* PBC members to sack SCBA, appoint administrator
* PBC authorised to roll Supreme Court body, says Latif Khosa

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) is set to pack the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), sources said on Thursday.

According to sources, in a PBC session on July 26, the body would move to sack the incumbent office-bearers of the SCBA, and appoint an administrator to run the association.

The Pakistan bar has got enough numbers to carry out the plan, the sources said, adding that lawyers loyal to the previous government and those supporting the present have grouped together to see their plan through.

According to legal experts, the council has the privilege to snap the SCBA if majority PBC members back the decision.

A group of lawyers, supported by Attorney General Malik Qayyum, who is also the chairman of the council, is active to attain the simple majority in the scheduled session.

The group differs from the SCBA stance on the reinstatement of the judges sacked on November 3, 2007. The SCBA, contrary to the group’s views, is spearheading the lawyers’ movement to bring the judiciary back to its pre-November 3 position.

The group also contrasts sharply with SCBA President Aitzaz Ahsan’s position and want the veteran lawyer removed from the office.

Khosa: PBC member Sardar Latif Ahmed Khosa said that the SCBA is a subsidiary institution of the council. The council can “supersede and overtake” the SCBA, Khosa said, adding that the council has mustered enough support to take any action against the Supreme Court lawyers’ body.

The July 26 meeting cannot be postponed as six members of the council have requisitioned it. In order to postpone the session, more than six members must request the council.

A former vice president of the SCBA, Ikram Chaudhry said that according to the rules SCBA is subordinate to PBC. He said the precedent was set in a SC ruling when a larger bench, headed by sacked chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, gave a verdict against the election of Raja Haq Nawaz as president of SCBA and authorised the PBC to hold the election under its supervision.

Ikram Chaudhry said to check the PBC move, the only option is to call a general body meeting of the SCBA, wherein the body would declare itself independent of the PBC and cede.

Hashmat Habib, an advocate in the SC and president of Movement for Protection of Judiciary, said that the reports about PBC-SCBA rift are baseless.


HANGU: A tribal jirga has successfully brokered a peace deal between the local Taliban and the administration in the Hangu district, a source told Daily Times on Thursday. According to the source, the peace accord would come into effect anytime late on Thursday. The agreement espouses a ceasefire and a ban on arms display.


* Scheffer says Pakistan should be part of ‘regional approach’ to counter terrorism

KABUL: NATO will not enter Pakistan to hunt the Taliban insurgents but reserves the right to hit the militants if they attack alliance troops across the border in Afghanistan, NATO Secretary General Jaap De Hoop Scheffer said on Thursday.

The existence of extremist sanctuaries is unacceptable and Pakistan should be a part of the “regional approach” to eliminate the global threat of terrorism, he said.

Scheffer was visiting amid high tension between Afghanistan and Pakistan over a spate of violence, including the Indian embassy’s bombing, which Kabul has blamed on its neighbour’s intelligence agency.

“The bottom line is that the present situation cannot be acceptable for anyone,” Scheffer said after talks with President Hamid Karzai.

“Let us practise a regional approach and let us involve all the regional actors here,” he said.


LANDIKOTAL: Armed supporters of Tehreek Islami Khyber, a new militant group, led by Gul Rehman Afridi ‘raided’ the Landikotal headquarters hospital on Thursday and called for the immediate removal of the “corrupt” medical superintendent (MS).

They raised slogans against MS Dr Zar Alam Shinwari and Agency Surgeon Dr Zaman Khattak.

“He (the MS) is ineligible and corrupt,” Afridi alleged.

He blamed Khattak for shifting the offices of agency surgeon staff to Jamrud. “The poor staff cannot afford to go to Jamrud,” Afridi said.

Shinwari, while talking to Daily Times, denied he had anything to do with the offices’ relocation, saying it was the agency surgeon’s job.


* President asks govt to address key issues
* Meets Shujaat, Elahi, Ebad at Camp Office
* Says will keep playing constitutional role

LAHORE/RAWALPINDI: President Pervez Musharraf offered full support and co-operation to the government for political stability and for changing the worsening economic condition in the country, a private television channel reported on Thursday.

Musharraf said the country was passing through a difficult phase and it was the government’s responsibility to swiftly address key challenges faced by the nation, sources said.

Talking to PML-Q President Shujaat Hussain and Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Pervaiz Elahi at the Presidential Camp Office here, Musharraf expressed his concern over the prevailing political, economic and security situation in the country.

Role: Sources said that Musharraf reiterated his intention that he would continue to play his constitutional role as head of the state because he intends to see a strong parliament and stable democracy in the country.

The PML-Q leaders assured the president of their support and said their party would play its due role in the opposition.

Sources within the PML-Q said that the meeting with the president was part of a regular interaction that the party leadership maintains with the president. They said there was no specific agenda for the meeting, which lasted for nearly two hours.

The president made clear that the government would have to win the people’s confidence to cope with the crises, and asked the government to take concrete steps to arrest inflation, Online reported.

Meanwhile, sources in the Camp Office said the PML-Q leaders also discussed problems faced by the party including hurdles in its efforts to organise the party and stop possible defections in the Punjab.

Local system: The local bodies system was enforced in accordance with the constitution, the president said, asking everyone to work for its stability.

According to Online, the PML-Q leaders apprised the president of the conspiracies being hatched against the local bodies system and of the cases registered against nazims by the Punjab government, sources said. Sindh Governor Ishratul Ebad also met the president and briefed him about the provincial government’s efforts to improve law and order in the province. The president appreciated the efforts of the provincial government and the governor.


ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) management on Thursday suspended General Manager (Employee Relations) Bashir Hussain for his failure to deal with the issue of aggrieved employees, as protesting PTCL employees forced their way into the PTCL headquarters building.

Separately, a ministerial committee constituted on Thursday a sub-committee to address the grievances of protesting PTCL employees, as talks between the committee and PTCL representatives remained inconclusive.

Finance Minister Naveed Qamar, Minister for Information Technology (IT) and Telecommunication Qamaruz Zaman Kaira and Minister for Labour Khursheed Shah represented the government while Malik Maqbool, Ejaz Khan, Shaukat Satti and others represented the PTCL employees in the talks held at the PTCL headquarters.

The sub-committee comprises IT Secretary Hifzur Rehman and Labour Secretary Malik Asif Hayat. The sub-committee will present its report to the ministerial committee today. Interior Secretary Syed Kamal Shah, Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Amer Ali Ahmad and officials of the Labour Ministry were also present during the committee meeting.

Earlier, protesting PTCL employees forced their way into the PTCL headquarters building as they continued their protest for the 10th consecutive day.

The security personnel did not offer resistance, nor did the enraged employees resort to violence.

The protesters chanted slogans against the PTCL management and vowed to go to every possible length if their demands were not met. The employees have been protesting since the PTCL administration introduced a unified pay scale in response to the demands of regularisation on a permanent basis by employees currently working on a contractual or daily-wages basis.


LAHORE: The International Cricket Council (ICC) executive board on Thursday decided that September’s Champions’ Trophy will go ahead as scheduled in Pakistan despite security concerns aired by leading Test-playing nations. Some of the leading players in the world are expected to stay away from the tournament.


ISLAMABAD: The increase in the power tariff is inevitable but it would not hit the poor, Federal Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervez Ashraf said on Thursday.

Talking to a group of journalists, Ashraf said that the decision to increase tariff would be a tough one, adding that the government would pass on the burden of tariff hike to rich consumers.

The minister said that the government had invited tenders for power generation up to 1,000MW and that the government has received offers up to 3,000MW from seven local and five foreign investors, he said.

Ashraf said projects worth over $4 billion are being considered and a 1,000 MW project would be finalised by August 15.

The minister also said that the Washington Energy Conference in Washington would help explore potential of Thar coal reserves. The conference is scheduled for July 28-29.

Ashraf told reporters about planned windmills up to 50 MW capacities. The alternative sources of energy would be explored on priority basis, he added.

US wants to move two-thirds of aid to ageing F-16s

* $230m in US aid to be diverted from counter-terrorism funds
* NYT report says Pakistan needs jets for use against India

WASHINGTON: The United States said on Thursday it planned to divert $230 million in aid to Pakistan from counter-terrorism programmes to the upgrade of the country’s F-16 fighter jets.

“The F-16s ... are used in counter-terrorism operations. We made them available to [Pakistan] and they need to be maintained,” White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters.

Modernisation of Pakistan’s fleet of ageing F-16s is estimated to cost around $891 million that was to be paid out of Pakistan’s national funds. Because of the current economic crunch, Islamabad had asked the Bush administration to divert $226 million from the overall military aid programme with Pakistan in finance year 2008 and $140 million in finance year 2009, making up the balance from its own resources.

The $226 million that Pakistan seeks will need to be diverted from the $297 million it is to receive from the Foreign Military Funds (FMF) and not from the Coalition Support Funds (CSF). The total F-16 package – from the days the first aircraft were acquired to the last ones Pakistan is purchasing – carries a cost of $3 billion.

The US has so far only allowed $108 million to be diverted out of the FMF and if the other two amounts that Pakistan seeks for 2008 and 2009 come through, the total amount divertible to the F-16 purchase account would come to $474 million.

Pakistan’s purchase of the jet fighter aircraft appeared to be going through smoothly so far. The Indian lobby on Capitol Hill may however have made its first move to muddy the waters for the F-16 deal.

Also on Thursday, the New York Times reported the Bush administration’s plans to divert funds.

The angle of the report was that Pakistan should be denied this facility because it does not need F-16s to fight the insurgency in its tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. The newspaper linked the administration’s request on Pakistan’s behalf as an attempt to make up for the death of 11 Pakistani soldiers killed in an American airstrike last month, considering the upcoming visit to Washington of Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani.

No need: The newspaper stresses that Pakistan does not need F-16s in the fight against insurgency, as it would amount to ‘killing a fly with a sledgehammer’. On the other hand, it needs them against India, and the request, therefore, should be denied by Congress.

The newspaper reports that in a two-page notification to Congress, the State Department said that upgrading the avionics, targeting and radar systems of Pakistan’s older F-16s would “increase the survivability of the aircraft in a hostile environment” and make the “F-16s a more valuable counter-terrorism asset that operates safely during day and night operations.”

The notification said the modernised systems would also increase the accuracy of the F-16s’ support of Pakistani ground troops, lessening the risks of civilian casualties.

In 2006, the newspaper notes, Pakistan was a major recipient of US arms sales, including the $1.4 billion purchase of up to 36 new F-16 C/D fighter aircraft and $640 million in missiles and bombs. The deal included a package for $891 million in upgrades for Pakistan’s older F-16s. At that time, the US agreed to use $108 million of its annual security aid to Pakistan to retrofit the older F-16s with equipment to make them comparable to the newer models that will be delivered in the next several years. But the administration promised Congress that the Pakistani government would pay for the rest of the upgrades with its own funds. With Pakistan now facing economic hardships, top Pakistani leaders appealed to senior State Department officials to help defray the costs of the ongoing upgrades.



http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?date=7/25/2008

Hamas arrests dozens after blast

Hamas security forces in the Gaza Strip are said to have arrested 160 Fatah supporters and set up checkpoints after an explosion killed six people.

A powerful explosion inside a car travelling past a beach in the Gaza Strip on Friday killed five Hamas activists and a six-year old girl.

At least 15 other people were said to have been injured by the explosion - the third bomb attack in a day.

Hamas's rival Fatah, which controls the West Bank, denied involvement.

Three attacks in 24 hours made it one of the bloodiest episodes since Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007 from the Fatah movement of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.


Those who carried out this crime are making war on God, on the security of Gaza, and on the resistance
Khalil al-Hayya
Hamas leader

Hamas disputes the figures for the number of people arrested, but says those it has detained are suspected of involvement in a bomb the latest attack.

"The Fatah movement is behind this reprehensible crime," senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya told a crowd of supporters at a funeral for those killed.

"Those who carried out this crime are making war on God, on the security of Gaza, and on the resistance," he said. "They will not be released after six months but will be hanged from the gallows and shot."

The Gaza-based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights quoted police sources as saying that 160 Fatah supporters had been detained. It said Hamas security forces had also raided and closed tens of civil society organisations, benevolent societies, and sports clubs affiliated with Fatah.

In a statement, it condemned the attacks but warned against "the implications of climbing down a dark tunnel that will lead to further fragmentation and internal divide, with the price paid by the Palestinian people and their national cause".

The BBC's Aleem Maqbool says the Islamist party's firm grip on Gaza has meant relatively few factional killings or attacks against it since taking power, but tensions have remained high.

Beach outing

Earlier on Friday, a bombing outside a cafe in Gaza City killed one person - reportedly the perpetrator - and injured at least three others, Hamas officials said.

It was unclear why the area was bombed, but there have been attacks on internet cafes, music shops and Christian institutions in Gaza in recent months.

Officials also reported a bombing near the home of Marwan Abu Ras, a Hamas politician and academic. No-one was injured.

The explosion on Friday night at a major junction besides Gaza City's beach killed three Hamas members and the girl immediately, according to a statement by the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Two more Hamas members died of injuries on Saturday, the statement added.

The girl killed in the blast had been on her way to the beach with her family, medics said.

__________________
Devil-may-care

RAWALPINDI/RAWALAKOT: The Army said on Saturday it traded fire with India in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir after being attacked, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

The army said Indian troops “resorted to unprovoked firing” in the Battal sector of Kashmir. Pakistani troops immediately returned fire and the shooting from the Indian side stopped, it said in a statement.

Indian troops fired 10 mortars at 11am followed by a burst of small arms fire at a Pakistani checkpost and populated areas of Mohallah Rajgan in the Poonch Sector. Army spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas confirmed firing by Indian troops in Poonch Sector and told reporters that a Pakistani checkpost was attacked with machinegun fire.

The Pakistani side retaliated, Abbas said, adding that Pakistan had called for a flag meeting besides voicing strong protest, he said. Brig Gopala Krishanan Murali, an army spokesman in Indian Kashmir, said the firing had come from the Pakistani side. “Some rogue elements, possibly infiltrators, fired rocket-propelled guns and quickly disappeared from the scene,” Murali said, adding, “We didn’t return the fire.” It was the second alleged shooting incident in Battal this month.


ISLAMABAD: The federal government has extended the job contract of Interior Ministry Secretary Syed Kamal Shah for an indefinite period, a notification issued by the Establishment Division said on Saturday.

A senior Establishment Division official confirmed the notification in this regard.

Shah’s job contract has been extended until further orders by the competent authority. The previous government had extended Shah’s job contract for a year after his retirement last year. That contract was due to expire on August 17.


ISLAMABAD: The Economic Monitoring Committee on Saturday decided to impose a ban on sugar exports to stabilise the commodity’s prices in the country.

The daily meeting of the committee, chaired by Finance Minister Syed Naveed Qamar, announced this initiative to avoid a possible sugar shortage crisis. It also decided to exempt 25 percent customs duty on sugar imports by the private sector. The committee has advised the Commerce Ministry to immediately notify a ban on sugar exports and directed tax authorities to notify the reduction in import duty.

The participants of the committee meeting also noted that the sugar supply to the Utility Stores Corporation would be increased and 6,000 tonnes of pulses would also be provided to it. They said that 20,000 tonnes of pulses would be offloaded in the open market. The committee also requested the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) to procure sugar from mills to guarantee a smooth supply in the market.

According to sources privy to the information, the sugar industry expects a 10 percent reduction in the sugarcane crop this year and is anticipating a subsequent decrease in sugar production. They said that the industry was seeking to charge higher prices of its sugar stock by creating sugar shortages through reduced releases to the market.

Similarly, the committee meeting directed the Petroleum and Natural Resources Ministry to convene a meeting of the CNG Prices Committee, which has been formed to devise a benchmark that will facilitate the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority’s oversight of CNG consumer prices.

The committee also reviewed the existing wheat stock situation and directed the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MINFAL) to import more wheat to meet the increased domestic requirements.

It was also informed that 50,000 tonnes of urea would be imported from Saudi Arabia to meet local demand and the neighbouring country has already committed 200,000 tonnes of the fertiliser to Pakistan.

The committee expressed satisfaction that DAP fertilisers for the Rabi season were of sufficient quantity. It also noted that DAP prices would be decided by the Fertiliser Prices Committee, saying it had already been notified of this by the federal government.


LONDON: The Pakistani people will not welcome allied forces in the Tribal Areas, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said. Talking to a British TV channel, he said that there was no need for allied forces’ action in the Tribal Areas. The foreign minister said that the Pakistani forces were capable enough of dealing with militancy and that the situation would not improve if allied forces launched an attack on the Tribal Areas. He said that Pakistan did not receive any positive response from Afghanistan over its suggestions on how to deal with terrorism, adding that the allied forces should perform their responsibilities effectively in Afghanistan.


* Prime minister says he will discuss co-operation in defence, education, health and intelligence-sharing with US officials

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is fighting Al Qaeda and the Taliban in its own interest, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Saturday as he embarked on his first official visit to the United States.

“Extremism and terrorism are our own problems. This is our own fight,” he told reporters at the Chaklala Airbase before his departure. “My priority is to maintain law and order in the country ... and that’s why it is in our own interest that extremism and terrorism is contained,” he said.

Forging co-operation: Gilani said that he would also exchange views with US President George W Bush and other US leaders on forging co-operation in defence, education, health, science and technology, agriculture and intelligence-sharing, AFP reported.

On addressing the investors’ roundtable conference on Pakistan’s power sector during his visit, he hoped that the initiative would attract substantial investment in the country’s energy sector, APP reported. “Now the investment will come in a big way,” he added.

Later, during a stopover in London, Gilani cited Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh as having told him that India was ready for dialogue to resolve all disputes between the two countries. According to Dawn News, he said that he had congratulated his Indian counterpart by phone on winning the vote of confidence. He said that he would not meet Nawaz Sharif in London, as the PML-N chief did not want to hold talks outside of Pakistan.

Quoting a Foreign Ministry statement, NNI reported that Gilani’s four-day visit to the US — July 27-30 — would begin n with a visit to the White House, where he would attend a luncheon in his honour. During his stay in Washington, Gilani is also scheduled to have meetings with senior members of the administration and may also meet presumptive presidential nominees John McCain and Barack Obama.


NEW DELHI: At least 29 people were killed and another 100 injured as 17 small bombs exploded in the Indian city of Ahmedabad on Saturday evening, a day after two people were killed in a set of eight blasts in Bangalore – the country’s IT hub.

An obscure group, Indian Mujahideen, has claimed responsibility for the blasts.

The little-known group sent an email – a mere six minutes ahead of the blasts – to the Indian Intelligence Bureau and some news channels, warning of the incidence in Ahmedabad, main city of Gujarat province. The city was the scene of deadly riots in 2002 in which 2,500 people are thought to have died, most of them Muslims killed by rampaging Hindu mobs.

Quoting the e-mail sent by Indian Mujahideen, national news channels reported that the blasts were carried out in retaliation to the 2002 riots. The same group had sent e-mails after the Jaipur blasts in May 2008.


ISLAMABAD: The decision to place the IB and ISI under civilian control will be of great detriment to the country’s defence establishment, former ISI chief Hameed Gul said on Saturday. He told Daily Times that the ISI had a strategic role and should not be placed under the Interior Division. “It is acceptable to some extent to place the IB under the Interior Division, but the ISI is the country’s first line of defence,” he added.


ISLAMABAD: A majority of political parties welcomed the government’s move to place the IB and ISI under the Interior Division’s control. PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari said all intelligence agencies should work on one platform in a democracy, prompting the government’s move. PML-N Information Secretary Siddiqul Farooq said his party welcomed the step. Similarly, JI leader Liaqat Baloch and ANP Information Secretary Zahid Khan also termed the decision a step in the right direction.


* Interior Ministry to appoint and transfer all IB officials except chief

ISLAMABAD: The government on Saturday placed the country’s two top intelligence agencies, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB), under civilian control.

According to a memorandum issued by the Cabinet Division under Rule 3(3) of the Rules of Business, 1973, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has approved conferring control of the two agencies’ administrative, financial and operational functions to the Interior Division with immediate effect.

The Interior Ministry had formally asked the premier, shortly after he took oath of office, to place the IB under its purview. A summary had been subsequently dispatched to the premier requesting the transfer of the IB’s administrative control from the Prime Minister’s Secretariat to the ministry.

All but chief: In light of the new orders, the Interior Ministry would appoint and transfer all IB officials except its chief, whose appointment would continue to be the prime minister’s prerogative. The summary’s approval also gives the ministry access to all IB intelligence reports forwarded to the premier.

According to sources privy to the development, the step has been taken to create harmony and improve co-ordination between civilian authorities and intelligence agencies. They said that improved co-ordination and input from civilian authorities was needed to implement the decisions made by higher authorities in light of the challenges posed by the war against terrorism to the Pakistan government.



http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?date=7/27/2008

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Regards,
P.R.

Death toll in Istanbul bombings rises to 17

By Daren Butler
46 minutes ago


ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The death toll in bomb blasts in Istanbul rose to 17 on Monday, Turkish broadcaster NTV said, and more than 150 people were wounded in an attack hours ahead of a court case over banning the governing party.

NTV said the toll reached 17 after one person died from wounds sustained in the Sunday evening blasts in a working class neighborhood on the European side of Istanbul. More than a dozen people were seriously injured in the two explosions.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan cancelled his weekly cabinet meeting to travel to Turkey's largest city to visit the site of the blasts, a government official told Reuters.

The site was still cordoned off early on Monday and police were not allowing people into the area other than shop owners, as forensic teams examined the scene and police investigated security cameras in the largely residential area.

"We know the killers," Sabah newspaper said in a headline above a picture of bodies strewn across a busy pedestrian area where two bombs had torn through the crowds.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, the deadliest in Turkey since 2003. Newspapers said three people had been detained in connection with the bombings.

Kurdish separatists, far-left groups and Islamist militants have all carried out bombings in Istanbul in the past.

Several newspapers said police were focusing their investigations this time on the outlawed separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), saying it has used similar explosives.

The PKK, considered a terrorist organization by the United States, Turkey and the European Union, has waged a deadly campaign for a Kurdish homeland in southeast Turkey since 1984. The PKK usually does not target civilians.

Officials said an initial loud blast on Sunday evening brought people into the streets and a larger bomb hidden in a rubbish bin exploded 10 minutes later and 50 meters away in the Gungoren district, near Istanbul's main international airport, where families gather in the evenings to dine and stroll.

UNCERTAINTY

Turkish financial markets weakened slightly on the news as well on concerns over the court case against the AK Party.

Turkey, which is seeking European Union membership, has been plunged into political and economic uncertainty by a court case over banning the ruling party.

The Constitutional Court, Turkey's highest judicial body, began deliberating on Monday on whether the AK Party has engaged in Islamist activities and should be closed. The party denies the charges. A ruling is expected in early August.

The court case is linked to a power struggle between Turkey's secularist establishment and the Islamist-rooted AK Party, which are at odds over the direction of the officially secular but predominantly Muslim country.

Tensions have also risen in recent weeks over a widening police investigation into a suspected ultra-nationalist group accused of seeking to overthrow the government.

Two senior retired generals have also been arrested in the probe, which has rattled Turkey.

The Istanbul attacks came hours after Turkish fighter jets bombed suspected PKK targets across the border in northern Iraq, used by guerrillas as a base from which to carry out strikes on Turkish territory.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080728/...explosion_dc_7

Pak journalist in US jail for 4 months on terror charges

Karachi News.Net
Monday 28th July, 2008 (ANI)

Washington, July 28 : A US-based Pakistani journalist is reportedly in police custody for the past four months on terrorism charges. He is believed to be kept in an Ohio prison.

Nayyar Zaidi, the well-known US-based Pakistani-American journalist, has been a citizen of the US for more than 30 years.

He is being held on the charge of "obstruction of justice", a very serious offence. He is also said to be awaiting a trial. The news of his arrest was broken by the New Jersey-based website at the weekend.

According to the Daily Times, on Feb. 20, 2003, Zaidi was visited by three FBI agents at his residence in Prince County, Virginia, while he was away from home. The three agents tried to interrogate Zaidi's 15-year old son Zain Zaidi, who immediately phoned his father but by the time he got home, the agents were gone, leaving a phone number that they said he should reach them at.

The FBI claimed that Zaidi's home phone had been used for making calls to 10 numbers in Pakistan, China, India, the Netherlands and Thailand, and those numbers were under investigation for links to the events of 9/11 2001. Zaidi contended that the Pakistan number bore similarity to a fax number that he often called in Karachi to file his news and other reports.

Zaidi has been working for the Jang Group of Newspapers for more than 25 years. The Pakistan phone number was officially investigated by Pakistani authorities, which found it to be the disconnected number of a textile company that had gone bankrupt.

When Zaidi asked to be given other numbers that had allegedly been called from his phone, the request was refused. Zaidi offered to cooperate with the FBI but refused to hand over his phone notebook or any records unless the agents came up with legal grounds to make such a demand. He was left alone until August 8, 2003 when two different FBI agents came to his home while he was away. When he called them on August 11, leaving three messages, his calls were not returned.

The embassy also took up the issue of this FBI intrusion with the State Department, which promised to look into the matter. Nothing more was heard of it till Zaidi's mysterious disappearance in late March this year.

http://www.karachinews.net/story/387130

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Japan floods force 70,000 to evacuate

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

TOKYO: Four people died on Monday in central Japan after being swept away in torrential rains that caused floods and mudslides and prompted an evacuation order for 70,000 people, officials said.

The rain resulted from a powerful typhoon that pounded Taiwan and the Philippines, led authorities to evacuate people in the historic areas of Kyoto and Kanazawa. A ferocious torrent gushed through Japan’s sixth largest city of Kobe, sweeping bystanders off their feet and into the water. Four people were killed — a 29-year-old woman, girls aged 12 and 5, and a 10-year-old boy. Another three people were rescued and rushed to hospital, a city official said. Television footage showed a man wearing a helmet, apparently a construction worker, holding onto a stone bridge column in a desperate effort not to be swept away by the flash flooding.

Rescuers sent down a lifeline and a ladder, pulling the man up from the rushing stream. The dead bodies were found near the mouth of the Togagawa river, which feeds into Osaka Bay, the Coast Guard said.

“Rain suddenly started falling in the afternoon, but now it’s calmed down. It’s unusual for the Togagawa River to overflow. The last time it did was probably many decades ago,” said Hirokazu Shikata, a local official.

Western Japan has seen heavy rain since the weekend, with as much as 120 millimetres of rain per hour falling overnight. In Kanazawa — dubbed “little Kyoto” for its centuries-old wooden teahouses, temples and elaborate gardens — the Asano river surged through the city in the morning, dumping mud into nearly 300 houses.

Nuclear bombs belong to the 20’th century. We are living in a new century: Ahmadinejad

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

WASHINGTON: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in an interview aired on US television on Monday that if the United States adopted a genuinely new approach to his country Tehran would respond in a positive way.

“Today, we see new behaviour shown by the United States and the officials of the United States. My question is, is such behaviour rooted in a new approach?” the president told NBC in a rare interview with a US broadcaster.

“In other words, mutual respect, cooperation and justice? Or is this approach a continuation in the confrontation with the Iranian people, but in a new guise?” he said from Tehran, speaking through an interpreter.

If US behaviour represented a genuine change, “we will be facing a new situation and the response by the Iranian people will be a positive one,” Ahmadinejad said in an excerpt of the interview, conducted in the presidential compound.

Ahmadinejad’s comments, which will be aired in full later on Monday, came after the United States took the unprecedented step of sending a top diplomat to meet Iran’s chief negotiator at talks in Geneva over Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme.

The interview also follows Ahmadinejad’s announcement on Saturday that Iran had boosted the number of uranium-enriching centrifuges to 6,000, in an expansion of its nuclear drive that defies international calls for a freeze.

Iran faces three sets of UN Security Council sanctions over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment, which makes nuclear fuel as well as the fissile core of an atomic bomb. Ahmadinejad reiterated in the interview Tehran was not working to build nuclear weapons, according to a partial transcript.

“We are not working to manufacture a bomb. We don’t believe in a nuclear bomb,” he said when asked if Iran sought to be a nuclear power. History has shown that possessing nuclear weapons did not help other countries with their political goals, he added.

“Nuclear bombs belong to the 20th century. We are living in a new century.” World powers, concerned Tehran is pursuing a clandestine nuclear weapons project, have offered to start pre-negotiations during which Tehran would face no further sanctions if it added no more uranium-enriching centrifuges.

Iran was given a two-week deadline to respond that expires on Saturday. Ahmadinejad said he hoped the negotiations would yield progress with both sides finding “common ground” in competing proposals. When asked about the proposal from Western powers that offers improved trade terms and other incentives, Ahmadinejad said Iran was a “mighty country” and not at all isolated.

“Well, the world — the doors, rather, of the larger world are not closed to us,” he said. “For the continuation of our lives and for progress, we do not need the services, if I can use the word, of a few countries.”

The United States has warned Tehran of “punitive measures” if it spurns the offer and presses on with enrichment. Despite Ahmadinejad’s relatively moderate tone, the State Department said it was looking out for a clear, official statement of policy ahead of Saturday’s deadline.

“We are waiting what we believe to be a definitive statement from the government of Iran, we are looking for it to come through the traditional channel,” State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said.

“And then, it will be reviewed and then, we will decide where we will be going from there,” he told reporters. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, insisting that its programme is designed to provide energy for its growing population once the country’s extensive reserves of fossil fuels run out.

Bush urged to help strengthen Pakistan’s ability to fight terrorism

Tuesday, July 29, 2008


NEW YORK: The influential American newspaper The New York Times (NYT) urged President George W Bush in its editorial on Monday to recast Washington-Islamabad relations -- making clear that he is committed to strengthening both Pakistan’s democracy and its ability to fight extremism.

The NYT editorial coincides with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s official visit, during which he will hold talks with Bush. The newspaper also asked the US Congress to approve a legislation, which would provide substantial long-term increases in economic assistance to Pakistan and tighter monitoring of American military assistance.

Introduced by top lawmakers Joseph Biden (Democrat) and Richard Lugar (Republican) of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the legislation recommends tripling of non-military aid to $1.5 billion a year.

“The imbalance it seeks to remedy between lavish but misdirected military aid and miserly economic assistance was highlighted in the recent Congressional skirmish over who would pay for modernising Pakistan’s jet fighters," the NYT said.

In addition, the newspaper made a plea to Congress to approve funds needed to upgrade Pakistan’s aging F-16s. ìUnder the present aid formulas, Washington can pay for the F-16 upgrades only by shifting funds from equipment better suited for fighting the Taliban. Pakistan needs more such equipment “not less” including Cobra helicopters and night-vision goggles.

“Pakistan should not be modernising the F-16’s at all, but that deal was made long ago. Congress should hold its nose and approve this year’s F-16 money, plus additional emergency funds for the helicopters and goggles. Then it should quickly enact the Biden-Lugar legislation,î it added.

That way, The Times said Pakistan will have reliable funding for future social programmes and be able to focus American military aid on counter-terrorism.“It is an imperfect solution but could be the start of a better relationship one that promotes democracy and the fight against al-Qaeda,” the editorial said.




Tuesday, July 29, 2008


LAHORE: The electricity meter reading staff of Wapda took out a rally here on Monday to protest against the price hike and for the upgradation of their pay scales.

The rally, held under the aegis of the Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Central Labour Union (CBA), was taken out from the Bakhtiar Labour Hall, where the workers organised a national convention. The rally participants included the representatives of workers from all the four provinces.

The participants of the rally, carried banners inscribed with their demands, passed through streets while beating their chests. They were led by union leader Khurshid Ahmad, Iftikhar Shah, Ehsan Butt and others. They demanded of the government to freeze the prices of essential commodities and called upon the Wapda management to accept their legitimate demands and raise the pay scale of meter readers to BPS-9 and meter supervisors to Grade 13.

They also called for starting wind, hydel and coal-fired power generation to provide cheaper electricity to the people. A resolution passed in the meeting urged the government to accept the demands of the PTCL workers, assure the reinstatement of the deposed judges, amend the labour laws in conformity with the ILO ratified Convention and repeal the Pemra Ordinance.

Four female bombers kill 57 in Iraq

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

BAGHDAD: Four suicide bombers believed to be women struck a Shia pilgrimage in Baghdad and a Kurdish protest rally in northern Iraq on Monday, killing at least 57 people and wounding nearly 300 in one of this year's deadliest attacks, police said.Three bombers believed to be women blew up their explosive vests in the middle of pilgrims in Baghdad moments after a roadside bomb attack, killing at least 32 people and wounding 102, Iraqi officials said.In the oil-rich northern city of Kirkuk, 25 people were killed and 185 wounded when a blast tore through a crowd of Kurds protesting a draft provincial elections law, officials said.

Al-Qaeda urges Muslims to kill Saudi king

Tuesday, July 29, 2008


CAIRO: An Al-Qaeda commander has posted a Web video urging Muslims to kill the Saudi king for leading an interfaith conference in Madrid earlier this month. Abu Yahya Al-Libi said: “Bringing religions together...means renouncing Islam.”Saudi King Abdullah sponsored the dialogue among the Jews, Muslims, Christians, Hindus and Buddhists, and encouraged all faiths to turn away from extremism.But Al-Libi said: “Equating Islam with other religions is a betrayal of Islam.” He calls for “the speedy killing of this tyrant.” The 43-minute video was posted late on Monday on an Internet site frequently used by militants. Its authenticity could not be verified independently

High food prices to stay for 3-4 years: WFP

Tuesday, July 29, 2008



ISLAMABAD: The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned Pakistan that the impact of high food prices will persist for the next three to four years and the country this year will face a wheat shortage of four million tonnes.

In a presentation on food security for vulnerable and poor groups, the WFP’s country representatives said the present food crisis would stay for three to four years mainly because of poor strategy by executing agencies like food departments both at the federal and provincial levels.

None of the officials from the food and agriculture departments were available for comment on the issue. However, an official of the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC), the country’s premier research institute, told The News there was a lack of coordination and mismanagement both at the federal and provincial levels in efforts for enhancing production, particularly of grains.

“Despite having allocation of billions of rupees for boosting production of crops, particularly the yield of staples, Pakistan has not been able to avoid imports of commodities,” said a progressive farmer.

According to a report on agriculture, Pakistan can produce more than 30 million tonnes of wheat from the same area which is under cultivation, but the output is currently around 21 million tonnes mainly because farmers do not get fair prices for their produce.

Pakistan was facing a shortage of four million tonnes of wheat and the main reasons were said to be 1.5 million tonnes lower production, additional wheat consumption of 1.25 million tonnes because of high prices of rice and informal exports of one million tonnes to Afghanistan, the WFP said.

Despite having a bumper crop of 23.3 million tonnes last year, Pakistan imported 1.73 million tonnes of wheat while for the current year, the government has announced imports of 2.5 million tonnes.

The WFP said poor people were spending 70 per cent of their household budget on food compared to 45 per cent in the past.Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in his speech to the nation on July 21 announced the launch of Rs34 billion Benazir Income Support Programme covering 3.4 million households with monthly entitlement of Rs1,000 per household from August 14.The WFP has already declared half of the population of Pakistan food deficient and is also carrying out food supply operation in some parts of FATA and Balochistan.

Indian rupee down

Tuesday, July 29, 2008


MUMBAI: The Indian rupee weakened on Monday, after having risen in early trade, as oil refiners bought dollars in the local currency market to meet month-end import commitments.

The partially convertible rupee ended at 42.55/56 per dollar, down 0.7 per cent from Friday’s close of 42.26/27 and off an early high of 42.1950. It rose to 41.82 per dollar last week, its highest since May 12.

“The rupee weakened mainly due to month-end dollar demand from oil companies. There was some major inflow in between which gave the rupee interim relief but again (oil) demand picked up,” said V Rajagopal, head of forex trading at Kotak Mahindra Bank.

Oil steadied above $124 a barrel on Monday, supported by rebel attacks on the oil industry in key producer Nigeria. India imports nearly two-thirds of its oil needs and payments are made in dollars. High oil prices widen India’s trade deficit and exert downward pressure on the rupee.

Indian shares rose 0.52 per cent on Monday in choppy trade, led by Larsen & Toubro and Reliance Industries,as investors braced for a possible increase in official interest rates on Tuesday.

Foreigners selling their local portfolio holdings have weakened a key support for the rupee in recent times, helping push the local unit down 7.4 per cent so far in 2008. Foreign funds have sold a net $6.6 billion worth of Indian shares so far this year, after having bought a record $17.4 billion in 2007.

The Reserve Bank of India will hold its quarterly monetary policy review on Tuesday and is widely expected to raise its key lending rate by 25 or 50 basis from 8.5 per cent, a Reuters poll showed.



“It looks like the rupee will continue in this mode with more weakness after the policy tomorrow, probably 42.60 levels and then it may weaken to 42.80. But much more weakness is not expected as of now,” Rajagopal said.


http://www.thenews.com.pk/default.asp

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Time is the longest distance between two places.

Al-Qaeda chemical expert 'killed'

Asslamulaikum,

Dear aspirants of Css.

I hope all are fine, nice and in the best of your spirits.

After the 9/11 when our Dear country the Holy Land of Pakistan under the

great Governance of Brave General, became the part of the so called

War on Terror, after that we have been suffering from the brutality of the

same Jews, christians including their slaves. At every dawn we listen that

Americans have attacked the south and west waziristan by missile attacks.

More than 50 missiles have been fired by these infidels, we have lost more

than 1000 our own soldiers, we have lost peace, justice, tranquality........

Even the brave General handled more than 600 mujahideen, even they say

that Do more................

The holy Qur'an reveals that " JEWS AND CHRISTIANS CAN NOT BE THE

FRIENDS OF MUSLIMS". So If our lord says that they can't be the friends of

your's then how do we blindly say that Americans are our friends.

Report of BBC of another missile attack............

Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar has been reported killed before
Reports from Pakistan say a leading al-Qaeda chemical weapons expert, Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar, has been killed in a missile strike.

Taleban officials in the tribal area of South Waziristan confirmed to the BBC that he was killed in a missile strike that left at least six people dead.

The US, which has a reward of $5m on his head, said it had no information.

He was wrongly reported to have been killed in 2006 in a strike aimed at al-Qaeda deputy head Ayman al-Zawahiri.

US trip

The pre-dawn strike targeted a house near a mosque in the village of Azam Warsak, 20km (12 miles) west of the main town in South Waziristan, Wana.

It was suspected to be a strike by US forces, with residents saying they had heard US drones, but this has not been confirmed.



Pakistani military spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas told the AFP news agency it was still awaiting "authentic information" from the area.

Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar, 55, also known as Abu Khabab al-Masri, is an Egyptian national.

The US government's Rewards for Justice website says he is "an explosives expert and poisons trainer working on behalf of al-Qaeda".

It says he trained hundreds of militants in chemical and explosives operations at a camp at Derunta in Afghanistan.

The BBC's Syed Shoaib Hasan in Islamabad says the militant was considered part of Osama Bin Laden's inner circle and was said to be in charge of efforts to gain access to, or develop, weapons of mass destruction.

Local residents said the house targeted belonged to a local tribesman and suspected militants used to stay there.

The US is reported to have carried out a number of drone missile attacks in the tribal regions.

Pakistan has complained the attacks could damage bilateral relations.

The latest strike came shortly before Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was due to meet US President George W Bush in Washington.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said she had no information about the incident.

In recent months the US and its allies have pledged hundreds of millions of dollars in military and other forms of assistance to help Pakistan's new government tackle militancy in border tribal areas.

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I am he, whom I Love. And he whom I Love is I.

Qaeda weapons expert slain in Waziristan strike

* Egyptian militant had $5m bounty on his head
* Military spokesman says authorities still seeking confirmation of Umar’s death
* Security official says Pakistan not involved in attack

PESHAWAR: A top Al Qaeda chemical and biological weapons expert was reportedly killed in a suspected United States missile strike in the Tribal Areas on Monday, security officials said.

Egyptian militant Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar, also known as Abu Khabab al-Masri, had a $5 million bounty on his head and allegedly ran terrorist training camps in Afghanistan.

Officials had earlier said that three Arab militants and three Pakistani children were killed when missiles fired by a suspected US drone hit a house attached to a mosque in the South Waziristan tribal district bordering Afghanistan.

“We believe he was killed in this strike,” a senior intelligence official told AFP on condition of anonymity. “It was his hide-out and information that has been shared with us says he was targeted in this strike.”

Difficulty: The Pakistan Army said it was still seeking confirmation. “We are facing difficulties in getting to know what kind of incident it was,” military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told AFP. “We have not yet received any authentic information from the area from our teams.”

Umar is described by the website of the US Government Rewards for Justice programme, which offered the reward, as an “explosives expert and poisons trainer working on behalf of Al Qaeda”.

Residents in South Waziristan said they heard US aircraft and pilotless Predator drones flying above the area before and after the strike, adding that these had continued throughout the weekend.

A group of Arabs, believed to be Egyptians, had rented a compound containing the house and a madrassa from a local tribesman, Malik Salat, they added. An intelligence official told Reuters that the madrassa was actually a militant base. “The owner of the house and madrassa had some links with militants, and the madrassa was not used for education, but as a compound,” he added.

Not us: “This (the attack) has been done by coalition forces, we did not do it,” another Pakistani security official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Both the US-led coalition and a separate NATO force in Afghanistan said that they were not involved. However, the US Central Intelligence Agency is also known to operate drones in the region.

Meanwhile, NNI quoted local Taliban leader Maulvi Nazeer as saying that seven people had been killed in the attack and three injured. agencies

Pakistan military warns US commander on strikes

RAWALPINDI: Repeated United States missile strikes in Pakistan can harm relations between the two countries, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Tariq Majid told a visiting US commander on Monday. “Expressing concern over repeated cross-border missile attacks/firing by coalition and Afghan forces, General Tariq said that our sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected,” an ISPR statement quoted Tariq as telling Acting CENTCOM chief Lieutenant General Martin Dempsey. “Any violation in this regard could be detrimental to bilateral relations,” it added. Majid “also re-emphasised that Pakistan’s armed forces are capable of handling any challenges to our security”, it added. Majid said that it was important to give the political process a chance to reach a ‘real’ solution to terrorism. The statement said that Majid also conveyed reservations against Afghan allegations of Pakistani involvement in the recent bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul. Dempsey also called on COAS General Ashfaq Kayani. sajjad malik

Base camps on Pak-Afghan border cause Obama concern

By Khalid Hasan

WASHINGTON: Senator Barack Obama said on Monday that the new government in Pakistan is still getting its “sea legs” but it is important that the US emphasise to Islamabad how seriously it takes the “base camps from where the movement across the border into Afghanistan takes place”.

“And it’s not just in the interest of Afghan security – or US security – it’s also in the interest of Pakistan’s long term security that we shut those bases down,” he added.

Asked if the US should play a role in negotiations between Pakistan and India, he called it an example of “how we need to think comprehensively about the region”. He added, “If one of the central concerns of Pakistan is its security posture towards India, then we need to put that on the table for discussions as we try to solve the problems in Afghanistan. Kashmir continues to be a constant instigator of tension between India and Pakistan. And, historically, Pakistan has tolerated, or in some cases, funded the mujahideen ... because they think it’s somehow helpful to them in Kashmir. We have to have an honest conversation about how counter-productive that is.”

Obama has in the past emphasised upon a radical overhaul of the traditional US policy of supporting the army at the expense of democracy in the country. He has said, “The greatest threat to the security of America and Afghanistan lies in the tribal regions of Pakistan, where terrorists are trained and insurgents strike across the border. We will not tolerate a terrorist sanctuary.”

Haqqani hopes Congress responds to Pakistan’s views on security

LAHORE: Pakistan Ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani hopes that the US Congress will be receptive to Pakistan’s views on security in the Tribal Areas. Dawn News quoted Haqqani as telling a Washington-based newspaper that Pakistan was committed to addressing extremism through a multifaceted approach along the Pak-Afghan border. It said he urged American legislators to be patient with the new government for a year and see if it succeeds in translating its ideas into reliable actions. He said that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani hoped that he could make Congress understand that all the issues facing Pakistan would be addressed in due course. Similarly, News One quoted him as telling reporters that Pak-US relations would be different in light of the democratic government in the country. He said the US should respect Pakistan’s sovereignty and extend economic co-operation to it. daily times monitor

Bush supports Pakistan’s sovereignty, democracy

* US president says terrorism, extremism dangerous for everyone
* Gilani pledges to fight extremists
* US offers $115m in food aid

By Khalid Hasan

WASHINGTON: Describing Pakistan’s democracy as ‘vibrant’, United States President George W Bush assured Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s government of his country’s willingness to support Pakistan’s sovereignty.

In a brief statement to the press after talks in the Oval Office, Bush said that the two of them had spent a lot of time in their discussions on Pakistan’s economy and how all benefits should accrue to the people. He also said that there were “areas of concern” that had come up in their talks, adding that terrorism and extremism were dangerous for everyone, including Pakistan.

The president said that they had also discussed the issue of border security, adding that Gilani had made a strong commitment to supporting Afghanistan’s democracy.

Pledge: Gilani thanked Bush and told the gathered media that he appreciated the president’s support. He assured Bush of Pakistan’s co-operation in the war on terrorism and said only a handful of people were involved in extremism.

The premier said that his government was determined to eliminate both terrorism and militancy from the body politic. After talking to the press, the two leaders went to a luncheon hosted in honour of Gilani. Briefing reporters about the White House meeting, Information Minister Sherry Rehman said that the US has affirmed its strong support for the new democratic order. She said the meeting had taken place in a positive atmosphere.

To questioning, she said Pakistan has informed the United States that unilateral strikes from Afghanistan to Pakistan are not helpful to forging a long-term strategic partnership, APP reported.

Food aid: Following the talks, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters that the US president had offered $115 million, over two years, in food aid to Pakistan. She said that $42.5 million of that would be available over the next six to nine months, Reuters reported.

Zardari says govt, army and agencies have good relations

LAHORE: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Zardari said that the government, army and the intelligences agencies enjoy good mutual relations, but some elements were spreading rumours in this regard, Business Plus reported on Monday.

According to the channel, Zardari said the notification regarding the placement of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) under the Interior Ministry’s control had been misunderstood.

He said that it had been made clear in the first notification that the role of the

Interior Ministry would be of an assistant in the affairs looked after by the ISI, adding that the second notification had clarified all ambiguities in this regard. The government had on Saturday announced to bring ISI and Intelligence Bureau under the Interior Ministry’s control, a decision that had been welcomed politicians as well as citizens. However, a notification cancelling the move had been issued by the Press Information Department early on Sunday. daily times monitor



http://dailytimes.com.pk

__________________
Regards

Aarwaa

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

KARACHI: Sukkar Bar president and senior lawyer leader, Advocate Imdad Ali Awan died of cardiac arrest here.

He was driving the car of the deposed chief justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, when all of sudden he suffered a severe heart attack and rushed to the Agha Khan Hospital in a critical condition, where he succumbed due to cardiac arrest.

He was a leading member of the CJ reinstatement movement and was considered to be very close to the deposed chief justice. Karachi Bar president and other leaders of the lawyers’ community confirmed his sad demise. Munir Malik talking to Geo News said that Advocate Imdad Ali has passed away.


http://www.geo.tv/7-29-2008/21619.htm

__________________
Regards,
P.R.

WASHINGTON: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said the war against terrorism is not just an American war and Pakistan is fighting it for its own cause, adding a prosperous and stable Pakistan is in the interest of United States.

The Prime Minister was speaking at a dinner reception hosted last night in his honour by Pakistan's ambassador to United States Hussain Haqqani at Pakistan Embassy here.

Prime Minister Gilani said Pakistan was pursuing war against terrorism and extremism as its own problems and not on the behalf of any other country.

"This is not a Charlie Wilson's war - it is Benazir Bhutto's war," the Prime Minister said, adding PPP leader Benazir Bhutto was also assassinated in a terror attack.

Of Pak-US relations, the Prime Minister said the current partnership was a continuation of a longstanding relationship spanning 60 years.

"We fought side by side to support the liberation of Afghanistan from the Soviet Union. Now we fight side by side to defeat the forces of extremism and terrorism that threaten the civilized war," he said.

The Prime Minister said a stable and prosperous Pakistan was not only in the interest of the region but also for United States.

"The stability is not only in Pakistan's interest, but in the US national interest and in the strategic interest of the entire civilized world," he said.

He said the Pak-US relationship needed to expand to people-to-people partnership in which the people of Pakistan share the ideals of democracy, liberty and justice as cherished by the American people.

"The government believes that common values are as important as shared interests," he said.

The Prime Minister lauded the efforts of Senator Cantwell, Senator Hatch, Senator Hagel and Senator Bond for introducing the Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs) Bill in the Congress, which said would provide preferential access to the U.S market for goods manufactured in designated areas of Pakistan.

"A prosperous FATA will cease to be a breeding ground for extremism," the Prime Minister said.

He said the government appreciated the constructive role played by United States in encouraging peace process in South Asia and hoped that the role would not only remain confined to conflict management but would extend to facilitating conflict resolution.

On Indo-Pak relations, the Prime Minister said it showed that democracy in Pakistan had invariably led to a better and more peaceful relationship between the two countries.

"The future of peace in South Asia depends on a democratic and prosperous Pakistan and India working in common purpose to solve common problems," he added.

Gilani said Pakistan was following a multi-pronged strategy to deal with extremism that entailed a combined effort of its political, administrative and military forces.

He said the government would not only fight terrorism on the ground, but would work to eliminate the root causes of terrorism.

The Prime Minister said the government would not negotiate with terrorists and would not let its territory be used as a sanctuary for attacks on its neighbours.

He said due to repeated military interventions, democratic institutions could not take firm roots in the country, adding Benazir Bhutto's legacy for the strengthening of democracy and political reconciliation was a guiding principle in this regard.


US announced $ 115 million aid for Pakistan. This is another installment for the goverment, from the cost of Pakistani peolple.

I am terribly sorry to say that our Govt. is selling its nation for its own luxuries.

its selling our Holy Land.

because our rulers are taking aid from US so thats why we cant protest againt American missile attackes in Pakitan trettory.

and our "democratic" government says that it is Pakistan's own war and Pakistan is not having this war on the behalf of any other country.

if our government gives such kind of fool political statements then who will stop Amercia????

and here is latest news about missile attack on Azam Warsak

Monday, July 28, 2008

RAWALPINDI: The Director General of the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major General Athar Abbas has said an investigation is underway to determine the target and to find out who is responsible for the attack.

It has been reported that the missiles killed at least six people in the area.

General Abbas said it is difficult to say if an Al-Qaeda leader was present or killed in Azam Warsak.

http://geo.tv/7-28-2008/21587.htm

Bush warns Iraq gains reversible

President Bush said tour reductions would help "wonderful" military families

President Bush has said the drop in violence in Iraq is a sign of the "durability" of progress but warned that gains made could be reversed.

In a brief statement, Mr Bush also announced that US troop tours of duty would be cut to a year as of Friday.

Meanwhile influential Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr has again appealed to the Iraqi government not to sign a new security deal with the US.

The deal would replace the UN mandate which runs out at the end of the year.

Mr Bush told reporters outside the Oval Office that violence in Iraq had fallen to its to lowest level since spring 2004 and that "extremists who once terrified citizens have been driven from their strongholds".

He said there was a "degree of durability" to the gains made by US and Iraqi forces which was due to the recent surge in US troop numbers and the "increasing capability of Iraqi forces".

But he added that the chief US officials in Iraq, Gen David Petraeus and US Ambassador Ryan Crocker "caution that the progress is still reversible".

Security improvements have allowed for a reduction in US tours of duty from 15 months to one year, which Mr Bush said would "ease the burden on our forces and will make life easier for our wonderful military families".



The president praised the Iraqi government for making political process on major pieces of legislation and in preparations for provincial elections.



Mr Bush also said that the US and Iraqi governments were "making progress" on a deal to provide a legal basis for US troops to remain in Iraq once the UN mandate expires at the end of the year.

The self-imposed deadline for the agreement was 31 July but US officials said last week that it was unlikely to be met.

Mr Sadr, who ordered a ceasefire from his supporters in the Mehdi Army in May, has said that Iraqis should oppose any agreement.

Mr Bush's statement came as some 50,000 members of the American-backed Iraqi security forces continued a big operation against Sunni militants said to be linked to al-Qaeda in the province of Diyala, north-east of Baghdad.

They are reported to have made dozens of arrests since the offensive began on Tuesday.

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Devil-may-care