| Islamic World News | |
| 15 Mar 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com | |
| Britain 'sheltering al-Qaeda leader' | |
‘My son not a terrorist, he’s been framed’
Iraqi vote signals shift from religious leaders
LeT has 20 terror targets in India: US lawmaker
Filipino couple caught in khalwa embrace Islam
Kandahar suicide bombings kill 35
Pak hits Taliban targets, 18 die
Facilitate marriage of Saudi women to non-Saudis
Egypt cancels ceremony at Cairo synagogue, blaming Jews and Israel
Jihad Jane's allies in the courts
Tehran accuses US of launching 'cyber war' against Iran
Al Qaeda under fantastic pressure: Holbrooke
Jemima buys Oxfordshire estate for £15 million
'Punishment for claiming Ziaur Rahman declared Bangladesh independence'
India should only talk to Pak civilian govt: Karamat
Mumbai ATS uncovers Pak-linked terror plot
Bashir came to Ahmedabad to spot ‘terror talents': ATS chief
Lawmaker backs polygamy, hubby gets offers from match-makers
Afghan, Pak should develop common strategy for terror: Karzai
Muslims put Cong on notice on reservations issue
BSP faces heat as smoke lifts from Bareilly’s communal fires
Obama aide condemns 'destructive' Israeli homes plan
7 Indians languishing in Dubai jail
Indo-Pak rivalry can be very costly for us: Tanin
Mujahedeen forces join drug combating operations
Darfur rebel row jeopardises Sudan peace deal
Muslim group blasts anti-Obama protests
India open to new round of talks with Pak
Deadly car bomb strikes Iraq city of Falluja
New fraud cases show holes in Iraq rebuilding effort
5 CRPF jawan killed in grenade attack
Compiled by Asit Kumar
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Britain 'sheltering al-Qaeda leader'
15 March 2010
A senior al-Qaeda leader is reportedly being looked after by British intelligence at a safe house in northern England - but security sources are denying the claim.
Abu Qatada is accused by the United States, Spain, France and Algeria of being a key influence in the 11 September attacks on the US.
Mr Qatada faces a death sentence in Jordan after being convicted in his absence of funding a bombing campaign, and is said by US and Spanish investigators to be Osama Bin Laden's ambassador in Europe.
He disappeared in mid-December after British authorities confiscated his passport, froze his assets and ordered him confined to his home in Acton, west London.
In April the Sunday Times said Mr Qatada had turned "supergrass" for MI5 - a theory fuelled by the arrests of several Muslim extremists in Germany who had met him.
Now senior European intelligence officials have reportedly told Time Magazine that Mr Qatada and his family are being lodged, fed and clothed by British intelligence services.
"The deal is that Abu Qatada is deprived of contact with extremists in London and Europe but can't be arrested or expelled because no one officially knows where he is," says the source, whose claims were corroborated by French authorities according to the magazine.
"The British win because the last thing they want is a hot potato they can't extradite for fear of al-Qaeda reprisals but whose presence contradicts London's support of the war on terror."
But UK security sources have told BBC News there is "absolutely no substance" in the claim as British intelligence does not know where Abu Qatada is, having lost track of him after he disappeared.
UN list
Mr Qatada, a Jordanian-born Palestinian, was granted asylum in Britain in 1994 after claiming he was fleeing persecution for his religious beliefs.
Also known as Sheikh Omar Abu Omar and Omar Mohammed Othman, he appeared on the United Nations' list of suspected Islamic terrorists issued after 11 September.
Baltasar Garzon, a Spanish National High Court judge charged with leading Spain's al-Qaeda crackdown, called the Muslim cleric the "spiritual head of the mujahideen in Britain".
Baltasar Garzon: Accused Abu Qatada
Judge Garzon, who questioned al-Qaeda suspects in Madrid last year, said Mr Qatada was the most important British contact of Spain-based terror suspect Abu Dahdah.
Dahdah, whose real name is Imad Eddin Barakat Yarbas, was one of eight suspected members of a group charged with preparing and carrying out the 11 September attacks.
Judge Garzon added that Mr Qatada had links with terror suspects in Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Britain and Spain.
Following the judge's comments, Mr Qatada told BBC Radio 4's Today programme Bin Laden "had a point" in his desire to rid his home country, Saudi Arabia, of any American influence.
"I believe in Jihad," he said.
"And I believe in the necessity of liberating our nation and freeing it from bondage."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/2115371.stm
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‘My son not a terrorist, he’s been framed’
Smita Nair
Mar 15, 2010
Mumbai : It was a double blow to the Sheikh family living in Dahisar in Mumbai suburbs when the Anti-Terrorism Squad arrested their son Riyaz Ali (25) and son-in-law Abdul Latif Shaikh Saturday night for allegedly plotting to attack ONGC facilities, a mall and a market complex in the city.
While Riyaz worked as a salesman at an apparel shop at Thakkar Mall in Borivali, one of the alleged targets, Latif sold television covers and plastic merchandise at Manish Market, not far from another alleged target, the Mangaldas Market.
“My son is not a terrorist. He has been framed by someone for vendetta,” said Riyaz’s mother Aziza, clutching his photo. Riyaz’s parents vehemently denied their son or son-in-law could have plotted an attack. They said Riyaz’s closest brush with the law was six months ago when the parents of a Gujarati girl he was in a relationship with complained to the police.
“Riyaz was always polite and never one to get into any fights. For the past four years he was working at the mall and since the past year was in a relationship with a Gujarati Jain girl. Around six months back, the Malad police had summoned us after the girl’s parents complained. However, we were all let off after the girl gave a statement to the police that they were in a relationship,” claimed Aziza.
ATS officials claimed that at least two of the targets given to Riyaz and Latif by their handlers had been picked due to the Gujarat connection — Mangaldas Market in South Mumbai is a hub for Gujarati traders and Thakkar Mall is located next to predominantly Gujarati-speaking colonies. While Aziza is a vegetable vendor, her husband Abu Bakr Sheikh sells cutlery items on the road. Both their daughters are married, one of them to Latif. Riyaz’s younger brother Khurshid also works as a salesman at a shop.
At the home of Abdul Latif Shaikh in Bandra’s Behrampada slum, his wife Nusrat Bano was distraught. According to the family, Latif had been working in a shop at Manish Market for the past 10 years and earned Rs 200 as daily wage. He had recently told his family that his owners wanted to send him to Pakistan for some work and that he needed to get a passport made. His mother Alifa said he had only studied till Class IX. “We never asked him why he wanted to go abroad. We always assumed it was for better prospects,” she said.
A neighbour said the passport verification was completed last week. “He did not have Rs 500 to give to the verification agent and asked me for money. And still, in the past few months, he arranged for home appliances for his family including a brand new fridge,” he added.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/my-son-not-a-terrorist-hes-been-framed/590891/
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Iraqi vote signals shift from religious leaders
By LARA JAKES
P Mar 14, 2010
BAGHDAD: Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki's political coalition took an early vote lead Saturday in the election's all-important battleground of Baghdad, pulling away from its two closest rivals in the latest indication that Iraqis want a moderate government instead of Shiite religious hard-liners leading the postwar nation.
Partial results released by the Independent High Electoral Commission showed the State of Law coalition with about a 60,000-vote edge nationwide over its main moderate challenger, the secular Iraqiya coalition. The Shiite fundamentalist Iraqi National Alliance was in third place.
The partial Baghdad vote was released amid utter disarray in the election commission's headquarters, where the results were flashed on big-screen TVs but yanked down moments later, only to be released yet again. It was the latest in a series of blunders marring the counting process as results have trickled out slowly.
The chairman of the electoral commission, Faraj al-Haidari, said preliminary nationwide results could be released as early as Sunday - a full week after the vote for a 325-member parliament that will choose a prime minister to form a government that will lead the country as US troops prepare to go home.
Allegations of fraud also have plagued the ballot tally.
The electoral commission said more than 2,000 complaints had been received as of Saturday but it gave no specifics, saying only that they would be investigated.
With 18 percent of the ballots counted in the province that includes the capital, Al-Maliki's State of Law coalition had almost 159,000 votes, followed by the Iran-backed Shiite religious grouping the Iraqi National Alliance with about 108,000 and the moderate and secular Iraqiya coalition tallying about 105,000.
Baghdad is the largest prize in the vote, with just under a fifth of the total parliament seats up for grabs.
“We have promised the people of Baghdad and Iraq that the next four years will be the phase of construction and better economy, and we will live up to our promises,” Haider Al-Ibadi, a senior State of Law official, said after the capital's results were announced. “And we will join forces with any other political blocs that are committed to the same agenda.” So far, Al-Maliki's coalition is leading in five of the 11 provinces where the vote has been partially counted. Iraq has a total of 18 provinces.
Nationwide, State of Law has so far amassed more than 357,000 votes, and Iraqiya was trailing with 295,400 votes.
The INA was in third place with just over 280,500.
Outside Baghdad, all of Al-Maliki's leads are in southern provinces where Shiite hard-liners were expected to bring stiff competition. The south is generally considered friendly turf for the INA, made up of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council and followers of the anti-American cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr - two groups that are linked to Iran.
US officials have long worried that religious hard-liners - especially those influenced by Iran - would take over the still-shaky government and undo much of the progress toward making Iraq a reliable ally in the Middle East.
Hakim Al-Zamili, one of the INA's Sadrist candidates, played down Al-Maliki's gains and said Iraqis still “are religious and they still respect religious parties.” Even so, Al-Zamili acknowledged that some voters have grown tired of fundamentalist politicians.
“We should confess that some people have turned their back on these parties because they were disappointed by the performance of inefficient officials linked to religious parties,” Al-Zamili said.
Al-Zamili was one of two former government officials arrested and accused of allowing Shiite death squads to use ambulances and government hospitals to carry out kidnappings and killings, although the charges were dropped two years ago.
Al-Maliki broke off from the Shiite alliance more than a year ago in an effort to win support from a broader base.
If his lead holds, it will serve as another, even bigger blow to religious leaders against whom he also fared well in last year's provincial elections.
Many experts have noted the rejection of nationalist, non-religious coalitions reflects Iraqi frustration with years of sectarian fighting as well as frustration over the past four years of religious parties to improve much needed government services.
“The voters have shown that they are fed up with the religious parties that failed to improve their life,” said Nabil Salim, a political science professor at Baghdad University.
Iraqiya is led by one of Al-Maliki's predecessors, former Premier Ayad Allawi, who is also Shiite. However, Iraqiya has attracted Sunnis who have similarly rejected their own religiously based politicians but remain suspicious of al-Maliki's continued, if lessened, ties to Iran.
Iraqiya officials kept up a drumbeat Saturday of fraud accusations - including discarded ballots and the failure of some provincial ballot boxes to be delivered to the counting center in Baghdad - that they alleged may have cost them votes.
“Our stance is that there were violations and we want the truth about them,” said Iraqiya spokeswoman Maysoun al-Damlouji.
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article30059.ece
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LeT has 20 terror targets in India: US lawmaker
Mar 15, 2010
Washington : Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Toiba has identified as many as 320 targets across the globe, 20 of which are in India, a top US lawmaker has said.
"In the wake of the (26/11) Mumbai attack, investigators uncovered in controller records and e-mail accounts a list of 320 locations worldwide deemed by the LeT as possible targets for attack. Only 20 of the targets were located within India," Congressman Gary Ackerman said before a Congressional hearing last week.
"The LeT has been attacking US forces in Afghanistan almost from day one and their forces are present throughout Afghanistan. The LeT has been slaughtering Indians by the score for decades. The LeT has put the world on notice that they intend to escalate the carnage and spread it worldwide," he said.
Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/let-has-20-terror-targets-in-india-us-lawmaker/590927/
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Filipino couple caught in khalwa embrace Islam
By MD HUMAIDAN
Mar 15, 2010
JEDDAH: A Filipino couple caught in khalwa (illegal seclusion) in the Barzan area, near the northern city of Hail, have embraced Islam and are to marry soon, said the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.
“The Filipino man and woman were caught in seclusion by members of the commission in Barzan. They were told that this was prohibited by Islamic law and were made to sign a pledge never to do this again,” said a spokesman for the commission.
He added that the man, who works for a private company, told commission members that he was in love with the woman, who works as an embroiderer, and that he wanted to marry her.
Full report at: http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article30096.ece
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Pak hits Taliban targets, 18 die
A. MOHAMMED
15 March 2010
PESHAWAR, March 14: Pakistani fighter jets on Sunday pounded several Taliban positions in the restive Aurakzai tribal region in northwest Pakistan killing 18 militants, as large Army contingents moved into the area, triggering speculation about a fresh offensive against the rebels.
Jet fighters pounded targets in several areas of lower and upper Aurakzai Agency, killing 18 rebels.
The house of the father-in-law of Taliban commander Aslam Farooqi in Mirowak area was among the targets struck by the jets, official sources said.
But it was not clear if he was among those killed.
Eight militant hideouts and a girls’ high school were destroyed in the bombardment.
The airstrikes were carried out as large contingents of the Pakistan Army moved into Aurakzai Agency. Troops set up check posts at Kulaba and surrounding areas and tightened security at entry points to the region, the sources said.
The deployment triggered speculation that the Army planned to launch a “decisive operation” against the Taliban in Aurakzai Agency in the next few days, sources said.
http://www.asianage.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5546:pak-hits-taliban-targets-18-die&catid=36:international&Itemid
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Facilitate marriage of Saudi women to non-Saudis
By AMAL ZAHID
Mar 15, 2010
Why did we make polygamy a solution to the problem of spinsterhood and not the facilitation of marriages of Saudi women to non-Saudi men whether they are Muslim Arabs or non-Arab Muslims? Why is it that some of our men flex their muscles and ask women to accept polygamy and not to object to being a second wife? Why do they enter into doubtful marriage unions of misyar and misfar while turning a blind eye to the marriages that are legitimate and not forbidden by religion?
Paradoxically, these people bend religion to suit their personal whims. Some men will pretend to follow the directives of religion when it comes to polygamy and underage marriage while completely ignoring the teachings of Islam when it comes to a Saudi woman marrying a Muslim foreigner! The irony is that these people are very well aware that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) asked Muslims not to refuse to marry their women to Muslim men with good manners.
The Prophet (pbuh) made piety and good manners the parameter of preferences among Muslims, but the rotten teachings of racism and the laws of tribalism do not bother with Islam or its teachings when it comes to women! The universe will crumble if a Saudi woman dares to think of marrying a man from another nationality, but a Saudi man can marry up to four women regardless of nationality. His parents will not care about the background of his wife and will not be concerned about her personal qualifications or her respect to the norms and traditions.
Full report at: http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article30078.ece
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Egypt cancels ceremony at Cairo synagogue, blaming Jews and Israel
15 March 2010
The Egyptian government cancelled the official inauguration ceremony for the restored Maimonides Synagogue in Cairo in response to what it called “provocative actions” by Jews in Cairo last week and restrictions placed on Muslim worshippers at the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem by Israeli authorities. The head of Egypt’s Antiquities Department, Zahi Hawass, and Culture Minister Faruq Hosni had been due to attend the event on Sunday, following the re-dedication ceremony attended a week ago by 150 people, including rabbis and the US and Israeli ambassadors, but not by Egyptian officials.
Citing press reports, Zahi Hawass said that the cancellation of the official opening event came after "provocative" acts during the ceremony held in Cairo's ancient Jewish quarter last week. He referred to "dancing and drinking alcohol in the synagogue, as reported by several newspapers," and said such acts "were seen to provoke the feelings of millions of Muslims in Egypt and across the world." Although the consumption of alcohol is banned in Islam, it is not unusual among Egyptian Muslims to drink it in bars and nightclubs across Cairo.
Full report at: http://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/main/showNews/id/9149
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Lawmaker backs polygamy, hubby gets offers from match-makers
Mar 15, 2010,
ISLAMABAD: The controversy over a woman legislator proposing that laws be amended to allow husbands to take on more wives without the consent of the first one refuses to fizzle out with Pakistanis offering to bride-hunt for her husband.
Samina Khawar Hayat, a PML-Q lawmaker, shook the Punjab Legislative Assembly last month when she proposed that the government should amend laws to let men marry for a second, third and fourth time without the consent of their first wife.
Hayat even declared that she had no problems with her husband Khawar Hayat marrying again without seeking her consent. She made the shocking statement while participating in a debate on a motion on recruitment of unmarried women in government departments.
Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Lawmaker-backs-polygamy-hubby-gets-offers-from-match-makers/articleshow/5683861.cms
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Jihad Jane's allies in the courts
BY Rachel Ehrenfeld
March 15th 2010,
The zeal with which Colleen LaRose, aka "Jihad Jane," (above) pursued a fatwa to kill the publishers of the "Mohammed cartoons" - 12 drawings of a turban-wearing bearded man with a bomb, released in 2005 in Denmark, Sweden and elsewhere - comes as no surprise. She went so far as to travel to Europe with the intention to kill Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks in a way that would frighten "the whole Kufar [nonbeliever] world."
This is a well-understood strategy of terrorists: Using violence or the threat of violence to intimidate those who dare resist their jihad, who dare defend secular, Western values.
But another less violent but highly potent weapon is also being employed. It involves "lawfare" - exploiting pro-plaintiff libel laws to silence authors and publishers who write about Islamic terrorism. It is common not only in Europe, but surprisingly right here in the United States.
Full report at: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2010/03/15/2010-03-15_jihad_janes_allies_in_the_courts.html
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Kandahar suicide bombings kill 35
NASRAT SHOIB
15 March 2010
KANDAHAR, March 14: A sophisticated Taliban assault on a key southern Afghan city killed 35 people, officials said on Sunday as the militants claimed it was in revenge for plans to wipe them out.
A series of massive explosions rocked Kandahar late on Saturday in what appears to be one of the biggest coordinated assaults by the militants since their insurgency began more than eight years ago.
The interior ministry’s spokesman said the dead included police officers and civilians, and that another 57 people were injured. “A total of 35 people were killed — 13 police officers and 22 civilians,” Zemarai Bashery told reporters, adding the injured included 40 civilians and 17 police officers. The city had been hit by five suicide bomb attacks and improvised bomb explosions at 8 pm on Saturday, he said. Kandahar’s provincial governor Turyalai Wisa earlier said 31 people were killed in seven blasts, which included two suicide car bomb attacks.
Mr Wisa said at least 10 of the dead were attending a wedding party, and the death toll could rise as rescue workers were still searching rubble for bodies.
A Taliban spokesman, named as Yousuf Ahmadi, said the militants had carried out the attack, which began at Kandahar’s main prison and targeted other government buildings around the city.
Full report at: http://www.asianage.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5548:kandahar-suicide-bombings-kill-35&catid=36:international&Itemid=61
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Tehran accuses US of launching 'cyber war' against Iran
Mar 15, 2010
Tehran has accused the United States of having launched a 'cyber war' against Iran, state television network IRIB reported Sunday.
IRIB showed a ten-minute special programme, apparently made by the country's intelligence service, showing what it said were US efforts to infiltrate parts of Iranian society through the web and to encourage Iranians to fight against the establishment.
According to the report, the main figures in the alleged US plot are two former student activists, Ahmad Batebi and Kayvan Rafei, whose operations in Iran are run under the umbrella of the so-called Association for Defending Human Rights.
The TV report showed a picture of Batebi shaking hand with former US President George W Bush - date and venue were not mentioned - and said that the Central Intelligence Agency had allocated at least 400 million dollars for the plot code-named 'Operation Destabilizing Iran.'
Full report at: http://sify.com/news/tehran-accuses-us-of-launching-cyber-war-against-iran-news-international-kdot4dbbief.html
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Al Qaeda under fantastic pressure: Holbrooke
March 15, 2010
Having lost about a dozen of its top 20 leaders, Al Qaeda is under fantastic pressure, the Special US Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke, has said.
"They are under fantastic pressure. You know, recently their external operations chief was eliminated. They have lost about 10 to 12 of their top 20 people in the last year or so," Holbrooke told Fareed Zakaria of the CNN in an interview.
"It looks like they are less an organisation that plans operations now than an organisation that summons people to aspirational jihad," he Holbrooke said, adding that Al Qaeda in a sense has blown it.
"Their excessive brutality, the backlash against things, like the bombing of the wedding in Jordan, the beheading of people, the videotape in Swat of the flogging of the young girl, has created a revulsion against them.
Full report at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/88307/World/Al+Qaeda+under+fantastic+pressure:+Holbrooke.html
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Jemima buys Oxfordshire estate for £15 million
March 15, 2010
London: Jemima Goldsmith, ex-wife of former Pakistan cricket captain Imran Khan has bought one of the finest estates in Oxfordshire set on 466 acres of land for £15m.
The Kiddington Hall, a “mini stately home” is a grade II-listed nine-bedroom house, with five reception rooms, an orangery and a tennis court.
A property source told The Sunday Times: “It was a romance. She just fell in love with it.”
The property is bordered by Blenheim Palace, ancestral home to the Dukes of Marlborough, and estates owned by the Saudi royal family and the Wills family, who made their fortune in tobacco.
Full report at: http://www.hindu.com/2010/03/15/stories/2010031554681300.htm
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'Punishment for claiming Ziaur Rahman declared independence'
Mar 15, 2010
A top Bangladeshi minister has warned that anyone who claims Ziaur Rahman, the former president who was an army major during the 1971 'Liberation War', was the first to declare independence for the country will be prosecuted for violating the constitution.
Leaders of the main Opposition BNP have long claimed that party founder Ziaur Rahman made the first public declaration of Bangladesh's independence in 1971 on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman after capturing a radio station.
The High Court on June 21 last year ruled that founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, not Ziaur Rahman, proclaimed independence from Pakistan in 1971. The Supreme Court later upheld the ruling.
Full report at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/88224/World/%27Punishment+for+claiming+Ziaur+Rahman+declared+independence%27.html
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India should only talk to Pak civilian govt: Karamat
ASHIS RAY,
T Mar 15, 2010,
LONDON: General Jehangir Karamat, the once powerful Pakistani chief of army staff, advised India to speak to the civilian government in Pakistan and not anybody else and praised PM Manmohan Singh as being very mature.
Speaking exclusively to TOI, he says that foreign secretary-level talks were a good idea. He added: "I hope this leads to a dialogue." Earlier, in a keynote address to the Royal United Services Institute, Karamat said, "One of the dangers that could destabilize the (South Asian) region is an Indo-Pak conflict triggered by non-state entities." This was an admission of the threat posed by loose cannons like LeT.
Karamat said, "I am against military intervention in government."
In his view the institution of the army has suffered as a result of getting involved in this manner. About civil-military ties, he says: "It's a changing environment in Pakistan where I think we are witnessing a situation where the military has opted out of politics and government; and politicians, too, are of the view that military should stay out."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-should-only-talk-to-Pak-civilian-govt-Karamat/articleshow/5683982.cms
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Mumbai ATS uncovers Pak-linked terror plot
TN Raghunatha
Mar 15, 2010
The State Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has uncovered a major Pakistan-linked terror conspiracy to blow up an Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC) installation and two malls in the metropolis, by arresting two suspects — who had already carried out reconnaissance of the target sites.
Though the two arrested terror suspects have been identified as Abdul Latif alias Guddu (29) and Riyaz Ali alias Rehan (23), the ATS has not established as yet as to which of the Pakistan-based terror outfit they were working for. The two were following instructions from their Karachi-based handler named by them as one “Uncle”, preliminary investigations have revealed.
Latif and Ali were arrested near the Matunga railway station in north-central Mumbai late on Saturday night. On Sunday, they were produced before a holiday Magistrate at Esplanade Metropolitan Court, which remanded them to police custody till March 18, 2010. Talking to media persons on Sunday afternoon, State Anti Terrorism Police chief KP Raghuvanshi said that the ATS sleuths zeroed in on the duo, after nearly three weeks of surveillance and close monitoring of their phone conversations with to a man identified as “Uncle” based in Karachi, Pakistan.
Full report at: http://www.dailypioneer.com/242209/Mumbai-ATS-uncovers-Pak-linked-terror-plot.html
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Bashir came to Ahmedabad to spot ‘terror talents': ATS chief
Mar 15, 2010
AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) chief Ajay Tomar said here on Sunday that Bashir, arrested from the national highway near Anand, came here from Srinagar on February 20, apparently to spot “terror talents” who would be willing to go for training in Pakistan and establish the terror network in Jammu and Kashmir and Gujarat.
Mr. Tomar said the 32-year-old Bashir was closely working with the Hizb's top militants based in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), including Bilal Shera, as well as with General Abdulla of the PoK-based Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen. Bashir maintained his links with Bilal and his other Pakistan “handlers” through mobile phones and e-mails even after he came here.
“Police have recovered three mobile phones, four SIM cards, e-mail addresses and objectionable documents from him,” Mr. Tomar said.
Bashir surveyed vital installations such as the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), important business spots on the Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Highway on the posh outskirts of Ahmedabad, and several other important and usually-crowded spots such as the Fun Republic, Kankaria Lake, Gujarat Science City, Lal Darwaja, and the Law Garden.
Major strike averted?
Full report at: http://www.hindu.com/2010/03/15/stories/2010031561811200.htm
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Afghan, Pak should develop common strategy for terror: Karzai
March 14, 2010
Afghanistan and Pakistan should develop a common strategy to combat terrorism and coordinate their efforts to take on militants, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Sunday.
Karzai made the remarks during a telephone call to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani tonight.
He called Gilani to express grief for the loss of lives in suicide attacks in Lahore and Mingora that killed over 70 people.
Afghanistan and Pakistan should "develop a common strategy against terrorism in the larger interest of the people of the two countries and peace of the region," Karzai said.
Both countries "need to coordinate their efforts to strengthen cooperation against terrorists and militants," he added.
Full report at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/88276/World/Afghan,+Pak+should+develop+common+strategy+for+terror:+Karzai.html
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Muslims put Cong on notice on reservations issue
Omer Farooq
Mar 15, 2010
A massive rally of Muslims, attended by about a lakh of people on Saturday evening in Hyderabad, sent a clear warning to the Central and the State Government that unless the minority gets the reservation, it will not vote for Congress in the next elections. Apart from demanding the restoration of 4 per cent reservations in Andhra Pradesh, the rally also demanded the implementation of Rangnath Mishra commission report to provide 10 per cent reservations to Muslims across the country and sub quota for Muslim women in 33 per cent political reservations to women.
The demand for reservation came in the backdrop of the recent verdict of the Andhra Pradesh High Court quashing the Muslim reservation law holding it unconstitutional and unsustainable.
The rally, organised by Muslims Muttahid Majlis-e-Amal or Muslim United Forum of all organisations and parties, came as a culmination to the week-long campaign across the State to mobilise the community on the issue of reservations.
Apart from the Hyderabad member of Lok Sabha and Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslim Asaduddin Owaisi, three controversial Rajya Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar Aijaz Ali, Sabir Ali and Kamal Akhtar were the main attraction of the rally. The three RS members were in the news recently for their strong opposition to the women’s reservation bill in the Upper House.
Full report at: http://www.dailypioneer.com/242201/Muslims-put-Cong-on-notice-on-reservations-issue.html
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BSP faces heat as smoke lifts from Bareilly’s communal fires
Sanjay Singh
14, 2010
Bareily : As Bareilly continues to be on the boil 12 days after a dispute over the route of a procession taken out by Barelvi Muslims, the one question the city is asking — on either side of the communally polarised lines — is why the government arrested Maulana Tauqueer Raza Khan. And if they did, why was he let off three days later with a clean chit.
The answer may lie in the politics of the city, where the BJP is losing ground and the BSP is striving to stave off an advancing Congress.
On Saturday, authorities rushed in additional forces as well as a helicopter for aerial monitoring after nearly 20 shops were torched by mobs in Qutubkhana Sabzi Mandi, one of the city’s oldest markets, despite a curfew being clamped in most of the city. All educational institutes were shut down. Saturday’s violence left nearly 20 people, including a Superintendent of Police and several other policemen, injured.
Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/590550/
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Obama aide condemns 'destructive' Israeli homes plan
Mar 15, 2010
Israel's announcement of plans to build 1,600 homes for Jews in East Jerusalem was "destructive" to peace efforts, a top aide to Barack Obama says.
David Axelrod said the move, which overshadowed a visit to Israel by US Vice-President Joe Biden, was also an "insult" to the United States.
Israel's prime minister has tried to play down the unusually bitter diplomatic row between the two allies.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week issued her own stern rebuke.
Mrs Clinton told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by telephone on Friday that the Israeli move was "deeply negative" for US-Israeli relations.
'Affront'
Under the Israeli plans, the new homes will be built in Ramat Shlomo in East Jerusalem.
The international community considers East Jerusalem occupied territory and says Israel's building there is illegal under international law. But Israel regards East Jerusalem - which it annexed in 1967 - as its territory.
Full report at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8566992.stm
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7 Indians languishing in Dubai jail
Mar 15, 2010
Dubai: Seven Indians are among 24 death row convicts currently languishing in jail here, with execution yet to be carried out, a media report said.
Of the seven, Paul George Nadar, now 64, who is in Central Jail since 1985, has become the longest-serving convict on death row in the Emirate. Like him, another Indian, Anil Motyati Adho, 38, has been in Dubai's prison since 1999, the Gulf News publication, Xpress reported.
In fact, Nadar's case dates back to October 10, 1985, when he got into a fight with some people of Pakistani origin. The Indian carpenter, working for a firm, set fire to their shanty walls. Two women and seven children were killed in the incident. The following morning Nadar was arrested. The ‘arson killer,' as he came to be known, was charged, and subsequently given capital punishment. But, his death sentence is yet to be carried out.
“Definitely I regret what happened. My father will be completing 25 years in prison this October and I hope he will be pardoned and released,” Nadar's son Subharajan, an engineer with a private Dubai firm, said.
Five of these cases, including the recent one of a child rape-murder, are still under appeal.
http://www.hindu.com/2010/03/15/stories/2010031554861400.htm
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Indo-Pak rivalry can be very costly for us: Tanin
March 15, 2010
Observing that proxy war inside Afghanistan is neither good for his country nor the region, the Afghan Ambassador to the United Nations, Zahir Tanin, has said rivalry between India and Pakistan can cost very dearly to his country.
Full report at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/88289/World/Indo-Pak+rivalry+can+be+very+costly+for+us:+Tanin.html
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Mujahedeen forces join drug combating operations
By MAJED AQEELI
Mar 15, 2010
JAZAN: Forces from the Saudi Mujahedeen Department seized unspecified quantities of hashish from various parts of Jazan recently, said Khaled Abdullah Qaziz, a spokesman of the forces.
He said the authorities chased a suspected vehicle and asked its driver to pull up. “The driver did not stop. Our forces then followed the vehicle and arrested the driver. He was carrying 73.3 kilograms of hashish,” he said.
Qaziz said his forces also foiled another drug-smuggling attempt in Bani Malik. “After a thorough inspection of the vehicle, our officers found it was carrying nine k0ilograms of hashish,” he said.
In Fifa, west of Aiban, Mujahedeen forces stopped another suspected vehicle and seized 4.73 kg of hashish from the driver.
“We have arrested all the three drivers and handed them over to security police for investigation,” he said.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article30089.ece
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Darfur rebel row jeopardises Sudan peace deal
Mar 15, 2010
Jem leaders have been angered by other rebels holding separate talks
A row between Darfur rebel groups has thrown into doubt a peace deal between the rebels and Sudan's government.
One rebel group signed a preliminary deal last month, and a final agreement was due to be completed on 15 March.
But the BBC's correspondent in Khartoum says talks have stalled as another rebel faction pursues separate talks.
The framework deal agreed last month was hailed as a major breakthrough, prompting President Omar al-Bashir to claim that the war in Darfur was over.
The Justice and Equality Movement (Jem), seen as the main rebel group, signed up to the deal on 23 February.
The BBC's James Copnall says the government and the rebels were then supposed to agree on a number of difficult issues before signing the final agreement three weeks later.
The issues included integrating Jem's fighters into the Sudanese army, returning millions displaced by the conflict to their homes, and the finer points of power-sharing.
Our correspondent says talks on these issues have not really started.
He says another band of rebels have grouped together under the name Liberation and Justice Movement and held separate negotiations with the government - much to the annoyance of Jem.
Full report at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8567603.stm
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Muslim group blasts anti-Obama protests
March 15, 2010
Indonesia's largest Islamic organisation has condemned protests by hardline groups against US President Barack Obama's planned visit to the mainly Muslim country.
Nahdlatul Ulama deputy chairman Maskuri Abdillah said the visit would strengthen frayed ties between the United States and the Muslim world.
"We call on all Muslims in Indonesia not to join any protest rejecting the visit of President Obama to Indonesia," he told AFP.
"This call has been made following our concerns about a number of protests by some Muslim groups who stand against the visit.
"We must welcome Obama as his visit will be positive in terms of the US relationship with the Muslim world."
Full report at: http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/muslim-group-blasts-antiobama-protests-20100315-q9l1.html
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India open to new round of talks with Pak
Mar 15, 2010
India signalled on Friday it was open to a new round of talks with Pakistan, raising fresh hopes of a thaw in relations after last month's official dialogue between the nuclear-armed rivals produced no breakthrough.
The two nations' top diplomats -- their foreign secretaries -- met in New Delhi for their first official talks since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, but just agreed to "keep in touch" without mentioning if there would be another round of talks.
What followed the meeting was a bout of acrimonious exchanges between the two sides over what the focus of the dialogue was -- India on terrorism, Pakistan on the disputed region of Kashmir -- worsening the atmosphere for any future talks.
"We tried to make a beginning with the foreign secretary talks, but nothing came out of it am afraid," India's Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram told a conference in New Delhi.
"But I am told we are still open to another round of talks between the foreign secretaries."
An easing of tension between the neighbours is important for stability in Afghanistan, where India and Pakistan have long battled for influence, complicating efforts by the United States to defeat Islamist militancy in the region.
Full report at: http://www.dailypioneer.com/242096/India-open-to-new-round-of-talks-with-Pak.html
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Deadly car bomb strikes Iraq city of Falluja
Mar 15, 2010
A suicide bomber has exploded a car in Iraq's western province of Anbar, killing at least seven people and wounding 13, officials have said.
The explosion took place in the city of Falluja, about 50km (32 miles) west of the capital Baghdad.
The explosion comes as counting continues in Iraq's general election.
Partial results are in from all 18 provinces, showing the coalition of Prime Minister Nouri Maliki leading in seven.
The grouping of his main rival Iyad Allawi is ahead in five, including the Sunni-dominated Anbar, which was the centre of the extremist insurgency in the wake of the US-led invasion in 2003.
The security situation has improved in Anbar in recent years, with many Sunni tribesman and former fighters turning against the insurgency.
Election complaints 'down'
Full report at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8567444.stm
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New fraud cases show holes in Iraq rebuilding effort
Mar 15, 2010
New York : Investigators looking into corruption involving reconstruction in Iraq say they have opened more than 50 new cases in six months by scrutinising large cash transactions — involving banks, land deals, loan payments, casinos and even plastic surgery— made by some of the Americans involved in the nearly $150 billion program.
Some of the cases involve people who are suspected of having mailed tens of thousands of dollars to themselves from Iraq, or of having stuffed the money into duffel bags and suitcases when leaving the country, the federal investigators said. In other cases, millions of dollars were moved through wire transfers. Suspects then used cash to buy BMWs, Humvees and expensive jewellery, or to pay off enormous casino debts.
Some suspects also tried to conceal foreign bank accounts in Ghana, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Britain, the investigators said, while in other cases, cash was simply found stacked in home safes.
Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/new-fraud-cases-show-holes-in-iraq-rebuilding-effort/590748/
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5 CRPF jawan killed in grenade attack
Mar 15, 2010
Srinagar: A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan was killed and five others were injured when militants attacked a CRPF team on patrol near a police station in downtown Srinagar on Sunday.
Unidentified militants hurled a grenade at a group of CRPF personnel at Pather Masjid near Maharaj Gunj Police Station around 3.15 pm, injuring six jawans, official sources said. One of them identified as Constable Mohan Lal, who suffered multiple splinter injuries, later died in a hospital, they said.
The injured were identified as Sub-Inspector P J Raman and constables Mohammad Hashim Ali, Mani Kundan, Gopak Naikar and P Subash, the sources said.
Full report at: http://www.hindu.com/2010/03/15/stories/2010031554961400.htm
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