Fingerprint identity system launched

* System has access to 122,000 fingerprints, will be upgraded to 440,000

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Mohammadmian Soomro on Friday inaugurated a multimillion rupee Pakistan Automated Fingerprint Identification System (PAFIS) to provide a centralised database of fingerprints to aid in the search for criminals and terrorists.

Soomro, who inaugurated the system at the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Headquarters, termed it an historic occasion and “a quantum leap to provide better and effective policing.”

System’s access: The system, having a central database at Islamabad, is hooked to remote stations in 52 districts of the country and has access to 122,000 fingerprints of criminals, which is being upgraded to 440,000 prints, providing top-of-the-line biometric identification technology. Soomro said the use of technology was vital for the capacity-building of police officials and to help better train them to investigate and track down perpetrators in an efficient manner.

He was also appreciative of the US assistance in the project and said the two countries would continue with intelligence sharing and collaboration in fighting crimes. Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz Khan said there was a need to “re-invent” the police with greater interaction from the community.

Interior Secretary Syed Kamal Shah, National Police Bureau DG Dr Shoaib Suddle, US Mission to Pakistan Deputy Chief Peter Bodde, Interactive Group CEO Shahid Mahmood and FIA DG Tariq Pervaiz gave details of the project.

Peter Bode said the US State Department had provided $13 million for the project and the collaboration would continue for another year to provide reliable online data.

International drug mafia behind militancy: Awais Ghani

Updated at : Saturday, January 26, 2008
PESHAWAR: Governor NWFP, Awais Ahmed Ghani Saturday held the Afghanistan’s circumstances responsible for unrest and militancy in Pakistan.

“Clues have been obtained which indicate that international drug mafia is fostering militancy in Pakistan,” he maintained while addressing a ceremony held in connection with International Customs day.

Awais Ghani urged the international forces to focus on Afghanistan and pointed out that the solution of Afghanistan issue lies within its boundaries.

Pakistan has survived many crisis in the past, however, every time it emerged out as a stronger force, he pointed out, adding Pakistan has the capability to cope with any kind of circumstances.

He said being insecure is fate of those countries which are devoid of adequate arsenal and neither have the capacity to operate the same.

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Aarwaa

Pakistan is ruled by three As - Army, America and Allah.

PM will be chief executive of next govt: Musharraf

* President says there will be no more delays in general elections
* Politics of agitation will not be allowed at any cost

LONDON: President Pervez Musharraf said on Saturday that the prime minister, being the chief executive of the country, would be empowered to run the affairs of the government arising out of the February 18 elections.

Addressing a large gathering of Pakistanis at a local hotel here, he dismissed the impression that there will be any clash between the president and the prime minister. He said the law was very clear to this effect, and both organs of the State could perform their responsibilities independently, keeping the national interest supreme.

In case a single party would not be able to form the government, a coalition government could come into power, the president said, adding that he will be prepared to facilitate the process.

No more delays: Musharraf said the general elections would not be delayed any further, and took strong exception to the allegations of rigging. The president recounted the economic achievements of his government, pointing that all economic indicators are favourable.

Concerning the recent atta (flour) crisis in the country, he said it was a result of smuggling and hoarding, adding that vested interests had tried to play it up for political gains. Musharraf said former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had been involved in corruption and nepotism and instead of facing the allegations before the Supreme Judicial Council, had turned a purely legal and constitutional issue into a political issue.

No agitation: He said the politics of agitation would not be allowed at any cost. Concerning the rapid economic progress that took place in the country recently, he said there was a considerable headway in developing important sectors, including communication, information technology and water and power sectors. app

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Aarwaa

Pakistan is ruled by three As - Army, America and Allah.

‘Orakzai removed due to peace deal failure’

* Minister admits security situation in FATA, Swat may worsen in polls

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz Khan said on Saturday that former NWFP governor Ali Muhammad Jan Orakzai was removed from office because of the failure of a peace agreement with militants in the Tribal Areas.

He told reporters at the National Police Bureau here that following the change of the provincial governor, the government had changed its policy on the ongoing operation in the Tribal Areas, reported AFP. Hamid said that the military operation in Darra Adam Khel would continue till miscreants were eliminated from the area. “We have achieved some level of success, however, the operation in Darra will continue till the elimination of miscreants there,” Hamid said. About the interrogation of Aitezaz Shah, the 15-year-old arrested in connection with former premier Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, Hamid said many arrests had been made on Shah’s information. Hamid said his ministry had already issued an advisory for the protection of key politicians.

Worsening situation: He said the law and order situation could worsen in FATA, Swat and Kurram Agency during the elections, reported Online. staff report/agencies

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Aarwaa

Pakistan is ruled by three As - Army, America and Allah.

‘Identifying murderers will not bring BB back’

* BB’s sister says she would not trust Scotland Yard probe held under Musharraf’s supervision

Daily Times Monitor

LAHORE: Former premier Benazir Bhutto’s younger sister Sanam Bhutto has said she is not interested in knowing the identity of her sister’s murderers as that will not bring her sister back.

In an interview with TV channel Geo News, Sanam said that the issue to catch Benazir’s killers had become irrelevant for her, but it would be in everyone’s interest if the UN or another independent body investigated the murder. “I don’t care who killed my sister because that will not bring my sister back.”

Not Musharraf: She said she would trust Scotland Yard investigations, but not under the supervision of Musharraf. She regretted she could not help her sister, adding that Benazir had always been her own boss, had had some extraordinary achievements, and always kept her word. She said Benazir always kept the family united but after her nothing would remain the same. Sanam said that she had been shopping in London she was informed that Benazir’s rally had been bombed.

Sanam hoped the circumstances will change in Pakistan when her nephew Bilawal Bhutto Zardari takes charge of the PPP. She said she wanted Bilawal to complete his studies before entering politics, adding that her father and sister had sacrificed a lot for Pakistan and those sacrifices would never be forgotten.

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Aarwaa

Pakistan is ruled by three As - Army, America and Allah.

Militants capture Kohat Tunnel

* Security forces continue advance, plan operation to recapture tunnel
* 20 militants killed
* Convoy escapes blast

By Manzoor Ali Shah

SPINA THANA: Military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said on Saturday that the Kohat Tunnel was “in the control of militants”.

Reports, however, said the tunnel – also known as the Pak-Japan Friendship Tunnel – was only “attacked and damaged” by militants. The extent of damage to the tunnel was, however, not clear. Security experts feared the Taliban could blow up the tunnel, and with the tunnel under their control, Peshawar is disconnected from southern districts and traffic is being diverted via Rawalpindi.

Operation planned: Abbas said security forces were “progressing” and operation for the control of the tunnel would be launched any time soon.

Also on Saturday, gunship helicopters took to the sky to pound suspected Taliban positions in the mountains near Darra Adam Khel and Kohat district, eyewitnesses and the military spokesman said.

Security officials said the militants had taken position at hilltops overlooking Darra and Kohat and were using long-range rockets to target civilians in Kohat city.

20 militants killed: A political administration official, asking not to be named, told Daily Times that around 20 militants were killed in Saturday’s clash. Abdullah Halafi, a self-proclaimed spokesman for a Taliban group, phoned the Daily Times office in Peshawar and said the militants “would launch attacks on government forces in the Khyber Agency” if attacks on their comrades in Darra did not stop.

Convoy escapes blast: Meanwhile, a convoy of army vehicles escaped casualties when a remote-controlled bomb went off in the Badabher area near Peshawar, eyewitnesses said, adding the soldiers opened fire seconds after the blast and blocked the highway for a few hours. People were seen fleeing the Darra area as military action there continued for the second consecutive day.

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Aarwaa

Pakistan is ruled by three As - Army, America and Allah.

Shahbaz hints at local govt polls

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shahbaz Sharif has hinted at fresh elections of local/district governments if his party is voted to power in the February 18 elections. Talking to Daily Times, Shahbaz predicted that the next parliament could be a hung parliament, adding that there would be no compromise with President Pervez Musharraf unless he steps down and ensures free and fair elections.

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Aarwaa

Pakistan is ruled by three As - Army, America and Allah.

Indonesia ex-leader Suharto dies

Suharto ruled Indonesia with an iron fist for three decades


Indonesian ex-leader Suharto, 86, has died after suffering multiple organ failure for the second time this month.

He died at 1310 (0610 GMT) after slipping into a coma, doctors said.

During his 32-years in power, the economy thrived, but thousands were killed in the provinces of Papua and Aceh and in East Timor invaded in 1975.

Suharto left office in 1998 amid mass protests over corruption and the human rights abuses, but did not stand trial on health grounds.

No-one has been punished for the killings.

Father of development?

"Indonesia's second President Haji Muhammad Suharto has passed away at about 1310," senior police officer Major Dicky Sondani told reporters at the Pertamina Hospital in Jakarta.

RISE AND FALL OF SUHARTO
Born in Java, June 1921
Comes to power in 1965 after alleged Communist coup attempt
Formally replaces Sukarno as president in March 1967
Modernisation programmes in the 70s and 80s raise living standards
East Timor invaded in late 1975
Asian economic crisis of the 1990s hits Indonesian economy
Spiralling prices and discontent force him to resign in May 1998
Judges rule he is unfit to stand trial for corruption in 2000
Transparency International says he tops the world all-time corruption table in March 2004

All six of his children were at the hospital.

Soldiers and police had to force back crowds of Suharto supporters to allow the ambulance with his body to leave the hospital on his way to his home in central Jakarta, before it is taken to Solo in central Java for the funeral.

The government has announced a week of national mourning.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono led a televised prayer.

"I invite all the people of Indonesia to pray that may the deceased's good deeds and dedication to the nation be accepted by Allah the almighty," he said.

"Mr Suharto has done a great service to the nation."

Suharto was rushed to hospital on 4 January suffering from various heart, lung and kidney problems.

HAVE YOUR SAY Though there are people who blame him for unemployment and poverty, Suharto was the man who gave Indonesia stability Harley Hart, Jakarta
He had been living quietly in Jakarta since being overthrown during the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis. He had been in and out of the hospital several times.

Although he was accused of embezzling huge sums from state funds during his three decades in power, his lawyers always successfully pleaded that his failing health meant he should not stand trial.

Suharto's rule was marked by rapid economic growth and political stability. Some Indonesians fondly call him the "father of development".

But many often found it difficult to pin down what they felt about the man who had towered over their lives for so long, says the BBC's Jonathan Head.


We ask that if he had any faults, please forgive them
Suharto's daughter


They certainly feared him, our correspondent says.

After all, the bloodshed which accompanied his rise to power, after a mysterious coup attempt in 1965 which he blamed on Indonesia's then-powerful Communist Party, was on a scale matched only in Cambodia in this region, he says.

Within the space of a few months at least half a million people were slaughtered in anti-communist pogroms that, at the very least, Suharto and the military tacitly encouraged says our correspondent.

The trauma of that period scars Indonesia to this day, and was a key tool in Suharto's armoury.

After his death was announced, Suharto's eldest daughter, Siti Hariyanti Rukmana, told reporters: "We ask that if he had any faults, please forgive them... may he be absolved of all his mistakes."

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/h...ic/7211565.stm

Published: 2008/01/27 11:38:43 GMT

© BBC MMVIII

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Aarwaa

Pakistan is ruled by three As - Army, America and Allah.

Missile test not unusual: US


By Our Correspondent

WASHINGTON, Jan 26: The United States has said that there’s nothing alarming about Pakistan’s latest missile test but urged all countries in the region to observe their international obligations.

“We’ve seen those reports that the Pakistanis have tested a missile. This I understand is a system as reported that has been tested previously,” State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey said.

“Certainly, again, we want all countries to comply with their international obligations and would not want to see anything done that would destabilise the region,” he said.

Mr Casey maintained that the missile test was “not unique and has, in fact, happened before”.

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Aarwaa

Pakistan is ruled by three As - Army, America and Allah.

Govt has changed policy for tribal areas, says minister

ISLAMABAD, Jan 26: The government has changed its policy towards the tribal areas after the induction of a new governor in the NWFP, caretaker Interior Minister Lt-Gen (retd) Hamid Nawaz Khan said here on Saturday.

Talking to journalists before a meeting of the National Public Safety Commission, the minister accused the militants of violating all peace agreements.

He said that election-related activities were in full swing in Swat and other tribal areas and security forces were trying to ensure peace and calm in the Kurram Agency.

The government, he said, would ensure provision of security to leaders of mainstream political parties.

The interior minister said the government had beefed up the security of politicians to ensure peaceful elections.

He said the general election would be held according to schedule on Feb 18, adding that there was no situation which might cause a delay.

“I don’t foresee any circumstances which may lead to the delay of the general election. The government has beefed up the security across the country and the (security forces) will remain deployed till the conduct of general elections,” he said.

The minister said that information yielded by some arrested terrorists had led to the arrests of some suspects believed to be involved in terrorist activities.

However, he declined to give details of the detained people.

The minister praised the performance of law-enforcement agencies for maintaining peace during the days preceding the Ashura, adding that such security measures boosted the security forces’ confidence.

He said that detectives of the Scotland Yard probing the assassination of Benazir Bhutto would return to Pakistan soon and the Yard might send other investigators if the UK team needed their assistance.

He said the foreign detectives had sought a two-week period for submitting their report but the government had provided them the maximum possible time.

He said that of the six detectives three were ballistics experts while the others were explosives experts who had collected all available evidence and if they wanted, they would collect more evidence.

He said that the National Public Safety Commission had recommended that police chiefs all over the country should be appointed on its recommendations, but the decision could not be implemented because of some reasons.

He said that recommendations were successfully being followed at the federation level.—APP

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Aarwaa

Pakistan is ruled by three As - Army, America and Allah.