28 Sep 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com
Hindus help rebuild mosque in Karnataka village
Video shows Taliban stoning a woman
ISI CHIEF ADMITS ROLE IN 26/ 11
US ready to bomb 150 Pak terror camps?
Obama's worry is how to get control of ‘living lie’ Pakistan: Woodward
Israel has killed 6,371 Palestinian in a decade
Fears grow over spread of radical movement in Bosnia
Ayodhya verdict on Sept 30 as SC rejects deferment plea
Peace March In Jaipur Before Verdict
Tug of war before SC Babri hearing
Civil rights activists give voice to Muslim community
Kashmiri Pandits flay Centre
US doesn't want to arm Pak against India, Zardari was told
Will defend democracy: Kayani
Islamic Body For Action Against Israel
Italy: Berlusconi ally introduces anti-burqa bill in senate
US probing Karzai brother: Report
Taliban warns Bangladesh against Afghanistan deployment
NATO launches airstrikes into Pakistan, 50 dead
Nuclear-armed Pakistan takes over as chair of IAEA board
Buses attacked, students skip Valley schools
Police party comes under acid attack from women
‘Muslims won't object to building mandir, masjid together'
PC slams Geelani’s strike call
Eight-point package not Kashmir-centric: Omar Abdullah
First Islamic fashion store in Kolkata a big hit
Caught in war of nerves,J&K a long way from normalcy
LHC restores security protocol for Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan
Suicide attack targets Afghan deputy governor
Figc donates 100,000 euros to Pakistan relief
Another NATO airstrike in Pakistan, five killed
US missiles kill 4 near Mir Ali
‘NATO attack violation of Pak sovereignty’
India-Pakistan disputes threaten peace in South Asia: SAHR
Taliban offer to exchange British hostage for Aafia
Israel criticized by Islamic states in UN rights body
Kingdom slams UN double standard
Millennium Goals met ahead of 2015 deadline: Cabinet
Petraeus: Taleban have reached out to reconcile
Iran bans two leading reformist parties
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Bangalore, dissolved religious lines to come together and rebuild a mosque that was crumbling
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Hindus help rebuild mosque in Karnataka village
Vincent D'Souza
Sep 28, 2010
HUBLI: As the nation anxiously awaits one mosque verdict, villagers in Karnataka's Gadag district have made their judgment clear as far as their local mosque is concerned. The spirited folk of Purtageri, a village around 500km from Bangalore, dissolved religious lines to come together and rebuild a mosque that was crumbling.
The 50-year-old mosque in this predominantly Hindu village was in urgent need of repair: with heavy rains lashing the region, the bamboo roof leaked. Around 20 Muslims of the village - which has 150 Hindu families - were struggling to pray there. That's when the Hindus laid some solid bricks of communal harmony.
Village elders and the gram panchayat inspected the mosque and realized that rebuilding the roof with reinforced concrete was the only permanent solution. As they began rebuilding the mosque, help both in cash and kind began pouring in.
While cement and slab dealers gave construction material, workers offered to put in free labour. "The villagers volunteered to donate cash ranging between Rs 100 and Rs 1,500," said Shivabasappa Hadagali, a village elder.
Construction work began about a month ago and so far, the renovation has cost Rs 1 lakh. Another Rs 50,000 may be needed. "We're planning to get the mosque ready by mid-December," said panchayat member Lakshmana Gooli.
"Had our Hindu brothers not helped, the mosque would not have got refurbished," said Allasaab Nadaf, a daily wager at a sawmill. "None of the Muslims are involved in the renovation as they are all poor and can't afford to miss even a day's wage."
Hanumant Mushigeri, a first-year BA student in Bhoomaraddi Arts and Commerce College here, said he was proud to come from a village which upholds secularism as much in deed as in words.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Hindus-help-rebuild-mosque-in-Karnataka-village/articleshow/6639377.cms#ixzz10nm3LbLo
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Video shows Taliban stoning a woman
Sep 28, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Turbaned men in Pakistan gather around a woman with a black hood over her head, pick up large rocks and repeatedly throw them at her until she lies motionless, stretched along the ground.
The stoning in the northwest of the country was apparently carried out by Pakistani Taliban militants, incensed because she was seen out with a man.
It was shown in a video obtained by a Dubai television station. The footage is a stark reminder that despite a series of military offensives the military said had weakened insurgents, militants still control areas of northwest Pakistan and impose their harsh version of Islam at will.
Al Aan television, which focuses on women's issues in the Arab world, said it obtained the tape from its "sources" and that it took place in Orakzai agency in the northwest.
It said it had other footage of a man who was executed by shooting, possibly the one the woman was seen with. Such videos aren't unique. Last year footage showed militants in the Swat Valley publicly flogging a teenage girl accused of having an affair. reuters
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Video-shows-Taliban-stoning-a-woman/articleshow/6639525.cms#ixzz10nl1yLZR
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ISI CHIEF ADMITS ROLE IN 26/ 11
Sep 28, 2010
Investigative journalist Bob Woodward’s book exposes ISI’s direct hand in Mumbai attack but Pasha told CIA only ‘rogue’ agents were involved
PAKISTAN Inter- Services Intelligence ( ISI) chief Lt Gen. Ahmad Shuja Pasha had admitted to the Central Intelligence Agency ( CIA) that his spy agency was involved in the Mumbai terror strikes of November 26, 2008, a new book claims.
Washington- based investigative journalist Bob Woodward’s book Obama Wars , which was released in the US on Monday, claims that the CIA had reliable intelligence that the ISI had a direct role in the 26/ 11 terror attack in which 166 people were killed.
According to the book, the ISI chief reportedly told the CIA less than a month after the attack that the terror strike was not an authorised operation but was carried out by “ rogue elements within the ISI”. According to Woodward’s book, the then US President George W. Bush was so shocked at the terror strike in Mumbai that he compared it to the September 11, 2001 attack by al- Qaeda on New York’s World Trade Center’s twin towers and the Pentagon building in Washington.
“ President Bush called his national security team into the Oval Office as Mumbai sorted through the blood and rubble,” Woodward writes in his book.
“ You guys get planning and do what you have to do to prevent a war between Pakistan and India, Bush told his aides. The last thing we need right now is a war between two nuclear- power states.” Woodward writes that an upset Bush asked his aides about contingency plans for dealing with Pakistan, given his policy of zero tolerance for terrorists and their enablers. “ This is like 9/ 11, he ( Bush) said,” Woodward says in the book.
According to Woodward, within 48 hours of the Mumbai attack, the then CIA director Mike Hayden contacted Pakistani ambassador to the US, Hussain Haqqani. CIA intelligence showed no direct ISI links, Hayden later told President Bush. “ These are former people who are no longer employees of the Pakistani government,” Woodward quotes Hayden as telling Bush.
According to the book, “ Bush informed the Indians himself. He called Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, with whom he had a strong personal relationship. ‘ My intelligence shows that the new Pakistani government is not involved’, Bush told Dr Singh. It looked like a war had been averted for the moment.” Immediately afterwards, Hayden called the ISI chief and asked him to come clean on the agency’s alleged role. “ We’ve got to get to the bottom of this,” Hayden is reported to have told General Pasha.
“ This is a big deal.” Pasha flew to Washington on December 24, 2008 and briefed Hayden at the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.
Pasha admitted that the planners of the Mumbai attacks — at least two retired Pakistani Army officers — had ISI links, but this had not been an authorised ISI operation. “ It was rogue. There may have been people associated with my organisation who were associated with this,” Pasha said. “ That’s different from authority, direction and control,” Pasha is quoted as saying by Woodward.
According to the book, Pasha provided details that fit with the picture developed by US intelligence. Based on this, Hayden told Bush again that he was convinced it was not an official Pakistanisponsored attack, but it highlighted the problem of the sanctuaries in Pakistan.
“ The ease of the planning and execution, the low cost, and the alarming sophistication of the communications system that LeT had used were all troubling,” he told Bush.
Just as Indian investigators had found out, the author writes that the Mumbai terrorists spoke with handlers back in Pakistan with satellite phones that went through a Voice over Internet Protocol ( VoIP) phone service in New Jersey in the US, making the calls difficult to trace, if not impossible. The calls were routed in a way that also concealed the locations of those talking, the book says.
“ The Federal Bureau of Investigation was horrified by the low- cost, high- tech operation that had paralysed Mumbai.
American cities were just as vulnerable.
A senior FBI official responsible for thwarting similar attacks in the United States said, Mumbai changed everything,” the book says. Woodward also writes that the open secret is that LeT was created and continues to be funded by the Pakistani ISI. “ The intelligence branch of the Pakistani military uses LeT to inflict pain and hardship on India, according to US intelligence.
These gunmen had, quite possibly, committed an act of war,” Woodward says.
But Pakistan was in denial mode on Monday. Senior military and government officials said in Islamabad that Woodward’s reports were “ a pack of lies”. They denied any ISI role — direct or indirect — in the Mumbai attack.
A senior official said there were serious gaps in the Woodward report. “ It does not say when General Pasha made the admission and to which CIA officials.
Secondly, is this a direct quote from General Pasha or is the author quoting from some CIA report?” A senior ministry of information official said the report carried no weight. “ It is self- contradictory and has no direct quotes from either General Pasha saying that the ex- ISI people were involved in Mumbai or the CIA saying that there were clear links that the ISI was directly involved,” he said. “ The only direct quote on ISI’s involvement is from Mike Hayden ( the then director of CIA), in which he anyway denies any direct ISI involvement.” The official added: “ When Hayden said that ‘ these [ the Mumbai attackers and planners] are former people who are no longer employees of the Pakistani government’, it was only his opinion and he did not say that this opinion was based on the admission of any Pakistani military official.”
Mail Today
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US ready to bomb 150 Pak terror camps?
Chidanand Rajghatta
Sep 28, 2010
WASHINGTON: The United States has a secret "retribution" plan to bomb more than 150 terror camps in Pakistan in the event of another major terrorist attack originating from that country.
This startling disclosure about Washington's "all bets off" policy towards an ostensibly dubious ally in the war on terror is contained in Bob Woodward's opus " Obama's War," which details an evolving US approach in the region.
The plan pre-dates the Obama presidency, going back to the Bush White House, but elements of policy, aimed at wiping out terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan, is evident in the current administration's ruthless bombing by unmanned drones of terrorist targets inside Pakistan, which far surpasses the Bush approach in terms of frequency and intensity.
The US threat also places in context secretary of state Hillary Clinton's dire warning to Islamabad earlier this year that there would be severe consequences for Pakistan if another 9/11-type attack were traced back to that country.
According to Woodward, then President Bush did not see much difference between 9/11 and 26/11; a foundation of his presidency was zero tolerance for terrorists and their enablers and he was extremely proud of the hard-line doctrine.
Although plans for punitive strikes against Pakistan was initially linked to another 9/11 type attack on US, it evidently evolved after the 26/11 Mumbai carnage, when Bush asked his aides for contingency plans for dealing with Pakistan.
He called his national security team into the Oval Office and told his advisers, "You guys get planning and do what you have to do to prevent a war between Pakistan and India." The order suggests that the US would undertake the bombing to prevent India from retaliating against Pakistan leading possibly to an all-out war.
"This is like 9/11, he (Bush) said," Woodward writes. "The United States military did not have "war" plans for an invasion of Pakistan. Instead, it had and continues to have one of the most sensitive and secret of all military contingencies, what military officials call a "retribution" plan in the event of another 9/11-like attack."
In fact, such is the anger within the US administration about Pakistan's double-faced approach that the plan calls for a no-holds-barred approach. "Some locations might be outdated, but there would be no concern, under the plan, for who might be living there now. The retribution plan called for a brutal punishing attack on at least 150 or more associated camps," Woodward writes.
So how did Pakistan escape the wrath of US' "zero tolerance" policy? According to Woodward, CIA intelligence with 48 hours of the attack showed no direct ISI link. Bush himself called Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to tell him that the new Pakistani government was not involved in the attack.
But the CIA later received reliable intelligence that the ISI was directly involved in the training for Mumbai, Woodward writes in a footnote. ISI chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha flew to Washington later to admit that at least two retired Pakistani army officers who planned the Mumbai attack had ISI links "but this had not been an authorized ISI operation. It was rogue."
"There may have been people associated with my organization who were associated with this," Pasha argued. "That's different from authority, direction and control." This argument, long attributed to Islamabad's practice of "plausible deniability" which practicing a policy of state terrorism, saved Pakistan's bacon.
Woodward's 417-page book provides a fly-on-the-wall view of the Obama Presidency's evolving AfPak policy that is more Pak than Af. In an ABC interview, Woodward described how Obama was told of deep problems in the US relationship with Pakistan at his very first intelligence briefing, likening it to a "cold shower" for the President coming just two days after his 2008 presidential victory.
"Imagine the high of being elected on that Tuesday and they come in two days later and say, by the way, here are the secrets, and one of the secrets is Pakistan," Woodward writes. "We're attacking with a top-secret, covert operation, the safe havens in Pakistan, but Pakistan is living a lie. And this is a theme throughout the whole Obama presidency: 'How do you get control of Pakistan?' "
Soon after, in an Oval Office meeting with Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari, Obama bluntly tells him his country has to get over its obsession with India. "We do not begrudge you being concerned about India," Obama tells Zardari, but "we do not want to be part of arming you (Pakistan) against India, so let me be very clear about that."
Zardari's response: "We are trying to change our world view but it's not going to happen overnight."
From all accounts, Zardari's attempt to change Pakistan's chronic pathology towards India has been thwarted by the country's military, described as a rapacious, over-fed force which fattens itself on an anti-India posture at the expense of the people who pay for it. From exchanges detailed in Woodward's book, Washington is all too aware of it, but has failed to effect a change in Pakistan's behaviour despite billions of dollars in aid and a vague threat of retribution.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-ready-to-bomb-150-Pak-terror-camps-/articleshow/6635883.cms#ixzz10nkrjTXE
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Obama's worry is how to get control of ‘living lie’ Pakistan: Woodward
September 28, 2010
A recurring theme of the Obama presidency has been "how do you get control of Pakistan", says Bob Woodward, author of the just-released book, "Obama's Wars".
It was like "a cold shower" for President Obama when he was told of the deep problems in the US's relationship with Pakistan at his very first intelligence briefing after his electoral triumph, the top investigative journalist told ABC News on Monday.
"Imagine the high of being elected on that Tuesday and they come in two days later and say, by the way, here are the secrets, and one of the secrets is Pakistan," said Woodward, who held extensive interviews with Obama and his top aides as part of his book project.
"We're attacking with a top-secret, covert operation, the safe havens in Pakistan, but Pakistan is living a lie. And this is a theme throughout the whole Obama presidency: 'How do you get control of Pakistan?'," Woodward said.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/286125/Obamas-worry-is-how-to-get-control-of-%E2%80%98living-lie%E2%80%99-Pakistan-Woodward.html
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Israel has killed 6,371 Palestinian in a decade
Sep 28, 2010
RAMALLAH: According to an Israeli human rights organization, Israeli forces have killed 6,371 Palestinian civilians and militants since the start of the second intifada on Sept. 29, 2000.
B'Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, said in a report on the casualties of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict released on Monday that 1,317 of the 6,371 Palestinians were minors.
The organization added that among those killed 2,996 Palestinians did not take part in fighting with Israeli forces, while 2,193 did.
B'Tselem said it was unaware whether 694 of the Palestinians did or did not take part in fighting.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article148409.ece
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Fears grow over spread of radical movement in Bosnia
28 Sep, 2010
SARAJEVO: A recent deadly attack against a police station has raised fears in already ethnically-divided Bosnia about the spread of the radical Islamic Wahhabi movement there.
The movement, a deeply austere form of Islam that insists on a literal interpretation of the Koran, has been around since it was imported by foreign fighters who took up arms with the Bosnians in the bloody 1992-95 wars.
“According to the figures of our intelligence agency we have some 3,000 Wahhabi followers in Bosnia, but that does not mean they are all terrorists,” Bosnian Security Minister Sadik Ahmetovic said.
“However we cannot exclude that there are individuals among them ... who could at a certain point commit terrorist acts,” he added, insisting that Bosnia's police have the capacity to deal with the menace.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/35-fears-grow-over-spread-of-radical-movement-in-bosnia-ak-03
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Ayodhya verdict on Sept 30 as SC rejects deferment plea
Sep 28, 2010
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has lifted the stay on Allahabad High Court's verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi- Babri Masjid title suit case. However, the apex court has not fixed any date for HC to give verdict.
AG G E Vahanvati, appearing before a three-judge special bench headed by Chief Justice S H Kapadia, said the most preferred solution to the problem would be settlement but it has not taken place and the uncertainty which is prevailing should not be allowed to continue.
"Settlement, if any possible, we welcome it but we do not want any uncertainty," he told the bench which reserved judgement for 2pm after two hours of arguments from various parties.
The hearing started with senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi putting forth arguments on behalf of a retired bureaucrat Ramesh Chand Tripathi on why the delivery of the verdict should be postponed and efforts be made to reach an amicable settlement outside the court.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/SC-rejects-plea-to-defer-verdict-on-Ayodhya-title-suit-case/articleshow/6641574.cms
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Peace March In Jaipur Before Verdict
Sep 28th, 2010
People from different walks of faith joined hands and took out a peace march in the markets of Jaipur’s walled city on Monday and pledged for harmony in view of the Ayodhya verdict. Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Sikh religious heads participated in the march and appealed to people to maintain peace and harmony.
“We pray for peace and hope the verdict will pacify all sections of the society. Let us pray,” said a member of the gurdwara committee, Mr Narendar Singh. The march was organised on the behest of the local administration in Jaipur. “I served in Jaipur as superintendent of police years back. But this time I witness an atmosphere of communal harmony,” said inspector-general of police, Jaipur, Mr B.L. Soni. Jamaat-e-Islami chief Salim Engineer said he could feel a change in people’s mindsets. “The atmosphere is totally different from what was in 1992. Now people are able to understand the real faces behind inciting communal passions,” Mr Engineer said.
Full report at:
http://www.asianage.com/india/peace-march-jaipur-verdict-970
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Tug ofwar before SC Babri hearing
Sep 28, 2010
THE CALL for revoking the stay on the pronouncement of the judgment in the Ram Janmabhoomi- Babri Masjid title suit has started gaining ground ahead of the crucial hearing before the Supreme Court ( SC) on Tuesday.
On the other hand, those who want another chance for an out- of- court settlement also got a boost.
On Tuesday, the Sunni Central Board of Waqfs UP and some individuals from the minority community filed affidavits before the SC asking it to ensure the verdict comes this month.
The All India Hindu Mahasabha and several Hindu individuals also joined them in opposing any more attempts at reconciliation.
Mahasabha counsel Ranjana Agnihotri said: “ We want to hear the Allahabad High Court’s verdict soon. We all have the option to move the SC only after the HC pronounces its verdict.” On the same day, the Nirmohi Akhara — a party in the title suit — decided to move the apex court seeking postponement of the judgment for three months.
Full report at: Mail Today
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Civil rights activists give voice to Muslim community
By Katie Donahue
Sep 28, 2010
Current political issues, religious freedom and racism were among the issues discussed in a lecture by Asian Americans for Community and Talent (AACT).
Kathy Masaoka from Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress (NCRR) and Affad Shaikh, civil rights manager for the Los Angeles chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) compared the current political attitudes toward Muslims in the U.S. with the treatment of Japanese people during World War II.
“One of the themes we’re having today is solidarity,” said Brian DeGuzman, AACT president.
The meeting began with a ‘unity clap’ led by members of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA). Everyone in the group began to clap slowly, and then worked up to a faster pace.
Full report at:
http://sundial.csun.edu/2010/09/civil-rights-activists-give-voice-to-muslim-community/
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Kashmiri Pandits flay Centre
September 28, 2010
Kashmiri Pandits, based in the United States, have come out sharply against the Manmohan Singh Government’s new eight-point plan to address the unrest in the Valley as it “ignores Kashmiri Pandits, who are also its constituents”.
In a memorandum submitted to visiting Defence Minister AK Antony, the Indo-American Kashmir Forum said “the Central Government is making a big mistake by not creating political, economical and physical security space for Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley”.
“India will pay a heavy price if it continues to ignore the strategic asset that Kashmiri Pandits provide in strengthening India’s national identity and national security in Jammu and Kashmir,” said Vijay K Sazawal, the forum’s international coordinator, requesting reconsideration of the Government’s approach.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/286119/Kashmiri-Pandits-flay-Centre.html
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US doesn't want to arm Pak against India, Zardari was told
Chidanand Rajghatta
Sep 28, 2010
WASHINGTON: Although US plans of punitive strikes against Pakistan terror camps are linked to another 9/11 type attack on US, it evidently evolved after the 26/11 Mumbai carnage, when then President Bush called his national security team into the Oval Office and told his advisers, "You guys get planning and do what you have to do to prevent a war between Pakistan and India."
It suggests that the US will undertake the bombing to prevent India from retaliating against Pakistan leading possibly to an all-out war.
In fact, such is the anger within the US administration about Pakistan's double-faced approach that the plan calls for a no-holds-barred offensive. "Some locations might be outdated, but there would be no concern, under the plan, for who might be living there now. The retribution plan called for a brutal punishing attack on at least 150 or more associated camps," Woodward writes.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/US-doesnt-want-to-arm-Pak-against-India-Zardari-was-told/articleshow/6641035.cms#ixzz10nlVMKcL
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Will defend democracy: Kayani
Anita Joshua
Sep 28, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Amid speculation of a military-backed regime change, Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff Ashfaq Pervez Kayani on Monday joined hands with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani to “resolve to protect and defend” the democratic process.
That all issues will be resolved within the ambit of the Constitution was also decided, according to a statement put out by the government on the much-talked about meeting in the President's House this afternoon. The meeting — which went on for an hour-and-a-half — came on a day when a stand-off was anticipated between the government and the Supreme Court over the re-opening of cases against Mr. Zardari in Swiss courts. However, with the Supreme Court accepting the government's request for more time to implement its judgement on the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), the showdown was averted.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/09/28/stories/2010092855320900.htm
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Islamic Body For Action Against Israel
Sep 28th, 2010
Geneva: The Organisation of the Islamic Conference on Monday asked the United Nations Human Rights Council to back a report which found “clear evidence” for legal action against Israel over its attack on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.
Pakistan introduced a resolution on behalf of OIC to back prosecutions against Israel over its attack on the flotilla. The resolution, “endorses the conclusions contained in the report” and “calls upon all parties to ensure their immediate implementation.”
http://www.asianage.com/international/islamic-body-action-against-israel-937
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Italy: Berlusconi ally introduces anti-burqa bill in senate
Sep 28, 2010
ROME -- An Italian politician with close ties to prime minister Silvio Berlusconi on Monday introduced a bill into the Italian upper house of parliament prohibiting the wearing of face-covering burqas in public.
The bill, introduced by Senator Simona Vicari's bill comes on the heels of a similar proposal last week submitted by a member of the country's anti-immigrant North League party.
"Who decides to live in another country must accept the rules of that place," the Sicilian member of the ruling conservative People of Freedom Party (PdL) said.
Vicari was part of Berluconi's Forza Italia part before the 2009 founding of the PdL.
Her bill would bring up to date a 1975 anti-terrorism law banning the wearing in public of clothes and headgear that cover the face.
Full report at:
Copyright © 2010 Acquire Media. All rights reserved.
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US probing Karzai brother: Report
Sep 28, 2010
NEW YORK: US federal prosecutors have launched a criminal corruption probe into one of Afghan President Hamid Karzai's brothers, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.
Mahmood Karzai, a US citizen subject to US tax law, is at the center of an investigation led by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, the newspaper said, citing US officials.
The move could risk a further setback in already toxic ties with the mercurial leader, who has challenged US efforts to overcome graft in Afghanistan that they say is undermining public support for the Afghan president and thus helping fuel the Taliban insurgency.
Senior officials in President Barack Obama's administration are already said to have decided to pull back on Afghan anti-corruption efforts, to smooth relations with Karzai.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-probing-Karzai-brother-Report-/articleshow/6637460.cms#ixzz10nl7u3iq
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Taliban warns Bangladesh against Afghanistan deployment
Sep 28, 2010
WASHINGTON: The Afghan Taliban called on Monday on Bangladesh to reject a US request that it send troops to assist coalition forces fighting in Afghanistan, the monitoring service SITE said.
Dhaka's foreign ministry said Sunday it was weighing the request which was made by US envoy Richard Holbrooke during talks in New York with Bangladesh's foreign minister Dipu Moni.
SITE said the Afghan Taliban responded by posting messages in Arabic and Pashto on its website and jihadist forums calling on Dhaka to spurn the US request.
"(We) believe that the leader of Bangladesh has enough Islamic knowledge and political wit not to involve his people in the fight against Islam and against the Afghan people by sending a few hundred soldiers to Afghanistan," the message said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Taliban-warns-Bangladesh-against-Afghanistan-deployment-/articleshow/6639769.cms#ixzz10nlAXRSA
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NATO launches airstrikes into Pakistan, 50 dead
Sep 28, 2010
KABUL: NATO helicopters in eastern Afghanistan launched rare airstrikes into Pakistan, reportedly killing more than 50 militants after an outpost near the border came under attack from insurgents, officials said on Monday.
International forces also pressed forward with a key combat phase in their drive to rout Taliban fighters around the southern city of Kandahar, an operation that is key to U.S. military strategy to turn around the 9-year war and prevent the Taliban from undermining the Afghan government.
The airstrikes into Pakistan came after the insurgents attacked a small Afghan security outpost near the border, and NATO justified the strikes based on "the right of self-defense," a spokesman said. Pakistan is sensitive about attacks on its territory, but U.S. officials have said they have an agreement that allows aircraft to cross a few miles (kilometers) into Pakistani airspace if they are in hot pursuit of a target.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/NATO-launches-airstrikes-into-Pakistan-50-dead/articleshow/6636944.cms#ixzz10nlDeGLS
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Nuclear-armed Pakistan takes over as chair of IAEA board
Sep 28, 2010
VIENNA: Pakistan, which refuses to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and was home to a notorious nuclear smuggling ring, was named head of the UN nuclear watchdog's governing board on Monday.
At a special one-day meeting, the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-member board of governors appointed "by acclamation" the head of Pakistan's Atomic Energy Commission, Ansar Parvez, as its chairman for the next 12 months, taking over from Malaysia.
The board of governors is the IAEA's most important policy-making body after the 151-nation general conference and meets five times a year.
Its rotating chair is appointed for a period of one year with the main task of presiding over debates and helping the board of governors reach consensus decisions.
Parvez said he saw no problem with the choice, even though Pakistan, like India and Israel, refuses to sign the NPT.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Nuclear-armed-Pakistan-takes-over-as-chair-of-IAEA-board/articleshow/6637556.cms#ixzz10nlGRWIN
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Buses attacked, students skip Valley schools
M Saleem Pandit
Sep 28, 2010
SRINAGAR: In an attempt to demoralise chief minister Omar Abdullah, hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani's supporters attacked buses carrying students across the Kashmir Valley as schools opened on Monday after 100 days of closure due to unrest.
Undeterred Omar, however, told TOI, "This is nobody's victory but of students. No right-thinking member of the society will appreciate closure of the schools." Omar claimed the response from parents was overwhelming.
Despite Omar sounding upbeat, the response was not encouraging. "We opened the school on the state government's instructions... but only 100 of the 3,000 students attended the school due to prevailing uncertainty in the Valley," said Jay Kumar, principal, Burn Hall school said. The attendance in another missionary school, Tyndale Biscoe School, was equally poor. Of the 3,500 students only 150 students turned up, a teacher said. Of the 300 candidates only 150 appeared for B.Ed exams at Bemina Degree College.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Buses-attacked-students-skip-Valley-schools/articleshow/6640493.cms#ixzz10nlY7h4t
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Police party comes under acid attack from women
Piyush Srivastava
Sep 28, 2010
THREE women threw acid on a police inspector in UP’s Sahranpur district on Monday. Inspector Madan Pal Ashok had gone to Noor Basti under Kotwali police station to resolve a land- related dispute when he came under attack. His condition was serious, deputy inspector general ( DIG) Anand Swaroop said.
The DIG reached the spot after the incident and arrested the women and three men. “ The attackers have been arrested and booked under the National Security Act ( NSA). Ashok was admitted to a local hospital but the doctors referred him to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi,” he said.
Ashok had gone to resolve a land dispute between Mohammad Aslam and Mohammad Shamin. While the land is in Aslam’s name, Shamim had paid its revenue in the past.
Full report at: Mail Today
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‘Muslims won't object to building mandir, masjid together'
September 28, 2010
In a significant remark, a top leader of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has said if the court verdict in Babri Masjid title case paved the way for the construction of a mosque and a temple side by side in Ayodhya, Muslims will not have any objection to it.
Maulana Abdul Raheem Qureshi, secretary and spokesperson of Muslim Personal Law Board said here on Monday that there was nothing wrong in the idea because several places in India, including Hyderabad, had mosques and temples side by side.
Talking to The Pioneer, Maulana Qureshi said on the basis of the evidence on the record — documentary as well as oral — the Allahabad High Court can deliver a verdict that title on the built up area of the Babri Masjid, including the area of three domes and the inner courtyard, belong to Muslims and the title over the outer courtyard where Ram Chabutra existed belong to Hindus. He said the Hindu community had used Ram Chabutra for 150 years for worship and if it is given to them, Muslims will not have any objection.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/286090/%E2%80%98Muslims-wont-object-to-building-mandir-masjid-together.html
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PC slams Geelani’s strike call
September 28, 2010
Home Minister P Chidambaram on Monday criticised Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani for asking parents not to send their children to schools. Expressing his happiness for "disregarding" the call of Geelani, the Home Minister appealed to all sections of people to cooperate with the State Government to ensure normal functioning of educational institutions.
In a statement, without naming Geelani, Chidambram said “there was a call by one of the Hurriyat leaders” to parents asking them not to send their children to school/college. "Happily, parents have disregarded that call and sent their children to schools/colleges," he said.
Chidamabram also criticized the untoward incidents of stone pelting at school buses in some parts of the valley. "How can any right thinking person pelt stones on school buses? I hope such mischief will stop immediately.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/286148/PC-slams-Geelani%E2%80%99s-strike-call.html
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Eight-point package not Kashmir-centric: Omar Abdullah
Sep 28, 2010
JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said the eight-point package announced by the Centre is not Kashmir-centric and is intended to address grievances of people in Jammu and Ladakh regions also.
The chief minister also maintained that despite turmoil in the Kashmir Valley for the past over three months, the government paid due attention to development works.
"The package is not Kashmir-centric and is for all three regions. Some organisations have been saying Kashmir is on fire and there is no need to focus on Jammu and Ladakh. But Committees announced under the package will look into grievances of Jammu and Ladakh also," Omar said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Eight-point-package-not-Kashmir-centric-Omar-Abdullah/articleshow/6638246.cms#ixzz10nmIIocY
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First Islamic fashion store in Kolkata a big hit
Somdatta Basu
Sep 28, 2010
Kolkata: At the eastern end of Park Street,beyond the intersection with AJC Bose Road,is a seemingly innocuous store that is whipping up quite a storm in urban Muslim households.For,it is turning the idea of traditional Muslim-wear like burqa and coat on its head by transforming drab nondescript apparel into haute couture.
Welcome to Islamic Boutique,the first fashion store exclusively for women from conservative Muslim households where the veil still rules.The 150-sqft shop retails burqas,coats,hijabs,bonnets and gloves in attractive colours and designs,an inherent contradiction,given that these items are meant to ward off attention.The burqas,brightly coloured and black,are intricately embroidered with sequins and crystals in the neckline,sleeves and hemline.The smartly designed long-length corduroy coats,in pastel shades,sport show buttons.The brightly hued hijabs or scarves come in both the stitched format and otherwise.The slip-on hijabs are extremely popular while the unstitched scarves in varying shades and prints can be tied into place with stone studded brooches.While most of the stuff are either from Mumbai or Hyderabad,the high-end burqas,coats and scarves are imported from Dubai.
Full report at: Times of India
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Caught in war of nerves,J&K a long way from normalcy
Arati R Jerath
Sep 28, 2010
Srinagar: A war of nerves between the government,both at the state level and the centre,and separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani has dashed hopes of a return to normalcy in the immediate future in the troubled Kashmir Valley.Mondays face-off over reopening schools and colleges represents an escalation of the battle for control of Kashmir and residents are gearing themselves for more tension in the days to come.
It was almost inevitable that the effort to open schools and colleges so that young Kashmiris start to make up for the lost days would become the latest victim of the clash of wills.The signs were there on Friday when the Geelani camp sent out signals that the protest calendar beginning on Sunday,September 26 may call for schools and colleges to reopen.October is usually examination time in Kashmir and there were indications that the separatist leader was under pressure to keep this in mind in the next round of hartals and bandhs.
Full report at: Times of India
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LHC restores security protocol for Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan
Sep 28, 2010
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) ordered to reinstate the security protocol of nuclear scientist, Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan. The court has also allowed Dr. Qadeer for free movement.
LHC has asked the government to submit a reply against the contempt plea filed by Dr. Qadeer. He was of the view that the government is not following court orders and he was imprisoned under the pretense of security protocol.
The court, on Dr. Qadeer’s request, reinstated high security protocol and asked the government to submit a reply.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/19-lhc-restores-security-protocol-for-dr-abdul-qadeer-khan-hh-01
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Suicide attack targets Afghan deputy governor
Sep 28, 2010
GHAZNI: A suicide attacker hit the car of the deputy governor of Afghanistan's Ghazni province on Tuesday morning, causing some casualties, a senior police official from the province told Reuters.
The suicide bomber was travelling on a motorbike and blew himself up behind a car carrying the deputy governor, his son and two bodyguards, said Ahmad Rafiq, a border police official who works in the office of the Ghazni police chief.
No further details were immediately available.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/04-suicide-ghazni-deputy-governor-qs-01
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Figc donates 100,000 euros to Pakistan relief
Sep 28, 2010
ROME: The Italian Football Federation on Monday donated 100,000-euros to the flood relief effort in Pakistan.
Federation president Giancarlo Abete handed over a cheque to Italian Red Cross president Patrizia Ravaioli in the presence of Pakistan's Ambassador to Italy Tasnim Aslam.
“This is an opportunity for the whole football world to show our support for the Pakistani population,” said Abete.
Nearly 21 million people have been affected by the floods in the north of the country and officials say eight million people are reliant on handouts.
The donation will only make a small dent in the 120-million euros the UN High Commission for Refugees recently said it still needs to buy tents and other supplies.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/business/figc-donates-100000-euros-to-pakistan-relief-jd-02
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Another NATO airstrike in Pakistan, five killed
Sep 28, 2010
HANGU/BRUSSELS: At least five people were killed and nine others injured when NATO helicopters once again crossed Pakistani borders and pounded Kurram Agency, political administration and security sources said.
Security sources told Daily Times that two NATO helicopters violated the Pakistani border and shelled the Mata Sangar area of Kurram Agency at 5am. The political administration confirmed the killing of the five people from Maqbal tribe.
Locals said that NATO choppers entered up to three kilometres in Pakistani territory and attacked the area. The Maqbal tribe strongly protested the incident and demanded the federal government take the matter with NATO forces immediately.
An Afghan police commander reportedly confirmed that NATO helicopters had trespassed the border and attacked in the Kurram Agency area.
Meanwhile, in response to Pakistan’s protest over the airstrikes, a NATO official said NATO’s troops operating in Afghanistan have a right to self-defence. “ISAF forces must and will retain the authority, within their mandate, to defend themselves in carrying out their mission,” he said.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\09\28\story_28-9-2010_pg1_6
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US missiles kill 4 near Mir Ali
Sep 28, 2010
MIR ALI: A suspected US drone fired missiles at a house in North Waziristan on Monday, killing four people in the 20th such attack this month.
The house targeted was located in Khushali, a village near Mir Ali, said the intelligence officials, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The identities of the four people killed in the attack were not known, but the area is dominated by fighters led by the powerful militant commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur, said the officials.
However, according to the AFP, the four people killed were terrorists.
“We can now confirm that four militants were killed when a US drone fired two missiles on a militant compound,” a senior Pakistani security official told AFP. Another security official confirmed the attack and the death toll.
“We don’t yet know the identities of those killed,” the official said. agencies
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\09\28\story_28-9-2010_pg1_8
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‘NATO attack violation of Pak sovereignty’
Sep 28, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Calling it a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty, Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Monday assured the Senate that Afghan ambassador will be summoned to explain his position over violation of Pakistani territory by two NATO helicopters and an attack inside the country’s border.
Responding to points of order in the House, Malik said two NATO helicopters, which had entered into Pakistan and killed 30 insurgents, had violated our territory. “This is an attack on our sovereignty. We will react soon and serve notice on Afghan ambassador”, he told the House. Malik added that he will summon the Afghan ambassador to seek an explanation and lodge a protest.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\09\28\story_28-9-2010_pg7_16
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India-Pakistan disputes threaten peace in South Asia: SAHR
Sep 28, 2010
LAHORE: The group, South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR), said in a statement on Monday that peace in South Asia was threatened by longstanding disputes between India and Pakistan, escalating violence in Afghanistan and Kashmir and post-war displacement in Sri Lanka.
The group, which aims to promote peace, democracy and security in the region, held a three-day meeting in New Delhi where the participants reiterated an urgent need for political engagement through dialogues between governments and concerned citizens. Expressing sympathy with the people of Pakistan on the devastation caused by the recent floods, the meeting called upon the governments of South Asia to set up regional systems for disaster management, dispute resolution and post conflict reconciliation. SAHR groups Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\09\28\story_28-9-2010_pg7_24
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Taliban offer to exchange British hostage for Aafia
Sep 28, 2010
LAHORE: An Afghan Taliban commander demanded Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s release in exchange for a British woman welfare worker, presently in the captivity of the Afghan Taliban, a private TV channel reported on Monday. According to a report carried by a British daily, Taliban are holding a British welfare worker hostage and are demanding that Dr Aafia be released in exchange for setting free the former, the channel said. The British daily quoted Taliban commander as saying that the British aid worker had been abducted, following the announcement of Dr Aafia’s 86-year sentence. The woman had been picked up on way to Jalalabad, along with three Afghan workers. In the past, it has been the British government’s practice to not pay ransom for release of their nationals. However, US authorities and British government have been in touch on the matter, the channel reported. daily times monitor
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\09\28\story_28-9-2010_pg7_2
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Israel criticized by Islamic states in UN rights body
Sep 28, 2010
GENEVA: Islamic states and their allies sharply criticized Israel in the United Nations Human Rights Council on Monday, several countries accusing it of displaying cruelty and careless violence in the Middle East.
The Palestinian Authority, Israel's partner in the faltering US-brokered peace process, also accused it of painting the Jewish state "with the blood of victims.”
The verbal assault came as two critical reports on Israeli actions in the region ordered up by the 47-nation council were presented to delegations.
The body's members are elected by regional constituencies, which gives Islamic states and their allies a majority.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article148532.ece
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Kingdom slams UN double standard
Sep 28, 2010
NEW YORK: Saudi Arabia has urged the United Nations to implement the principles of its charter effectively without adopting double standard. It also criticized the use of veto power by some permanent members to block the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions.
Addressing the 65th session of the UN General Assembly, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal emphasized the need to implement the Arab Peace Initiative, which offers normal Arab-Israeli relations if the Jewish state withdraws from Arab territories occupied in 1967.
The Kingdom urged Israel to restore the rights of Palestinians and abide by the principles of international law and UN resolutions and end all settlement activities, saying they jeopardize the peace process and render negotiations meaningless.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article148551.ece
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Millennium Goals met ahead of 2015 deadline: Cabinet
Sep 28, 2010
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia has achieved most Millennium Development Goals adopted by the United Nations much before the 2015 deadline set by the international body, the Council of Ministers said in a statement after its weekly meeting chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.
The Cabinet meeting said the ongoing UN General Assembly meetings were a good opportunity to review national and international efforts to achieve Millennium Goals. “The Kingdom's strategy to achieve these goals emphasizes on sustained and comprehensive development,” it said.
The meeting decided to establish the Saudi Quality Association under the supervision of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. “The association will spread a culture of quality and its concepts and will implement quality standards in the public and private sectors.”
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article148542.ece
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Petraeus: Taleban have reached out to reconcile
Sep 28, 2010
BAGRAM, Afghanistan — Top Taleban leaders have made overtures to reconcile with the Afghan government, the top commander in Afghanistan said Monday.
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has long said that he will talk to insurgents if they renounce violence, sever ties to terrorists and embrace the Afghan constitution. Publicly, the Taleban have said they won’t negotiate until foreign troops leave Afghanistan, yet there are many indications that backdoor discussions have occurred.
‘There are very high-level Taleban leaders who have sought to reach out to the highest levels of the Afghan government and indeed have done that,’ Gen. David Petraeus told reporters after touring a US detention centre near Bagram Air Field — the main American base in the country.
Reconciling with Taleban leaders is being ‘pursued by the Afghan leadership at the very highest levels,’ Petraeus said.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/September/international_September1247.xml§ion=international
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Iran bans two leading reformist parties
Sep 28, 2010
TEHERAN - An Iranian court has banned two leading reformist parties which backed opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi in last year’s presidential poll, a judiciary spokesman said Monday.
Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejeie said that the Islamic Iran Participation Front and Islamic Revolution Mujahedeen Organisation had been ‘dissolved.’
‘Their case was sent to the court which dissolved both parties and they are not allowed to have any activities,’ said Ejeie, cited by the ILNA new agency.
He did not say whether the ruling could be appealed.
In April, a hardline political watchdog affiliated with the Interior Ministry accused the two parties of undermining national security and suspended their activities.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/September/middleeast_September543.xml§ion=middleeast
URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=3474
10:56 PM
Moderate Islamist here
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