* US army chief says he does not see Pak-US relationship changing after border shooting

WASHINGTON: United States Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen urged a cautious approach to confronting insurgency in the Pak-Afghan border areas on Friday.

“Now more than ever is a time for teamwork, for calm,” he told a Pentagon news conference.

Mullen said he remained convinced that the Pakistani government understood the nature of the insurgent threat inside its borders and was willing to work with Washington on finding a solution.

He said that some of the best solutions might not include the use of force, adding Pakistan faced deep economic problems that made the insurgent threat harder to defeat. He said the Pakistani military leadership had reassured him during his last week visit to Pakistan that they had no intention of using force against US troops along the western border.

No change: Mullen said he had no reason to believe that the Pakistan-US relationship had changed as a result of Thursday’s incident along the border. Pakistani troops fired warning shots at NATO helicopters after they crossed the Pakistani border. He said Pakistan naturally reserved the right to defend itself but was committed to co-operating with the US military.

“I am hard-pressed to see a set of circumstances where there would be any kind of sustained fight between two allies,” he said, referring to the United States and Pakistan.

“I am reassured that the direction is the right direction for the Pakistani military,” he said.

* Zardari calls US support a ‘blessing’
* Rice confident of Pak anti-terror resolve

NEW YORK: The message that came out of the Friends of Pakistan meeting at the United Nations on Friday morning was loud and clear: the world stands by Pakistan and will assist it in rebuilding its economy and fighting the forces of terrorism and extremism.
While no precise amount was pledged, it was agreed that bilateral meetings between Pakistan and attending countries would get underway immediately in order to specify what each country can do to assist Pakistan.
At the suggestion of China, Friends of Pakistan will remain an open-ended group, making it possible for other countries and regional and international entities to join in. The next meeting of Friends of Pakistan will take place in Abu Dhabi next month. No date was announced.
There was complete accord on one point: Pakistan is the key to the stability of the region and the world beyond. Every representative who spoke stressed this point unreservedly. Also expressed by every speaker were sympathies for the terrorist bombing of Marriott hotel in Islamabad and the resulting loss of innocent lives. Condolences were also offered to President Asif Ali Zardari on the assassination of his wife and the chairperson of the PPP, Benazir Bhutto.
The Friends of Pakistan meeting was attended by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Javier Solana of the European Union. Other participants were represented at various levels of seniority. The meeting was attended by Italy, France, Japan, China, Australia, Turkey, Canada, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, the last two having played a key role in bringing the group together. The Pakistani delegation was led by Zardari and included Foreign Minister Shah Mahmud Qureshi, Information Minister Sherry Rehman and National Security Adviser Mahmud Ali Durrani.


Rice, in her address, said Friends of Pakistan should be called Friends of Democratic Pakistan. She said the US supports Pakistan as it begins its journey on the democratic path. She pledged US support for Pakistan to help it gain economic and political stability. She said the people of Pakistan have opened a new chapter in their history by opting for democracy.
She said the security of Pakistan is in the interest of the region and Pakistan deserves support in its fight against terrorism and extremism. She also stated that the US is cognisant of Pakistan’s economic difficulties. She was confident that Pakistan is poised to embark on the road of development. “We are proud to be associated with this effort,” she added.

Others who spoke also pledged strong support to Pakistan and promised to help the country in both the short and the long terms.


It was decided bilateral negotiations by attending countries will get underway soon so that support to Pakistan can be fleshed out.

Miliband, in his remarks, called the improved relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan ‘good news’ for the region. The Italian representative urged the World Bank to immediately release the amount of $500 million it had earmarked to assist Pakistan in tiding over its present and immediate economic difficulties. The French representative said Pakistan is an important link for achieving regional and global security. He added, “We have common enemies” who must be fought and defeated.


* 15 injured and two carriages damaged
* President, prime minister condemn blast

MULTAN/ISLAMABAD: A powerful bomb explosion on a railway track derailed a passenger train near Bahawalpur on Friday, killing at least six people, an official said.

The explosion badly damaged two carriages of the train and also injured at least 15 people, senior railways official Khalid Amin said.

“A bomb was planted on the track, which exploded when the train reached there (Bahawalpur),” he told AFP. He initially gave a toll of four dead but said two critically injured men died later in hospital. A woman and three children were the others who were killed, he said, adding that an investigation had been ordered into the incident.

Pakistan Railways Chief Operating Officer Bashir Qureshi said the attack took place in Hasilpur. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and President Asif Ali Zardari separately condemned the blast. Zardari vowed such acts would not deter the government’s resolve to fight terrorism.

Acting President Mohammadmian Soomro also expressed sorrow over the incident.

KARACHI: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani reviewed the law and order situation in Sindh at Governor’s House on Friday. Sindh Police Chief Salahuddin Babar Khattak and the chief secretary briefed the prime minister about the early morning encounter between the police and the activist of a banned terrorist organisation. Sindh Governor Eshratul Ibad Khan and Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali were also present. The prime minister praised the role of intelligence agencies and Sindh Police over the raid on a house in Baldia Town. He also welcomed pre-emptive measures by the police, which lead to the raid on the house used by suspected terrorists. Gilani said incidents of terror could be avoided if security agencies remain proactive and vigilant. The premier was told that the raid was conducted following the arrest of a ‘high-profile’ terrorist late on Thursday, who informed the police about the presence of terrorists in the house.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has convened a special meeting of the federal cabinet on Monday to discuss law and order in the wake of the Marriott bombing. Sources said Interior Adviser Rehman Malik would brief the cabinet on the Marriott investigation and present the recommendations of a special committee Gilani formed. The meeting will discuss security for diplomats and foreign missions.

* 3 bombers, believed to be from Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, and a handcuffed NATO fuel supplier killed in explosion
* Police say terrorists were planning attack on a ‘high-profile’ target

KARACHI: Three would-be suicide bombers were killed along with a handcuffed hostage when one of the bombers blew himself up following a police raid on a house early on Friday, police said.

They were believed to be members of terrorist group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. Police raided the house in Baldia Town following information from an activist of the group arrested on Thursday, AP reported.

They hurled five hand grenades at the police before one of them blew himself up, Karachi Police Chief Wasim Ahmed said, adding terrorist leader Raheemullah was arrested from the house.

Target: “We have saved Karachi from death and destruction. We know [about their identities and intended targets], but we cannot disclose them immediately,” Sindh Police Chief Babar Khattak said, adding the terrorists were suspected of planning an attack on a ‘high-profile’ target in Karachi.

The handcuffed hostage was identified as Shaukat Afridi, a transport worker who supplied fuel to the US-led forces in Afghanistan. He was kidnapped five months ago for a ransom of five million dollars.

Raheem allegedly masterminded the April 2006 Nishtar Park suicide attack, the killing of Allama Hassan Turabi in July 2006 and the October 18, 2007, twin blasts at Karsaz.

The police also seized explosives, hand grenades and rifles from the house.

Lashkar arrests 11 ‘kidnappers’

LANDIKOTAL: A Mulagoori tribe lashker foiled a Taliban bid to kidnap a prayer leader from a local mosque late on Friday. The lashker captured 11 Taliban after an exchange of fire. The tribesmen intercepted the Taliban taking prayer leader Omer Gul to the Khyber Sheikhwal area. Three Taliban were injured during the clash, and have been handed over to the political administration. The remaining eight Taliban are still being held by the lashker. The tribesmen said they would decide about the remaining Taliban’s fate following consultations. One Taliban was killed in a brief clash outside the mosque as the prayer leader was hauled into a Taliban vehicle.

Taliban execute Swat ‘criminal’

MINGORA/LAHORE: Taliban publicly executed a man after finding him ‘guilty’ of charges of murder, robbery and theft in Swat’s Speenpura area on Friday. The Taliban brought the man to Speenpura after an ‘Islamic court’s verdict’ and killed him in front of hundreds of people. Meanwhile, a woman and her son were killed when a mortar shell hit their house in Madian. Two policemen were injured in firing by the Taliban in the district’s Barikot Bazaar. Meanwhile, Swat police have issued shoot-at-sight orders for any masked individual in the district, Samaa TV reported. The Swat DPO also ordered police action against vehicles with tinted glasses.


* FC IG says 1,000 Taliban, 63 soldiers killed in operation
* Says 65% of problem would be eliminated if Taliban defeated in Bajaur

KHAR/TANG KHATTA: The situation in Bajaur Agency will be stabilised within two months, the Frontier Corps (FC) chief in the region said on Friday.

“My timeframe for Bajaur is anything from between one-and-a-half to two months to bring about stability,” FC Inspector General Maj Gen Tariq Khan told reporters on an army-organised trip to Bajaur.

Taliban killed: Khan said troops had killed more than 1,000 Taliban and injured 2,000 others since the offensive began in early August. Khan said five top Al Qaeda and Taliban commanders were among those killed in the month-long operation. He said they included four foreigners. They were Egyptian Abu Saeed Al-Masri, Arab Abu Suleiman, Uzbek Mullah Mansoor, and an Afghan commander called Manaras.

The fifth was a son of Faqir Mohammad, the top Taliban commander in the region. Faqir himself was believed to be injured. Some 63 troops had died and 212 were injured in the operation so far, Khan said.

65 percent: Khan estimated 65 percent of the Taliban problem would be eliminated if they were defeated in Bajaur, describing the region as a ‘centre of gravity’ for the Taliban. “If they lose here, they’ve lost almost everything,” he said.

Military officials paraded 10 blindfolded and handcuffed men said to be Taliban fighters – arrested during the operation – before the reporters who joined the trip.

Khan also showed reporters photos of tunnel systems and trenches, suggesting the Taliban were well established in the region that is considered a likely hiding place for top Al Qaeda leaders including Osama Bin Laden.

He put the Taliban’s strength at around 2,000, including Afghans, Uzbeks and Arabs as well as Pakistani Taliban. He said the Taliban’s fighting strength had not gone down appreciably despite heavy casualties due to reinforcements coming in from the northwest as well as Afghanistan. “I personally feel that trained squads have been moved in,” Khan said.

Source: Daily Times

Peace accord in Kurram

SADA: A jirga of Kurram Agency Toori and Bangash tribesmen on Saturday signed an agreement to cease fire and resolve disputes through dialogue. The jirga, consisting of 50 members from each tribe, met in Islamabad and announced a ceasefire until December 31. The next meeting of the jirga will be on October 6 in which various issues, including the re-opening of Thal-Parachinar Road, are expected to be discussed.

‘Bomber’ held in Bara

BARA: Activists of a Bara-based militant organisation detained a would-be suicide bomber in Khyber Agency on Saturday. Amr Bil Maroof Wa Nahi Anil Munkar spokesman Munsif Khan said the would-be bomber was being trained for a suicide attack planned for Eid. The spokesman said an explosive-laden delivery van was also seized. Separately, one Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) activist was killed and three others injured in a clash.


* 14 ‘hardcore criminals’ arrested in daylong operation

By Manzoor Ali Shah

PESHAWAR: At least 35 Taliban and other criminals were arrested during a daylong operation in the suburbs of the provincial capital as security forces drove Taliban out of the area on Saturday, police said.

The operation was launched amid a curfew imposed in the Badaber and Mattani police stations areas.

Peshawar Police Rural Circle Senior Superintendent Nasirul Mulk Bangash said 14 ‘hardcore criminals’ were also arrested, adding 35 Taliban hideouts were also destroyed.

He said the police followed the Taliban up to the Kala Khel tribal area leading to a heavy exchange of fire between the two sides. Locals said one Taliban was killed and another injured.

Taliban centre: Also, the political administration raided and demolished a Taliban centre in Landikotal. A Khasadar official said the Taliban had vacated the building because they had advance information about the raid.


PESHAWAR: The Taliban have started imposing fines on women who do not wear the veil in the suburbs of the provincial capital and some Mohmand Agency areas, locals said on Saturday. Locals said the Taliban had first warned people about the fines on September 15. The Taliban said they would impose a fine of Rs 10,000 on any woman not wearing a veil and the driver of any public transport vehicle carrying an unveiled woman. A resident of Kas Korrona said he had paid Rs 10,000 to the Taliban for the release of his wife who was held after she violated the ‘veil law’.

First debate: McCain backs Pakistan, Obama says aid wasted

* Obama vows to attack Taliban and Al Qaeda if Pakistan is unwilling to do so
* McCain stresses working with Islamabad, says support from Pakistani people necessary, not prepared to cut off aid

By Khalid Hasan

NEW YORK: Barack Obama may have lost not only his first debate with Sen John McCain but also the Pakistani-American vote, which so far he was widely expected to get, given what came across as unsympathetic remarks about Pakistan and possible unilateral military strikes in certain situations.

While McCain came out as supportive of Pakistan and sensitive to its position and the difficult insurgency it is dealing with, Obama appeared to be otherwise. McCain also took advantage of the fact that he has visited Pakistan’s Tribal Areas and, given his military background, came out as more appreciative of the difficult terrain and the entrenched insurgency there. McCain also admitted that after Afghan freedom fighters drove the Russians out of Afghanistan, “we basically washed our hands off the region. And the result over time was the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and a lot of the difficulties being faced today.” Those, he added, are lessons of history that cannot be ignored.

McCain said, “I’m not prepared at this time to cut off aid to Pakistan. So I’m not prepared to threaten it, as Senator Obama apparently wants to do, as he has said that he would announce military strikes into Pakistan. We’ve got to get the support of the people of – of Pakistan. He said that he would launch military strikes into Pakistan. Now, you don’t do that. You don’t say that out loud. If you have to do things, you have to do things, and you work with the Pakistani government.” He pointed out that the new president of Pakistan has “got his hands full”.

McCain mocked Obama for his lack of familiarity with the region, saying, “I’ve been to Waziristan. I can see how tough that terrain is. It’s ruled by a handful of tribes.” He was dismissive of Obama on account of his having called for more troops, adding, “but what he doesn’t understand, it’s got to be a new strategy, the same strategy that he condemned in Iraq. It’s going to have to be employed in Afghanistan. And we’re going to have to help the Pakistanis go into these areas and obtain the allegiance of the people.” He warned that it is going to be ‘tough’. The local tribes have intermarried with Al Qaeda and the Taliban, but “we have to get the co-operation of the people in those areas.” He also stressed that the Pakistanis are going to have to understand that that Marriott hotel bombing was “a signal from the terrorists that they don’t want that government to co-operate with us in combating the Taliban and jihadist elements”. He said Pakistan is a very important element in the new regional strategy, adding, “I know how to work with him. And I guarantee you I would not publicly state that I’m going to attack them.”

Obama denied that he had talked about attacking Pakistan. Clarifying his earlier remarks, he said, “If the United States has Al Qaeda, bin Laden, top-level lieutenants in our sights, and Pakistan is unable or unwilling to act, then we should take them out.” He called the ‘right strategy’, the ‘right policy’. Referring to “cross-border attacks against US troops”, Obama said, “We have to start making some decisions.” Turning to the strategy pursued by Washington for 10 years, he summed it up as “we coddled Musharraf, we alienated the Pakistani population, because we were anti-democratic. We had a 20th-century mindset that basically said, ‘Well, you know, he may be a dictator, but he’s our dictator’.” As a consequence, the US lost legitimacy in Pakistan. “We spent $10 billion. And in the meantime, they weren’t going after Al Qaeda, and they are more powerful now than at any time since we began the war in Afghanistan. That’s going to change when I’m president of the United States.”

McCain replied, “I don’t think that Senator Obama understands that there was a failed state in Pakistan when Musharraf came to power. Everybody who was around then, and had been there, and knew about it knew that it was a failed state.”

‘World safer place because of Bush’

* Zardari warns ‘the axis of evil is growing’
* Afghan president says world community should have paid more attention to FATA

By Khalid Hasan

NEW YORK: President Asif Ali Zardari has said that the world is a ‘safer place’ because of President George W Bush’s leadership, adding, “It could have been much worse.”

In an interview published by the Washington Post on Saturday, Zardari warned that “the axis of evil is growing”, but did not specify who constituted that ‘axis’. He denied that Pakistan had fired at two United States helicopters that had strayed into Pakistani territory from Afghanistan, saying that only warning flares had been fired, contradicting what Admiral Michael Mullen has alleged.

Zardari said Pakistan has the opportunity to ‘do the job’ and has the ‘right credentials’ and so has he, having been through a ‘tough life’ that has prepared him ‘to become even tougher’.

Attention: In another interview published by the Washington Post, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said there are Taliban sanctuaries ‘in the region’, while agreeing with the interviewer that the international community and the West should have paid more attention to the Tribal Areas. “They should have done all that was needed to be done — political, diplomatic, the right concentration. All those areas where the training (was taking place),” he added. Asked if former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf had tried “quite a few options and if they had all failed”, the Afghan president replied, “Maybe he did try, but we did not see the results.

Karzai went on to say, “I have faith in Zardari, and I am sure he will deliver. I am hearing good things about Gen Kayani as well. Afghanistan will do everything to give them a sense of confidence.”



Source: Daily Times.

__________________
Regards,
P.R.

West in secret talks with Taliban

* The Observer says former Taliban member on mission to broker peace deal
* Says Saudis agreed to Afghan government’s invitation to sponsor talks this summer

Daily Times Monitor

LONDON: Covert negotiations have begun with the Taliban in Afghanistan through a back channel Saudi-sponsored initiative, on the request of the Karzai government, a report by Jason Burke in The Observer said on Sunday.

For the past few months an incongruous figure has passed through the airports of the Middle East and Europe - a senior Afghan cleric who defected from the Taliban, the paper said.

Bearded and in traditional dress, he has unsurprisingly needed the help of the Saudi Arabian and British intelligence services, among others, to pass unhindered between capitals.

His mission - to talk to the Taliban leadership about a possible peace deal.

The backing given by the West to these talks is a measure of how badly things have gone wrong in Afghanistan, and how far Western governments are prepared to go to stabilise a deteriorating situation which is costing more in men, money and political capital than they ever imagined.

Invitation: The newspaper said that the Saudis accepting the invitation of the Afghan government to sponsor the initiative this summer is a measure of how concerned those who govern the traditionally leading nation of the Sunni Muslim world are about Afghanistan and Al Qaeda and the consequences they might have for the rest of the Islamic world and beyond.

This is not the first time the Saudi Arabians have brokered talks with the Taliban, and Western powers have been keen to get Riyadh more involved in Afghanistan for some time, it said.

In 1998, they nearly concluded a deal with Mullah Muhammad Omar, the reclusive leader of the Taliban, to hand over Osama Bin Laden, The Observer said.

For the West, the sponsorship of Riyadh is essential. Western efforts to negotiate with the Taliban have rarely brought any durable positive results. But these most recent talks also show that, at the very least, some in the Taliban senior command are getting tired.

“They’ve been fighting for nearly seven years, living undercover, moving regularly, unable to go back to Afghanistan without risking a violent death. Despite the bellicose rhetoric and the successes of recent months, they have lost a lot of people and there is a certain degree of fatigue,” the newspaper quoted an experienced Pakistan-based observer.

The Saudi initiative has resulted in the submission of a list of demands by the Taliban to Kabul. One problem was that those demands keep changing, said one Afghan source. A second is the question of whether any potential agreement could be made to stick.

The Taliban demands are also unlikely to be acceptable to the Western powers, especially the US. Another problem would be convincing other ethnic groups in Afghanistan, who suffered heavily under the Taliban regime, to accept any deal.

The Taliban published a statement on their website saying they would “fight until the withdrawal of the last crusading invader”, but added that ”the door for talks, understanding and negotiations will always be open” to ‘mujahideen’.

US House passes India nuclear deal

* Bush urges Senate to ‘quickly pass important piece of legislation’

WASHINGTON: Using all the political clout it can muster in its closing days in office, the Bush administration managed to score a congressional victory when it successfully persuaded the House of Representatives to pass the controversial Indo-US nuclear co-operation agreement by a vote of 298-117.

However, there may yet be a slip between the cup and the lip since the legislation still has to be passed by the Senate, although it has been already approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. A number of senators have blocked the bill from coming to the floor for discussion. The administration is using all its influence to have the Senate give the bill successful passage before Congress has pressed adjourns next month.

“I urge the Senate to quickly take up and pass this important piece of legislation before their October adjournment,” President George W Bush said on Saturday. Senate majority leader Harry M Reid promised a vote on the agreement in his chamber as early as Monday. khalid hasan

Eleven injured in Quetta blasts

QUETTA/KALAT: At least eleven people were injured in two blasts in the city’s main commercial area on Sunday afternoon.

Police said a homemade explosive device went off in a CD shop in Nitha Singh Street, injuring several people. According to the shopkeepers, Lashkar-e-Islam had warned owners of music shops to close their businesses.

The president and prime minister, in their separate messages, condemned the blast. The second blast occurred in Dawood Shopping Plaza where a gas cylinder exploded, police said.

Meanwhile, a bomb exploded in a shopping centre in Kalat, damaging the doors and windowpanes of the building. agencies

Security forces kill 16 Taliban in Bajaur

KHAR: Security forces killed at least 16 Taliban after coming under attack in Bajaur Agency, a security official said on Sunday. Taliban attacked three military posts near Khar late on Saturday, but soldiers repulsed them with artillery and mortar fire, the official said. Early on Sunday, helicopter gunships and fighter jets bombed Taliban positions in three villages in the district, he said. afp

Kayani satisfied with tribal support for Army

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Kayani on Sunday expressed satisfaction at the local tribesmen in Bajaur Agency supporting the Pakistan Army against the Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters. The Inter-Services Public Relations said in a statement that the COAS remained with the troops in Bajaur for a considerable period of time. staff report

Decisive action against Taliban planned

* Taliban activities to be curbed in Mohmand, Jamrud and Landi Kotal
* Official says further delay would invite more trouble

By Daud Khattak

PESHAWAR: The government is set to launch a major crackdown on Taliban in the Tribal Areas depending on the ‘availability of men and material’, an official said on Sunday.

“The government understands that it is time to launch a crackdown against the Taliban before it is too late,” a senior official told Daily Times on condition of anonymity. He refused to give the exact date for launching the operation.

“Troops are presently engaged at several fronts like Bajaur, Waziristan, Swat, Darra Adam Khel and most recently in Shabqadar area of Charsadda,” he said, adding that it did not mean that the government was not planning action against Taliban in other areas.

“Decisive action would be taken to curb terrorists activities in Mohmand, Jamrud, Landi Kotal and other areas,” he added.

Delay: He said the government had been told that any delay at this juncture would amount to inviting bigger trouble in the future. “Therefore, we have to go all-out against those disturbing peace in any area,” he said.

“Action must be taken before it’s too late,” he said, adding, “It’s now or never.”

The official said the recent operation in Shabqadar was part of the government’s resolve to the purge all areas of Taliban.

Polish engineer abducted, driver, translator killed near Attock

ISLAMABAD: Gunmen abducted a Polish engineer near Attock on Sunday, shooting dead his two drivers and a security guard during the abduction in the latest violence to hit the nation, officials said.

Poland’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the kidnapping, while the engineer’s employer company said he was ambushed as he and colleagues were travelling to oil plants northeast of Islamabad to carry out some tests.

Polish embassy spokesman Piotr Adamkiewicz confirmed the abduction and said the victim worked for Geofizyka Krakow Limited, a company that helps survey Pakistani oil fields. Police said a search was underway after the gunmen fled with the engineer in their own vehicle near the village of Pind Sultani in Attock district.

“Three Pakistanis, a security guard and two drivers, were shot dead by unknown gunmen as they kidnapped Peter Stanczak, a Polish engineer working with an oil company in the area,” police official Kazim Ali told AFP.

“The criminals came in a white car at around 6:45am and first they killed his Pakistani assistants and then whisked him away to an unknown place,” Kazim told Reuters.

According to AP, police said witnesses saw the attackers fleeing toward Kohat, on the edge of Pakistan’s border belt. Zulfikar Shah, a senior police official in the area, said the getaway route as well as the killing of the three Pakistanis suggested that ‘militants’ were involved.

Nobody has claimed responsibility for the abduction. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told Polish Ambassador Dr Krzysztof Debnicki that the government would offer full protection to European diplomats and citizens in Pakistan. Authorities in Poland are in contact with police, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said in Warsaw. agencies/staff report

UN commission to probe Benazir’s killing likely within 48 hours

LAHORE: United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon is likely to announce in the next 48 hours the names of fact finding commission members who will investigate the assassination of the late Benazir Bhutto, according to Arab television ARY One World report on Sunday. According to the channel, the commission will be sent to Islamabad after the members are formally announced. It also reported that President Asif Ali Zardari and Ban Ki Moon had earlier agreed on the formation of an international autonomous commission to investigate Benazir’s death, at a meeting at the UN General Assembly on September 26. daily times monitor

Osama, Zawahiri to be tried in Pakistan if captured: Zardari

LAHORE: President Asif Ali Zardari has said Pakistan will initiate a trial against Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden or his second-in-command Aiman Al-Zawahiri, if it captures them, Geo News reported on Sunday. The channel quoted the president as telling CNN that the two Al Qaeda leaders could also be handed over to the US to face trail if ‘friends advise’ Pakistan to do so. Zardari said those who killed his wife former premier Benazir Bhutto could also target him. “Those who killed my wife are also after me,” he said. Zardari said US incursions into the Federally Administered Tribal Areas would be counterproductive. The president ruled out the possibility of a war between the two countries. “Friendly fire is a normal thing even among US soldiers,” he said. daily times monitor

‘I will suck oxygen out of their system so there will be no Talibs’:

Zardari ready for US training of army anti-terror units
* Vows to rid country of terror threat, calls Taliban ‘cancer for society’
* Says anyone not conforming with govt policies will be thrown out

Daily Times Monitor

NEW YORK: We want to co-operate with the United States in training specialised counter-insurgency army units for use in the Tribal Areas, President Asif Ali Zardari said in an interview on Sunday.

Talking to International Herald Tribune, the president said, “I mean business. We will train ourselves with the US present as trainers to raise the quality of certain forces.”

But he warned against US military incursions inside Pakistan. “It is counter-productive and a political price is paid,” he said. President Zardari did not mince words in his determination to defeat a growing Taliban insurgency, the Herald said.

“It is my decision that we will go after them, we will free this country,” he said, “Yes, this is my first priority because I will have no country otherwise. I will be the president of what?”

After the massive bomb attack on the Marriott hotel in Islamabad, that’s a fair question. Pakistan’s finances in a free fall, its security crumbling, the nuclear-armed state stands at the brink just as a civilian takes charge after the futile zigzagging of former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf’s US-supported rule, the Herald said.

President Zardari was asked if the assassination of his wife last year motivated him to confront insurgency. “Of course,” he said, “It’s my revenge. I take it every day.”

Cancer: He continued, “I will fight them because they are a cancer to my society, not because of my wife only, but because they are a cancer, yes, and they did kill the mother of my children, so their way of life is what I want to kill. I will suck the oxygen out of their system so there will be no Talibs.”

He said he was concerned but not fearful for his life. “Because I don’t want to die so soon, I have a job to do,” he said.

Billions of dollars in US aid to Pakistan’s former military government have not stopped the Tribal Areas from becoming the new Al Qaeda-Taliban central, the report said.

It said money was worthless unless some basic things changed in democratic Pakistan. It alleged that one was the double game played by the nation’s spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), in an effort to ensure Afghanistan remained weak.

Conformation: “The ISI will be handled, that is our problem,” Zardari told the Herald. “We don’t hunt with the hound and run with the hare, which is what Musharraf was doing.”

He said, “We’ve changed a lot of things and a lot more will happen, and anyone not conforming with my government’s policy will be thrown out,” Zardari said, specifically mentioning the ISI.

Zardari said his ‘new medicine’ for the Tribal Areas would include industrial investment, incentives for alternative crops to poppy and a firm message that ‘we are hitting the Taliban’ so make sure ‘your space is not being used by them’.

Zadari added, “I am not a warmonger. I am not interested in physical might, which is not the expression of my strength. I have many strengths, and one of them is that I can take pain, not give pain.”


Source: Daily Times.



NEW YORK: President Asif Ali Zardari Sunday said those who ‘martyred’ his wife and former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto could also target him.

In an interview given to an American news channel, Zardari said he had no knowledge regarding Usama Bin Laden’s presence in Pakistan territory.

“Usama Bin Laden, and Aiman Al-Zawahiri when arrested will be tried in Pakistan’s court. They could also be handed over to the U.S. on friends’ advice,” he said.

The President ruled out the possibility of war between Pakistan and the U.S. “Friendly fire is a normal thing even among the U.S. soldiers,” he added


Source: The News

__________________
Regards,
P.R.

* Ghazeen Marri says previous government had ‘framed’ cases

LAHORE: Balochistan Chief Minister (CM) Nawab Aslam Raisani on Monday notified the dropping of eight cases pending against Baloch nationalist leaders Nawab Khair Baksh Marri and his son Nawabzada Harbiar Marri, Dawn News reported.

The channel said that the move was in accordance with the government’s policy of reconciliation in the province.

According to the channel, the CM issued an official notice stating that all cases, except one murder case, against the Baloch leaders had been dropped.

The channel said the move was a part of the Pakistan People’s Party-led government’s efforts at reconciliation in the province.

The government has dropped eight of the nine cases registered against the Baloch leaders. The only case still being pursued is the murder case of Balochistan High Court judge Justice Nawaz.

According to official sources, Khair Baksh Marri had been awarded a five-year imprisonment for failing to appear in court, and he and his son were under trial in four other cases as well. The CM used his powers to withdraw the eight cases.

Talking to Dawn News from Dubai, Ghazeen Marri, son of Khair Baksh Marri, said that it was a positive move that proved that all cases against the Baloch leaders were ‘framed’ by the previous government.

LAHORE: At least 60 people were killed when a passenger coach collided with an oil tanker on the Mianwali-Muzafargarh road on Monday, Express News reported. According to the channel, the Mansehra-bound coach was travelling from Karachi when it collided with the tanker near Sarwar Shahid Chowk. Muzaffargarh District Police Officer Sahibzada Shehzad Sultan blamed speeding for the accident. Highway Patrolling Officer Abdul Rehman said there were 72 passengers on board the bus, of which 60 were burnt to death.


ISLAMABAD: Around 3.6 million poor households will not get the Rs 1,000 per month cash assistance promised under the Benazir Income Support Programme before Eidul Fitr, as the government has postponed the launch of the Rs 34 billion Benazir Income Support Fund, official sources told Daily Times on Monday. The government has decided to give 8,000 forms for the income support programme to members of the National Assembly (MNAs) to distribute to deserving people in their constituencies. The official said the forms would be released to the MNAs once Gilani issued directions to do so.


* Support price increased from Rs 625 to Rs 950 per 40 kilogrammes

ISLAMABAD: The government on Monday set the new wheat support price at Rs 950 per 40 kilogrammes for the 2008-09 wheat crop.

Farmers will now get Rs 325 more per 40 kilogrammes. This decision is expected to inject over Rs 60 billion into the rural economy.

“We have decided to raise the minimum guaranteed price of wheat from Rs 625 to Rs 950 per 40 kilogrammes, which would be a big incentive for the farmers,” Prime Minister (PM) Yousuf Raza Gilani told a press conference after chairing a cabinet meeting. Gilani said there would be no water shortage by the end of this year, as the government had already initiated the construction of small dams in the country.

The prime minister said the government would have to bear only Rs 10 billion expenses in view of the new wheat support price.

The PM said the authorities had estimated the target of the new wheat crop at 25 million metric tonnes, with a 3 maunds per hectare increase in crop yield. Gilani announced the Benazir Zarai Card scheme particularly for the poor farmers so that they could purchase inputs without financial difficulty. He also announced a Crops Loan Insurance scheme at a 1.5 percent premium, and added the government would itself pay the premium for poor farmers.


* Bill voted out 228-205
* White House spokesman says President Bush ‘very disappointed’
* Oil sinks below $100

NEW YORK: US stocks plunged on Monday as the US House of Representatives rejected a $700 billion financial sector bailout plan, renewing fear about frozen world credit markets and the global economy’s health.

The House vote – 228-205 – shocked financial markets, which expected it to approve the Bush administration’s rescue plan. The Dow at one point fell more than 700 points, its biggest intraday point decline ever, while the Nasdaq and S&P dropped more than 7 percent.

The Nasdaq was on course for its biggest one-day slide since the market reopened in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks.

“I can’t believe they weren’t able to come together and come up with a solution. Complete disaster was predicted if it didn’t pass,” said Stephen Berte, senior equity trader at Standard Life in Boston. “Everybody was expecting it to pass and it didn’t pass. I can’t see what the upside is right now.”

The bailout’s failure in the House added to losses suffered after Wachovia Corp became the latest major US bank to succumb to the global credit crisis.

Investors feared financial market turmoil would continue to spread around the world. In recent days, European authorities have been forced to step in and rescue a bevy of banks in Britain, Belgium, Germany, Iceland and elsewhere.

The Dow Jones industrial average was down 554.75 points, or 4.98 percent, at 10,588.38. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was down 73.83 points, or 6.09 percent, at 1,139.18. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 140.70 points, or 6.44 percent, at 2,042.64.

Financial shares were among the hardest hit, with Bank of America Corp, off nearly 10 percent at $33.02, leading the slide. The S&P financial index fell 8.6 percent. Regional banks’ shares fell sharply, as investors tried to anticipate who could be the next victim of the credit crisis.

Bush ‘disappointed’: A White House spokesman said that President George W Bush was “very disappointed.”

“There’s no question that the country is facing a difficult crisis that needs to be addressed,” Tony Fratto told reporters. He said the president will be meeting with members of his team later in the day “to determine next steps.”

Oil prices plunge: Meanwhile, oil prices plunged as much as $10 a barrel, increasing fears a prolonged economic downturn that could sharply curtail energy demand.

Light, sweet crude for November delivery at one point sank $10.06 to $96.83 before paring some losses to trade at $98.26, down $8.63.

It was crude’s lowest trading level since prices edged back below $100 earlier this month; crude previously hadn’t traded that low since February.


* Ahmed Shujaa Pasha replaces Nadeem Taj as DG ISI
* Seven major generals promoted to lieutenant general

RAWALPINDI: In a major reshuffle in the Pakistan Army, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt Gen Nadeem Taj has been replaced by newly promoted Lt Gen Ahmed Shujaa Pasha.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the corps commanders of Karachi, Gujranwala, Bahawalpur and Rawalpindi have also been changed.

Taj has been appointed Gujranwala Corps Commander.

Lt Gen Muhammad Yousaf has been appointed Bahawalpur Corps Commander and his predecessor Lt Gen Raza Muhammad has been appointed Joint Staff Director General at the Joint Staff Headquarters.

Lt Gen Shahid Iqbal has replaced Lt Gen Ahsan Azhar Hyat as Karachi Corps Commander, while Hyat has been appointed Inspector General (IG) Training and Evaluation at the General Headquarters (GHQ).

Lt Gen Muhammad Zaki has been appointed IG Arms at GHQ and Lt Gen Javed Zia has been appointed Quarter-Master General at the GHQ.

Lt Gen Mohsin Kamal has been appointed Military Secretary at the GHQ while Lt Gen Tahir Mehmood has been appointed Rawalpindi Corps Commander. Lt Gen Muhammad Zahid has been appointed the Adjutant General at the GHQ.

Lt Gen Muhammad Mustafa has been appointed as Chief of General Staff at the GHQ. Lt Gen Tanvir Tahir has been appointed as IG Communication and IT at GHQ. Lt Gen Ayyaz Salim Rana has been appointed Chairman of the Heavy Industries Taxila in place of Lt Gen Israr Ahmad Ghumman, who will retire in November.

Promoted: Earlier, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani recommended the promotion of seven major generals of the Pakistan Army to the rank of lieutenant generals.

Those promoted were Major General Tahir Mahmood (Infantry), Major General Shahid Iqbal (Infantry), Major General Tanvir Tahir (EME), Major General Zahid Hussain (Artillery), Major General Ahmad Shuja Pasha (Infantry), Major General Muhammad Mustafa Khan (Armoured Corps) and Major General Ayyaz Saleem Rana (Armoured Corps).

Major General Zahid Hussain was serving as Kakul commandant, Major General Tahir Mehmood as General Officer Commanding Special Services Group (SSG) in Cherat, Major General Shahid Iqbal was at the National Defence University and Major General Ahmad Shujaa Pasha was the Director General Military Operations (DGMO).

Source: Daily Times

__________________
~Time owns each and everything~
~Useless youth if not useful for Pakistan~

CHARSADDA: A suicide bomber blew himself up as he tried to run into the house of Awami National Party (ANP) President, Asfandyar Wali Khan on Thursday, killing four people but missing the politician, officials said.

It happened as Asfandyar Wali Khan was visiting a guest in his ‘Hujra’ (guest house) attached to his house during celebrations on the second day of Eid-ul-Fitr, police and party officials said.

"Five people were killed in the suicide blast. The target was Asfandyar Wali but he is safe," Mian Iftikhar, the information minister for NWFP told reporters.

Provincial police chief Malik Naveed told reporters that guards shot the bomber before he blew himself up.

"The suicide bomber tried to pass from the security scanner avoiding a physical search. Two security guards grabbed him but he tried to get away," Naveed said.

"Then he was shot and as soon as he fell on the ground he blew himself up.”

He added, "we had made strict security arrangements and that is why the attacker could not cause more damage or casualties."

A senior party member said that one of Khan's armed guards was killed in the latest attack.

Police said the other victims included a policeman and a bank manager, Fazal Ghani, who was visiting to pay his respects to Khan.

The ANP is a secular party supporting the rights of ethnic Pashtuns and Taliban militants have carried out several attacks on its political rallies and its leaders. Twenty-five people were killed in a bombing at an ANP rally in Charsadda in February.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani have strongly condemned the blast, the.

"Elements bent upon destroying the peace of the country will not be allowed to succeed in their ulterior motives," President Zardari said.


Source: The News.

__________________
Regards,
P.R.

Political leadership briefed on counter-terrorism strategy: Taliban a threat to country’s security, Parliament told

* Army says Taliban in control of Swat, Shangla districts
* ISI DG shows slides, charts and films to convey situation’s gravity
* Says ‘neighbours’ involved in Balochistan insurgency
* Session to continue until next Thursday

By Sajjad Malik and Muhammad Bilal

ISLAMABAD: Parliamentarians were told in an in-camera session on Wednesday that the Taliban pose a serious threat to Pakistan’s security.

Sources familiar with the proceedings told Daily Times that newly-appointed ISI Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha briefed the parliamentarians on the gravity of the threat with the help of slides, charts and films. Gen Pasha had supervised military operations in the Tribal Areas and Swat as the director general of military operations before he was promoted.

Swat and Shangla: He told the parliament that the Taliban had gained complete control over certain districts, including Swat and Shangla, and that the armed forces were trying to contain their influence. The military was capable of dealing with the threat, he said, but also told the public representatives about the difficulties it was facing in the operation.

Gen Pasha explained the methods the Taliban and terrorists employ to brainwash and train young people and use them against Pakistan’s military. He also told the parliament about the torture methods they used on abducted soldiers that included throwing acid in their faces.

The sources said the participants were disturbed by the grim details and most of them remained silent during and after the briefing. Gen Pasha said 1,368 troops had died in the fight since 2001, and the military had killed 2,825 Taliban and terrorists including 581 foreigners.

Some of them were crossing into Pakistan from Afghanistan to fight Pakistani troops in Bajaur, Gen Pasha said, adding that the US and Afghan authorities had been informed.

He said the rules of engagement with the US-led forces in Afghanistan clearly state that only Pakistani forces would take action against targets inside Pakistan, but the US forces had committed 35 aerial incursions into Pakistan so far.

Balochistan: The new ISI chief told the parliament that some of Pakistan’s neighbours were involved in the current unrest in Balochistan, and that certain western think tanks were fuelling the insurgency. The insurgents were systematically destroying gas and power installations to harm Pakistan’s economy. He did not talk about the sources of funding of the fighters in FATA, the NWFP and Balochistan, the sources told Daily Times.

Session: The session was then adjourned to meet at 11am today (Thursday) for a question-and-answer session followed by a general discussion not including military leaders, starting on Monday. The parliamentary session is likely to continue until next Thursday, the sources said. The government will then set up a committee consisting of one member from each political party to formulate policy recommendations. The president, the prime minister and the army chief met after the briefing.


* Republican McCain accuses Obama of threatening to invade Pakistan
* Democrat Obama vows to kill Bin Laden
* Obama says Afghan government should do what it needs to



WASHINGTON: Despite sparring over Pakistan in their second debate on Tuesday night, the two presidential candidates ended up saying the same thing, though in somewhat different words.
While Democrat hopeful Senator Barack Obama said the United States should only take action inside Pakistan if the government there was unable or unwilling to do so, Republican Senator John McCain was more conciliatory, recommending that the US use soft language with Pakistan but carry a big stick.
Both candidates favoured working with Pakistan in the hunt for Al Qaeda and other groups allegedly operating out of Pakistan’s Tribal Areas into Afghanistan and threatening the lives of US military personnel.
McCain opted for “working and co-ordinating our efforts together, not threatening to attack them, but working with them, and where necessary use force, but talk softly, but carry a big stick”.
Accusation:
He accused Obama of threatening to invade Pakistan, a charge the Democratic contender denied, stressing that he had only recommended that the US go at it alone if Pakistan was unable or unwilling to move despite actionable intelligence.
McCain warned that any precipitate action against Pakistan would create adverse public opinion.
Vow:
They were both equally determined as to how they would deal with Osama Bin Laden. Obama said, “And if we have Osama Bin Laden in our sights and the Pakistani government is unable or unwilling to take them out, then I think that we have to act and we will take them out. We will kill Bin Laden; we will crush Al Qaeda. That has to be our biggest national security priority.”
McCain couched his position in more amenable terms, saying, “Now, our relations with Pakistan are critical, because the border areas are being used as safe havens by the Taliban and Al Qaeda and we have to get their support.” He favoured the strategy followed by Gen Petraeus in Iraq ’to get the support of the people’.
He went on to propose, “We need to help the Pakistani government go into Waziristan, where I visited, a very rough country, and get the support of the people, and get them to work with us and turn against the cruel Taliban and others. And by working and co-ordinating our efforts together, not threatening to attack them, but working with them, and where necessary use force, but talk softly, but carry a big stick.”
Afghan government:
Obama said, “It’s so important for us to end the war in Iraq to be able to get more troops into Afghanistan, put more pressure on the Afghan government to do what it needs to do, eliminate some of the drug trafficking that’s funding terrorism. But I do believe that we have to change our policies with Pakistan. We can’t coddle, as we did, a dictator, give him billions of dollars and then he’s making peace treaties with the Taliban. What I’ve said is we’re going to encourage democracy in Pakistan, expand our non-military aid to Pakistan so that they have more of a stake in working with us, but insisting that they go after these terrorists.”
Obama was at pains to establish that contrary to McCain’s charge, he had never threatened to invade Pakistan. He said, “I want to be very clear about what I said. Nobody called for the invasion of Pakistan. Senator McCain continues to repeat this.”


UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday urged Pakistan and the United States to resolve the issue of foreign incursions into Pakistan, emphasising respect for the country’s sovereignty. “I would only hope and urge the concerned parties to resolve this issue, respecting each other’s concerns as well as their sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he told a news conference. About Afghanistan, he said there was no perfect military option, adding there should be more political dialogue.

8 foreigners among 20 Taliban killed in Bajaur airstrikes

* Security forces kill five Taliban, arrest 27 in Darra Adam Khel
* 22, including important commanders, arrested in Kabal

KHAR/KOHAT/PESHAWAR: At least 20 Taliban were killed on Wednesday when helicopter gunships hit their hideouts in Badaan area of Mamoond tehsil in Bajaur Agency, Frontier Corps sources said.

The official sources said that on observing Taliban movement in Bandano, Maulvi Faqir Muhammad’s village, the combat aviation carried out a ‘highly successful’ action in which eight foreigners and 12 local Taliban were killed. The sources said Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) spokesman Maulvi Omar’s house was also destroyed in the action. All government offices and educational institutions in the area remained closed.

Meanwhile, political administration officials said Taliban blew up three houses with explosives in Tauheed area of Khar. The officials said they had registered a first information report and had started investigation.

Separately, the Utmankhel and Mandal tribes of Bajaur Agency have convened jirgas today (Thursday) to make decisions regarding law and order in the agency. Elders of the two tribes have announced support for the security forces’ strict action against the Taliban.

In the jirgas, the tribesmen will also form local peace committees to monitor the activities of the Taliban. The committees will take action against the Taliban through armed tribal lashkars.

Darra Adam Khel: Meanwhile, five Taliban were killed and 27 arrested by security forces during an operation in Darra Adam Khel on Wednesday, security officials said, according to APP.

They said that the security forces pounded suspected Taliban hideouts in Tor Chapar, Akhurwal and Peerwal Khel areas, killing five and arresting 27 others. Separately, three security personnel were injured when security forces clashed with Taliban in Sheen Dhand area of Kohat district. The injured personnel were identified as Noor Shah Gul, Gul Rasool and Nisar. They were taken to Kohat Combined Military Hospital. A security convoy was also targeted with a remote-controlled bomb in Abbas area of Darra Adam Khel. However, no casualty was reported.

Kabal: Meanwhile, the security forces arrested 22 Taliban including several important commanders in an operation at Gul Jabba in Swat’s Kabal tehsil, according to a Media Information Centre Swat press release. A large quantity of arms and ammunition was recovered from their possession. Several Taliban hideouts were also destroyed in the operation, it said. In another incident, Taliban blew up the house of Union Council Nazim Jamshid Ali. However, no casualties were reported. Meanwhile, Taliban cut off the water supply to the security forces’ camp in Pacific, Totano Bandai areas in Kabal tehsil, Online reported.

US spy planes violate Pakistan’s airspace

GHALANAI: Pilotless drones from Afghanistan violated Pakistani airspace on Wednesday, and flew over various areas of Mohmand Agency, locals said. They said two drones flew over the Sheikh Baba, Soraan Darra, Mamadgut, Chamar Kund, Aleengaar, Khazina, Sagi, Duazai and Qandaro areas of the agency in the morning. Panic gripped the population following the drone flights because previous drone flights had been followed by missile strikes. The locals said unmanned aircraft had been flying over the agency for the past 10 days.

SBP intervenes as rupee plunges to record low

KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said on Wednesday it was intervening in the money market after the rupee plunged to a record low against the dollar amid a worsening global financial crisis. The SBP said it was injecting capital as the rupee traded at an all-time low of Rs 80.5 to the dollar in the foreign exchange market. It eventually closed at Rs 79.5. “Yes, we are intervening in the market (to stabilise the rupee),” SBP spokesman Syed Waseemuddin told AFP. “I cannot disclose the amount of money involved in this exercise at this point of time.” Market sources put the amount being injected at $100 million. The rupee has lost 23 percent of its value against the dollar this year. “There is a huge demand from importers which is putting on extra pressure,” Nabeel Iqbal, research manager at Khanani and Kalia forex company said. The SBP advised the exchange companies to ensure uninterrupted supply of foreign currency to their customers, APP reported. This was decided in a meeting between exchange company heads and SBP Executive Director Asad Qureshi. Meanwhile, the central bank rejected reports regarding the freezing of foreign currency accounts and sealing of lockers at banks. A SBP spokesman called such reports baseless and said no such action was under consideration at any level.

Source: Daily Times

__________________
~Time owns each and everything~
~Useless youth if not useful for Pakistan~

Shariah to be enforced in Malakand next month: Bilour
Thursday, October 09, 2008
PESHAWAR: Senior Minister NWFP, Bashir Ahmad Bilour said the Shariah Nizam-e-Adl Regulation 2008 (SNAR 2008) would be enforced in all areas of Malakand (PATA) next month.

The minister was talking on Wednesday here to a representative delegation of the Ulema and elite from Malakand, including Buner, Swat, Shangla and Dir Lower areas.

Bilour said all criminal cases would be compulsorily disposed of according to the SNAR 2008 within four months while the civil cases would be disposed of in six months. The minister said action would be taken against the Qazi of the Shariah court if the cases were not decided in the specified time.

The delegation had called on the minister at Peshawar and apprised him of their problems and difficulties. They expressed satisfaction over the steps the provincial government has taken for restoration of peace and implementing Shariah Regulation in Malaknad.

He said that the SNAR 2008 could not be challenged in any court as it was being implemented in the PATA. The regulation aimed at providing cheap and speedy justice to the seven districts of Malakand region and for this purpose new appointments of 100 Qazis/Judges and 600 concerned judicial staff would also be made for which funds have already been arranged.

He assured that the government would also come up to the expectations and aspirations of the people and would take effective steps for accelerating the pace of progress and prosperity. He asked the people to fully cooperate with the government for this purpose.

He said that present government is the popularly elected democratic government of the people and hence will ensure the protection of the rights of the masses. He said: “We are only accountable to the Allah Almighty and our people and no other power or group can ever threaten or pressurize us.” He assured that the internal and foreign policies would also be reviewed in the larger national and public interest.

BEIJING/ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari may sign a preliminary civilian nuclear pact with China during his visit to the country, Pakistan’s ambassador to China said on Tuesday.

Speaking to Geo News channel in Beijing, Masood Khan hinted that a nuclear deal could be on the cards during four days of talks.

“Both countries have always supported the peaceful use of civil nuclear energy,” Khan said, adding an agreement was “expected in this connection”.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang also indicated that nuclear energy co-operation would be discussed during Zardari’s visit, when he will meet President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, but he gave no specifics.

“China and Pakistan share sound co-operation in nuclear energy. China is ready, on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, to continue its co-operation with Pakistan,” he said.

First visit: The president arrived in China Tuesday on his first official visit since assuming office. The formal welcome ceremony for the president will be held today (Wednesday) at the Great Hall of the People, where Jintao will receive him. Zardari will also hold meetings with National People’s Congress Chairman Wu Bangguo, Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Chairman Jia Qingling, and business leaders.

Agreements: Over a dozen agreements, memorandums of understanding and protocols to expand co-operation in diverse fields between Pakistan and China are to be signed during the visit.

Soft loan: The Financial Times newspaper also reported Tuesday, without citing sources, Zardari would seek a soft loan of between $500 million and $1.5 billion from China to help Pakistan out of its financial crisis. agencies



LAHORE: Only the state has the authority to call for jihad (holy war), and individuals or groups are not authorised to do that, a conference of Muslim clerics from across the country said on Tuesday.

A fatwa (edict) issued unanimously by the Muttahida Ulema Council (MUC) during the conference at the Jamia Naeemia comes in the wake of devastating suicide bomb attacks in the country that have claimed hundreds of lives. The MUC also declared suicide bombings un-Islamic, saying the government should stop military operations in the Tribal Areas and conduct negotiations with the people there to end militancy.

The clerics also said former president Pervez Musharraf’s pacts with the United States should be made public. They called on the government to support Iran, saying it was a better ally than the US. They said Iran’s security was directly linked to Pakistan’s sovereignty therefore Iran’s standoff with the US over Tehran’s pursuit of nuclear technology should be taken up at the Organisation of Islamic Conference platform. The clerics said the way nuclear technology was being provided to India following a US-India agreement was dangerous and Pakistan must inform the world about its negative impact across the region.

They decided that a team of religious scholars would visit Bajaur and Swat to ascertain the situation in the areas. The moot was attended by clerics from the Jamaat Ahl-e-Sunnah, Ahl-e-Tashee, Ahl-e-Hadith, Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, banned Sipah-e-Sahaba and Deobandi and Barelvi schools of thought, Maulana Sarfaraz Naeemi told a press conference.

Demand: Maulana Naeemi demanded parliament formulate its policy regarding the war on terror in view of the national interest.

Jamaatud Dawa chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, who had already declared suicide attacks unjustified, also attended the conference.

Welcome: Interior Adviser Rehman Malik welcomed the MUC edict declaring suicide attacks un-Islamic, saying suicide bombings should cease now. agencies



By Irfan Ghauri and Muhammad Bilal

ISLAMABAD: The government is following a three-pronged strategy to combat Taliban in FATA – political dialogue, socio-economic uplift and the use of military force, Information Minister Sherry Rehman said on Tuesday.

Sherry was briefing an in-camera joint session of parliament on the government’s war on terror policy, according to sources. The sources said that after the briefing, the political parties’ parliamentary leaders met Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in the NA speaker’s chamber and conveyed their dissatisfaction over the second briefing arranged by the government.

Summoned: The sources said Gilani has summoned National Security Adviser Mehmood Ali Durrani back from India to assist Sherry during today’s (Wednesday) question-answer session. Sources said the prime minister assured the political parties’ leaders that ministers currently in China with President Asif Zardari would be available from Friday to answer the parliamentarians’ questions.

Sources said Leader of Opposition in the NA Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan told the House that the government had not touched upon policy matters and was following the previous regime’s policies. The meeting decided to extend the session, earlier scheduled to conclude on Thursday, for another five days.

The opposition parties pressed the government to declare the joint House proceedings as open. NA Speaker adjourned the session abruptly when some of the members wanted to speak after the briefing concluded. It will resume today at 11am.



By Tanveer Ahmed

KARACHI: The Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) on Tuesday decided to remove the ‘market floor mechanism’ from October 27.

“The normal trading parameters of five percent upper and lower circuit breakers will be imposed from the day of lifting of floor in the market,” the KSE board of directors decided after receiving the assurance that government would come to the market’s rescue.

Also, the rollover period for Continuous Funding System (CFS) contracts maturing on October 10 has been extended by 22 days, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) Chairman Raziur Rahman told Daily Times.

The extension in the rollover period will resolve the acute problem of liquidity shortage in CFS with the availability of more financing coming into the system during the extended period.

The respective authorities will announce the final details of all the stabilisation measures. The KSE board of directors has been informed that the Ministry of Finance and SECP will implement the full set of stabilisation measures before October 27.




Source : Daily Times

__________________
Regards

Aarwaa

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

World community pledges $4bn to Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The international community has assured Pakistan of providing US$4 billions to avoid bankruptcy, but in return Islamabad will have to introduce some tough economic reforms.

US and diplomatic sources in Washington told that Pakistan had started negotiating with international financial institutions and friendly countries soon after realizing that it might have to default on its payments without foreign help.

US played a vital role in these talks. A US official present in the talks told there was a real panic in the Pakistani side, adding Pakistani diplomats made 10 visits to the US during the last 10 days.

The final negotiations were undertaken during Financial Adviser Shaukat Tareen’s visit to Washington who arrived here to attend the annual meetings of World Bank.

During these talks, the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank and other IFIs discussed various options for providing short to medium-term support to Pakistan.

During the current financial year, the World Bank will provide $1.4 billion. If Pakistan’s programmes are approved, its IDA share will also be front-loaded. This includes a total $3 billion of international development assistance over three years, from 2008-2011.

The Asian Development Bank is negotiating assistance of another billion dollars. The Islamic Development Bank is negotiating a proposal to raise its trade facility from $500 million to one billion. This brings the total pledges to about four billion dollars.



Source: The News.

__________________
Regards,
P.R.

SC main gate locked, Aitzaz, Kurd stopped entry

ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court management has locked the main gate of the SC building barring entry of SC Bar Association President, Aitzaz and Executive Committee member, Ali Ahmad Kurd. Lawyers leaders protesting this uncalled for ban on their entry into the SC building exchanged hot words with the representatives of the management on this occasion.

It may be recalled that SC Bar Association had invited the deposed chief justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry visiting the Bar this afternoon. Earlier, Islamabad administration had sealed all the roads leading to the judges’ colony and the lawyers’ leaders as well as the media representatives were stopped entering the colony by setting up pickets at both the gates of the colony.

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