US to use funds for aid on ‘super embassy’ project

By Baqir Sajjad Syed


Under a programme to strengthen its presence in Pakistan, the US will bring here about 1,000 personnel, including a large number of Marines.

It has already undertaken a project to rebuild and refurbish the embassy building and construct accommodation for the new staff and a massive complex for the Marines to be stationed in the capital.

The US plan to reinforce its presence has already created ripples here and, according to a senior official, it would mean stationing of ‘more American military and intelligence personnel in diplomatic guise.

And a retired diplomat says the upcoming American hub in Islamabad will be used to influence development in the region by remote control.

US Charge d’Affaires Gerald Feierstein, in a letter to Dawn, described the plan as a positive development symbolising US commitment to stand by its friends in Pakistan. He said the new embassy building would be a landmark in the diplomatic enclave.

The US media, meanwhile, has described the upcoming structure as a ‘super embassy’ rivalling only the American mission in Baghdad.

The project, US official estimates show, will cost about $1 billion. And the Obama administration has worked out an easy way out, footing the bills from Pakistan’s $2.4 billion share in the Pentagon War Supplemental Package for the fiscal year 2009.

A breakdown of the war supplemental aid package shows that $707 million has been earmarked for economic assistance, $700 million for counter-insurgency capability fund, $896 million for the new secured US embassy and consulates in Pakistan and $46 million for enhanced diplomatic operations covering logistics for civilian staff surge and security.

From the package, Pakistan will practically receive $707 million as economic assistance and that will include $225 million announced by Washington as assistance for displaced persons.

‘Closer scrutiny of the much trumpeted aid package shows that the government after subtracting the assistance for IDPs will be getting a mere $482 million and some improved counter-insurgency capacity,’ a senior Pakistani official dealing with aid said.

American officials defend the staff surge by saying it has been necessitated by the tripling of aid for Pakistan by the Obama administration. ‘We need the capacity to disburse money and exercise oversight.’

When asked about the clubbing of the cost for the new embassy and associated logistics with the war supplemental aid package, they said it was because of legislative procedures on the Capitol Hill. ‘That’s how legislative system works in Washington.’

Marines controversy

The number of Marines Washington intends to station in Islamabad for security of its embassy is being widely discussed here by diplomatic circles, media and informed sections of the public and there are speculations about the number of Marines who will land in Islamabad.

A report earlier published in Dawn said the number could be around 350. Although Mr Feierstein in his clarification had dismissed the figure as simply untrue, State Department documents indicate an allocation of $112.5 million for the Marines complex to be built inside the embassy compound.

The document does not suggest how many Marines would the new complex accommodate, but another allocation of $111 million in the same document for construction of a new annexe says it would house 330 personnel.

Country facing terrorism due to wrong decisions of dictator: PM
Updated at: 1215 PST, Friday, August 14, 2009


ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister, Yusuf Raza Gilani has re-iterated Pakistan’s friendly policy with the neighboring countries, vowed focusing on the welfare of the people after operation against terrorism and said that the 17th Amendment and 58 2-b of the dictatorial regime would be repealed through the parliament.

Following the Independence Day main ceremony here, the prime minister after unfurling the flag in his address told this.

Member of the federal cabinet, chiefs of the armed forces, diplomats and dignitaries attended the ceremony.

The prime minister said that we paid heavy price for the independence. Islam is the religion of peace and harmony, while the terrorists attempted to blemish it. He said that peaceful means were adopted for combating the extremism, while the writ of the government was challenged, which ensued army operation after taking the political parties into confidence.

Yusuf Raza Gilani said that the process of re-construction and development of the terror- affected areas would be stepped up. The prime minister paid rich tributes to the Armed Forces of Pakistan and to the heirs and parents of the other martyrs.

He said that our economy was hit by the global downturn and more resources were spent on security due to terrorism and now after the operation against terrorism welfare and prosperity of the people would be focused. He said that growers would soon be getting tractors under Benazir Scheme.

The prime minister said that peaceful and stable Afghanistan was in the interest of Pakistan. He said that President Asif Ali Zardari’s meeting with the Indian prime minister in Russia and later his meeting with him at Sharm ul Shaikh would hopefully make some positive headway. He said that the resolution of Kashmir issue in accordance with the aspiration of Kashmiris was the core of our foreign policy.
SOURCE:http://thenews.jang.com.pk/updates.asp?id=84935

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List of civil award winners

ISLAMABAD, Aug 15: The president on the occasion of Independence Day on Friday conferred the following civil awards on Pakistani citizens and foreign nationals for excellence in various fields.
The investiture ceremony will take place on the Pakistan Day next year.

Hilal-i-Pakistan: Gen Liang Guanglie (China), services to Pakistan; Prof Dr Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu (Turkey), services to Pakistan; and Senator John F. Kerry (USA), services to Pakistan.

Hilal-i-Imtiaz: Prof Dr M. Qasim Jan (NWFP), science (academic teaching/scientific research); Prof Azhar Masood Ahmed Faruqui (Sindh), medicine; Bano Quddsia (Punjab), literature; Asma Jahangir (Punjab), human rights; and Sardar Mohammad Yasin Malik (Sindh), public service.

Hilal-i-Quaid-i-Azam: Prof Qin Dahe (China), services to Pakistan.

Sitara-i-Pakistan: An Qiguang (China), services to Pakistan.

Sitara-i-Shujaat: Karim Khan Shaheed (NWFP), gallantry; Khurshid Khan Shaheed (NWFP), gallantry; Malik Mohammad Afzal Shaheed (Mohmand Agency), gallantry; Faisal Khan Shaheed (NWFP), gallantry; Mohammad Iqbal Shaheed (Punjab), gallantry; and Aamir Waseem (Punjab), gallantry.

Sitara-i-Imtiaz: Prof Dr Masoom Yasinzai (Balochistan), science (bio-chemistry); Dr Shahid Mansoor (Sindh), science (bio-technology/genetic engineering); Saeed Ahmad (NWFP), engineering (mechanical); Mian Mohammad Aqeel Majid (Punjab), engineering (nuclear chemical); Aslam Hayat (Punjab), engineering (nuclear); Mohammad Shahid Raza (Islamabad), mechanical engineering; Philip Goddard Ransley (UK), medicine; Prof Hiroji Kataoka (Japan), education; Prof Ayesha Jalal (Sindh), education; Prof Hasan Askari (Punjab), education; F.E. Chaudhry (Punjab), art (photography); Late Syed Musa Raza (Santosh Kumar) (Punjab), art (film acting); Late Syed Salim Gillani (Punjab), art (broadcasting); Late Hanif Ramay (Punjab), art (creative calligraphy); Jamil Naqsh (Sindh), art (painting); Abdullah Jan Jamaldini (Balochistan), literature; Dr Shahzad Qaiser (Punjab), literature; Rahimullah Khan Yusufzai (NWFP), journalism; Late Nirmala Deshpande (India), services to Pakistan; Dzanko Damir (Bosnia & Herzegovina), services to Pakistan; Dr Harald Hauptmann (Germany), services to Pakistan; Folker Flasse (Germany), services to Pakistan; Javed Masud (Punjab), public service; Adil Salahuddin (Sindh), public service; Asad Umar (Sindh), public service; Pedio Massimo (Italy), services to Pakistan; Late Prof Mohammad Ali Khan (Balochistan), public service (education); Prof Adil Najam (Islamabad), public service (environment); Bani Amin Khan (Sindh), public service; Syed Qamar Zaman Shah (Sindh), public service (agriculture); Late Dr Abdul Ghani (NWFP), public service; Alam Zeb Khan Shaheed (NWFP), public service; Dr Mohammad Amjad Saqib (Punjab), social service; A.K. Khan (Sindh), public service; Dr Javed Ahmed Ghamidi (Punjab), public service (religious scholar); Prof Rasul Bakhsh Rais (Punjab), public service (scholar); Allama Talib Johri (Sindh), public service (scholar); Dr Zaheeruddin Babar Awan (Punjab), public service (scholar); Sohail Mansoor (Sindh), public service (highest taxpayer); and Islahuddin Siddiqui (Sindh), sports (hockey).

President’s Award for Pride of Performance: Dr Mohammad Javed Akhtar (NWFP), science (chemistry); Dr S.M. Javed Akhtar (Sindh), science (laser optics); Mehmooda Kazmi (Punjab), science (biology); Safdar Habib (Sindh), engineering; Syed Khalid Hussain (Punjab), engineering (nuclear); Mohammad Masood Mirza (Punjab), engineering (mining); Zahid Shakeel (Punjab), engineering (mechanical); Dr Raja Ali Raza Anwer (Punjab), engineering (nuclear); Kaleem Shaukat (Punjab), engineering (mechanical); Syed Tahir Hassan Hashmi (Islamabad), engineering (chemical); Ayaz Ayub (Punjab), electrical engineering; Faizul Hassan (Punjab), electronics; Riaz Alam Khan (Sindh), engineering (aerospace); Late Anwar Solangi (Sindh), art (actor/drama writer); Rabia Zuberi (Sindh), art (education & sculpture); Zulfiqar Ali (Punjab), art & culture; Masarrat Misbah (Sindh), art (restructuring of faces); Hameed Akhtar (Punjab), literature; Afzal Tauseef (Punjab), literature; Masood Ashar (Punjab), literature; Sobho Gian Chandani (Sindh), literature; Mohammad Ibrahim Joyo (Sindh), literature; Fehmida Riaz (Sindh), literature; Masud Mufti (Punjab), literature; Prof Dr Mohammad Azam Azam (NWFP), literature; Mohammad Saleem Khan (Saleem Raz) (NWFP), literature (poetry); Prof Dr Inamul Haq Javeid (Punjab), literature (poetry); Shahid Mahmood Nadeem (Punjab), literature (playwright); Mahmood Shaam (Sindh), literature (journalism); Sultan Ahmed (Sindh), journalism; Younus Khan (NWFP), sports (cricket); Shahid Khan Afridi ( N W F P ) , sports (cricket); Zakauddin (Punjab), sports (hockey); Lal Saeed (NWFP), sports (boxing); Atta Mohammad Kakar (Balochistan), sports; Dr Med. Ursula H. Schmitz (Germany), services to Pakistan; and Dr Rebecca D. Eiwen (UK), services to Pakistan.

Sitara-i-Quaid-i-Azam: Prof Li Xiguang (China), journalism & communication; Tariq Abdul Hamid Hamed Mishkhas (Saudi Arabia), journalism; and Prof Dr Bernd Michael Rode (Austria), services to Pakistan.

Tamgha-i-Shujaat: Rahim Dil Khan Shaheed (NWFP), gallantry; Mohammad Ashraf Shaheed (NWFP), gallantry; Naimatullah Shaheed (NWFP), gallantry; Imran Khan Shaheed (NWFP), gallantry; Noor Dali Khan Shaheed (NWFP), gallantry; Aslim Nawaz Shaheed (NWFP), gallantry; Asad Ali Shaheed (NWFP), gallantry; Mir Abdullah Shaheed (NWFP), gallantry; Fazal Wahid Shaheed (NWFP), gallantry; Mohammad Fayaz Shaheed (NWFP), gallantry; Noor Tali Jan Shaheed (NWFP), gallantry; Mohammad Subhan Shaheed (NWFP), gallantry; Aftab Khan Shaheed (NWFP), gallantry; Mir Alam Shaheed (NWFP), gallantry; Gohar Ali Shaheed (NWFP), gallantry; Ajmir Shah Shaheed (NWFP), gallantry; Mohammad Islam Shaheed (NWFP), gallantry; Alamzeb Khan Shaheed (NWFP), gallantry; Mohammad Mehdi Hasnain Shaheed (NWFP), gallantry; Subedar Shair Abbas Khan Shaheed (NWFP), gallantry; Yar Zameen Shaheed (NWFP), gallantry; Lance Naik Mohammad Raiz Shaheed (NWFP), gallantry; Lance Naik Malik Dad Shaheed (NWFP), gallantry; Rizwanul Haq Shaheed (Punjab), gallantry; Abid Ali Shaheed (NWFP), gallantry; Fazli Rabi Shaheed (Bajaur Agency), gallantry; Mohammad Ismail Shaheed (Bajaur Agency), gallantry; Farmanullah Shaheed (Bajaur Agency), gallantry; Hussainur Rahman Shaheed ( B a j a u r Agency), gallantry; Javedullah Khan Mehsud (South Waziristan Agency), gallantry; Ghalib Khan Shaheed (Khyber Agency), gallantry; Sabir Jamal Shaheed (Khyber Agency), gallantry; Wali Khan (Khyber Agency), gallantry; Zarmat Khan (Khyber Agency), gallantry; Haji Sultan Khan Shaheed (South Waziristan Agency), gallantry; Malik Mehr Dil Khan Shaheed (South Waziristan Agency), gallantry; Mohammad Hamayun Khan Marwat (NWFP), gallantry; and Alam Zeb Khan (NWFP), gallantry.

Tamgha-i-Imtiaz: Dr M.S. Kausar (USA), services to Pakistan; Prof Dr Nilofer Shaikh (Sindh), archaeology; Maqsood Ahmad (Punjab), science (physics); Dr Mohammad Sajid (Punjab), science (maths/fluid mechanics); Dr Mohammad Iqbal (Punjab), science; Syed Shabbir Hussain Tirmazi (Punjab), technology (mechanical); Abdul Wahab (Punjab), technology (surface finishing); Dr Farhat Abbas (Sindh), medicine; Dr Javed Suleman (Pakistani living in USA), medicine; Dr Masood Sadiq (Punjab), medicine; Shaheena Puri (Sindh), art (singing); Mariam Khatoon alias Durdana Baloch (Balochistan), art (drama acting); Sajjad Haider Kishwar (Punjab), art (drama acting); Akbar Khameesu Khan (NWFP), art (alghoza nawaz); Ustad Abdul Latif Khan (Punjab), art (sitar nawaz); Ustad Nazir Khan (Sindh), art (tabla player); Shazia Batool (Balochistan), art (painting); Najmi Sura (Sindh); art (painting); Dr Kanwal Feroze (Punjab), literature; Dr Hafeezur Rehman Tahir (Dr Tahir Taunsvi) (Punjab), literature; Abdul Hakim Baloch (Balochistan), literature; Dr Mohammad Qasim Bughio (Sindh), literature; Shamshad Neelam alias Neelam Momal (Balochistan), literature; Mir Mohammad Ulfat (Balochistan), literature; Sabir Zafar (Muzaffar Ahmed) (Sindh), literature (poetry); Dil Nawaz Dil (Punjab), literature (poetry); Ashiq Buzdar (Punjab), literature (poetry); Mohammad Idrees alias Mohsin Changezi (Balochistan), literature (poetry); Noorul Bashar Naveed (NWFP), literature (drama writer); Late Qamar Shahbaz (Sindh), literature (poet, writer, columnist); Syed Bahadur Ali Salik (Northern Areas), journalism; Faisal Mahmood (Punjab), sports (Taekwondo); Tariq Mehmood (Punjab), sports (golf); Shafqat Ranna (Punjab), sports (cricket); Waqar Azeem (Sindh), public service; Nadeem Akhtar (Sindh), public service; Dr Zeenat Moula Bakhsh (Balochistan), public service; Mohammad Arif Balgamwala (Sindh), public service (philately); Mir Aslam Hussain Sehr (Northern Areas), public service; Maj Junaid Aftab (NWFP), public service; Majyd Aziz (Sindh), public service; Ghulam Sarwar (Northern Areas), public service; Shabbir Hussian Balti (Northern Areas), public service; Ibrar Ahmed Ghazie (Northern Areas), public service; Dr Sohail Habib Tajik (NWFP), public service; Masood Naqi (Sindh), public service; Seema Mughal (Sindh), public service; Maqsood Ismail (Sindh), public service; Gulzar Firoz (Sindh), public service; Haji Masood Parekh (Sindh), public service; Saeeda Sultan Afridi (Khyber Agency), public service (education); Abdul Fatah Marafie (Kuwait), social work (health & education); Abdul Illah Mohammad Rafie Marafie (Kuwait), social work (health & education); and Sono Khangharani ( S i n d h ) , social worker.

Dr Mukhtar Tamgha-i-Khidmat: Ahmad (Uganda), public service.—APP

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The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
.::Be Different::.
M$. L!|y

[B]Holbrooke due in Karachi for economy, energy talks [Dawn News] 19 Aug, 2009




ISLAMABAD: Top US envoy Richard Holbrooke was due in Pakistan’s financial hub Karachi on Wednesday for talks on economic assistance, a key plank of Washington’s new strategy to fight Islamist militancy here.



US President Barack Obama’s troubleshooter for Afghanistan and Pakistan on Tuesday met President Asif Ali Zardari on the third day of his Pakistan tour, where he hailed recent military gains against Taliban rebels in the northwest.



Pakistan claims to have cleared Taliban fighters from three northwest districts around Swat valley after launching a fierce offensive in late April.



‘(Holbrooke) said that now that great success had been achieved in Swat and Malakand, the US could give more attention to other areas of need, particularly meeting Pakistan’s energy needs,’ a statement from Zardari’s office said.



Pakistan faces an energy crisis, only able to produce 80 per cent of the electricity it needs, suffocating industry and causing debilitating blackouts.



Zardari told Holbrooke that industrial growth and export potential had also been suppressed ‘due to rising militancy in the country.’



‘The president impressed upon the US envoy the need for allowing greater market access to Pakistani goods in the US and European markets,’ the statement released late Tuesday said.



A US embassy official said Holbrooke would spend Wednesday in Karachi, Pakistan’s southern port city and the economic engine of the country, which has been beset by the global recession, a manufacturing slump and unrest.



On Sunday, Holbrooke told reporters in Islamabad that his focus this visit was economic and energy security, not the anti-Taliban efforts.



‘We are now going to start working closely with your government to come up with ways to assist you in strengthening the energy sector,’ he said.



Obama has pledged to help root out extremism in Afghanistan and Pakistan, with a focus on economic development the nuclear-armed Muslim nation.



American lawmakers have introduced a bill that would triple US civilian aid for Pakistan to 7.5 billion dollars spread over the next five years.



Holbrooke is due to travel to Afghanistan for its elections Thursday, which threaten to be overshadowed by a surge in attacks by Taliban insurgents bent on disrupting the nation’s second-ever presidential poll. — AFP

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Jo ALLAH karay c .. o sohna karay c
jab bhi kaam aaya mera PARVARIGAAR kaam aaya

[The News] 20 Aug, 2009

Oil jumps after surprise fall in US crude reserves

NEW YORK: Oil prices spiked higher Wednesday on tumbling US crude inventories indicating strong demand in the world's biggest energy-consuming nation.

New York's main futures contract, light sweet crude for delivery in September, rallied 3.23 dollars to close at 72.42 dollars.

The contract has rebounded by 5.67 dollars over the last two days. In London, Brent North Sea crude for October delivery jumped 2.22 dollars to 74.59 dollars.

Dealers said fresh US oil inventory data lifted prices which had earlier fallen briefly below 69 dollars in New York as traders fretted over fresh losses on global stock markets.

The US Department of Energy (DoE) announced Wednesday that American inventories of crude fell a massive 8.4 million barrels last week, snapping a three-week run of gains.

That took traders completely by surprise, with the market having expected an increase of 1.5 million barrels.

It was 'a very, very large draw of crude oil and considerable draw of gasoline from inventories,' said Bart Melek of BMO Capital Markets.

'We are certainly seeing an improvement from total distillate demand side, signaling that the economy might be turning,' he said. 'I'm not sure people really expect that type of decline to continue but they certainly expect things to get better as time goes on.'

The DoE also said that gasoline reserves sank 2.1 million barrels, much more than forecasts of an 800,000-barrel decline.

Distillates, which include diesel and heating fuel, fell 700,000 barrels last week whereas analysts had penciled in a gain of 500,000 barrels

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Jo ALLAH karay c .. o sohna karay c
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PM sacks acting chairman of Pakistan Steel

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani sacked the acting chairman of Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM), Rasul Bux Phulpoto. According to reports, the appointment of Phulphoto as acting Chairman PSM has been annulled by the PM Gilani as he was not taken into confidence by the Ministry of Industries and Production over the decision. On Tuesday, Premier Gilani had dismissed the then PSM chairman Moin Aftab Shiekh for corruption charges

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4,500 MW Bhasha dam cleared

By Mubarak Zeb Khan



ISLAMABAD: The 4,500-megawatt Diamer-Bhasha dam project and about two dozen other infrastructure and social sector schemes worth Rs977 billion were approved on Thursday.

The Rs894.25 billion dam project in the Northern Areas, approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec), will have a foreign funding component of Rs312.94 billion.

Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin chaired the meeting. The Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Qamar Zaman Kaira, and the Minister for Water and Power, Pervez Ashraf, told journalists that the construction of the dam on the Indus, some 400kms from Islamabad, would begin by October next year and be completed in eight to 10 years.

Its payback period will be 30 years. They termed it a lifeline project for the country.

‘This is the biggest project ever approved in the history of Pakistan. We spent 33 years in discussions while the country’s biggest dam’s capacity was declining because of sedimentation,’ Mr Ashraf said.

‘We have begun installing major hydropower projects to overcome the energy crisis.’

He said the 272-metre high concrete dam would have a storage capacity of 6.4 million acre-feet and it would irrigate more than 33 million acres. It would also help reduce sedimentation in Tarbela Dam, the minister said.

In reply to a question, he said the bidding process would be transparent. He said the National Highway Authority would start widening roads for transporting equipment and installation work.

The information minister said people to be affected by the project would be compensated before the start of the work.

He said Rs15 billion had been allocated in the budget for land acquisition and payment of compensation.

Mr Kaira, who also holds the portfolio of Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas, praised people of the region for their cooperation and sacrifices during the process of approval of the project.

‘Not a single voice was raised from the people of the Northern Areas against this project and I assure them that their genuine demands regarding compensation and settlement will be addressed on a priority basis.’

He said preference would be given to local people for employment in the project. The minister said royalty would be paid in accordance with the Constitution. He said work on land acquisition would begin within three months.

In reply to a question, he said generating funds for the project would not pose a problem because international financial institutions had expressed their interest in financing it. He said all stakeholders had been consulted before the project’s approval.

Referring to surveys by seismologists, he said the dam would be 35kms away from a faultline and it would be ‘99.9 per cent safe’.

He said the committee had also approved the Duber Khwar hydropower project, Khan Khawar project and the 16MW Naltar-III and 14MW Naltar-V projects.

The minister for water and power said a committee had been constituted to resolve out of court the issue of net hydel power profit of the NWFP.

He said the country had 185 billion tons of coal reserves and the World Bank had approved funds for their technical study. He said Rs2.525 billion had been allocated for the feasibility study.

The information minister said Ecnec considered 44 projects worth Rs1,200 billion, but approved 24 of them. The remaining 20 projects, estimated to cost Rs223 billion, will be taken up at the next meeting.

He said the provinces had been asked to expedite implementation of projects.

Ecnec also approved a Rs3.5 billion project for poverty reduction through small holders of livestock and diary and a Rs8.1 billion project in the education sector.

It approved setting up of a 300-bed maternal and child health institute in the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto district at a cost of Rs1.2 billion.

The committee approved a Rs6.3 billion land record management and information system for Punjab and asked other provinces computerise their land records.

The minister said HIV/Aids prevention projects were also approved for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Islamabad, Punjab and Sindh

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Faith is the bird that sings when the dawn is still dark.

Red Cross to be promptly notified about US war detainees

Sunday, 23 Aug, 2009






Yemeni inmate found dead at Guantanamo prison WASHINGTON: The US military has quietly tightened its detention policy to require that the International Committee of the Red Cross be notified promptly of terror suspects held at a special camp in Iraq and another in Afghanistan, a senior military officer said Saturday.

The change in policy, first reported by The New York Times on its web site Saturday, took effect in early August with no public announcement, the officer said. The officer, who has direct knowledge of the change, spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

The locations of the camps are classified secret.

US policy on the handling of detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere has been a politically explosive issue since the early years following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the US-led invasion of Afghanistan. The Justice Department is now considering whether to investigate alleged harsh interrogation practices sanctioned by the Bush administration after 9/11.

In the latest shift in US detention policy, the military has decided that the names and identification numbers of foreign fighters and terrorist suspects held in secret at a camp in Iraq and another in Afghanistan that are run by US special operations forces must be provided to the Red Cross within two weeks of capture, the officer said. The previous procedure was to notify the Red Cross as soon as practicable, but there was no US requirement that it be done within two weeks of capture, the officer said.

The Times reported that as many as 30 to 40 foreign prisoners have been held at the camp in Iraq at any given time. It reported no estimate for the Afghan camp but said it probably was smaller.

Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman, said he could not discuss any changes of policy or specifics of handling detainees at these camps, which he said are ‘screening sites.’ He said their purpose is to temporarily hold high-value targets to remove them from the battlefield and to determine as quickly as possible if they have information of immediate value to ongoing coalition military operations.

‘They are not secret prisons,’ Whitman said, adding that their existence is disclosed to the host nations and to the Red Cross.

Whitman said there have been instances where, out of military necessity, it has taken longer than two weeks to notify the Red Cross of the names of some detainees at these screening sites. Another official said there have been cases where it took many weeks.

The shift in policy was set in motion by Gen. David Petraeus shortly after he took over as commander last Oct. 31 at US Central Command, with overall responsibility for US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The policy change was made formal in the results this summer of a review conducted by Air Force Lt. Gen. Philip Breedlove, the military officer said.

The Times reported that at the request of Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Breedlove also accompanied special operations teams on some of their missions to see how they treated prisoners at the point of their capture.

In a classified report dated June 17, Breedlove generally praised the conditions at the special operations camps in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Times reported. It said he found only minor problems, including a failure to provide a Koran to each detainee. — AP

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Faith is the bird that sings when the dawn is still dark.

Jaswant moves SC on book ban [Geo TV] 28 Aug, 2009



NEW DELHI: Expelled BJP leader Jaswant Singh on Friday moved the Supreme Court challenging the Gujarat government''s ban on his book on Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

Singh, along with a representative of Rupa and Co, publisher of the book ''Jinnah - India, Partition, Independence'', filed a petition in the apex court against the ban imposed by the Narendra Modi government on August 19, two days after the book''s launch.

The petition said that the Gujarat government notification banning his book had no mention of the content which called for action and added that the ban was imposed without anyone reading the book.

While imposing the ban, hours after Singh was expelled from the party, the state government had alleged that it had defamed the image of the country''s first Home Minister Vallabhbhai Patel by "questioning his patriotic spirit".

However, Singh maintained that the step amounted to "banning thinking" and likened it to the one taken against noted author Salman Rushdie for his controversial work ''Satanic Verses''

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Jo ALLAH karay c .. o sohna karay c
jab bhi kaam aaya mera PARVARIGAAR kaam aaya

Oil prices creep up following positive data [The News] 29 Aug, 2009

NEW YORK: Oil prices edged higher Friday amid resurgent demand in Asia and positive economic data in the United States and Europe that supported hopes the global economy is pulling out of recession.

New York's main futures contract, light sweet crude for October delivery, rose 25 cents to close at 72.740 dollars a barrel.

In London, Brent North Sea crude for delivery in October gained 28 cents to settle at 72.74 dollars a barrel.

The New York contract had clung to positive territory throughout the day, however the momentum was curbed late in the session by a rise in the dollar, which makes dollar-priced oil more expensive for buyers using weaker currencies.

'The flow of economic data remains firmly positive,' Barclays Capital analysts said in a client note.

'Meanwhile, in the oil market, evidence of a strong recovery in Asian demand continues to gather,' they added.

Friday's macreconomic numbers supported optimism that early signs of global recovery were taking root, promising an increase in energy demand.

In the United States, the world's largest energy-consuming nation, official data showed consumer spending rose for the third consecutive month, albeit largely due to federal aid.

In Europe, the European Commission's economic sentiment indicator for the 16-nation eurozone rose for the fifth month running in August.

JPMorgan Chase analysts cautioned that oil demand remained weak.

'Despite our confidence in the recovery process over the next six months, there is precious little indication from the energy side that industrial activity in the US, is recovering,' said Lawrence Eagles and co-authors said in a report released late Thursday

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Jo ALLAH karay c .. o sohna karay c
jab bhi kaam aaya mera PARVARIGAAR kaam aaya