Drone attack kills 22 in North Waziristan | Pakistan | DAWN.COM

Banned trio face British trial on May 20

LONDON:
Three Pakistan cricketers accused of spot-fixing in a Test match against England last year were on Thursday ordered to face trial in a British court on May 20.

Former captain Salman Butt, fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer and their agent will stand trial in Southwark Crown Court in London accused of conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments.

They were greeted by a scrum of photographers as they arrived at City of Westminster Magistrates court for the hearing to set the trial date.

The trio and agent Mazhar Majeed were charged after being questioned by detectives over accusations in the News of the World newspaper that no-balls were deliberately bowled in the fourth Test match at Lord’s in August.

The four men, dressed in suits and open-necked shirts, spoke only to confirm their names as they appeared in the glass-fronted dock.

Prosecutor Sally Walsh said they were accused of having “conspired together and with others unknown for £150,000 as inducement or reward to bowl three no-balls at the fourth Test”.

She told the court the three players were accused of bowling three no-balls “for the purpose of enabling another to cheat at gambling”.

District Judge Howard Riddle said the allegations against the men were “very serious”.

“On the face of it, there is clear evidence against all of you in varying degrees,” he said.

The judge granted the three players unconditional bail, while Majeed was freed on condition that he surrender his British passport.

The players looked relaxed at the start of the hearing, but were glum-faced as the trial date was set.

An International Cricket Council (ICC) anti-corruption tribunal has already banned the three players over the allegations.

Butt received a 10-year ban, Asif got a seven-year ban and Aamer was banned for five years.

All three players deny the allegations and have already filed appeals against their bans at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Source: Banned Trio

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Malik warns team against World Cup fixing

KARACHI:
Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik has warned the country’s cricket team against match fixing and said they were under surveillance for Wednesday’s highly charged World Cup semi-final against India.

Pakistan cricket has been rocked by match fixing allegations, with three top players handed lengthy bans by an International Cricket Council anti-corruption tribunal.

“I had given a warning yesterday (Sunday) that there should be no match fixing. This time I am watching it very closely. If any such thing happens we will take action,” Malik told reporters in Karachi Monday.

The high-profile encounter between the South Asian rivals will be played in Mohali, India, amid tight security.

The clash which has overshadowed the World Cup final will be watched by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on an invitation from his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh.

It will be the first game between the two teams on Indian soil since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks that left 166 people dead and stalled a fragile four-year peace process between the nuclear-armed South Asian rivals.

Malik said the team was being monitored closely. “I should not have revealed but we have put them under strict surveillance, like who are the people meeting our players, with whom they are talking by telephone,” he said. “It was necessary after what had happened in London. We cannot take any chance,” he said and described the current members as clean.

“I am sure that our current team members are very clean and I hope that they will not disappoint the nation.”

Pakistan cricket has been hit by match fixing allegations which saw players Salman Butt, Mohammad Aamir and Mohammad Asif banned on charges related to fixing during last year’s Lord’s Test against England.

Malik advised the players to concentrate on the game. “They should continue the practice and go to bed early, rise up according to their schedule and dedicate themselves to the game for Pakistan.”

Malik welcomed reassurances from his Indian counterpart P Chidambaram on providing full security for the Pakistani players.

Source:Warning to Pak Team

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MOHALI: Pakistan lost the World Cup semi-final by 29 runs against India in a traditional battle between the arch rivals here at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium on Wednesday.

Chasing a modest total of 261 runs, Pakistan were all out for 231 in 49.5 overs.

Middle-order batsman Misbah-ul-Haq top scored with 56 not out while opener Mohammad Hafeez made 43.

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Every Heart Sings a Song,Incomplete until another Heart Whisper it Back-Plato

KOHAT: Several people were injured in a suicide blast that occurred in the main market of Darra Adam Khel, Geo News reported on Friday.

The channel quoted Commissioner Kohat that the suicide bomber ripped through the main market as a result several people were injured. The injured were being rushed to the nearby hospitals.

Security forces have cordoned off the area after the incident.

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"MAST TAUKALI ae DUA"

Pakistan rejects US report on war against terrorism

ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan on Thursday rejected a highly critical US report of its efforts to defeat militants, saying it would not be held accountable for US-led failures in Afghanistan.

“I would like to categorically state that we do not share the assessment of the US,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Tehmina Janjua told reporters at a weekly briefing in response to a question on the White House document.

“The references to Pakistan are unwarranted,” she said.

“Pakistan should not be held accountable for the failings of coalition strategy in Afghanistan. Pakistan has a clear strategy in dealing with this and other issues and solely be guided by its own national interest,” she added.

Tuesday’s report noted a deterioration of the situation in Pakistan’s northwestern tribal belt along the Afghan border between January and March this year, and said Pakistan still had no clear path to triumph over insurgents.

But it also noted the “tremendous human sacrifices” made by Pakistani forces and positive military cooperation between Pakistan and Washington in the last three months, despite tensions over a CIA contractor accused of murder.

Pakistan argues that its troops are already dangerously overstretched. With an estimated 147,000 forces in the northwest, more than the number of US led foreign troops in Afghanistan, the army has also endured heavy losses.

Aside from military operations, more than 4,200 people have been killed across Pakistan in attacks blamed on Taliban and other extremist networks since government troops stormed a radical mosque in Islamabad in 2007.

Source:Pakistan rejects US report on war against terrorism

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350 suicide bombers being trained in NW

The suicide bomber, who was caught alive from inside the Sakhi Sarwar Shrine in Dera Ghazi Khan a few days ago, has claimed that up to 350 suicide bombers are being trained in Mir Ali, North Waziristan.

In an exclusive interview to Express 24/7, the bomber, Umar Fidai, said Arabs, Uzbeks and Tajiks are amongst militants in the area.

Fidai said his mission was to attack the shrine half an hour after the first wave of attacks so that people gathered at the site could be targeted. He claimed a man known as Sangeen Khan travels from Waziristan to Afghanistan and picks out targets for the bombers. He also claimed that a man known as Naeem indoctrinates the bombers.

Fidai went on to apologise to the nation for attempting a suicide attack and called on other suicide bombers to not undertake such activities.

Taliban commander held in Lahore

A Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan commander was arrested on Lytton road following an operation by law-enforcement agencies in Lahore.

Police and other law-enforcement agencies arrested the suspect associated with the plan to target religious shrines across Lahore.

The suspect identified as a main Taliban commander claimed that he along with three accomplices were planning the attacks. The suspect has been moved to an unidentified location for further investigations.

Meanwhile, a search operation has been launched in different parts of Lahore headed by SSP Operations, Faisal Rana, to arrest the other three terrorists.

New statistics on terror attacks

From 2008-2010, there have been around 2,500 incidents of blasts killing more than 3,000 people and injuring over 9,000. These figures came to light in Senate proceedings on Friday.

Just over 600 people have been arrested in follow-up investigations, while 352 were later released on court orders. In 2008, organizations including Lashkar-e-Islami, Haji Namdar group and Tehrik-i-Taliban were banned for alleged involvement in terrorist activities.

Source:350 Suicide Bombers

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Pakistan test fires nuclear-capable missile

ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan’s military on Tuesday said it had successfully test-fired a newly developed short-range ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

The military said in a statement that the “Hatf 9″ missile with a range of 60 kilometres “could carry nuclear warheads of appropriate yields with high accuracy”.

“The missile has been developed to add deterrence value to Pakistan’s strategic weapons development programme at shorter ranges,” it said, adding that “this quick response system addresses the need to deter evolving threats”.

Pakistan’s arsenal includes short-range, medium and long-range missiles named after Muslim conquerors.

Source: Pakistan Missile

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