US missile strike kills 12 in North Waziristan

Saturday, September 13, 2008



By Mushtaq Yusufzai & Malik Mumtaz

MIRAMSHAH/ PESHAWAR: Another CIA-operated spy plane intruded into Pakistan’s territory in North Waziristan Agency early Friday and fired two Hellfire missiles.

Senior government officials based in Miramshah told The News that the Predator had attacked an alleged training camp of militants from the Punjab. The officials claimed that all the 12 people who were killed in the attack were hardcore militants belonging to Jihadi commander Ilyas Kashmiri’s group. The residents, however, claimed the dead included women and children.

Soon after the missile strike, some unidentified miscreants attacked a military convoy, which was on its way to Bannu from Miramshah near the Chashma Pul, injuring two security personnel.

In retaliation, the troops also fired shots at the attackers, wounding four tribesmen who were travelling in a passenger coach.Tribal sources told The News that two spy planes had been flying over the villages of North Waziristan Agency along the Pak-Afghan border for the past 24 hours. The residents said one of the planes, apparently a US Predator, fired two Hellfire missiles on a house owned by a tribesman Sadim Khan in Tolkhel village, two kilometres east of Miramshah. The residents, who immediately reached the spot for rescue work, said they had recovered 12 bodies.

According to the villagers, all of the dead were local residents belonging to Sadim Khan’s family. The sources said the missile attack also damaged some other adjoining houses in the village, seriously injuring 10 people. The injured were rushed to various hospitals of Miramshah.

However, senior government officials based in Miramshah told The News that the Predator had attacked an alleged training camp of militants from the Punjab. The officials claimed that all the 12 people who were killed in the attack were hardcore militants belonging to Jihadi commander Ilyas Kashmiri’s group.

They confirmed that a US Predator had fired two missiles at the school building that was being used by the militants.The officials said some tribesmen living near the alleged training centre were also killed and injured in the attack.

Sources close to the tribal militants operating in the NWA denied reports that the school building hit by the US spy plane was a training centre and those killed were militants.“Every time after the US attack, the government people exaggerate casualties and play up the importance of the victims,” said a tribal militant commander based in Miramshah, who wished not to be named.

It was the second attack in one week by the US planes in North Waziristan Agency. In an earlier attack carried out by the US Predator on one of the houses of veteran Afghan Taliban commander, Maulvi Jalaluddin Haqqani, on Monday at Danday Darpakhel village near Miramshah, 25 people were killed and several others were injured.



http://thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=17215

Pakistan can’t wage war with US: PM

Saturday, September 13, 2008

By Asim Yasin

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Friday pledged to raise the issue of US threats to Pakistan's territorial integrity at the international level to resolve it through diplomacy and said that right to launch an offensive against the terrorists solely rested with Pakistan as the government was capable of taking an effective action within the country.

"We can take up the matter of unilateral strikes in Pakistan at diplomatic level, but cannot wage war," he said while talking to newsmen here at Prime Minister Secretariat after inaugurating the country's first plant for manufacturing of auto disposable syringes.

He said this issue would be taken up with the United States and the United Kingdom with a view to convincing them that Pakistan would itself take any military action against the militants on its territory.

"Pakistan enjoys friendly relations with all the countries and will be able to bring Washington and London round to the fact that we are fully capable of tackling the scourge of terrorism ourselves," he added.

He was of the view that only Pakistan had the sole right to take action against the terrorist in its territory. "If any one has any information, it should be shared with us so that we may decide to take action. If there are any militants in our country, it is our right to take action against them and we can do that," he added. He said a pragmatic solution to the issue of terrorism would be worked out through dialogue.

The prime minister stressed that Pakistan was against terrorism and said, "We have suffered a lot due to this menace and even lost our leader Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. We want peace in the country and not terrorism. We are taking action against this menace on our own."

The prime minister while speaking about the government's strategy to deal with the issue of terrorism and extremism particularly in the tribal areas said it was a mix of dialogue, development and the use of force in accordance with the circumstances. "This is our country and we want to address these issues on our own, and we are addressing these," he stressed.

He welcomed the statements of Germany, France and Nato on the issue of action in tribal areas and said, "We will convince the United States and Britain as well to respect the sovereignty of Pakistan."

To a question about the statement of Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, the prime minister said he had also raised this issue after a meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai the other day.

In reply to a question about Friday's missile attack in the tribal areas, the prime minister said, "We strongly condemn this attack". The premier said he discussed the matter with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and the issue will be taken up at diplomatic level.


http://thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=17216

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Kayani sees a meeting of minds to defend country

Saturday, September 13, 2008



RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said on Friday that all elements of the national power under new democratic leadership would safeguard the territorial integrity of Pakistan with full support and backing of the people.

"There is complete unanimity of views between the government and the Army," said General Kayani. He was addressing the concluding session of the 2-day Corps Commanders Conference here at the General Headquarters.

However, at a time when this statement was being issued by the ISPR, the Americans launched another attack in Fata, and obviously no prior notification was issued to Pakistan.This along with the entire strategic situation arising out of US-led attacks inside Pakistani territory was taken up in the 111th Corps Commanders Conference, which COAS General Kayani chaired.

"The participants were given a comprehensive briefing on the prevailing geo-strategic environment and the recent strategic engagements with major stakeholders regarding peace and security in the region and beyond," said the ISPR in a statement on the top military commanders' moot.

The statement by Army Chief General Kayani issued two days back in response to US Admiral Mullen's bullying that the US forces could conduct operations inside Pakistan, was loud and clear.

"The entire nation has supported General Kayani and the strong position he has taken by saying that no foreign forces would be allowed to operate inside Pakistan," said a senior official. Not only President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani talked in the same tune, but also the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (now in opposition) is endorsing the COAS statement. So one thing is clear that the entire nation has become united on the matter that no foreign forces should be allowed to kill innocent people by striking inside Pakistan.

So much so, the military spokesman talked about the orders of retaliation against any action by foreign troops inside the country. Cynics say that the Bush Administration is trying to divert the world's attention on its failures in Afghanistan and to some extent in Iraq, and Washington is now bent upon to implicate Pakistan by shifting the focus from its failure.

"The furious Pakistanis are not ready to accept any bullying from the outgoing Bush Administration," said the official. In an effort to further gear up campaign to desist America from conducting operations inside Pakistan, it is expected that a joint sitting of bicameral parliament would be convened in the near future. It would help take a national stand against US attacks inside Pakistan.


http://thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=17217

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Libya had contact with Dr Khan earlier than thought: IAEA

Saturday, September 13, 2008

VIENNA: Libya, which abandoned a clandestine nuclear weapons programme in 2003, was in contact with the black market network of Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan much earlier than first thought, a new report by the UN atomic watchdog revealed on Friday.

According to a restricted report by International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, Libya's contacts with Dr Khan date back to 1984, more than 10 years earlier than previously assumed. The report, which was circulated to the IAEA's board of governors on Friday, said that Libyan officials met with Khan in January 1984.

"During this meeting, Dr Khan described to a senior Libyan official the technologies for acquiring nuclear material, and the necessary resources and capabilities, and offered to sell Libya centrifuge enrichment technology," the report said.

Uranium gas centrifuges are used to enrich uranium, which can be used to make the fissile material for an atomic bomb. However, "according to Libya, the Libyan official felt that the scientific and industrial requirements were too demanding for Libya in terms of resources and technological capabilities at that time, and a decision was made not to pursue the offer," it said.

Further "senior level contacts" took place between Libya and Khan between 1989 and 1991, in which Libya acquired information on first-generation centrifuges. "According to Libya, however, the Libyan authorities felt that the value of the information provided by Khan was not commensurate with what Libya had paid for it. No complete centrifuges were delivered to Libya as part of this deal."

It was only in 1995 that Libya re-established contact with Khan and his network to acquire more efficient second-generation centrifuges, the report said. In December 2003, Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi stunned the world by renouncing Tripoli's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programme. Libya's subsequent cooperation with IAEA inspectors has helped unravel Khan's network.

In its report on Friday, the IAEA said that Khan's network possessed "a substantial amount of sensitive information related to the fabrication of a nuclear weapon." Much of this sensitive information existed in electronic form, the agency said, a fact which the IAEA found "disturbing" because it would make the information easier to disseminate and to hide.

Libya insists it has never carried out any work on the study or development of an actual nuclear weapon. And in its report, the IAEA confirmed that it had indeed found no evidence of such work.

A result, ElBaradei concluded there were no outstanding issues in the IAEA's investigation of Tripoli's weapons programme and praised Libya's cooperation in the inspectors' probe. For the past five years, the IAEA has similarly been investigating Iran's nuclear programme, which western countries fear is being used as a guise to develop an atomic bomb. Unlike Libya's case, agency officials have often complained about Iran's lack of openness and perceived foot-dragging in investigations.

http://thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=17218

Nothing new in IAEA’s report: FO

Saturday, September 13, 2008

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Sadiq on Friday commenting on the IAEA report said there is nothing new in the report.

"It essentially summarises the results of the IAEA verification activities in Libya and provides an overview of Libya's past nuclear programme," he said in a statement. Referring to the provision of nuclear equipment and related design, he said it does not reveal any new information.

"They simply refer to transfers which took place in the past and the conclusions drawn by the agency as a result of its follow up verification activities." He said Pakistan has already extended cooperation to the IAEA in this regard and "it is incorrect to project this report as fresh or current information."

http://thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=17219

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No US guarantees, says Qureshi

Friday, September 19, 2008

By Mariana Baabar

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has received no iron-clad guarantees from the United States that it would cease violations of its air space, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmud Qureshi said on Thursday. He also said Pakistan had not been forewarned each time violation of its air space took place.

He, however, told a news conference at the Foreign Office: “As far as the sovereignty is concerned, there is a responsibility on Pakistan as well to ensure that there is no incident of violation of someone else’s (Afghanistan’s) sovereignty.”

As far as Admiral Mullen’s statement which he made on Wednesday regarding Pakistan’s sovereignty, Qureshi said: “I have to respect it. But later when there is another attack (the same day), it appears there is an institutional disconnect (within the US). They will have to sort it out.”

He said when he visits Washington for the strategic dialogue, he would formally give his honest assessment.

Despite dozens of questions regarding the “helplessness” that the government faced over the increasing and “insolent” bombardment of its land and people, Qureshi failed to satisfy the media and resisted admitting that there was “nothing” that Pakistan could do in the face of this unjustified onslaught except keep the diplomatic channels open.

“This is not a question of helplessness. We are allies and cooperating with the US. They (militants and terrorists) are not confined to Afghanistan alone. Their actions are moving from our tribal areas to our settled areas, into Islamabad and Lahore. We do not subscribe to their interpretation of Islam. They have damaged Islam. There are serious threat perspectives inside mainland US from these Taliban and al-Qaeda. We have to address these concerns. Also we feel that fighting with the military is not enough as we have to have a multi-pronged strategy to wean (the saner elements) from these extremists,” the minister explained.

However, to a query on what the rules of engagement with the US were, whether these were verbal or in writing and whether they would be made public, the minister replied: “This is a big concern for all of us. We will see whether these rules of engagement can be reviewed or not. My understanding is that no foreign troops are allowed to operate inside Pakistan and if any action is taken across the border, then it is for the Isaf and Nato troops to do so.” When asked what options Pakistan had to stop the US from violating the Pakistani soil and air space and whether the countless meetings with the US leadership had proven that even diplomacy had failed, the minister responded: “Diplomacy never fails. We keep trying. To give up is no solution and we stand behind the statement that the COAS made on the issue.”

Recalling the meeting between Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Adm Mullen in which he was also present, Qureshi said Mullen was informed about the sentiments of the people here and clearly told that Pakistan was cooperating.

“Some of the basic facts are that there should be respect for sovereignty, Pakistan should also respect the sovereignty of Afghanistan and that these incursions are worsening and becoming unproductive. This is a long haul and we have to see a long-term strategy,” he added.

The minister was almost apologetic for the US when he talked about the “internal compulsions” of the US which have to be understood. “Regarding these incidents, this is the US election year. Some statements put forward are not good for long-term relations. We are not doubtful of their statements. But we also have to see that given the conditions what options do we have, do we want to increase friends or enemies? We have to put emotions aside but also protect our sovereignty while understanding the given position,” he said.

President Asif Ali Zardari, he said, would be visiting New York from Sept 22-26 to lead Pakistan’s delegation to the UN General Assembly session.

“It will be a functional and businesslike small delegation keeping with the government’s austerity measures. Dates are being worked out for important meetings with President George Bush, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Hamid Karzai among others.”

The minister dispelled impressions that relations between Pakistan and India had deteriorated.

“Out team is visiting New Delhi to discuss the Kashmir-related issues as part of a trade agreement and some of the issues which erupted during the economic blockade (in held Kashmir). We are also keen to send a trade delegation from Azad Kashmir to Srinagar to discuss trade items. A meeting between the two sides in New York is required to continue the peace process as both sides have to keep moving. Yes, there will be differences and hiccups but we should have productive meetings,” he said while replying to a query.

Pakistan’s high commissioner in New Delhi has met with the Indian foreign secretary who had assured that New Delhi would take up concerns expressed by Islamabad and it would be addressed through the Indus Waters Treaty.

To queries as to why the government was a silent spectator to banned militant outfits operating openly in Karachi, the minister said the government had no sympathy for them as they had not helped Pakistan’s cause in any manner. “They have to be curbed and the government has taken some firm steps,” he said.

When asked to explain what President Zardari meant by “good news” on Kashmir, the minister said the government felt it was necessary to have a unanimous view on the resolution of the Kashmir issue.

“Kashmir is also part of the composite dialogue and the president has contacted several political leaders to form a Kashmir caucus which will be apart from the National Assembly Committee on Kashmir. All political parties will be represented. In my meetings with the Indian leadership, I have also maintained that some issues that need to be addressed are Sir Creek, Siachen Glacier, trade and people-to-people contact. We have to review and inform the caucus about the recent changes in Kashmir,” he said. The minister said dates were being worked out for the president’s visit to China.

Agencies add: Responding to the recent blasts in India, the foreign minister said these blasts had nothing to do with Kashmir, adding the movement in Kashmir was indigenous. He said the government had always taken the Army into confidence before making any policy for the greater national interest. He said Army was an asset of Pakistan. He said there was unanimity between the government and the Army’s stance.


http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=17349

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Al-Qaeda commander killed in US strike

Friday, September 19, 2008

By Mushtaq Yusufzai

PESHAWAR: Three out of seven people killed in Wednesday’s US drone attack on Baghar village of South Waziristan Agency included two Arabs, one of them a senior al-Qaeda commander, and one hailing from the Punjab.

Sources close to the tribal militants told this scribe that the two Arabs were identified as Jiran, the al-Qaeda commander, and Sabri while the name of the militant commander from the Punjab could not be ascertained.

A senior militant commander, who wished not to be named, said all the three men were sitting in a vehicle parked in front of a mud-built house in Baghar village near Angoor Adda when two US drones fired four Hellfire missiles, killing them and four others staying in the house.

He said Jiran was appointed as al-Qaeda’s operational commander for a particular region in Afghanistan when another senior al-Qaeda commander Abu Imam died in fighting with the US forces near Bagram in Afghanistan three months ago.

“Jiran was a senior operational commander and was mostly living in the border areas between Afghanistan and Pakistan. He used to change his locations due to continuous surveillance by the US spy planes on the border villages,” said the tribal militant commander.

He suspected it was possible that some Afghan nomads might have spied on the militants living in Baghar village.

“No non-local person can reach that remote village except these nomads who often bring herds of sheep for grazing to the area,” he said, adding that in the past few days three US spies were killed after they admitted that American forces in Afghanistan had sent them to spy on Taliban and their positions.

Despite repeated protests lodged by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani over non-stop US air strikes on Pakistani tribal villages, two American spy planes again entered South Waziristan on Thursday evening and were seen flying over the area till the filing of this report.

Tribal sources from Wana, headquarters of South Waziristan, reported that two US drones entered there on Thursday evening and were seen flying over Wana, Azam Warsak, Dabkot, Birmal and other adjoining villages.

“Both the planes are continuously flying over Wana and adjoining villages which has again created panic among the tribesmen. Whenever two US planes come here, they definitely carry out strikes,” said a local tribesman.

Ahmadzai Wazir tribesmen, who have raised a tribal Lashkar to defend their frontiers against the foreign forces, were critical over the alleged silence of the Pakistani security forces based in old Sra Kanda fort, about a kilometre from the Baghar village, on US drones flying inside the Pakistani territory.

Earlier reports pouring in from Miramshah said that a US spy plane entered the North Waziristan Agency from adjoining Afghanistan and continued flying over Miramshah, Danday Darpakhel, Hamzoni, Dattakhel, Spinwam, Mirali, Khushali Torikhel and other tribal villages.


http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=17350

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Al-Qaeda, TTP behind Marriott blast: Malik

Monday, September 22, 2008

By Mobarik A Virk & Shakeel Anjum

ISLAMABAD

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik put the blame for the deadly suicide attack outside the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad on Saturday on al-Qaeda and the banned militant organisation Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

"This incident has similarities with the attack on the ISI's Hamza Camp as well as with the two loaded vehicles caught from D I Khan, and with the blast outside the Danish embassy. The explosives used in this blast matched those of earlier explosions," Rehman Malik told the media at a press conference that he addressed in the Interior Ministry late on Sunday afternoon.

To a question, he said there were strong bases for suspecting the involvement of al-Qaeda and the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban, Pakistan of Baitullah Mehsud, as in almost all such cases investigated in the past or the confessions made by the would-be suicide bombers or their handlers who were arrested by the security agencies, all clues pointed to Fata. When asked whether the preliminary investigations led to any clue connecting al-Qaeda and TTP to this incident, the adviser on interior said there was ample evidence to connect the two with Saturday's deadly suicide attack in the federal capital.

"We have arrested a number of suicide bombers and their handlers. They are not connected with this particular case. But most of them have revealed that they belonged to the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban and had links with South Waziristan," Malik said.

When it was pointed out that in the past both al-Qaeda as well as the TTP had always been quick in claiming responsibility for carrying out such attacks, the adviser on interior said such things were done to divert the attention of the investigators.

"If you may recall the al-Qaeda claim about the Danish embassy blast came after one month. Whenever we will find something related to this, we will not keep it hidden, we will bring it to the public," Rehman Malik promised.

He said the high-level inquiry committee headed by the Director-General of the FIA -- with the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad, the Additional Director-General, FIA, superintendent of police of Islamabad and the explosive experts as its members -- was supposed to submit its findings to the prime minister within 24 hours.

"The explosives expert in this committee, however, has submitted his report within 16 hours and on the basis of his past experience he has disclosed that the explosive material was high quality RDX and TNT. Earlier, in most of the cases potassium chloride, made of the fertiliser, was used. But this explosive material is of military type.

"We have recovered splinters of mortar shells and artillery rounds as well. There was one additional item seen this time and that was aluminium powder. It accelerates fire when it is mixed with the explosive material. So when these shells blew out and hit the Marriott Hotel it became a chemical that spread the fire fast and could not be extinguished," the Adviser on Interior said.

The News had access to the contents of the report submitted by the explosives expert in the Inquiry Committee. According to it RDX and TNT were used in the suicide attack on the Marriott Hotel.

The report pointed out that RDX is the specific formula being used by al-Qaeda and Baitullah Mehsud, substantiating the suspicions that it was a 'joint venture' between the two. "There is no doubt that Baitullah Mahsud and al-Qaeda were jointly involved in the catastrophic vehicular attack," the experts opined in the report.

The report mentioned that pieces of mortars and long-range artillery shells were found from the epicentre. A piece of mortar was found 84 meters away from the epicentre, the report added.

The experts calculated that 600-kilogram power high quality explosive material was used in the suicide attack, leaving a crater measuring 24 feet deep and 59x63 feet in diameter, the report said.

The investigators of SIG said that two explosions occurred in the same vehicle one after the other, adding that the first blast occurred when the suicide bomber blew himself up soon after ramming the truck into the main gate but could not ignite the explosive material loaded in the back of the vehicle.

"The second disastrous blast occurred when the fire caused in the cabin of the dumper because of the first explosion gradually travelled to the back of the truck and ignited the RDX and TNT, packed with artillery and mortar bombs about four minutes after the first blast," the report added.

"The trigger mechanism of the suicide bomber was not properly linked with the explosive material," the expert said in the report. "The second and the ruinous blast could have been averted if the security officials had acted promptly and doused the fire that started in the cabin of the dumper after the suicide bomber blew himself up," the report said.

The expert said in his report that the disastrous damage to life and property was the result of the 'detonation waves' which scattered with the power of one ton per square inch when the molecules broke up, creating a temperature of 4,000 degrees centigrade during burning, adding, "it was collateral damage."

Meanwhile, the official death toll in the Marriott Hotel suicide blast has climbed to 53 after 10 more bodies were pulled out of the gutted structure.The five-star hotel was completely gutted after the suicide blast in which 53 people were killed and 255 others injured including 21 foreigners. Five women were also among the dead while 70 injured, said to be in critical condition, were also shifted to hospitals.

An American team including explosive experts visited the scene and also collected evidences from the epicentre. However, during the press conference by the adviser on interior when it was asked if the Pakistan Government would take advantage of the US offer to send an FBI team to help in investigations, Rehman Malik said that Pakistan had turned down the offer. "We don't need any help at the moment. We reject it. We have our forces that are competent enough and can take the investigations onward," he said.

Reuters adds: The video footage of the incident was released showing the last moments before the blast. "The truck was stopped at the barrier and there was an altercation between the attacker and the guards," said Rehman Malik.

"A doctor was on an emergency call and was standing behind the truck. He asked the guards to remove the truck so that he could drive in to attend a patient," Malik continued. Sniffer dogs then detected something wrong and guards shouted at the people to run.

The footage showed the truck driver tried to ram the retractable metal barrier and bar at the security checkpoint at the entrance to the hotel's forecourt and parking area.

Some accounts given earlier had suggested that there had been an exchange of fire between the truck driver and the security guards on duty, but that wasn't clearly evident from the closed circuit television images.

Most of the guards retreated when the truck tried to ram the barrier.What happened next appeared to have been a small explosion in the cabin. Flames were seen spreading from the front to the rear of the hydraulic dumper truck as cars passed by on the road behind.

After the explosion some guards moved in before retreating once again, and finally one came back with a fire extinguisher, but failed to make an impression on the blaze. Then the screen turned blue, presumably as the final explosion let rip, killing immediate bystanders. Other victims were felled by flying glass and from the subsequent fire that swept through the building.

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Afghan envoy kidnapped in Peshawar

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

By Javed Aziz Khan

PESHAWAR: Armed men kidnapped Afghanistan’s ambassador-designate to Pakistan Abdul Khaliq Farahi from the posh Hayatabad locality after killing his driver on Monday afternoon. The diplomat’s driver, Khalid, was his by bullets in his eye, throat and chest as attackers opened fire on him when he offered resistance.

A search operation has been launched in Hayatabad as well as Khyber Agency as the diplomat is said to have been taken to Jamrud subdivision of the tribal agency, bordering Afghanistan. “Yes, the ambassador was kidnapped and his driver killed when gunmen ambushed their car in Hayatabad,” Noor Mohammad Takal, Commercial Attache of the Afghan Consulate in Peshawar, confirmed to The News.

There were reports that another person travelling in the car was also kidnapped but Noor Mohammad denied the reports, saying only the Afghan ambassador was abducted. “We can’t say something at this stage as to who could be behind the abduction,” the official said.

NWFP Inspector General of Police (IGP) Malik Naveed Khan also confirmed the kidnapping. Abdul Khaliq Farahi (51), who served for over six years as the Afghan consul-general in Peshawar, and was recently promoted as ambassador to Islamabad, didn’t have any police escort. It was learnt that the ambassador, yet waiting for presenting his credentials to President Asif Ali Zardari, was on a private visit to the provincial metropolis.

“The ambassador along with his driver was travelling in the official car (Peshawar CC-10-25) when six armed men driving a red-colour double cabin pick-up intercepted his car on the road near FCA Bridge in Phase-III Hayatabad at around 3 pm,” a source told this correspondent. Another source was of the opinion that the attackers came in two cars and were seven in number.

The source added that the kidnappers forced the diplomat out of his car and bundled him into their vehicle. The assailants opened fire on the driver killing him on the spot when he offered resistance, and took the diplomat to an unknown location.

Family sources revealed that the mobile phones of the kidnapped diplomat were out of range. It is baffling for many people as to why the ambassador was travelling without any proper security escort when the VVIPs were already under threat in this part of the country. “We were not informed about his visit,” said a police official requesting anonymity.

Farahi has his private residence in Hayatabad, the posh township located in extreme west of the capital and sharing a long boundary with the Khyber tribal region. From the same Khyber Agency, Pakistan’s ambassador to Afghanistan Tariq Azizuddin was kidnapped in February last. Tariq returned safe and sound after spending a long time in captivity of the kidnappers, who are still not known.

Apart from the Khyber Agency factor, another common thing between the two incidents was that both the ambassadors were without proper security escort when they were picked up. Tariq Azizuddin was only accompanied by his driver and gunman when he was picked up on his way to Kabul through Khyber Agency. Similarly, Abdul Khaliq Farahi was only accompanied by his driver when he was abducted on Monday.

Farahi is the father of five, two sons and three daughters, all of whom are said to have settled in the United States. Once a supporter of the Afghan ‘Mujahideen’ fighting against the USSR, Farahi was a member of the Nifaz-e-Islam Forum in Afghanistan, led by Pir Sayed Ahmad Gillani. He later joined Ittehad-e-Islami of Professor Sayyaf.

Farahi was appointed Afghanistan’s consul-general in Peshawar in April 2002 by the new Afghan government after the fall of Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Earlier, he was serving as consul-general in Quetta.

Farahi belongs to an influential family of the Farah province of Afghanistan. One of his cousins, Ghulam Nabi Farahi, is member of Afghan parliament while another, Abdul Razzaq Farahi, is holding a key position in the Afghan Foreign Ministry. Farahi’s driver Khalid was also a resident of Farah province.

As he had served for a long tenure as consul-general in the strategically important city of Peshawar, Farahi had a large circle of friends in the provincial capital and other parts of the province. As he was not formally appointed ambassador to Islamabad, charge d’affaires of the Afghan embassy in the federal capital Majnoon Gulab was looking after the affairs of the diplomatic mission. The former ambassador of Afghanistan, Mohammad Anwar Anwarzai, has returned to Kabul.

The kidnapping of a high-profile diplomat from the city shocked the Peshawarites. The top government officials held a marathon emergency meeting with the provincial chief secretary in the chair to take measures for the early and safe release of the diplomat.

“Police and other security agencies launched a search operation in Hayatabad and parts of settled and tribal areas for the safe recovery of the diplomat,” a source said. He said all the routes leading to Khyber Agency were blocked immediately after the incident. “Authorities have arrested a suspect, who is being interrogated,” the source disclosed.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani while strongly condemning the kidnapping of Afghan Counsel-General has directed his Adviser on Interior Rehman Malik to strengthen the security of diplomats and the diplomatic missions.

AFP adds: The Afghan foreign ministry, meanwhile, called in the Pakistan’s charge d’affaires to express concern about the abduction of ambassador-designate Abdul Khaliq Farahi. “We demanded the Pakistani government to do their utmost to free our diplomat,” ministry spokesman Sultan Ahmad Baheen said.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s office said he and Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had agreed in a telephone call late Sunday to forge closer cooperation to thwart extremist violence spanning the border. Karzai had called Gilani to offer condolences for Saturday’s truck bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad.



http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=17442

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‘President, PM were to dine at Marriott’

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

By Asim Yasin

ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik on Monday said the suicide blast outside the Marriott Hotel was aimed at targeting the political leadership.

“The suicide blast was aimed at targeting the political leadership but the government foiled the malicious designs of the terrorists by changing the venue of the Iftar-dinner hosted by the National Assembly speaker from the Marriott Hotel to the Prime Minister House,” he said while talking to journalists here.

Agencies add: Rehman Malik said the “whole leadership was saved” by the switch ahead of Saturday’s devastating attack, including President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, and military top brass.

Rehman Malik, however, did not explain why the president and the prime minister decided to move the dinner from the Marriott to the PM House but said the decision was kept secret.

“Perhaps, the terrorists knew that the Marriott was the venue of the dinner for all the leadership where the president, the prime minister, the speaker and the entire leadership would be present,” he told reporters. “At the eleventh hour, the president and the prime minister decided that the venue would be the Prime Minister’s House. It saved the entire leadership,” he said.

However, a spokesman for the hotel owner said it had no plans to host a dinner for the government leaders.“We didn’t have any reservation for such a dinner that the government official is talking about,” Jamil Khawar told The Associated Press.

Reman Malik said he had been holding back the details of the dinner plans, and also insisted that the decision to change the venue had been kept secret.Malik separately told AFP that investigators were examining dramatic video footage of the attack “shot by shot, second by second” for clues, as well as probing who owned the vehicle.

Meanwhile, talking to VOA, Rehman Malik urged the nation to unite against anti-Pakistan forces who want to destabilise the country’s sovereignty and integrity. “I clearly said that this war is being waged by our enemies. I condemn Saturday’s attack and also appeal to the nation to be united against terrorism,” he added.

About security situation in Islamabad, Malik said, “The Islamabad administration does not allow any truck to enter the city in daytime. Whosoever planned it must have known that they can do it after 7 O’ clock.”

“No truck kept on moving on the roads freely and it entered the capital after Iftar,” he added.A 600-kilogram bomb had been placed in the truck, which Rehman called a dumper, and was covered by some cotton and bricks. However, a water pump was also seen there according to the eyewitnesses and such dumpers move on Islamabad roads on routine.

To a question, he said that there may be more than one bombers.Although with the government efforts, suicide bombing has been reduced by 98 per cent by adopting positive strategies, there is need to further expedite efforts to counter such heinous attacks,

Rehman Malik said. Regarding South Waziristan, he said two of the six arrested bombers have given open confession in courts. Besides, “we have 9 handlers behind the bars. All of them have links with Waziristan. We will welcome them if they lay down the arms”, he said.

However, if they continue militant activities, the operation against them will continue, he said. AFP adds: The management of the Marriott Hotel on Monday denied an official statement that top Pakistani leaders were due to have dinner at the hotel but cancelled it before the devastating suicide bombing.

Interior ministry chief Rahman Malik had earlier told reporters that President and Prime Minister were to have dinner at the Marriott on Saturday, when it was bombed, but the venue was changed at the last minute.

“There was no reservation from the government side,” Jamil Khawar, spokesman for the hotel owner Sadruddin Hashwani, told AFP. “I have checked from the management and the hotel administration. No booking had been made for an official dinner on that day,” he said.

Malik said: “The national assembly speaker had arranged a dinner for the entire leadership - the President, the Prime Minister and armed services chiefs at the Marriott that day.”

“The President and the Prime Minister changed the venue to the Prime Ministerís House and the function was not held at the Marriott.” Malik added.



http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=17443

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Shadowy group claims responsibility

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

DUBAI: A shadowy group, calling itself “Fedayeen of Islam”, has claimed responsibility for the deadly bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad in a telephone call to the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya television, the channel said on Monday. Its correspondent in Islamabad said he received a text message on his mobile phone, showing a telephone number, which he called and then heard a recording in which the group admitted launching the Saturday’s attack. The speaker on the recording spoke in English “with a South Asian accent,” he said. The group issued several demands, including for Pakistan to stop its cooperation with the United States, the Arabiya television said.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=17444

Americans’ presence at Marriott not a secret: US embassy

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

By Ansar Abbasi

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani authorities are trying to solve the riddle of US Marines and their mysterious steel cases, which were shifted to the Marriott Hotel four days before the hotel was reduced to ashes by the worst ever terrorist attack in the history of the federal capital.

These authorities want to ascertain if it was a routine exercise or part of some special mission that does not have the approval of the Government of Pakistan.

The US embassy insists the activity witnessed was a team of support personnel that often and routinely precede and/or accompany certain US officials. However, the government authorities probing the matter have already got most of the facts ascertained as mentioned in The News story on Sunday.

According to an official source, the authorities were told that mysterious activity of the US Marines took place around 120 midnight on 16 September. Already the government has got the information that several rooms on the fourth floor of the Marriott were in permanent use of the US authorities. Three of these rooms were said to be inter-connected and contained some intelligence equipment and other material allegedly used for espionage.

Sadruddin Hashwani, the owner of the Marriott, when approached denied that the Americans had any such presence in the hotel and said that like any such hotel in the world his guests included people of different nationalities. “Why focus on the Americans unnecessarily,” Hashwani wondered. He refuted that the US embassy had permanently hired several rooms in his hotel.

The US embassy spokesperson Lou Fintor, however, when asked if the US embassy had hired several rooms in the Marriott Hotel for years, said in his written reply that the US embassy has been a frequent customer of the Marriott Hotel for many years. On any given day, he said, there were employees of the American embassy and official American visitors staying at the hotel. “There is nothing unusual, secretive or ‘mysterious’ about this,” he said.

When asked if three of these permanently hired rooms were interconnected, Fintor said, “For our frequent visiting delegations, the embassy often rented adjoining rooms — as we often do in other hotels in Pakistan and in the world.”

Responding to unconfirmed reports that the US-rented rooms in the Marriott Hotel were being used by the CIA for espionage purposes, he said, “Unfortunately, far too many things have been ‘said’ that have absolutely no basis in fact. There is no truth whatsoever in allegations that covert activity was taking place on the part of the United States government.”

The spokesman said that these allegations are inaccurate, irresponsible, baseless and completely without any foundation whatsoever.

About the Marines and the steel cases which were reported to have been shifted to the hotel between the night of 16 and 17 September and whether these Marines and the suitcases were in the hotel on the day of the blast or evacuated before, he said, “A team of support personnel often and routinely precede and/or accompany certain US government officials. They often carry communication and office equipment required to support large delegations, such as high-level administration officials and members of the US Congress.”

He added that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff would travel with communications equipment. “It is quite possible that some saw this communications equipment moved into the hotel. This equipment would leave with the CJCS. If the equipment was transported in full public view then obviously there was no attempt made to conceal its movement.”

Witnessed by many, including a PPP MNA and his friends, a US embassy’s truckload of steel boxes was unloaded and shifted inside the Marriott Hotel on September 16 midnight only after Mike Mullen, the US Admiral, had met Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and others in Islamabad and had already left. Both the main gates (the entrance and the exit) of the hotel were closed while no one except the US Marines was either allowed to go near the truck or get the steel boxes unloaded or shift them inside the hotel. These steel boxes were not being passed through the scanners installed at the entrance of the hotel’s lobby, and were reportedly shifted to the fourth and fifth floors of the Marriott.

The US embassy spokesman also confirmed that the Marriott rooms, which were in use of the US officials, had the communication and office equipment, which were transported for use by Admiral Mullen.

A hotel employee, on condition of not being named, confided that the hotel management had been receiving threats from unknown persons for the last six months to get the US officials vacated from the hotel. However, Mr Hashwani when confronted said that there has been no threat received by the hotel management.



http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=17445

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