head of Tanzeem Khatme-e-Nabuwwat, an organisation staunchly opposed to the Ahmadi community.

The Ahmadis were declared non-Muslims in 1974 by Pakistan for their belief that their founder was a prophet.

In an earlier incident, unidentified gunmen on motorcycles similarly attacked the car of Abdul Ghafoor Nadeem, city head of the banned Sunni Muslim sectarian group Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, killing his son and injuring him and three others.

Mr Soomro said it was not clear who was responsible for the shootings but said “both incidents are sectarian killings”.

He says Police are investigating.

-AFP

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Pakistan bomb attack kills 11

March 9, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Pakistan’s Taliban have claimed responsibility for a suicide car bomb attack on a police intelligence unit in the eastern city of Lahore that killed at least 13 people during Monday’s morning rush hour.

The Al Qaeda-backed group threatened more violence unless US drone aircraft strikes and Pakistani government offensives against its fighters stop.

Lahore’s top administrator, Sajjad Bhutta, said up to 600 kilograms of explosives were used in the attack, which targeted a federal police office.

The violence may be a psychological setback for Pakistani authorities, who have won praise from Washington after capturing high-profile Afghan Taliban figures and who have made gains against home-grown militants in their ethnic Pashtun tribal bastions.

The blast was so powerful it wounded someone in a house 300 metres away. Residents of the home stepped on a pool of blood as they cleared away a shattered doorway.

“Such attacks will continue as long as drone strikes and military operations go on in tribal areas,” Taliban spokesman Azam Tariq told Reuters by telephone from an undisclosed location.

Hours later, missiles fired from a pilotless drone aircraft hit a veterinary clinic in North Waziristan that militants used as a hideout, killing five fighters, Pakistani intelligence officials said on Monday night.

The Lahore blast left a huge crater in the road outside the office of the main police investigation body, the Federal Investigation Agency, and destroyed the front of the building.

The agency in Lahore has been attacked twice before.

Senior police official Ayaz Saleem said the death toll had climbed to 13, with 70 people wounded.

“There were three people in the car but two of them had got out before the attack. One attacker died,” he said.

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