| Islamic World News | |
| 24 Oct 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com |
Four killed in Karachi target killing incidents
Iran developed new suicide vest for al-Qaeda use in Iraq: Wikileaks
Britain's Home Secretary arrives in Pakistan
Abu Dhabi: Businesswoman, girl held for human trafficking
Iran pays Afghan president’s chief of staff: report
15,000 more Afghan logs to go public
Interlocutors begin ‘Mission Kashmir'
Why bias, asks Muslim Forum
Al Qaeda urges attacks in the West
No headway yet in Jama Masjid shooting case
Somali pirates hijack LPG tanker
US renews bonds with Pakistan army
Wanted Saudi terror suspect surrenders
Pakistan struggles to hold gains against Taleban
Pakistan’s largest city reels after 51 killed
US under pressure on WikiLeaks allegations
Pak-Afghan border sealed at Chaman
Mideast growth rising, but more jobs needed
US renews bonds with Pakistan army Pakistan
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Former Pakistan President Perwez Musharraf
Musharraf 'fit to be murdered', says 'fatwa'
October 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Adding to woes of Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, a group of religious scholars has issued a 'fatwa' declaring him "fit to be murdered" while a petition filed in the Supreme Court has sought registration of a high treason case against him.
The fatwa or edict was issued by a group of politicians and religious scholars during a meeting in Quetta on Saturday, declaring Musharraf, who is preparing to return to Pakistani political arena, 'wajibul qatal' (fit to be murdered)
It was issued over the assassination of Baloch nationalist leaders Nawab Akbar Bugti and Nawabzada Balach Marri and the 2007 military operation against a seminary linked to Islamabad's Lal Masjid.
The meeting was organised by the Jamhoori Watan Party and presided over by its chief Nawabzada Talal Akbar Bugti, the son of Nawab Akbar Bugti.
Talal Bugti recently caused a sensation by announcing a bounty of Rs 1 billion and 1,000 acres of land for anyone who beheads Musharraf.
Among those who addressed Saturday's meeting were former Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam parliamentarian Maulana Noor Muhammad, Ata-ur-Rehman and Maulana Abdul Qadir Looni.
They called on the Supreme Court to issue a directive for bringing Musharraf back to Pakistan through Interpol and try him for the murder of Akbar Bugti and the killing of students of Jamia Hafsa, a women seminary linked to the Lal Masjid.
They also demanded action against Musharraf for abrogating the Constitution and detaining nuclear scientist A Q Khan, who was arrested for heading a secret nuclear proliferation ring.
Meanwhile, a man named Maulvi Iqbal Haider has filed a petition in the apex court, asking it to do away with technicalities and order the registration of a case of high treason against Musharraf for proclaiming a state of emergency in November 2007.
The petition said "any inaction" on the court's part may encourage others to do the same.
The petition was an appeal against the Sindh High Court's verdict of October 14 that dismissed Haider's earlier petition seeking the registration of a case of treason against Musharraf.
Haider has filed a slew of cases against the former military ruler.
In his new petition, Haider said action should also be taken against Musharraf's legal adviser Sharifuddin Pirzada and former Attorney General Malik Qayyum for helping the ex-President proclaim emergency.
Haider named the federal government, law ministry, interior secretary, home secretary of Sindh, Pirzada and Qayyum as respondents in his petition.
Musharraf, who has been living in self-imposed exile in Britain since April last year, recently launched his new party - the All Pakistan Muslim League - and announced plans to contest the next general election in 2013.
However, he has not yet set a date for his return to Pakistan.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Musharraf-fit-to-be-murdered-says-fatwa/articleshow/6803152.cms#ixzz13Gbj9juZ
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Four killed in Karachi target killings incidents
October 24, 2010
KARACHI: Despite the law enforcement agencies being on alert in Karachi, four more people were killed on Sunday in various incidents of violence.
According to police, one person was killed when unknown gunmen opened fire on him in the Korangi area. The deceased was identified as 20-year-old Abdullah when his body was brought to the hospital. Prior to this incident, another man was killed in North Nazimabad's Kausar Niazi Colony when unknown gunmen shot at him and fled immediately. The victim's body was brought to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where he was identified as Ayub Bengali.
Meanwhile in Bohrapeer's Choona Bhatti area, one person was critically injured in a firing incident. He succumbed to his wounds before he could get any emergency medical treatment.
The body of an unidentified man was also found in Agra Taj Colony who had been killed by strangulation.
Police and Rangers carried out search operations in Karachi's Lyari and Sachal Goth areas from where they arrested two political activists and also recovered weapons from their possession. A large number of weapons were found in the possession of the person arrested from Lyari whereas the person arrested from Sachal Goth is reported to be connected to several cases of target killing. – DawnNews
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Iran developed new suicide vest for al-Qaeda use in Iraq: Wikileaks
October 24, 2010
Washington:: Iranian-backed forces devised new forms of suicide vests for al-Qaeda to use in Iraq, assessments released by controversial web site Wikileaks reveal.
Intelligence of variable quality hint at Iranian involvement in al-Qaeda suicide bombing, but American leaders have both claimed the existence of such links and backed away from them, the Telegraph reveals.
A threat report in the files dated November 17, 2006 claims that new techniques for suicide bombing, a favoured al-Qaeda and Sunni insurgent practice in Iraq, had 'surfaced' in Iran and Syria.
Both involved the use of miniature cameras to allow remote monitoring of the attack.
"Al-Qaeda remains the strongest organisation among the insurgent groups in Iraq and directs the majority of attacks that take place in Iraq," the Telegraph quotes the assessment, as saying.
It added: "Instructors at the Islamic Jihad Center in Tehran are teaching a new tactic for SVIED (Suicide Vest Improvised Explosive Device) deployment."
It is not clear how credible the intelligence cited is considered, and there are no reports of camera-equipped suicide vests being found. Islamic Jihad is a militant Palestinian group that has been responsible for suicide bombings in the past and is backed by Syria and Iran.
The relationship between Iraq, Syria and Iran is one of the key variables of the jigsaw of the Iraqi insurgency.
The current Iraqi government has claimed Saddam Hussein loyalists involved in an informal Sunni alliance with al-Qaeda are based in Syria.
Yet the government also has close ties with Iran, Syria's close ally.
Deccan Chronicle
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Britain's Home Secretary arrives in Pakistan
October 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Britain's Home Secretary Theresa May, arrived in Pakistan on Sunday for a two-day visit to Islamabad.
The British minister arrived with a delegation of parliamentarians. May will meet with the political leadership of Pakistan during her visit and will discuss issues of security, the fight against terrorism and Pak-Afghan relations. Agreements between Pakistan and Britain on security issues are also expected to take place during the visit. – DawnNewsh
ttp://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/03-britains-home-secretary-arrives-in-pakistan-ss-09
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Businesswoman, girl held for human trafficking
October 24, 2010
24 October 2010 ABU DHABI — The Abu Dhabi Police arrested an Asian businesswoman for allegedly ‘selling’ a female adult ‘entertainer’ for Dh100,000.
Colonel Hammad Al Hammadi, Head of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), said the Asian investor was nabbed after a plain cloth sleuth, posing as a cloth agent, struck a deal with her to buy the girl.
“The law enforcement officers detained the Asian investor in September on a charge of exploiting the Asian prostitute and failing to report a crime. The girl was also arrested for prostitution and staying illegally in the country,” he added.
Colonel Dr Rashid Bu Rasheed, Head of the Organised Crime Unit at the CID, said his unit had obtained an irrefutable evidence that the Asian investor, who owned a tailoring shop, sold the 19-year-old girl. He indicated that the money which the ‘investor’ had received from the police agent was found in her handbag.
However, Colonel Dr Bu Rasheed said she denied the charges levelled against her, claiming the money was first installment the agent paid for her to have the girl in question married. The businesswoman said the girl was under her guardianship upon the request of her mother. The girl worked as a salesgirl in her country to sustain her family. The businesswoman allegedly obtained a visit visa for her (girl) offering to improve her condition but once she arrived here she was engaged in the illegal trade, said Colonel Bu Rasheed.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/October/theuae_October598.xml§ion=theuae&col=
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15,000 more Afghan logs to go public
October 24, 2010
Whistleblowing organization WikiLeaks says it will soon publish 15,000 more secret Afghan war documents. The group has already published some 77,000 US intelligence reports about the war in Afghanistan, and just released almost 400,000 secret US documents about the Iraq war.
WikiLeaks has said the 15,000 additional Afghan files were held back because of their sensitive content. Kristinn Hrafnsson of WikiLeaks said that the documents had now been fully vetted for release and will be published shortly.
He said the Iraq documents have been edited to conceal people's names and "contain no information that could be harmful to individuals."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/15000-more-Afghan-logs-to-go-public/articleshow/6801491.cms#ixzz13GaXDJv6
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Interlocutors begin ‘Mission Kashmir'
October 24, 2010
SRINAGAR: The three-member team of interlocutors on Jammu and Kashmir led by eminent journalist Dileep Padgaonkar arrived here on Saturday, saying its focus will be on meeting students and youth to “get the feeling on the ground.” It said no solution could emerge without involving Pakistan.
Soon after arrival, Mr. Padgaonkar, M.M. Ansari and Radha Kumar started establishing contact with the people they know. Reiterating that the team had come to Kashmir with an “open mind and a big heart,” Mr. Padgaonkar said there had been many slogans here and there but “we have to move forward for a comprehensive and viable political solution of the problem.”
Acknowledging that the unrest in the Valley was mostly youth-driven, the team has decided to devote Monday for meeting students and youth. “We are in touch with a certain number of people. We have said we would like students — representing all opinions coming from all parts of the State — to meet us. All of Monday, we would like to listen to young people,” he told journalists.
Kashmir, Mr. Padgaonkar said, was a complex issue and needed a political approach to find a “political solution.” He said there were different perspectives in Kashmir, Ladakh and Jammu. However, he emphasised, there were no readymade formulas.
The team is staying at the State Guest House here and has chalked out a schedule of spending 10 days each month in the State. The team will visit Jammu next week. It will brief the Prime Minister after every visit to build an understanding at the higher level.
On Pakistan, Mr. Padgaonkar said its involvement in finding a comprehensive political solution was a must. “Pakistan has been there since 1947 and without talking to Pakistan a solution cannot emerge,” he said, adding Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Cabinet colleagues were desirous of engaging with Pakistan and ready to go half way should Pakistan come forward on the “entire range of issues, including Kashmir.”
Boycott call
The team members parried questions about the boycott called by hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani. But Mr. Padgaonkar said they would reach out to people on their own and move without security. “If they [separatists] have problems in coming to us we will go to their doorstep,” he said.
“We are open to meeting anybody. Since we have just started we should not jump the gun,” Ms. Radha Kumar told The Hindu. “We are optimistic that we can open channels of communication with a larger group of people,” she said.The Hindu
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Why bias, asks Muslim Forum
October 24, 2010
JAIPUR: Senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader Indresh Kumar has provided “guidance” in a conspiracy hatched by radical elements for planting bombs in several cities across the country, says a Rajasthan Anti-Terrorism Squad charge sheet against the five accused in the 2007 Ajmer dargah blast case.
Reacting to the charge sheet filed in an Ajmer court, the Rajasthan Muslim Forum has taken exception to the ATS not naming the RSS the mastermind behind the blast, in which three persons were killed, despite the “clear evidence” of the involvement of one of its senior leaders and other ‘pracharaks' and office-bearers emerging in the charge sheet.
“It seems there is an attempt to pre-empt the finding that the RSS has been directly involved in the bomb blasts and terror attacks across the country during the past few years. This depicts the deep-rooted biases within the police and intelligence apparatus,” Forum convener Qari Moinuddin said in a statement here on Saturday.
The Forum also demanded that the ATS reinvestigate the May 2008 Jaipur blasts, in the light of the new evidence it unearthed. It was “increasingly becoming evident” that the youth facing trial in the case were innocent and the real culprits were still at large, Mr. Moinuddin said.
The Hindu
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Al Qaeda urges attacks in the West
October 24, 2010
Al-Qaeda's American spokesman, Adam Gadahn, has urged fellow Muslims in the West to carry out attacks in the "Zio-Crusader coalition" States, SITE Intelligence Group said on Saturday.
"To my Muslim brothers residing in the States of the Zio-Crusader coalition. Know that Jihad (holy war) is your duty as well," Gadahn said on a video, excerpts of which were provided by the US monitoring group.
He addressed Muslims in "emigrant communities like those which live on the margins of society in the miserable suburbs of Paris, London and Detroit, or are from those arriving in America or Europe to study in its universities or seek their daily bread in the streets of its cities," SITE said.
"You have an opportunity to strike the leaders of unbelief and retaliate against them on their own soil, as long as there is no covenant between you and them," he added in the 48 minute, 20 second video, produced by Al-Qaeda media arm, As-Sahab.
Pioneer Daily
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No headway yet in Jama Masjid shooting case
October 24, 2010
New Delhi: Over a month has gone by, but Delhi Police is yet to make a headway in the suspected terror strikes outside the historic Jama Masjid which created a security scare ahead of the Commonwealth Games.
The city police has announced a Rs ten lakh reward for providing information about the two bikers who opened fire at a Taiwanese media crew at Jama Masjid on September 19, but investigators have not got any credible information.
A day ahead of the announcement of the reward, two Kashmiris had approached the police claiming that they were sent to paste inflammatory posters on Ayodhya in central Delhi by some persons who were harassing their families.
Though police investigated whether those people who sent the Kashmiris to Delhi were involved in the firing incident, no breakthrough was made in this direction
Deccan Chronicle
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Somali pirates hijack LPG tanker
October 24, 2010
24 October 2010 Somali pirates have hijacked a Singapore-flagged liquified petroleum gas (LPG) tanker off the coast of east Africa, the European Union anti-piracy taskforce and a regional maritime official has said.
Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers’ Assistance Programme said the pirates seized the Greek-managed MV York off Kenya on Saturday afternoon, less than 12 hours after it sailed out of the Kenyan port city of Mombasa.
The European naval force, EU Navfor, said the vessel had a crew of 17, including a German master, two Ukranians and 14 Filipinos, and was seized 80 km from Mombasa.
“She was taken at 1730 local time. She was sailing empty after discharging her LPG cargo a the Shimanzi oil terminal in Mombasa,” Mwangura said.
A pirate who identified himself as Hassan said by telephone that the tanker was now heading for Garad, a pirate base on the coast of central Somalia. A lack of effective central government in the lawless Horn of Africa nation has allowed piracy to floursih off its shores. Somali pirates are holding 19 vessels with 428 hostages. Typically they earn a ransom for their release.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/October/international_October1108.xml§ion=international&col=
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US renews bonds with Pakistan army
October 24, 2010
WASHINGTON — When it crafted a giant civilian aid plan for Pakistan last year, the United States proclaimed a turning point in a troubled relationship, with US money henceforth to serve the cause of democracy.
On Friday, in the wake of the latest tensions between the war partners, President Barack Obama’s administration announced it would seek another two billion dollars in aid for Pakistan — the time, destined for the military.
The Obama administration has repeatedly pledged support for civilian rule in Pakistan, which was restored in 2008, and said on Friday it would bar assistance from several military units accused of human rights abuses.
But the latest aid package shows that the United States is also keen to meet the wish-lists of the army, which has long been a major player in Pakistan and provides vital logistical support for forces in Afghanistan.
Teresita Schaffer, a former US diplomat who has served in Islamabad, said the United States faced a balancing act between working with the military and supporting civilian institutions.
“The US routinely has trouble figuring out exactly where that line belongs and how to stay on the right side of things,” said Schaffer, director of the South Asia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“Partly that’s because the military in Pakistan is a can-do institution, much more so than the civilians,” she said.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/October/international_October1102.xml§ion=international&col=
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Wanted Saudi terror suspect surrenders
October 24, 2010
RIYADH: A wanted Saudi terror suspect has been brought back to the Kingdom with the help of Yemeni authorities after he expressed his desire to return to the Kingdom and surrender.
"Officials at the Prince Muhammad bin Naif Center for Counseling and Care received a call from the wanted man, Jabir bin Jobran bin Ali Al-Faifi, who was enrolled in the rehabilitation program after his return from Guantanamo Bay but later joined a foreign-based deviant group," said an Interior Ministry spokesman in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency.
Al-Faifi figures in the list of 85 wanted terror suspects issued in February 2009.
In his call to Saudi officials before his surrender, the man spoke about Saudi citizens who were misled by those who support deviant ideologies, the spokesman said.
"They found themselves to be tools in the hands of the enemies of the homeland which is following the right path derived from the Book of Allah, and the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his exemplary Companions. They are being used as tools to fuel sedition.
"They are not given any control over their deeds and put in situations that only serve the schemes of the enemies of the nation who seek to spread chaos and unrest legitimizing murders, rapes and stealing the money of civilians in neighborhoods they reside. The advocates of deviant thought has made them a means of propaganda and money-making," the statement said.
The statement added that Al-Faifi expressed remorse at his behavior. "Al-Faifi has shown a strong desire to return to the Kingdom and surrender to security agencies as the return to the right path is better than persisting in falsehood," the statement said.
The man was also allowed to meet with his family on arrival.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article161688.ece
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Pakistan struggles to hold gains against Taleban
October 24, 2010
DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan: For Pakistan’s army, ejecting militants from safe havens near the Afghan border has proven to be the easy part. The problems come later: The guerrillas creep back and carry out attacks. Civilians never return.
This is especially true in South Waziristan, where some 30,000 ground troops launched an offensive a year ago, quickly clearing what had been a major hub for Al-Qaeda and the Taleban. But over the last week, insurgent attacks have killed eight soldiers, while the Pakistani region’s 400,000 people will not return until next spring at the earliest.
“I want to go back but there is no peace,” said Abdul Karim, a 46-year-old goat and cow herder with three children. “I would get stuck between the army and the Taleban,” Karim said as he lined up with other refugees for a cash handout in this dusty town close to South Waziristan.
The problems in South Waziristan — similar in many ways to those facing American troops in Afghanistan — may help explain Pakistan’s reluctance to launch a similar operation in the adjoining North Waziristan region despite pressure from Washington.
Islamabad’s refusal to move into the north, where a powerful militant faction behind many of the attacks on US troops in Afghanistan is based, is raising tensions with Washington, which wants to pressure Afghan insurgents and create conditions for peace talks to end the 10-year war.
US military leaders have acknowledged that the Pakistan army is stretched. But Islamabad is also widely believed to be holding back from North Waziristan because the Afghan Taleban factions there are seen as potential allies when US troops withdraw from Afghanistan.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/
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US under pressure on WikiLeaks allegations
The Iraq files BODY COUNT
October 24, 2010
Pakistan bomb death toll hits 102, worst this year LONDON: Washington on Sunday came under increasing pressure to investigate the allegations in the leaked Iraq war documents published by WikiLeaks, which Britain’s deputy premier called “shocking”.
Governments and human rights organisations alike put the focus on answers to the allegations made against US, allied and Iraqi troops as the whistle blowing website released 400,000 classified US military documents.
The flood of material from 2004 to 2009 offers a grim snapshot of the conflict, especially of the abuse of Iraqi civilians by Iraqi security forces.
The heavily redacted logs appear to show that the US military turned a blind eye to evidence of torture and abuse of civilians by the Iraqi authorities.
WikiLeaks claim the documents reveal around 15,000 more civilian deaths than were previously known about.
British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg called the allegations “extremely serious” and said people would be wanting to hear “what the answer is”.
“We can bemoan how these leaks occurred but I think the nature of the allegations made are extraordinarily serious. They are distressing to read about,” he told BBC television.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/22-us-under-pressure-on-wikileaks-allegations-aj-02
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Pak-Afghan border sealed at Chaman
October 24, 2010
KARACHI: Afghan officials have sealed the Pak-Afghan border from Chaman on Sunday, according to DawnNews.
According to official sources, due to the visit of top Afghan officials, the border has been closed. Due to the closure, long rows of vehicles have been stranded on both sides of the border. The transportation of Nato supplies through the Chaman border has also been suspended. – DawnNews
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/03-pak-afghan-border-sealed-at-chaman-ss-08
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Mideast growth rising, but more jobs needed
October 24, 2010
DUBAI: Mideast economies are likely to grow roughly twice as fast over the next two years as they did in 2009, but the region must do more to diversify its economies and create jobs, the International Monetary Fund said Sunday.
The Washington-based body forecasts the economy will grow by 4.2 per cent this year and 4.8 per cent next year in the 22-nation region stretching from North Africa through Pakistan.
That compares with growth of 2.3 per cent last year as the region struggled with lower oil revenues and other effects stemming from the global economic crisis.
Overall, the IMF said in its latest regional economic outlook that the Middle East is enjoying ''a generally robust recovery'' thanks to higher oil prices and government policies designed to mitigate the effects of the worldwide downturn.
Because of increased oil prices, the IMF estimates the Gulf states and other oil-exporting countries in the region will see their combined current-account surplus rise to $150 billion next year, up from just $70 billion last year, giving them more leeway to spend.
However, economic growth outside the energy sector remains sluggish. The IMF called on oil-exporting nations to reduce their dependance on crude by diversifying their economies and to tackle lingering problems uncovered by the financial crisis, such as the immense debt load carried by Dubai state-linked firms.
The region's generally poorer oil-importing countries _ many of which depend on tourism, trade and worker remittances from their richer neighbors _ are expected to see their economies grow 5 percent this year, up from 4.6 percent in 2009, the IMF said.
On a per capita basis, though, their growth significantly lags behind that of other parts of the developing world, the IMF said.
That presents major challenges in creating jobs for their young and fast-growing societies, where chronic unemployment averages about 11 percent.
Providing enough jobs for the oil-importing countries' unemployed and up-and-coming workers over the next decade would require growth of at least 6.5 percent, the IMF estimates. That, according to the IMF, means creating more than 18 million jobs just in the oil-poor parts of the Arab world alone.
The IMF report includes oil exporters Algeria, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen, and oil importers Afghanistan, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Mauritania, Morocco, Pakistan, Syria and Tunisia.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/mideast-growth-rising-but-more-jobs-needed-jd-03
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US renews bonds with Pakistan army Pakistan
October 24, 2010
WASHINGTON: When it crafted a giant civilian aid plan for Pakistan last year, the United States proclaimed a turning point in a troubled relationship, with US money henceforth to serve the cause of democracy.
On Friday, in the wake of the latest tensions between the war partners, President Barack Obama's administration announced it would seek another two billion dollars in aid for Pakistan — this time, destined for the military.
The Obama administration has repeatedly pledged support for civilian rule in Pakistan, which was restored in 2008, and said Friday it would bar assistance from several military units accused of human rights abuses.
But the latest aid package shows that the United States is also keen to meet the wish-lists of the army, which has long been a major player in Pakistan and provides vital logistical support for forces in Afghanistan.
Teresita Schaffer, a former US diplomat who has served in Islamabad, said the United States faced a balancing act between working with the military and supporting civilian institutions.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/us-renews-bonds-with-pakistan-army-jd-02
URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=3575
12:54 AM
Moderate Islamist here
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