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  #471  
Old Friday, July 11, 2008
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Oil rises on Brazil oil strike threat, Iran


Friday, July 11, 2008

LONDON: Oil rose on Thursday to near $138 a barrel due to escalating tensions between Iran and the West and threats of an oil workers’ strike at Brazil’s Petrobras next week.

The upside was limited by International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts for a more comfortable supply outlook next year. US crude rose by $1.77 to $137.82 a barrel by 11:33 am EDT (1533 GMT). London Brent crude traded up $1.63 at $138.21 a barrel.

The threatened five-day strike at Petrobras would affect all 42 Campos basin offshore platforms, which account for more than 80 per cent of Brazil’s output of around 1.8 million barrels per day.

Iran tested more missiles in the Gulf on Thursday, while the United States pledged to defend its allies. “A second day of missile tests probably has less impact on prices than on the first day,” said Mike Wittner, analyst at Societe Generale. Iran test-fired nine missiles on Wednesday which it said included ones that could hit Israel and US bases.

Concern over Iran has mounted after a big Israeli military exercise last month. The West fears Iran wants to master technology to build nuclear weapons. These tensions boosted gold on Thursday, which was also supported by sagging equity markets.

The situation in the Middle East has played a part in oil’s surge this year to record levels of more than $145 a barrel. But high prices are starting to take their toll on demand.

World oil demand growth will slow in 2009 and the need for oil from the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will fall, the International Energy Agency said in its monthly report. This could help relieve the perceived tight supply/demand balance in the world oil market that has contributed to around a 50 per cent jump in prices this year.

“We do see the potential for a build in spare capacity in 2009, that should help to improve the situation,” said Lawrence Eagles of the IEA, which advises 27 industrialised countries on energy policy. A pledge from Saudi Arabia to increase output this year could help provide more of a cushion for the market, he said.


Notice issued to Shaukat Aziz



Friday, July 11, 2008

ISLAMABAD: Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) of Islamabad issued notices on Thursday to former prime minister Shaukat Aziz, the concerned official in the Ministry of Finance and officials in the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), for allegedly filing a false case against Secretary General of Advanced Education Trust working in 56 Islamic countries.

The respondents have been directed to appear on July 23 with the relevant record. Zahida Malik appeared in person and apprised the court that former premier got a case registered against her under Sections 420/467/468/471 PPC after levelling allegations that his forged signatures were used by her when she was serving as Country Director Overseas Pakistanis Socio-Economic Development Club.


Most PBC members do not want govt grant’




Friday, July 11, 2008



LAHORE
A MEMBER of the Pakistan Bar Council has claimed that majority of the PBC members are against accepting Rs 5 million grant from the government till the restoration of judiciary.

At a press conference here on Thursday, PBC Member Hafiz Abdul Rehman Ansari added a11 21 members of the PBC were united at this point and they were also against the constitutional package proposed by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

He said majority of the PBC members were with the lawyers’ movement and it was the body, which had regulated the same since March 9, 2007 and so there was no question of it betraying the community.

He said 11 members of the PBC were not in favour of accepting the official grant until all the ‘deposed’ judges were restored.

He expressed reservations over the statement reportedly made by Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Aitzaz Ahsan that PBC would no more lead the lawyers’ movement.

He said it was not the time to create a rift in the community but harmony. He said the PBC members by no means lagged behind others in the movement.

However, he said, whoever among the PBC practiced ‘plots politics,’ was bound to frustrate and was liable to receive wrath of the community.

Hafiz Abdul Rehman Ansari said the movement had reached a point where anyone betraying it would be looked down upon.


FM rejects foreign troops on Pak soil




Friday, July 11, 2008

UNITED NATIONS: Reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to fight terrorism, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmud Qureshi has told the UN Security Council it will not permit its soil to be used against other countries nor allow foreign troops to operate inside the Pakistani territory.

“We can assure greater success in containing terrorism and insurgency on both sides of the border through more effective cooperation and matching military measures. This is a joint responsibility,” he said as the 15-member council debated the situation in Afghanistan on Wednesday afternoon.

“We are prepared to consider suggestions to enhance the effectiveness of such cooperation,” the foreign minister added. At the same time, he said Pakistan’s partners, especially Afghanistan, too could contribute to enhancing operational cooperation by undertaking measures such as expansion of military deployments and check-posts on the Afghan side of the border to match Pakistan’s 100,000 military personnel and 1,200 check-posts, real-time intelligence sharing, caution in the use of artillery and aerial attacks, supply of counter-insurgency equipment requested by Pakistan, more effective check of the 40,000 daily legal crossings and relocation of Afghan refugee camps close to the border from Pakistan to controlled sites in Afghanistan.

More is needed to be done to overcome suspicion and distrust, Qureshi stressed. Initial steps could include declaring mutual respect for each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, avoidance of provocative statements and the revival and reinvigoration of the Jirga process. The Ankara Process as well as Afghanistan-Iran-Pakistan tripartite cooperation should be supported.

He said Pakistan had condemned the terrorist attack against the Indian embassy in Kabul and deeply regretted the loss of life and damage caused by that unacceptable suicide bombing. The continuing insecurity and violence in several parts of Afghanistan could be attributed to a complex interplay of several factors, including the Taliban, al-Qaeda, lingering warlordism, factional rivalries and criminal activity.

Pakistan had committed $300 million to Afghanistan’s reconstruction and pledged $20 million for the resettlement of refugees. Despite shortages in Pakistan, 50,000 tons of wheat would be exported to Afghanistan at subsidised rates.

He said economic cooperation could be enhanced by jointly establishing Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs) along the border, implementing Pakistan’s plans to import electricity from Central Asia and implementing the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline.

Earlier, Afghan Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta said Afghanistan had witnessed a spike in terrorist acts in recent months, including the assassination attempt on President Hamid Karzai, the Kandahar jail-break and a drastic increase in the loss of international forces.

He said those behind the Taliban and al-Qaeda had enhanced their support, increased the pace and scope of terrorist activities and shifted their focus to Afghanistan as a part of their psychological war to sabotage the peace process in the country and affect regional and global public opinion.

One of the contributing factors, Spanta said, was the de facto truce in the tribal areas beyond the border.The terrorists were sustained by a complex set of networks and infrastructure, and, therefore, could not be defeated by military operations inside Afghanistan alone.

Terrorism could not be defeated unless its root causes were addressed. Success would be achieved only by a coherent, integrated, regional and global approach, he said.The Afghan security forces, alongside their allies from Isaf and the international coalition against terrorism, were bearing the brunt of that effort, Spanta said.

They were fighting an enemy that was trans-national in composition and international in focus, based outside Afghanistan’s borders.Meanwhile, the UN special envoy for Afghanistan, Kai Eide, stressed the need for a “strong presence of international forces for the foreseeable future”.

“Afghanistan should not used as a geopolitical battleground and we call on Afghanistan’s neighbours not to arm or finance insurgents or allow them to operate from their territories,” US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said.

Iran’s UN Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee also called neighbouring Afghanistan’s security a “high” priority for Iran.UN humanitarian chief John Holmes said the UN was now seeking $400 million in international aid for Afghanistan, up from $81 million sought in January. At a conference in June in Paris, nations pledged more than $20 billion to help Afghanistan.

Indian ambassador to the UN Nirupam Sen said despite Monday’s attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul, New Delhi would not waver in its commitment to helping Afghanistan secure stability and development.

“We cannot afford to slacken our resolve or our efforts in combating the forces of terrorism, extremism and crime, wherever and in whatever forms these groups may take,” he told the council.

And he underscored the need for a collective effort. “We cannot succeed if we send mixed signals through bargains for temporary and local peace, while the rest of us contend with the consequences of such deals,” he added in an apparent dig at Islamabad.



To a question on the constitutional package to restore the judges, Ansari said it was a trick to buy time until the issue diffused.

He said the government did not have majority to get the package passed in the Parliament so why this exercise. He said previously the lawyers were confronting only Musharraf but in the form of Asif Ali Zardari, they have another to tackle with, as he was equally unwilling to restore the judges.

To a query about the Peoples Lawyers Forum (PLF) invitation to Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar to address the lawyers in the City, he said that, in his view, Chief Justice Dogar would not go.


PPP leaders avoid meeting Amin Fahim



Friday, July 11, 2008


Karachi
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leadership, as well as federal and provincial ministers, is avoiding meeting with and inviting PPP Senior Vice Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim even to their private and family functions due to his criticism of the government and the party leadership.

The party leaders believe that they would be in trouble and would face the wrath of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari if they maintain contact with the rebel party leader.

Diplomats, businessmen, politicians, senior citizens and the PPP leadership also took notice of the absence of Amin Fahim in the Valima function of Nafees Siddiqi’s son Rahil held Wednesday at a local club.

Guests were surprised when they did not find Amin Fahim in the function as Nafees is considered to be very close to Fahim.

The absence of Fahim was the main topic among the participants of the function, which was attended, among others, by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, acting Governor Nisar Khuhro, acting Speaker Shela Raza, acting Senate Chairman Jan Jamali, provincial and federal ministers, Secretary Election Commission, Kanwer Dilshad, Prof Ghafoor Ahmed of and Dr Mairajul Huda, Fatheyab Ali Khan, PML-N’s Salim Zia and Waqar Mehdi.

It was observed that most of the guests phoned each other first and confirmed whether Fahim was present in the function or not and then they attended the function.
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U.N. to investigate Bhutto killing



UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. chief has agreed to Pakistan's request to establish an independent commission that will investigate the killing of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's office confirmed the agreement moments after it was announced by Pakistan's top diplomat.

"The objectives are for the commission to identify the culprits, perpetrators, organizers and financiers of the assassination," Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told reporters Thursday, just after a brief, private meeting with Ban.

Determining who was behind Bhutto's killing could help stabilize a nation that is a key U.S. ally in the fight against terrorism, but has been struggling against an influx of insurgents joining with al-Qaeda and other militant groups in Pakistan's remote tribal and mountainous areas.

The previous government blamed the Taliban in Pakistan for the attack against Bhutto, but suspicions surrounding her death have been cast far and wide — a further reason for the government's pressing to clear up the matter. Qureshi assured reporters that Ban would appoint "well-respected, eminent people" to the independent commission.

"We have reached an understanding, and there is a concrete decision on that," the foreign minister said. "What is being discussed and further consultations are required are on the modalities."

Ban's office said in a statement that "broad understanding had been reached" on the nature of the commission, including: how to pay for it; who its members should be; how to protect its independence and impartiality; and that its members should have unfettered access to the information it needs.

But Ban said he would have to talk further with Pakistan and other U.N. officials to hammer out all the details.

Qureshi said he believed Ban had authority without the U.N. Security Council's approval to set up a commission to try to identify the culprits in Bhutto's assassination as quickly as possible. But Qureshi also said some council members he spoke with were supportive of establishing a commission.

"The broad understanding is going to be that it should be done in the shortest possible time, so that we do not want it sort of a lingering thing, going on for years," Qureshi said.

Bhutto died in a gun and suicide bomb attack on Dec. 27 as she left an election rally in the city of Rawalpindi.

Her death shocked the world and Pakistan, fanning revulsion at rising militant violence and theories that Pakistan's powerful spy agencies were involved.

It also helped carry her Pakistan People's Party to victory in February elections. The party has led a fledgling coalition government that has made a U.N. probe into who was behind the killing a top priority.

Qureshi said Pakistan will provide the panel with "unhindered access to sources of relevant information."

The previous government and the CIA quickly accused Baitullah Mehsud, the top Taliban commander in Pakistan, of orchestrating the killing.

Pakistan's Interior Ministry released a wiretap in which Mehsud associates purportedly congratulated each other for her death. Bhutto had called for Pakistan to redouble its efforts against Islamic extremism.

Bhutto's party has argued that the U.N. should probe the killing, given Mehsud's alleged links to al-Qaeda and because of the huge political controversy that surrounds the case in Pakistan.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2...0-bhutto_N.htm
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Old Saturday, July 12, 2008
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Default 12 July, 2008

UN commission to probe Benazir’s assassination


* Qureshi says Ban to appoint ‘eminent’ people to commission
* ‘Broad understanding’ reached, task modalities yet to be determined
* US envoy to UN assures support to probe

WASHINGTON/UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations (UN) has agreed to establish an independent commission to investigate the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Friday.

The Pakistani request will not be referred to the UN Security Council (UNSC), since UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has the authority to appoint a commission.

Qureshi told a news conference at the UN after a meeting with Ban, “Responding positively to the issue, the secretary-general indicated that further consultation with Pakistan and others within the organisation would be required to examine the modalities and structure of a commission to determine the circumstances of, and responsibilities for, the assassination of Benazir. The objectives for the commission are to identify the culprits, perpetrators, organisers and financiers of the assassination.” He explained that the secretary-general would appoint “well-respected, eminent people” to the independent commission in consultation with the Government of Pakistan.

Qureshi’s announcement was later confirmed by the secretary-general’s office.


Modalities: Qureshi said that while “further consultations are required on the modalities,” a “broad understanding” has been arrived at as to the nature of the proposed commission. Also discussed were funding modalities, access to sources of information and other steps to ensure the objectivity, impartiality and independence of the commission, which will report both to the UN and the Pakistan government.

US envoy: Zalmay Khalizad, US ambassador to the UN, according to Qureshi, said that his country would support Pakistan’s request for a probe. “The broad understanding is going to be that it should be done in the shortest possible time ... we do not want it to become sort of a lingering thing, going on for years,” Qureshi said.

Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN Munir Akram told the news conference that the main feature of the talks was that there had been a “positive response” from the world body. “What’s concrete is a broad understanding on some very difficult issues, and we obviously have to work further to flesh them out, so it’s premature to announce them before we’ve actually finished them up,” he said.


Govt has important clues in Benazir’s murder: Malik


LAHORE: The government has “international evidence” about the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, which will be shared with the United Nations, Dawn News quoted Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik as saying on Friday. According to the channel, Malik told reporters in Islamabad that the Interior Ministry had received important documents related to the case last week, which were being examined.


Qureshi-Rice meeting ends in lack of accord

WASHINGTON: Foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi described his hour-long meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as “candid, frank, realistic and honest,” which is universally understood “diplomatese” for lack of agreement on the issues discussed.

A former US ambassador asked to interpret the Pakistani foreign minister’s description of his meeting with the secretary of state, he replied, “That means she let him have it.” The US is getting extremely impatient with what it sees as the resurgence of the Taliban in Pakistani-controlled areas and the less than robust effort being made to deal with this grave threat. The US is also opposed to Pakistan negotiating with extremist groups and Taliban leaders, since it believes that negotiations only provide these people an opportunity to build their strength and extend their hold over territory. The US believes that Pakistan has been unable to prevent the resurgent Taliban and Al Qaeda outfits to cross over into Afghanistan and spread havoc, including attacks on NATO coalition forces. There is no doubt that Rice took up all these points with Qureshi to send a no-nonsense message to Islamabad that Pakistan really had to do more. The US does not think the present government is in full control of the situation or even has been able to find its feet and govern the country effectively.

Qureshi told waiting journalists that he and Rice had discussed a wide range of issues, from security to the situation in the tribal areas to economic cooperation. He said his meeting with Afghan Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta in New York earlier this week also came up for discussion, as did his recent visit to New Delhi.

He said in answer to a question that Pakistan would not permit its territory to be used by foreign troops. He said Pakistan is in the war against terrorism in its own enlightened national interest and it is doing all it can to assist the effort to fight terrorism. He made it clear that Pakistan does not subscribe to the Taliban ideology, which he called counter to the teachings of Islam. He said Pakistan is using both force, where necessary, and negotiations where required to deal with the situation in the tribal areas.

“We are talking from a position of strength,” he added, pointing out the recent Bara-Khyber Agency operation against the local militants was indicative of Pakistan’s approach. He said Pakistan desires a long-term, broad-based relationship with the United States. Asked about the billions of dollars that Pakistan has received from the United States since 9/11 and the relative lack of effective results those vast sums have produced in terms of the war against terrorism, he replied, “We do not think in terms of dollars and cents, but in terms of concepts.” To a question about military action by the US against terrorist targets in Pakistan, he replied, “Action in Pakistan will be taken by Pakistani troops.”


Extremists threaten Daily Aaj Kal


ISLAMABAD: Elements of the Lal Masjid on Friday protested after Friday prayers against the editorial position of national Daily Aaj Kal which routinely writes against religious extremism and fanaticism in the country. Raising clenched fists in front of TV cameras, the clerics condemned the editorial position of the paper, and pointed to the publication of a cartoon in Daily Aaj Kal which showed the leader of the women students of Lal Masjid, Umme Hassaan, in a burqa, “educating” female students to wage jihad and martyrdom, a position she has reiterated many times in public.

The clerics chanted slogans and warned the editor-in-chief and publisher not to “test their patience”. Aamir Siddique, Naib Khateeb of Lal Masjid, addressed the protest demonstration after Friday prayers and said that their “movement” cannot be stopped by any such “propaganda”. He said those responsible for the bloodshed in Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa would have to pay the price.

“This is an attack on the freedom of the press,” said the editor of the paper, who called upon all media bodies to rise to the occasion and be counted.

The management of the paper immediately informed the administration in Islamabad, provoking a strong reaction against the extremists from the government.


CPNE slams threats


LAHORE: The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE), the highest ranking media body in the country, has condemned the threats by non-state elements to “take the law into their hands to silence” daily Aaj Kal for its outspoken views on extremism in the country, read a CPNE press release issued on Friday. “We see this as an attack on the freedom of the press and condemn it strongly,” said Arif Nizami, president of the CPNE. According to Najam Sethi, Editor-in-Chief of daily Aaj Kal, elements from the Lal Masjid in Islamabad raised slogans against daily Aaj Kal, its editor-in-chief and publisher after Friday prayers. They accused them of being anti-jihad and threatened to “teach them a lesson”, he added. Earlier, the office of Aaj Kal had received threatening phone calls from these elements.


Sherry condemns threats to Aaj Kal

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sherry Rehman on Friday strongly condemned the threatening phone calls and messages by extremist vigilantes to daily ‘Aaj Kal’ in Islamabad and Lahore. “The era of non-state actors trying to intimidate the public, the media and civil society has to be challenged now. This is a democratic government and we will not sit back and watch while attacks are aimed at our fundamental freedoms,” she said. She said that threatening is an offence on two counts. Firstly, it is a direct challenge to the safety and security of the public and secondly, it is a threat against the freedom of the media – either way there is no room for such acts in a democratic order, the minister said. Sherry assured the publication that the government would provide complete protection to their offices in Islamabad.


Militants threaten to kill hostages if colleagues not released

* Security forces arrest another 10 suspected militants as operation continues on second day in Hangu
* Local tribal elders to meet NWFP CM on Sunday to request end to operation

PESHAWAR: A local Taliban spokesman has said that militants would start killing a group of hostages unless several insurgent prisoners were released by Saturday afternoon.

Maulvi Umar claimed on Friday that Taliban had kidnapped 29 people, most of them security personnel. However, Hangu district official Haji Khan Afzal claimed that only 16 or 17 people had been abducted, AP reported.

Afzal said the hostages were taken during a militant siege of a police station on Wednesday in which the militants were demanding their associates be freed.

10 more: Separately, security forces arrested at least 10 more suspected militants during the second consecutive day of an operation in the Doaba tehsil of Hangu district, locals told Daily Times.

Warning of armed resistance if the operation continues, Hangu Taliban spokesman Mullah Shaheen said: “We will react and the responsibility will stay with the government if they do not stop the operation.”

Meanwhile, a six-member peace jirga led by MPA Mufti Said Janan halted all attempts at mediation, accusing the district administration of violating its pledge to the jirga by not ending the operation after the Taliban ended their siege on the police station.

On Friday, Hangu Circle Deputy Superintendent Shakirullah Bangash clarified to journalists that the operation was being conducted against criminals and refuted Taliban claims that security forces were arresting innocent citizens. He said the operation would continue until the government’s writ had been restored in the area.

Meeting: Separately, local tribal elders held a jirga in Doaba and decided to meet NWFP Chief Minister Ameer Haidar Hoti in Peshawar on Sunday to discuss the situation and urge him to end the security operation currently underway in the district.

Also on Friday, Express News reported that the Taliban had occupied the Nayab Small Dam and set up bunkers on the mountains in Hangu. However, it added, the Taliban abandoned their position after a short time.


Talks succeed between Taliban, political authorities in Jamrud


LAHORE: Talks have succeeded between the Tehreek-e-Taliban and political authorities in Jamrud tehsil, defusing tension in the area, Dawn News reported on Friday. The channel quoted official sources as saying that the talks were held in the Malagori area of the Jamrud tehsil, adding that the Tehreek-e-Taliban said that it would not challenge the writ of the government and would maintain peace in the area. Separately, a temporary ceasefire was announced on Friday between the Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) and the Ansarul Islam in Tirah Valley.


Govt following Musharraf’s policies: Lal Masjid cleric

ISLAMABAD: Lal Masjid deputy cleric Amir Siddique on Friday accused the PPP-led government of toeing the policies of President Pervez Muharraf and pledged to continue the movement launched by Abdur Rashid Ghazi for enforcement of the “Islamic system”.

Delivering a Friday sermon, he said the rulers were trying to impose “Jewish” policies appease their “foreign masters”. He said, “The US and its cronies want to kill every Muslim who believes in jihad.” Calling Musharraf the “mother of all evils”, Siddique said his policies had plunged the country into darkness.


8 Pak soldiers hurt in Afghan border cross fire

* Five Afghan soldiers also injured in clash
* Pakistan lodges ‘strong protest’ with NATO

WANA/ISLAMABAD: Eight Pakistani troops and five Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers have been wounded in a cross fire on the Pak-Afghan border late on Thursday, sources in local security agencies said.

The incident took place at Angoor Adda, a village in Wana, headquarters of South Waziristan Agency.

The firing began after Taliban attacked a foreign troop base in Machi-dad on the Afghan side of the border, a Pakistani intelligence official said. “The clash between militants and the ANA occurred just across the Afghan border, but some shells fired by the ANA hit the Pakistani post, which injured the soldiers,” the sources said.

Pakistani troops retaliated injuring at least five Afghan soldiers, the sources added.

Strong protest: Army’s top spokesman has said mortar shells fired from Afghanistan wounded six Pakistani security forces along the border, and Pakistan has lodged a “strong protest” with NATO, AP reported. “This was mortar fire from the Afghan side,” Abbas said. “Whether it was foreign forces or Afghan forces it’s yet to be determined.”

Six mortars were fired which fell close to a military post in the town of Angoor Adda in the South Waziristan tribal region, Maj Gen Athar Abbas said. Pakistani forces immediately returned fire, and “casualties were reported on the other side,” he said.

Asked if militants across the border could have been behind the firing, Abbas said he did not want to speculate.

According to AFP, the intelligence official said, “About 60 rounds fell in Angoor Adda.” “Some of them hit our post and wounded seven soldiers,” he added.


Mullen to ‘read the riot act’ to Pakistan

* US army chief says Pakistan govt needs to crack down on insurgent safe havens

WASHINGTON: United States Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen will be in Pakistan to “read the riot act” to the government and express his country’s frustration with Islamabad’s lack of ability or willingness, or both, to move decisively against terrorist groups.

A well-informed source, when asked if US patience with what it sees as Pakistani “flip-flop and procrastination” is running out, said: “It is very close to that.” When it does, the world will see unilateral US military action, covert and overt, in the Tribal Areas. Actionable intelligence, when received, will be acted upon immediately, “with or without Pakistan”, he added.

Washington’s frustration is compounded by its inability to perceive who is “calling the shots” in Islamabad. It wants an effective government in the country and would prefer to have Pakistan People’s Party Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari return to Dubai; the governing coalition reinstated with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz back in cabinet; the judges’ issue resolved; and a workable relationship established with the army high command.

But more than anything, Washington wants Pakistan to decide whose side its on. The administration believes that the present state of drift, with selective peace deals and continuing terrorism, is helping nobody.

Safe havens: Separately, Mullen told reporters in Kabul that Pakistan’s government needed to crack down on insurgent safe havens in the Tribal Areas as more foreign fighters, including Al Qaeda, were operating along the Pak-Afghan border, AP reported.


Deadly US ‘buzzers’ fray nerves in Tribal Areas

* Analysts claim rise in Predator activity sign of growing US frustration * Jirga protests increase in drone flights

WANA: Unmanned United States drones armed with missiles have stepped up patrols over villages along the Pak-Afghan border, hunting for Taliban and Al Qaeda militants and fraying nerves below.

Pashtun villagers living on the frontier call them ‘buzzers’, and the aircraft have increasingly taken to the skies, causing sleepless nights and occasionally raining down death.

“We’re sick of these drones, they’re driving us crazy,” said Sher Shah, a government official in South Waziristan’s Wana. “They fly so low at night we can’t sleep!”

The Predators, capable of carrying two anti-tank Hellfire missiles, can remain aloft for up 24 hours — providing the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) with a wealth of intelligence beamed live from its hi-tech cameras. They have struck several times in northwest Pakistan this year, killing dozens of suspected militants..

Sometimes villagers can spot the drones — a tiny speck in the sky — and even fire at them with rifles. At other times the drones are too high to see, but you know they’re there from the distinctive and incessant buzz given off by their rear-mounted propeller engines.s.

The buzzing often gets louder at night as the drones patrol at lower altitudes in the darkness, villagers say.

Residents of Bajaur, another militant-plagued region on the Afghan border, said drones flew overhead all night on Thursday.

“The sky is not safe, the earth is not safe, where should we go?” asked Jabbar Shah, a resident of Inayat Kalay village, about 10 kilometres from the border. “We don’t know when they will strike and who they will hit. It’s very worrying,” he said.

The Tribal Areas became a sanctuary for Al Qaeda and Taliban militants fleeing from Afghanistan after US-led forces ousted the Taliban in 2001. Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden is also believed to be hiding on the mountainous border.

Growing frustration: According to analysts, the Predator activity — which Pakistan does not officially allow — is a sign of growing US frustration with Pakistan’s inability to tackle the militants.s.

Some US politicians, including presidential candidate Barack Obama, have even suggested that the United States should attack Al Qaeda inside Pakistan without Pakistani approval.

Pakistan, which has been trying to negotiate peace with the militants, has ruled out allowing foreign troops on its soil.

For the time being, at least, it looks as if the United States will rely on its drones, and people on the border will continue living in fear.

Malik Khairdin, a tribal elder in Wana, said he had stopped letting too many cars park outside his house or allowing guests to stay because that might be spotted by the drones. “We fear we might be hit on suspicion of being Al Qaeda,” Reuters quoted him as saying.

Protests: On Friday, tribesmen staged a protest by convening a jirga against the unusual increase in drone flights over South Waziristan and its adjoining areas, Online reported.

Tribal leader Malik Nur Zada informed the jirga that the tribesmen were greatly disturbed by the spy planes due to the noise.

Addressing the jirga, Political Agent Fazal Rabbi Khan assured the tribesmen that their problems would soon be sorted out, adding that several developmental projects were progressing in the area.


Mangal Bagh to abide by Bara peace agreement

* JUI-F jirga meets Lashkar-e-Islam chief, will meet Ansarul Islam leader today
* Another 25 LI men freed from Peshawar jail

PESHAWAR: A Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) commander said on Friday that LI chief Mangal Bagh has given his consent to a jirga’s peace agreement with the government and said the LI would abide by all the terms and conditions.

“We will however continue our activities against criminal elements in Bara,” the commander quoted the LI chief as telling the jirga.

Locals said the 18-member jirga of the Afridi tribes called on Mangal Bagh in Tirah Valley and briefed him about their agreement formed with the government on Wednesday.

JUI-F jirga: A separate jirga of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) also met the LI chief in Tirah on Friday evening and discussed with him an end to the ongoing fighting between Ansarul Islam (AI) and his outfit in the remote valley.

The JUI-F had constituted a jirga three days ago to meet aggrieved parties in all the tribal agencies and discuss the restoration of peace and stability in the area. JUI-F’s provincial general secretary Shujaul Mulk is leading the jirga. JUI-F information secretary Haji Jalil Jan told Daily Times that the jirga would meet AI chief Qazi Mahboob on Saturday.

Jan said the jirga members would leave for Aurakzai Agency on Saturday evening and reach Hangu district on Sunday morning.

There shall be a grand jirga in Hangu on Sunday where the JUI-F delegation will present its report on its meetings with the LI and AI chiefs and its peace plan for the rest of the tribal agencies, said Jan.

According to locals, around 50 activists from the LI and AI have been killed and scores of others injured in clashes between the two militant outfits in Tirah Valley over the past 20 days.

25 LI militants freed: Also on Friday, the Khyber Agency political administration freed 25 more LI militants from Central Jail, Peshawar, officials told Daily Times.

The number of those freed from captivity after the agreement between Afridi tribes and political administration has now reached 33.


SC to hear plea against Nawaz’s disqualification on 14th

LAHORE: The Supreme Court (SC) will hear the government’s appeals against the disqualification of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif and the government’s challenge to a Lahore High Court (LHC) order to set up an election tribunal to decide the eligibility of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on July14.

Deputy Attorney General Raja Abdul Rehman told Dawn News that the government would argue against Nawaz’s disqualification and for allowing him to contest the elections. He said the government would also ask the SC to restrain the Election Commission from setting up a tribunal to decide the eligibility of Shahbaz.



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Riyadh agrees to defer Pakistan's oil payments


Saturday, July 12, 2008

LONDON: Saudi Arabia has agreed to defer payments for the crude oil sales to Pakistan worth $5.9 billion during Pakistan's current July-June financial year, a British daily reported on Saturday.

"There is an agreement to defer oil payments. The modalities are being worked out," Pakistan's de facto finance minister Naveed Qamar was quoted as saying in an interview on Friday night.

Qamar would not discuss the time span for which payments on Saudi oil shipments would be deferred, but an official from the petroleum ministry in Islamabad separately told the British daily that the agreement involved deferring payments until at least June 2009 when the financial year ended.

It was not clear if the deferred payments would be paid back. One western diplomat familiar with Saudi ties to Pakistan said the Saudis in 1998 began supplying crude oil under a deferred payment plan after Pakistan carried out its maiden nuclear tests and came under international sanctions.

Saudi Arabia supplies 40 million-barrel crude oil to Pakistan annually.


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US attack imminent, says Sherpao

PESHAWAR: Former interior minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao on Saturday sounded “serious” threats to the country’s sovereignty and integrity, saying that the United States could attack Pakistan any time soon.

“There is an imminent danger of [a] US attack on Pakistan,” Sherpao told reporters at his residence.

His comments came two days after NATO attacked a Pakistani outpost on the Afghan border in South Waziristan. “The government should immediately call a joint session of parliament to discuss the situation and evolve a national consensus,” the former minister said. “The country’s security is apolitical issue and we must all be concerned about it,” he added.

He however said it was difficult to say the US would land boots in the Tribal Areas or continue with airstrikes to target what Washington terms militants. “We don’t know this ... they may be Iraq-like mercenaries.”


Border violations not acceptable, Kayani tells Mullen

LAHORE: Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Kayani has told US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen that border violations by US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan would no longer be acceptable to Pakistan, a private television channel reported on Saturday.

According to Dawn News, the two officials discussed the prevailing security situation in north-western Pakistan during their meeting at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.

Kayani also maintained that such military “adventures” were counterproductive and might impact Pak-US bilateral co-operation in the ongoing war against terrorism, the channel said.

Mullen was on a surprise, one-day trip to Pakistan. US embassy officials confirmed the visit but said they had no details on Mullen’s itinerary.

According to the channel, Gen Kayani told the visiting US official that Pak-Afghan border security was the responsibility of all stakeholders. He said Pakistan’s security forces were capable of fighting militant outfits in the restive tribal belt near the Afghan border. Mullen praised Pakistan’s performance in the war on terror.

Mullen had recently remarked that militants were flowing into neighbouring Afghanistan more freely this year compared to last year because Pakistan’s government and military were not putting enough pressure on insurgents.

During his stop in Pakistan, Mullen also met President Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and National Security Adviser Mehmood Ali Durrani, said Mullen’s spokesman Capt John Kirby.


‘Pakistani Taliban attack Afghan district, one dead’

KABUL: “Pakistan-based Taliban” attacked a remote Afghan district on Saturday, the Afghanistan government said. “Pakistani Taliban began attacks on Bargi Matal district from 11am. The fighting continues,” the Interior Ministry said in a statement released on Saturday evening. The attack was launched from Pakistan’s adjoining Chitral area, it said. “The youths of the area are joining the security forces to defend their district against the Pakistani militants. One of those brave youths died in fighting,” it said. Security forces had sent reinforcements, it said, without giving details.


‘Taliban will be accountable if hostages harmed’

PESHAWAR: Local Taliban will be held accountable if any harm is done to 29 kidnapped government officials, NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said on Saturday. A Taliban spokesman on Friday warned that militants would kill 29 kidnapped government officials, most of them security personnel, if security forces continued their operation in Hangu district. The minister said in a statement the government would have no other option except to pay in the same coin, if someone challenges its writ.


Taliban kill 13 FC men

* Three civilians, one militant among dead in Hangu ambush

HANGU: At least 17 people – including 13 Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel – were killed on Saturday afternoon in a clash between Taliban and security forces in Hangu district.

The fighting erupted after Taliban militants ambushed an FC convoy in the Drori Banda area of Hangu.

The dead also included three civilians and a local militant, residents and Taliban sources told Daily Times.

Member of the National Assembly Pir Haidar Shah and the Hangu district nazim said the dead included FC district officer Muhammad Karim Khan. Shah said the FC convoy was heading towards the volatile town of Hangu from its fort in Drori Banda when it came under attack from Taliban at around 5.30pm.

According to Geo News, the FC troops fired mortar shells at the hilly hideouts of the Taliban and called for helicopter gunship to provide air cover.

The channel reported that the bodies of FC personnel were still lying in the Drori area and security forces were unable to move the corpses, as the area is under Taliban control.

An FC official, asking not to be named, told Daily Times that the FC troops killed in the clash numbered to 17. He said the militants had also taken an FC vehicle after the clash.

The district administration declared emergency in nearby hospitals soon after the incident.

Separately, three people – including two girls – were injured in an attack on an FC patrol in the Zargari area of Hangu.


Pakistan involved in Kabul embassy attack: India

NEW DELHI: India on Saturday claimed it had “a fair amount of intelligence on Pakistan’s involvement” in Monday’s suicide attack on its embassy in Kabul.

In an interview with a private TV channel, Indian National Security Adviser M K Narayanan vowed retaliation to such acts of terror. “I think we need to pay back in the same coin,” he said, adding that the Indian government did not only suspect, but believed in Pakistan’s role.

He said there were no insinuations about Pakistan’s involvement, but facts backed by credible intelligence. “The people of this country deserve to know the facts rather than being carried away by people who claim these are insinuations. There are no insinuations,” he said.

Four Indians, including an IFS officer and an Indian army brigadier, were killed in the blast when a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden Toyota Corolla into the Indian embassy in Kabul. Narayanan said the dialogue process aimed at improving relations between India and Pakistan had not worked so far, adding, “Dialogue is better than fighting, but so far it hasn’t worked. In some way, we haven’t taken the decision to fight, so lets talk for the moment.”

On the US-India nuclear deal, Narayanan said India had not circulated documents to the IAEA, adding that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s meeting with US President George W Bush had nothing to do with the documents’ circulation. He said the documents were made public soon after the Left allies withdrew support from Singh’s government. He said certain scientists were “polluting” the minds of Left leaders to oppose the deal.


Govt likely to increase petrol, diesel prices on 15th

ISLAMABAD: The government is likely to increase the price of petrol by Rs 5 per litre and of diesel by Rs 6-8 per litre from July 15, sources told Daily Times on Saturday. They said the move was in accordance with the skyrocketing fuel prices in the international market. Sources said that the government was providing a subsidy of Rs 34 per litre on diesel and the raise would reduce the burden of subsidy on the exchequer. They said the current difference of petrol prices in Pakistan and the international market was Rs 5 per litre and the government would pass on the impact to the consumers. They said with the international oil prices going up to $147 per barrel, the government was forced to pay around Rs 30 billion per month in differential claims to oil marketing companies to facilitate the consumers.


Saudis bail out Pakistan with $5.9bn oil facility

* Agreement to last until end of current fiscal year
* Saudi Arabia sells about 110,000 barrels of crude oil daily to Pakistan

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia agreed in principle on Saturday to defer payments for crude oil sales to Pakistan expected to be worth about $5.9 billion during the 2008-09 financial year.

“There is an agreement ... to defer oil payments. The modalities are being worked out,” Finance Minister Naveed Qamar said in an interview with the Financial Times on Friday night.

While Qamar would not discuss the time-span for which payments on Saudi oil shipments would be deferred, a Petroleum Ministry official separately said that the agreement involved deferring payments until at least June 2009 when the financial year ended.

It was not clear if the deferred payments would have to be paid back. The Saudis in 1998 began supplying crude oil under a deferred payment plan after Pakistan carried out its maiden nuclear tests and came under international sanctions. In that previous case, after three years of deferred payments, the Saudis practically wrote off the payments. Insiders expect that there may be a similar write-off in the future of the deferred payments now under discussion.

Sources in Jeddah indicated to Daily Times that the Saudi economic package may contain a political element too, related to President Pervez Musharraf’s future. This bailout puts the Saudis in the driving seat, along with the Americans, as far as Pakistani internal and external politics is concerned, with both the Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

Apparently, the immediate impact will be on PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif’s politics of confrontation with Musharraf, which will have to be diluted significantly in line with ground realities. The Saudis, like the Americans, want a stable transition to civilian rule and no confrontation between the politicians and the military, including Musharraf.

Crude oil: Saudi Arabia sells about 110,000 barrels of crude oil daily to Pakistan or about 40 million barrels a year, which at $147 a barrel comes to about $5.88 billion. Pakistan imports a total of 202,000 barrels per day or approximately 73.7 million barrels a year – half of that from Saudi Arabia. Pakistan consumes a total of 370,000 barrels a day or about 135 million barrels a year. The gap between oil imports and consumption is filled with locally produced oil.


Terrorism not US’ fight alone, but Pakistan’s: FM

* Qureshi says Pakistan will not shy from using force
* Conveys Pakistan’s interest in moving beyond security-based ties
* NSA Stephen Hadley assures Qureshi of US’ ‘full support’

WASHINGTON: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told a meeting here on Friday that the fight against terrorism is not America’s fight alone but that of Pakistan’s as well.

Addressing a largely attended meeting at the Brookings Institution, Qureshi made it clear that terrorism cannot be fought through military force alone, which should be combined with political engagement and social reforms that alone can lead to the winning of hearts and minds.

Pakistan, he said, will not fight shy from using force where and when required. The challenge of terrorism, he stressed, is not a single-country challenge, but a global one, which needs a global response. He repeated that Pakistan would not allow its territory to be used by any other country, including, presumably, the US.

Interested: Qureshi said Pakistan desires a more balanced, broader and longer-term relationship with the United States. “For too long our bilateral relationship has hinged heavily on co-operation in security areas, but luckily there is a clear realisation from both sides that we need to ... expand our co-operation across a broad spectrum from agriculture to trade, energy and education,” he added. He said the relationship should move away from the “cyclical” pattern of the past. “We want a more stable approach. We have been too focused on military-to-military co-operation,” he stated. He also called on Washington to sign a free trade agreement with Pakistan, something the US has been reluctant to do for domestic reasons.

In an interview with a US daily newspaper, Qureshi said the government in Pakistan is seeking a “partnership” with the US and wants tangible signs that the Bush administration will increase aid and embrace Pakistani democracy.

“We want to be positive, we want to co-operate, we want a long-term relationship, we want a partnership. So how serious are you in broadening that relationship – that is what we want to know,” Qureshi said in a wide-ranging interview with Washington Post editors and reporters. Qureshi, who met with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday in advance of a visit to Washington later this month by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, said that US officials have answered in the affirmative to his question but that “it has to be demonstrated in form”.

Hadley: Qureshi also discussed Pakistan-US relations with US National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley on Friday afternoon as the senior White House official conveyed Bush administration’s “full support for the new democratic government”. He told Hadley that the new government had come into power in Pakistan with strong sense of legitimacy and high expectations of the Pakistani people.


PM to address nation on 19th

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is likely to address the nation on July 19, sources told Daily Times on Saturday.

They said Gilani would likely announce the lifting of ban on recruitments in government departments and corporations, adding that the decision was taken in a meeting of the Economic Advisory Council (EAC) held at Prime Minister’s (PM) House on Saturday.

“Besides lifting the ban on recruitments, the PM will also announce reduction in gas prices for export oriented industrial units and relief on food items for the low income groups. He would also announce the issuance of ‘Benazir Card’ to provide financial support for the impoverished,” they said.

Sources said the PM would brief the nation on the current political and law and order situation and would also announce measures to restore the confidence of the people in his government. Finance Minister Syed Naveed Qamar, Water and Power Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Salman Farooqi, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Shahnaz Wazir Ali and State Bank Governor Dr Shamshad Akhtar attended the EAC meeting.


Cabinet expansion soon: Sherry

KARACHI: The federal cabinet will be expanded soon, Federal Information Minister Sherry Rehman told reporters on Saturday after the inauguration of the Quaid-i-Azam Museum at Quaid-i-Azam House here. Sherry said ministers and parliamentary secretaries would be appointed in the first phase, adding that she was not certain if the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) would join the cabinet in the coming phase. She vowed that nobody would be allowed to hijack the ideology of the country’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah and founder of the PPP Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Sherry said that followers of Jinnah and Bhutto were not scared of fanatics and extremists, adding that the PPP government and its supporters were following the ideology of the two great men.


ANP confirms being contacted by PPP over cabinet expansion

ISLAMABAD: Awami National Party (ANP) leader Afrasyab Khattak on Saturday confirmed that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari had contacted the ANP leadership regarding the reshuffling in the federal cabinet.

He told a private TV channel that ANP had been informed that two ministers of state might be included in the cabinet from the party. He said that the ANP wanted the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to remain a partner, keeping the democratic forces united to strengthen democracy in the country.

"Law and order is our top priority. And if we say that no other step would be taken until this issue is resolved, the coalition would not move forward, flexibility should be demonstrated by every party of the coalition," he said.

He said that the new government had inherited many crises due to the previous government’s policies, and they would try their best to solve all them, he added. The political government would not disappoint the people and the masses would see some new initiatives within the next few weeks, he said.



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Allied forces advance on Pak-Afghan borders

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

PESHAWAR: Allied troops’ movement on Pak-Afghan borders in North and South Waziristan has geared up.

Hundreds of Allied troops armed with their choppers, tanks, mortars and high-tech weapons have arrived at the Pak-Afghan borders, while the tribesmen viewing the situation threatening have started shifting from the bordering areas. Sources said that hundreds of Allied troops armed with their helicopters, tanks, mortars and high-tech weapons have started arriving since last night near the bordering areas Ghulam Khan, Shawal, Amir Chapsar and Alwara. Allied forces warplanes were also seen hovering over these areas, sources said.

Following the arrival of Allied troops and hovering of the aircrafts in the sky, the tribesmen fearing the worst have started evacuating these bordering areas. On the other hand, Utmanzai tribe leader, Haji Muhammad Afzal has announced in a Jirga that if the Allied forces dared to step in the tribal land, then the 2 million strong tribesmen would forcefully retaliate with shrouds wrapped on their heads



20 killed in Iraq twin bombings


Tuesday, July 15, 2008

BAGHDAD: Two suicide bombers blew themselves up at an Iraqi army base north of Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least 20 people and wounding 55, a security official and a medic said.

The attack took place at the Al-Saad base east of the city of Baquba in the restive province of Diyala, a security official said.

He said the two bombers detonated their explosives-filled vests at a recruitment centre in the base where young men had arrived to join the army.

Earlier, a local police officer said a single suicide bomber carried out the attack.


LSE hits 2-year low


Tuesday, July 15, 2008


LAHORE: The Lahore stock market hit its lowest level in over two years on Monday as the LSE 25-share index plunged by 182 points to close at 3,401 amid highest turnover for the past three weeks.

Out of 100 active shares, one rose, 48 declined and 51 stood unchanged. Turnover was 4.2 million shares, led by NIB Bank with around one million shares. All top 10 volume leaders were among the losers.

The restoration of normal upper and lower circuit breakers by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan facilitated investors in offloading their holdings which they could not dispose of earlier due to one per cent cap on declining shares. On Monday, share values tumbled continuously from the start till the close of market.

The decline in share values was substantial and was spread to all sectors. Large commercial banks took a beating. MCB lost Rs15.06 per share, HBL dipped Rs10.74, NBP fell Rs6.80, ABL was down Rs4.05 and UBL slipped Rs3.88.

In the oil and gas exploration sector, Mari Gas Company fell Rs12.43 per share. Other losers included Oil and Gas Development Company that lost Rs5.70, Pak Oil Fields down Rs16.92 and Pak Petroleum down Rs11.23. In the oil and gas marketing sector, Attock Petroleum shed Rs20.35 per share, PSO Rs17.35 and Shell Pakistan Rs22.37. There were major losers in the cement, insurance, investment bank, refinery and fertiliser sectors as well. Experts said the market would return to normal trading and move on fundamentals provided the regulators stopped tinkering with bourses through non-transparent measures. They said the SECP should now accelerate second generation capital market reforms in order to provide comfort to both local and foreign investors.


Oil near $144



Tuesday, July 15, 2008

LONDON: Oil eased to near $144 a barrel on Monday, as a US plan to restore confidence in its financial sector shored up the dollar and financial markets, with worries about threats to supplies providing support.

The US government at the weekend unveiled an emergency plan to shore up embattled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which control $5 trillion in debt, easing concerns about the wider economy and helping the dollar rally from a near-record low against the euro.

The dollar later surrendered some of its gains after US stocks eased, with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac paring their advance on concerns that the government’s rescue plan may not be enough. US light crude for August delivery was 97 cents down at $144.11 a barrel by 1542 GMT. London Brent crude was $1.18 cents down at $143.31. “Once again we are back into those phases where the economic news is going to lead it. The market has decided that supply is going to be tight,” said Simon Wardell of Global Insight. Gerard Burg, a commodities analyst from the National Australian Bank in Melbourne, said, “Oil’s fall is generally due to gains in the US dollar as well as some profit-taking in the market.”



Saudi Arabia asks Dhaka to act against illegal recruiters



Tuesday, July 15, 2008


DHAKA: Saudi Arabia asked Bangladesh on Monday to act against illegal manpower traders in order to stop the abuse of migrant workers in the Arab kingdom.

“Some Bangladeshi recruiting agencies are sending labourers to Saudi Arabia without maintaining the proper rules and violating the guidelines,” Abdullah Bin Naser Al-Busairi, Saudi ambassador to Bangladesh, told a news conference.

He said the illegal recruiters also failed to train or brief the Bangladeshi workers for work in Saudi Arabia. “The illegal manpower traders cheat the job seekers in many ways, such as by violating contracts and promising wages higher than what the employer will actually pay,” he said.

Al-Busairi said the illegal agencies were also taking more money than usual from Bangladeshis seeking jobs in Saudi Arabia. Workers from impoverished Bangladesh usually pay large sums of money to recruiters in their search for work overseas. Bangladeshi workers recently reported facing problems of abuse, including harassment and poor wages, in Saudi Arabia.

Earlier this month, New York-based Human Rights Watch said Saudi Arabia needed to make more effort to reform laws to improve the conditions of poor workers from Asian and African countries in the kingdom. Around a third of Saudi Arabia’s population of 25 million people are expatriates, mainly from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Philippines. Over one million work as maids. Some 1.7 million Bangladeshis now work in Saudi Arabia in various sectors, including construction and cleaning, officials said.

The Saudi embassy in Dhaka issues nearly 1,000 visas for Bangladeshis daily and the kingdom will continue recruiting from the South Asian Muslim state, Al-Busairi said. Nearly 5 million Bangladeshis now work all over the world, mostly in the Middle East, and send home more than $6 billion annually.


Power shortfall crosses 500 megawatts



Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Karachi

The shortfall of electricity in meeting the power supply demand of the city crossed over 500 Megawatts on Monday causing a severe power crisis amid humid weather.

The Karachiites suffered two to three spells of hours-long power load-shedding since Monday morning that was enforced by the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) to bridge the widened gap between the power supply and demand situations. The residents of different localities experienced power cuts of over two hours duration and at the end of day the inhabitants and traders of the affected localities suffered up to eight hours of load-shedding.

The erratic functioning of the electricity generation, transmission, and distribution systems of the KESC has caused much agony and hardships to its consumers and there is no way the power utility could ensure uninterrupted power supply to the dwellers of Karachi.

Other than unannounced and repetitive spells of power breakdowns, a large number of localities have also been experiencing severe voltage fluctuation. A source privy to the power supply and generation systems of the KESC said that unit no 6 of the Bin Qasim Thermal Power Station (BQTPS) had not been working causing serious shortfall of electricity.

Moreover, the units no 1 to 5 of the Bin Qasim generation facility have not been giving the desired output of electricity generation and their accumulative effect have been producing 562 Megawatts of electricity, which means that instead of producing at least 170 Megawatts of electricity each of the functional unit of Bin Qasim has been producing just over 110 Megawatts that is far below the overall power demand of the metropolis.

Since Monday morning the unit no 6 of Bin Qasim Thermal Power Station has not been working due to a technical fault. The situation of electricity load-shedding has got so severe that the power utility has resorted to power outages in two groups, said the KESC source. The city has been divided into four groups to enforce the schedules of power load-shedding on almost daily basis.

The KESC has not been able to ensure uninterrupted, smooth, and up-to-mark functioning of the thermal generation units at its largest power generation facility that is the BQTPS causing serious shortfall of electricity throughout the current summer season.

It is learnt that reduced power supply input from the Bin Qasim Thermal Power Station was due to much shortened supply of gas to the power station from the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC).

The sources said that instead of normalised gas supply of 175 million cubic feet the SSGC has been supplying just 100 million cubic feet natural gas to the BQTPS causing low power input from the Bin Qasim generation facility. Owing to short and curtailed supply of the Sui gas from the SSGC it is learnt that natural gas has also not been available to the Korangi gas turbines of the KESC.

Cement companies to find alternatives to coal



Tuesday, July 15, 2008


KARACHI: Cement companies are trying to find out alternatives to coal, almost 90 per cent of the companies use coal for heating purpose in a bid to overcome effects of a huge increase in coal prices that are touching $180 in the international market, said Badruddin Fakhri, Managing Director of Galadari Cement.

The cement industry is trying to find out alternatives to coal and efforts are being made in this regard, and hopefully they will bring positive results in a few years, he told The News. The prices of coal in the international market are continuing to rise, increasing the input cost of the cement industry in the country. Most of the coal which is used in local cement companies is imported. He said coal is quoted at around $180 per tonne in the international market, which is an important ingredient of the cement industry.

To find out alternative solutions, a number of cement companies are working to use city waste, which would be processed and turned into cakes, which would be later used as a coal alternative in the industry. International coal prices are also affected by the huge coal demand in India and China.

“India and China are in dire need of coal as their consumption is mounting, but in future it is expected that these two countries would improve their local production and partly overcome this problem,” said Fakhri.

High prices of coal and depreciating Pak rupee are factors negatively impacting on the local cement industry, though cement exports from Pakistan continue to rise. Local cement prices have surged to Rs380, up by Rs100 in just last two months.

As per the McCloskey Coal Price Index (Richard’s Bay), coal prices have breached US$200 (C&F) per tonne mark and are currently trading around US $210 per tonne. Primary reason for this rise is the huge demand for coal in India and China for their energy needs, JS Research reports.

Cement companies in the country are presently importing coal at around US$160-180 (C&F) per tonne. Since majority of the local cement companies are using coal for heating purpose, this price hike will significantly edge up input costs.

Rupee has depreciated around 13 per cent since the start of 2008 from Rs62 to Rs70 against dollar, further depreciation is expected in the future, coal costs in rupee terms are likely to increase substantially. In fiscal year 2008, cement dispatches increased to a record high level of 30 million tonnes depicting a growth of 25 per cent on year-on-year bases. However, this growth was mainly driven by 142 per cent rise in exports and an increase of 6 per cent in local dispatches.


Gilani’s Dubai visit cost nation Rs10m



Tuesday, July 15, 2008

ISLAMABAD: The diversion of Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilaniís plane from Kuala Lumpur to Dubai, instead of landing at Islamabad after attending the D-8 Summit, cost the national exchequer more than 10 million rupees, sources told The News on Monday.

Gilani and his 40-member delegation, which also included one member from the opposition and five businessmen, had left the country on July 7 to attend the Summit. More than 50 security personnel and bureaucrats had gone to Kuala Lumpur in advance.

According to some members of the delegation, the team was to land back in Islamabad. However, the plane was diverted to the UAE, where Gilani and some other PPP leaders were to attend a party meeting. According to sources in the PIA, the flight diversion cost the government a total of Rs1.6 million in terms of aviation, fuel and some other charges. Besides this, said the sources, keeping in view the summer, which is a ëseasoní of travelling, the extra use of plane cost the PIA over Rs5 million.

The sources told The News that after reaching Dubai, some bureaucrats and members of the delegation were accommodated in the luxurious Grand Hyatt Hotel, one of the most expensive hotels in the world. The remaining delegation members were ëchecked iní in yet another luxurious hotel, Move-n-Pick. Information Minister Sherry Rahman, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Syed Khursheed Shah and Minister for Kashmir and Northern Areas Qamar-ul-Zaman Kaira had directly reached Dubai from Pakistan to attend the CEC meeting.

According to the sources, 40 rooms were reserved in the Grand Hyatt Hotel besides the rooms reserved in the other hotel. Those members of the delegation who were not part of the PPP meeting remained ìstuck to their roomsî as a tour of Dubai was not scheduled.

Sheikh Waqas Akram, a senior PML-Q leader and the member of the delegation, while confirming the information to The News, said it was very unfortunate that our rulers were enjoying stays in luxury hotels at a time when the nation was suffering from its worst-ever crisis. Sherry Rahman, despite several attempts by The News, was not available to take the calls. Principal Information Officer Ghulam Hazoor Bajwa, however, said the Dubai visit was a scheduled one, saying that he was in the knowledge of it even before the prime minister had left the country.

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Saudi Arabia offers Russia arms deal to curb Iran ties



Wednesday, July 16, 2008

MOSCOW: Saudi Arabia has offered to award Russia lucrative arms contracts if the Kremlin curtails cooperation with Iran, a Russian newspaper said on Tuesday, but Moscow denied the offer was tied to relations with Tehran.

Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan met Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow for talks on Monday that included the signing of a landmark deal on military cooperation.

A Russian government spokesman denied the deal was linked to Iran and said any attempt to tie cooperation with Riyadh to other issues was “not right and not proper”.

Kommersant, a respected Russian daily, said Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal suggested Russia curtail cooperation with Iran at a Moscow meeting this February. The proposal was made in the name of King Abdullah, the paper said. It said Bandar, who heads Saudi Arabia’s National Security Council and is an influential former ambassador to Washington, fleshed out the proposal when he met Kremlin leaders this week.

“Military-technical cooperation between Russia and Saudi Arabia has an independent dimension,” the Russian government spokesman said by telephone.

“It is founded on mutual interest and to tie this dimension of cooperation between Russia and Saudi Arabia with any other questions is absolutely not right and not proper,” he said.

Observers say world and regional powers are involved in hard bargaining behind the scenes over Iran’s nuclear programme, with possible trade-offs involving arms sales and competition for influence in the world’s biggest oil producing region.

Oil prices are at record levels in dollar terms, driven in part by surging demand from emerging nations like China and by rising cash inflows into commodities from investors seeking to hedge against inflation and the weak dollar.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil producer and a close US ally, is wary of Iran’s ambitions and shares Western concerns that Tehran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear programme is peaceful.

Russia, which has tried to boost cooperation with Tehran, says there is no evidence Iran wants to build a nuclear weapon but Moscow fears a conflict in the region would stoke instability close to its southern borders.

Kommersant said Saudi Arabia was interested in buying 150 T-90 tanks, 160 helicopters and air-defence systems for more than $2.2 billion. Russia’s state arms exporter, seeking an inroad into a market that has been lucrative for Britain and other Western powers, declined to comment.

Bandar told Putin on Monday that ties with Moscow had become strategic and that he would propose the King’s ideas for the economic, military, energy and security fronts.

“The Kingdom’s policy is certainly always to diversify its sources of arms,” Bandar told Al Arabiya television.

Russia, with its rising oil income, has been trying to increase its influence in the Middle East. It had played a bigger role there before the collapse of the Soviet Union. “Russia is also developing its relations, its dialogue, with other countries in the region, including Iran,” Russia’s government spokesman said.

Moscow is helping Tehran build its first nuclear power station and Putin visited both Tehran and Riyadh last year.


Gold makes another record, hits Rs22,071




Wednesday, July 16, 2008


KARACHI: Gold once again broke all barriers on Tuesday and created a record high of Rs22,071 per 10 grams and yet remained under-cost compared to international markets leading to a cold local market and high selling in the UAE.

President All-Pakistan Supreme Council of Jewelers Association, Alhaj Haroon Rashid Chand said that the yellow metal had reached Rs25,750 per tola, which is a new record in Pakistan.

Chand recalled that gold had reached its highest of Rs20,657 per 10 grams and Rs24,100 per tola on March 17 in Pakistan when international yellow metal prices were US$1,032 an ounce four months earlier before creating new records over the past week.

He explained that the upward trend had resumed for the yellow metal following rupees further depreciating against US dollars and crude oil reaching fresh records per barrel.

He also informed that gold was being sold across the sea to Dubai markets in great amounts as the precious yellow metal was under cost in the local market by Rs580 compared to the Dubai bullion market.

Chand said that the trend of selling gold in UAE markets through smuggling or other illegal means, was adversely affecting Pakistan as the same gold was melted and then was reverted back to Pakistan at higher prices through the green channel. This, he added, led to a great imbalance in the country’s Balance of Trade.

He said that despite several appeals to the government to take note of the matter, it continued to remain ignored, while gold traders had also ceased to trust the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) as the official representative body, for it had also disappointed them.

The jewelers association’s president said that KCCI was now dominated by industrialists who looked after their own benefits and raised personal points in front of the government rather than equally representing the small traders, leading to disharmony amongst businessmen and traders and moreover, heavy losses to the gold traders.

Dealers at the Kharadar Sarafah bazaar informed that there was absolutely no purchasing in the markets across Pakistan and small traders feared the continuity of their businesses.

They explained that both investors and customers were opting for alternative solutions rather than buying gold. While investors had slowly ventured into other commodities and investments, gold markets remained deserted as customers looked the other way towards artificial jewelry.

Many jewelry traders said that they had been compelled to reduce their profit margins to keep gold jewelry within affordable rates, but now could not further reduce their ‘making charges’ as that would mean higher losses for them.

The international bullion market recorded an upward rise of $23 to $982 per ounce on Tuesday, against $959 an ounce a day earlier.

Gold gained for a fifth day after US financial shares fell to the lowest in a decade yesterday on speculation that a shortage of capital will cause some banks to collapse, Bloomberg reported.

Gold for immediate delivery rose $10.68, or 1.1 per cent, to $983.28 an ounce as of 12:46 pm in London. It earlier reached $985.16, the highest since March 17, the website further stated.


Oil plunges $9 to near $136 a barrel



Wednesday, July 16, 2008

LONDON: Oil tumbled by more than $9 to near $136 a barrel in volatile trading on Tuesday on profit-taking driven by technical factors and as fears receded that a strike by Brazilian oil workers would hit supplies.

“This is largely profit-taking run amuck. There is no real hard news that you can tie this to. We have seen fundamentals weakening progressively month after month and the fall in the stock market calls our attention to that,” said Tim Evans of Citi Futures Perspective.

US crude at one point fell by an unprecedented $9.26 a barrel, the biggest percentage drop since December 2004, and by 1550 GMT, it was $5.90 down at $139.28 a barrel. London Brent crude fell $5.10 to $138.82.

Brazilian oil giant Petrobras said its output was back at full capacity and would remain so until the end of the five-day strike that started at midnight on Sunday. “The news that Brazil’s oil production is back at capacity despite a strike is negative for oil prices as crude earlier rallied on prospect of lower output from there,” said Phil Flynn, analyst at Alaron Trading.

Also weighing on prices was the cut in OPEC’s forecast for global oil demand growth in 2008 for a fourth time this year. The 13-member oil exporters’ group, source of two in every five barrels of oil, said consumption would slow in 2009, signaling a more comfortable supply and demand balance.

Oil had also eased earlier in the session as Chevron said production had been restored at the 120,000-barrel per day Escravos pipeline in Nigeria, resolving one of the disruptions that have cut the African country’s supply.


20 Afghan militants killed



Wednesday, July 16, 2008

KABUL: Over 20 Taliban-linked militants were killed in separate clashes, one of them in an area of northeastern Afghanistan, where nine US soldier were killed at the weekend, the defence ministry said on Tuesday.

The police and administration chiefs of the district, where the US troops were attacked on Sunday, were meanwhile arrested on suspicion of cooperating with the militants, a defence ministry spokesman told AFP.

Afghan soldiers had fought militants in Waant-Waygal district of eastern Nuristan province on Monday during an operation to seek out remaining militants after Sunday's attack, a ministry statement said. "Seven terrorists were killed and several were wounded. The terrorists left the bodies at the battlefield," it said.


US documents show Pakistan helped Taliban



Wednesday, July 16, 2008

LONDON: The Pakistani government gave substantial military support to the Taliban in the years leading up to the September 11 attacks, sending arms and soldiers to fight alongside the militant Afghan movement, according to newly released US official documents.

Islamabad has acknowledged diplomatic and economic links with the Taliban but has denied direct military support. The US intelligence and State Department documents, released under the country's freedom of information act, show Washington believed otherwise. Among the documents acquired by the National Security Archive, an independent group pressing for government transparency, is a confidential memo sent in Nov 1996, from intelligence report from Islamabad to the Defence Intelligence Agency in Washington, describing how Pakistan's paramilitary Frontier Corps was operating across the border.

"For Pakistan, a Taliban-based government in Kabul would be as good as it can get in Afghanistan," a State Department briefing paper, dated January 1997, said, adding: "Many Pakistanis claim they detest the Taliban brand of Islam, noting that it might infect Pakistan, but this apparently is a problem for another day."

"The documents illustrate that throughout the 1990's the ISI considered Islamic extremists to be foreign policy assets," Barbara Elias, a National Security Archive researcher, said. "But they succeeded ultimately in creating a Pakistani Taliban. Those years of fuelling insurgents created something that now directly threatens Islamabad."

No one was available for comment at the Pakistan embassy in London. Privately, Pakistani officials concede that the ISI was instrumental in turning the Taliban into an organised force before 2001, but claim that the committed Islamists in the ISI's ranks have been purged.

Those claims are being viewed increasingly critically in Washington, due to Islamabad's failure to uproot Taliban and al-Qaeda militants in tribal regions, like Waziristan.


Various factors led to economic crisis



Wednesday, July 16, 2008


LAHORE: The current economic crisis in the country is due to a series of various factors including shrewd bureaucracy, incompetent economic managers and a private sector pleading its case on vested interests.

The News has found shrewd bureaucrats cashed in on the dire need of the government to generate higher revenues by suggesting a combination of measures some of which are prudent and some injurious to the economy in the long run.

Economists point out the imposition of withholding tax on electricity bills of over Rs20,000 or 0.3 per cent tax on cheques of over Rs25,000 would not hurt the documented sector.

They said real issues for the industry are the 68 per cent increase in gas rates for captive power plants and mode of distribution of research and development grant.

The R&D issue has been engineered by vested interests that want R&D slabs according to the quantum of exports.

This might benefit large exporters mostly from the basic textile sector in the short run; but marginalise the SME sector of textile, which would be detrimental to basic textiles as there would be no local user of yarn and fabric if the apparel sector caved in. The 68 per cent increase in gas tariff was a shrewd move by the bureaucracy that probably convinced the economic managers that its imposition could be withdrawn on protest by the industry and would create goodwill for the government.

This move in fact has made the industry suspicious of its designs as it would benefit exporters in competing economies where the government is keeping electricity and gas rates in check. The country’s economy in fact is passing through a difficult phase that requires the government to take every step after thorough consultation with all stakeholders.

The most unfortunate aspect of the current crisis is that there is no cohesion either between the private sector and the government or between different trade bodies.

The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry is the representative body of all chambers of the country but it is operating in isolation. Some chambers of commerce and industry have joined hands to put forward their combined demands.

None of the chamber of commerce and industry has any credible research facility.

A premier chamber that collects macro-economic data of other countries and import-export profile of Pakistan with different nations considers it to be great research.

This data that most of the time is outdated and skewed is available in updated form with different departments of the government. The data required to be presented to the government should be subject-specific.

In case of exporting industries, the chambers and the relevant trade associations should have the profile of the competing industries and major players in that field.

The cost structure, efficiency, cost of doing business including the wages, input costs, utilities and government facilitations should be tabulated that should provide a clear insight to the government into the measures to be taken to bring Pakistan at par with the best.

The R&D should be impartial and advantages and disadvantages in each sector should be clearly defined.

The chambers and most of the trade bodies unfortunately do not provide the true picture about different sectors to the government. They present the research in such a way that highlights all negative aspects.


Metered parking being introduced in Lahore


Wednesday, July 16, 2008


LAHORE
THE modern meter parking system, imported from France, will be installed at three places in the city during the next 17 weeks. The installation of the system will not only help provide better facility of parking to motorists but also help improve flow of the traffic.

DCO Lahore Sajjad Ahmad Bhutta disclosed this while addressing a press conference in his office on Tuesday.

He said the City District Government Lahore had provided Rs 36 million for the project. He said the system, to be provided by PARKEON, would be installed by PAKSET. The DCO said that, in the first phase, the system would be installed at three points including Liberty Market, MM Alam Road and Main Boulevard. Total sixteen units will be set up at these points with each covering about thirty vehicles. Later, the facility will be provided to the whole city. He said fee for parking would be charged through card. Control room will be set up in DCO office for monitoring the system.


PML-N ready to offer sacrifices for judges’



Wednesday, July 16, 2008

LAHORE
PML-N Secretary General International Affairs Sheikh Kaiser Mehmood has said that his party can sacrifice thousands of ministries for the independence of judiciary.

Speaking at a function here on Tuesday, he said Mian Nawaz Sharif and Mian Shahbaz Sharif were committed to fulfilling promises made with the nation and were ready to offer any sacrifice in the regard. He said the PML-N would never compromise on the reinstatement of judges, adding: “We have already sacrificed federal ministries and if required we will not hesitate from sacrificing the Punjab government.” He said the national interests were supreme for the PML-N and its leaders wanted to save the country and not the Punjab government.

“The Peoples’ support is with the party leadership and no conspiracy from the President House will succeed against it,” he said, adding that anybody who would put a hurdle in the way of deposed judges’ restoration would be considered a crony of President Pervez Musharraf. Sheikh Kaisar said the restoration of deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was the dream of PPP Chairman Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and it was a duty of the part Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and every PPP Jiyala to materialise it. He said the reinstatement of deposed judges was essential for promotion of democracy in the country, adding that if the deposed judges were not restored, no one would dare challenge dictators in the future.


20 Rawalpindi cops suspended



Wednesday, July 16, 2008


Rawalpindi: Nasir Khan Durrani, Regional Police Officer (RPO) Rawalpindi, has placed a Sub-Inspector, 3 Assistant Sub-Inspectors, 4 Head Constables and 13 Constables of Rawalpindi district under suspension and sent them to Police Lines for their involvement in illegal activities, RPO office said.

The RPO, Monday night got checked the sensitive duty through a DSP in the area of Police Stations City,

Ganjmandi, Pirwadhai, RA Bazaar, Westridge, Airport and Civil Lines and the officials detailed for duty were found absent.

Upon this the RPO placed them under suspension and directed SSP (Operation) to take departmental action against them.

Those who suspended are: SI Ghulam Ali, ASI Sajjad Ahmad, ASI Manzoor Hussain, ASI Muhammad Yar, Head Constable Muhammad Asif, HC Ghulam Murtaza, HC Muhammad Khan, HC Zaheer Ahmad, Constables Muhammad Asif, Waseem Gulzar, Zahid Sultan, Rasheed, Irfan, Muhammad Irfan, Abdul Hameed, Nasir, Sagheer Hussain, Waqar, Tanveer, Farhad Khan, Muhammad Iqbal.


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MFN status to India if trade hurdles removed: Mukhtar


LAHORE: Pakistan can give India the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status provided the problems of tariff, non-tariff and quality of products are resolved, Federal Defence and Commerce Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar said on Friday. Talking to reporters after announcing the Trade Policy 2008-09 in Islamabad, the minister said it would make no difference if the trade equilibrium inclined towards India as a result of its exports to Pakistan, as Pakistan already had trade imbalances with various countries including China and Japan. daily times monitor


Highlights of Trade Policy 2008-09


* Allows import of 136 more items from India

* Indian CNG bus manufacturers wishing to establish factories allowed to send 10 buses to Pakistan as test consignment

* Payment of customs duty, sales taxes on precious gems abolished

* Overseas Pakistanis allowed to re-export imported vehicles

* Import of academic, scientific and reference books allowed from India

* New Halal Certification Board to be set up


Saudi conference urges global anti-terror pact


By Sajjad Malik

MADRID: Terrorism is an international issue and there should be a global agreement to address the root causes, said the document issued by the World Inter-faith Conference on Dialogue that ended here on Friday.

“Terrorism is a universal phenomenon that requires international efforts to combat it in a serious, responsible and just way,” said the document called the Madrid Declaration.

The Islamic, Christian and Jewish leaders also appealed for a United Nations special session to promote dialogue and prevent “a clash of civilisations”.

The declaration said the main objective of all religions and cultures should be efforts for achieving peace, honouring agreements and respecting traditions of people and their right to security, freedom and self determination.

The conference also called for more “ways of enhancing understanding and co-operation among people despite differences in their origin, colour and language”, and a “rejection of extremism and terrorism”.

The statement was read to the closing session by Muslim World League Deputy Secretary General Abdul Rahman al-Zaid, which had organised the conference through an initiative by Saudi King Abdullah.

More than 300 delegates attended the gathering in Madrid, aimed at bringing the world’s great monotheistic faiths closer together.

Among them were World Jewish Congress Secretary General Michael Schneider, and Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, who is responsible for the dialogue between the Vatican and Muslims.

The participants called on the UN General Assembly to call a special session to support the recommendations of the conference “in enhancing dialogue among the followers of religions, civilisations and cultures”.


Three ‘US spies’ killed in South Waziristan


Staff Report

WANA: Unidentified gunmen killed four people on Friday, three on suspicion of spying for NATO forces, and one head of a local madrassa.

The bodies of the three suspected spies were found in the Karwan Manza area of South Waziristan. A note, written in Pashto, was also found near the bodies, accusing the dead of spying for the United States. It warned that other “US spies” would face the same fate.

Separately, unidentified militants shot dead a madrassa head in the Mir Ali subdivision of North Waziristan. The attackers shot at Maulana Abdullah while he was standing in front of his madrassa before escaping in a car with tinted glasses.


NATO, US forces withdraw from Pakistan border


By Haji Mujtaba

MIRANSHAH: NATO and US-led forces in Afghanistan have begun moving back to their compounds after massing on the border with Pakistan to locate attacking Taliban militants inside Pakistan, eyewitnesses here told Daily Times on Friday.

“US and NATO troops are not to be seen outside their compounds now and have also moved tanks, artillery and heavy weapons inside their bases,” Afghan locals said. US-led coalition forces amassed on the Pak-Afghan border on Tuesday, threatening to strike militant posts inside Pakistan. They (US-led forces) have stepped back from our border after they saw that the tribal people have joined hands with Taliban to safeguard the country’s border,” said tribal elders in Miranshah bazaar.


LHC suspends Elahi’s arrest warrant


* Wants case record produced in court on 21st

Staff Report

LAHORE: Justice Maulvi Anwarul Haq of the Lahore High Court on Friday suspended proceedings and order of arrest warrants of former Punjab chief minister Pervaiz Elahi, former Punjab chief secretary Salman Siddique and others for their non-appearance before the court.

The order had been issued by Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Bakhsh Masood Hashmi on July 16, in a criminal case filed by Mayo Hospital ex-surgeon Dr Maqsood Hussain.

Case record: Justice Haq, holding suo motu proceedings on the issue, directed that the case’s record should be produced before the court on July 21.

He also directed Additional Advocate General Tahir Munir Malik to assist the court on the issue.

King Edward Medical University ex-vice chancellor Dr Mumtaz Hasan has also filed a petition against the order of warrants.

Petitioner’s counsel Aftab Bajwa submitted that the trial court had proceeded in gross violation of the procedure prescribed by law in the matter of a private complaint and also in violation of the Qazf (Enforcement of Hadd) Ordinance 1979.

Dr Maqsood Hussain is seeking registration of a Qazf case against Elahi and others.


Pakistan, India discuss Kashmir CBMs


* Meeting focuses on modalities of implementing decisions on cross-LoC travel and trade

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: The Indo-Pak Technical Working Group on Kashmir-related confidence building measures (CBMs) met at the Foreign Office (FO) on Friday and discussed methods to facilitate travel and trade across the Line of Control (LoC).

The one-day meeting was headed by South Asia and South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) Director General Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry from Pakistan and Ministry of External Affairs Joint Secretary TCA Raghvan from India.

Modalities: According to a statement issued after the meeting, the two sides discussed modalities of implementation of the decisions on cross-LoC travel and trade taken during a May 21 ministerial meeting.

“The meeting was held in a cordial and constructive atmosphere. They also reviewed measures to ensure the effective implementation of the existing cross-LoC measures. Raghvan also called on the foreign secretary of Pakistan,” the statement added.

During the fourth round of composite dialogue, both countries decided to initiate bus services between Muzaffarabad and Srinagar and Rawalakot and Poonch. They also decided to open five entry points along the LoC to facilitate meetings between divided families living on either side.

However, both countries have thus far only been able to start one fortnightly bus service between Muzaffarabad and Srinagar. They have only opened three entry points on a weekly basis instead of the agreed-upon five. Residents living on either side of the border have also complained of difficulty in obtaining travel documents to cross the LoC. The first meeting of the working group was held in New Delhi in May 2006. The meeting was the first one between Pakistan and India since New Delhi blamed a bombing on India’s Kabul embassy on a Pakistani intelligence agency, AFP reported. Pakistan has rejected the allegations. New Delhi often accuses Islamabad-backed militants of waging an insurgency in the disputed territory of Kashmir and of triggering attacks in other parts of the country. Pakistan strongly denies it arms or trains the militants.


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Pakistan, India announce more Kashmir CBMs

* Agree to increase frequency of two bus services from fortnightly to weekly
* Introduce triple entry permits from October 1

NEW DELHI: Despite a ‘chill’ in talks owing to India accusing Pakistan of involvement in the bombing at its Kabul embassy, both countries on Monday announced a series of Kashmir-related confidence building measures (CBMs).

Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon and his Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir announced the cross-border CBMs at separate press conferences after holding talks and initiating the fifth round of the composite dialogue. The two sides agreed upon these measures during a meeting of the Pak-India Working Group in Islamabad last Friday.

Increase frequency: Both sides announced that they would increase the frequency of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus from fortnightly to weekly from August 21, adding that they would also increase the frequency of the Poonch-Rawalkot bus service to weekly from August 25.

The two countries also announced that the Rawalkot deputy commissioner and the Jammu regional passport office would become the designated authorities for the Rawalkot-Poonch bus service with effect from October 1.

The designated authorities would also start to exchange applications for entry permits by e-mail from October 1. However, these would require to be substantiated with hard copies. Also from October 1, clearance time of permits would be reduced to within a week in case of emergencies like the death of a close relative across the Line of Control. The stay in such cases would be limited to a maximum of seven days.

Both sides have also decided to take steps to reduce processing time for applications and conduct monthly co-ordination meetings of the designated authorities, with a provision to convene urgent meetings whenever needed.

Triple-entry: Referring to triple-entry permits, the two sides announced that a separate form has been finalised and all three entries would have to be from the same crossing point.

They also agreed to allow a maximum of 60 people per crossing. The sides said that a list of commodities that could be traded with zero tariff regimes was also exchanged in the Islamabad meeting and each side now had to indicate the items it was willing to receive. The chambers of commerce from both sides of the LoC would visit the region as soon as possible to recommend modalities of trade, they added.

AQ to file review

ISLAMABAD: Javed Iqbal Jafferi – counsel for Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan – expressed reservations about Islamabad High Court (IHC)’s Monday verdict regarding Dr Khan’s alleged detention and said he would file a review petition. Jafferi said Dr Khan does not agree with the verdict and believes he was given little relief.

‘AQ cannot interact with media’

* IHC allows meetings with close relatives after security clearance

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday restricted nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan to interact with media, allowing him however to meet his close relatives subject to security clearance.

Justice Aslam said strict security arrangements would be taken for Dr Khan’s visits to the Science Foundation for research.

“The detenue will not convey, transmit or relay any comments or give interview to any channel, reporter, print or electronic media in any manner, whatsoever in respect of [the] issue of proliferation,” the court ruled in its verdict on a habeas corpus petition filed by advocate Javed Iqbal Jafferi against the alleged detention of Dr Khan.

The verdict comes less than three weeks after Dr Khan implicated the army in proliferation.

“No restriction will be placed on his visit within Pakistan to meet any of his close relations subject to security clearance. He will however not convey any information regarding [the issue of] proliferation,” the verdict said. The court further ruled that Dr Khan shall be provided health care facilities by a doctor of his own choice.

‘Saudi Qaeda hit Danish embassy’

LAHORE: Al Qaeda commander in Afghanistan and close aide of Osama Bin Laden Mustafa Ahmad Abu Yazeed alias Sheikh Saeed said on Monday that a Saudi member of Al Qaeda carried out the suicide attack on Danish embassy in Islamabad on June 2.

In an interview with Geo News, Saeed said there was no Muslim present at the Danish embassy at the time of the attack.

Journalists, civil society protest extremism

LAHORE: Civil society representatives, journalists and lawyers protested against intolerance and extremism in the country at the Lahore Press Club on Monday.

Dozens of people, carrying placards inscribed with slogans against extremism, intolerance and suicide attacks, attended the protest and shouted slogans against religious rigidity.

Joint Action Committee Convener Shahtaj Qazlbash said that a few people wanted to ‘hijack’ the nation in the name of Islam. HRCP Director IA Rehman said theocracy and Pakistan could not co-exist while commission Chairwoman Asma Jahangir denounced extremists for threatening daily Aaj Kal.

SAFMA General Secretary Imtiaz Alam told the gathering that the media could not be barred from expressing its opinion.

Daily Times and Aaj Kal Editor-in-Chief Najam Sethi said the media had gained freedom of expression after great sacrifices. “No one has the right to suffocate the voice of the media. The media has always raised its voice against extremism and it will continue to do so,” he added.

Lahore Bar Association President Manzoor Qadir, SCBA media co-ordinator Azhar Siddique, Abdullah Malik and others also joined the protest.

Tough talking, accusations

NEW DELHI: India’s peace process with Pakistan is “under stress”, Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon said on Monday, repeating allegations that ‘elements’ in Islamabad were behind a suicide attack at the Indian embassy in Kabul. “All our information points to elements of Pakistan being behind the blast,” he told reporters following talks with his Pakistani counterpart. The talks are happening at a “difficult time in our relationship with Pakistan”, he added. In this context, he referred to the recent violations of the ceasefire along the Line of Control, cross-border terrorism and incitement of violence in Jammu and Kashmir. However, he added, India nonetheless considers it “important that the dialogue continue in order to address our concerns”, The Associated Press reported. At a separate press conference, Pakistan Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir said allegations that Pakistan was in any way involved in the attack were ‘baseless’. “If they share this intelligence we will ally any misgivings they have,” he said. He said his country was not bound to prove its credential in the fight against terrorism, adding, “Pakistan is not on probation.” Pakistan also conveyed various concerns to India during the talks but would not discuss them through media, he added.



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Zardari’s chief security officer gunned down

* Shahenshah was among BB’s personal security guards
* Sindh home minister says murder aimed at destabilising PPP-led govt

KARACHI: Gunmen killed a senior security officer for Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari in Karachi on Tuesday, police and party officials said.

Ejaz Durrani, a spokesman for Bilawal House, said unidentified gunmen opened fire on Khalid Shahenshah’s vehicle outside his home in Khayaban-e-Bukhari in Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Phase VIII. Doctors at the nearby Ziauddin Hospital in Clifton were unable to save him, Durrani said.

Karachi police chief Khalid Mahmood confirmed the incident. Shahenshah, a long-time PPP activist, was among a coterie of party security guards who failed to prevent the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in a gun-and-bomb attack in Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007.

According to details, Shahenshah, 45, had arrived at his house at around 2:40pm after attending a meeting at Bilawal House, when assailants attacked his vehicle – a Toyota double cabin – shooting him six times in the back.

Shahenshah was rushed to hospital where he later died. His body was taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for legal formalities before being moved to Bilawal House.

The police have found a white Suzuki Mehran vehicle with fake registration plates near Sultan Masjid, Clifton Town Superintendent of Police Azad Khan said. The police are looking for the vehicle’s owner, Khan said, adding the vehicle might have been used in the attack. Senior officials of the Sindh police inspected the scene. The investigators found 39 empty shells at the site. The officials believe that the assailants fired for two to three minutes and used an SMG rifle, .222 rifle and 9mm pistols.

Zardari, who was in Islamabad when the attack took place, condemned the killing.

Mirza: Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza declined to speculate who could have been behind Shahenshah’s killing, but said it was aimed at destabilising the three-and-a-half-month old coalition led by the PPP. Sindh Inspector General of Police Sultan Sallahuddin Babar Khattak said that these were the same men who were behind the July 7 explosions.

PM, Kayani discuss security


LAHORE: Pakistan is a peaceful country and does not have aggressive designs against any other, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Tuesday. He was talking to Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani at Prime Minister’s House. Gilani said Pakistan believed in maintaining a credible minimum deterrence to ensure peace in the region. Both leaders discussed the security situation and the operation in the Tribal Areas. Kayani briefed Gilani over the ongoing operation in the FATA and security at the Pak-Afghan border.

‘Pakistan would never compromise with militants’


* Gilani says Pakistan eager to enhance co-operation with US in education, health, energy, science and technology

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is committed to fighting terrorism, which is clearly in its own interest and the government would never compromise with militants, Prime Minister (PM) Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Tuesday.

He was talking to US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W Patterson who visited Prime Minister’s House ahead of Gilani’s United States tour. “The upcoming visit to the US is very important and it will help enhance the existing close ties between the two countries,” he said.

Expand relations: The PM said that Pakistan accords high priority to its strategic relationship with the US and is keen to further expand its relations in various fields. “Pakistan is also eager to enhance co-operation in the fields of education, health, energy, science and technology,” he said.

He said that his government would not talk to militants, but would keep the doors of dialogue open for those who have laid down arms.

Welcoming Pakistan’s efforts in curtailing extremism and terrorism, Patterson said that America’s relations with Pakistan were very important.

Patterson said the US is committed to extending all possible support to the broad-based elected coalition government of Pakistan.

‘Good news on judges soon’

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said the nation would soon hear good news regarding the reinstatement of sacked judges, a private television channel reported on Tuesday. Aaj TV quoted Shahbaz as saying that talks were underway among coalition partners. He said the sacked judges would have been reinstated on February 18, had the PML-N won a majority in the elections.

Coalition partners to meet today without Nawaz

ISLAMABAD: The heads of the ruling coalition, sans PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, are scheduled to meet today (Wednesday) to remove their differences and thrash out a strategy to fight terrorism. Sources within the government said that the meeting seeks to remove differences that have arisen within the coalition, especially those concerning the paramilitary operation the PPP-led government launched in the Tribal Areas. “We will demand the government withdraw from the so-called war on terror,” JUI-F Secretary General Ghafoor Haideri told Daily Times. PML-N spokesman Siddiqul Farooq said the party would press the government for the impeachment of President Pervez Musharraf. ANP Information Secretary Zahid Khan said his party would give input on how to maintain law and order. Sources said that Gilani and Zardari would also attempt to convince the PML-N to rejoin the federal cabinet and that the formula for distribution of slots of chairpersons of standing committees would be finalised at the meeting.

Zardari writes to Nawaz, pinpoints ‘spoilers’


* PPP co-chairman expresses desire to continue coalition setup with PML-N
* Says reinstating judges through executive order could compel Musharraf to invoke Article 58 (2b)

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari has written a letter to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif complaining that PML-N leaders Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Makhdoom Javed Hashmi and Ahsan Iqbal are playing the “role of spoilers”.

According to sources within Zardari House, the PPP co-chairman was responding to correspondence from the PML-N chief seeking clarification from the PPP leadership on various coalition issues. They said that Nawaz had written that he needed to know the PPP’s plans to decide his party’s future course of action.

Continue coalition: The sources said that Zardari had expressed his desire to continue the coalition setup with the PML-N to take the country out of its current situation. “The PPP co-chairman appreciated the ‘positive’ role of Khawaja Asif and Ishaq Dar during meetings with the PPP, but complained of PML-N ‘hawks’ playing the role of spoiler,” they said.

Quoting Zardari’s letter, they said that while Khawaja and Dar were involved in constructive talks, Chaudhry Nisar, Hashmi and Iqbal were always trying to create problems for the coalition through the media. “Sometimes, they even adopt an opposite stance from their own party colleagues during meetings with the PPP,” the sources added.

Worried: On the reinstatement of the sacked judges, the sources said that the PPP co-chairman had written that he was worried that reinstating the judges through an executive order could instigate President Pervez Musharraf into invoking Article 58 (2b).

In response to the PML-N’s complaints about not being taken into confidence in the day-to-day decision-making process, the sources said that Zardari had invited the PML-N to rejoin the cabinet and participate in the country’s governance.

PML-N moves to secure Punjab


LAHORE: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is wooing the PML-Quaid (PML-Q) legislators to its side to ensure numbers in the Punjab Assembly in case the PML-N parts ways with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), sources said on Tuesday. According to sources, the PML-N wants certain PML-Q legislators to resign from the provincial assembly and get re-elected on PML-N tickets. The entire scheme is to tackle any legal challenge that might come from the PML-Q leadership. A senior official at the Punjab Secretariat told certain quarters that the PML-Q legislators, who have formed a forward bloc in the party, would resign in three stages and join the PML-N. The official added that there were high chances of a PMLN-PPP break up.

Taliban extend ultimatum deadline to NWFP govt


* TTP asks for a halt to operation in Hangu and Swat

LAHORE/KHAR/PESHAWAR: Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Maulvi Umar said the deadline given to the NWFP government to resign had already ended but the Taliban would await the provincial government’s response until Wednesday morning, a private television channel reported on Tuesday.

According to Geo News, Maulvi Umar asked for a halt to military operation in Hangu and Swat, as their deadline for the NWFP government to resign expired on Tuesday. He said they would launch attacks against the government if operation was not stopped in the two districts.

The channel quoted Umar as saying that important decisions were taken at a Taliban Shura meeting held on Tuesday. According to the channel, TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud chaired the Taliban Shura and discussed with his colleagues a future course of action, adding that important decisions regarding the ultimatum to the provincial government were taken.

Maulvi Umar welcomed the NWFP government’s announcement that it is willing to resolve all problems through negotiations. He said that despite the use of force in Swat and Hangu, the government has failed to redress any of the region’s problems. He went on to say that the TTP preferred talks over confrontation.

NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar had told a press conference on Monday that his party was against violence. They would however be “compelled” to use force if the other side continued to challenge the writ of the government.

Mehsud had on July 18 given the NWFP government a five-day ultimatum to either resign “or else face dire consequences”, inviting strong reactions from the provincial government.

The NWFP government responded the next day, saying they would not resign, nor become hostage to any militant group.

‘Operation in Hangu stopped’

LAHORE/HANGU/ PESHAWAR: A decision has been taken to stop the military operation in Hangu at the request of the NWFP government, a private television channel reported on Tuesday.

According to Aaj TV, the federal government accepted the provincial government’s request and decided to stop the Hangu operation. The channel quoted an NWFP minister as saying that the provincial government wanted to resolve the problems though negotiation.

Security forces continued however a search operation in the Doaba area of Hangu district – making no arrests – while curfew was relaxed in the city.

The continuous curfew in Hangu city and Doaba has resulted in a food crisis as edible items and medicine are vanishing from markets.

Also on Tuesday, a jirga of religious leaders met the Taliban leadership and the district administrator here before leaving for Kohat to inform Regional Co-ordination Officer (RCO) Omar Afridi about the Taliban demands.

ISPR spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas said the operation carried out against Taliban in Hangu has achieved all desired results. Talking to the BBC, he declared that all troubled areas in Hangu district have been cleared of militants. Separately, Hangu SSP Muhammad Idris told a news conference that an elite force had been established to ensure the people’s security. He said Hangu city had been divided into three sectors where the army, paramilitary and police personnel would continue their patrol.

Storm in Indian parliament as govt accused of corruption


NEW DELHI: The stormy session in the Lok Sabha (India’s lower house of parliament) was marred by a furore over opposition allegations that the ruling coalition paid out large sums of cash in bribes to ensure its win. Three BJP MPs waved bundles of cash worth Indian Rs 30 million ($715,000) that they said they had been paid for their votes. “Never in the history of our parliament has such a shameful and revolting scandal unfolded,” BJP President Rajnath Singh said. The cash allegedly received by the three MPs at their residence have been captured by an IBN-CBN cameraman – tapes of which the TV channel has handed over to the speaker.

Singh govt survives, gets trust vote


* 275 votes cast in favour of confidence motion, 256 against g 12 MPs including 7 from BJP cross-vote in govt’s favour
* Gilani congratulates Indian premier

NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s coalition government survived a chaotic parliamentary confidence vote on Tuesday night with a comfortable margin of 19 votes, clearing the way for it to forge ahead with a civilian nuclear energy deal with the US.

The vote pitted the Congress-led coalition that negotiated the nuclear deal against its former communist allies and opposition parties led by the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Singh needed just a simple majority to survive and see through the last year of his mandate. Had he failed, the world’s largest democracy would have headed into early elections – with his opponents emboldened.

The win also put an end to rumours that Singh’s government would have become a minority in parliament upon the withdrawal of support by leftist parties. The trust vote was seen as a majority of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament, giving a green signal to the government to go ahead with the Indo-US nuclear deal by signing the safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency and securing the clearance of the Nuclear Supplier Group countries. The deal is now expected to be in operation by the end of the year – ahead of the US presidential elections.

Vote: As many as 275 votes were cast in favour of the confidence motion while 256 against it, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee announced following a tense hand-count of some votes that apparently were not properly recorded by machine.

Cross-votes: Twelve members of parliament (MPs) cross-voted in favour of the government in the trust vote, defying their parties’ whip, with seven of them from the BJP alone. Opposition leader Lal Krishna Advani admitted that seven of his party MPs cross-voted but did not spell out any action stipulated against them for defying the party whip. Advani said the government may have scored a numerical victory but it was not at all a moral one.

PM: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday congratulated his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh for taking the vote of confidence.

‘Threat to Zardari’s life increased’

LAHORE: The threat to PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari’s life has increased following the death of his security officer Khalid Shahanshah, PPP Punjab Secretary General Ghulam Abbas said on Tuesday. He told a News One television programme that conspiracies were being hatched against the present government and some elements were trying to dismember the PPP. In the same show, PML-N leader Naseer Bhutta also condemned Shahanshah’s killing.

‘Killing may be linked to Benazir’s murder’

LAHORE: Deputy Speaker Sindh Assembly Shehla Raza said that the killing of Khalid Shahenshah might be linked to the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, Dawn News reported on Tuesday. Raza said Shahenshah was an eyewitness to the murder of Benazir Bhutto and his statement was likely to be recorded before the United Nations-led team that would possibly probe the incident. She termed the killing a great loss to the party.



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