| Islamic World News | |
| 23 Dec 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com |
ISLAMABAD: Man murders mother in courtroom 'honour killing'
Taliban treats heroin stocks like savings accounts: WikiLeaks
Islamology Software to be Displayed at Karachi Int’l Exhibition
Three men found guilty of terror plot on Australia army base
Hindu spiritual leader kidnapped in Pakistan
Azad from Kashmir, not India: Azam Khan
INDIA: Jeans not acceptable: Darul Uloom Deoband
Yoga for madrassa students in Uttar Pradesh district
100 new Madarasas get affiliation in Uttar Pradesh
J&K: Now professor booked over exam passage on breasts
U.N. planned to fight opium with wheat
Afghan official blasts NATO for civilian deaths
The Islamic Republic has a major problem: Iranian women
Shia primary teacher dismissed for learning students to do the prayers on Shi'a way
Will North Sudan become a state ruled by Shari'a law? Bashir says yes
Muslim fundamentalist group launched in the Netherlands
Homosexuality and Islam, the Religion of Tolerance
US attack on Muslim women not isolated
Modern Dutch Muslim women can't find suitable partners
Saudi bans posters on mosques
Two top Pak police officers arrested in Benazir killing case
Indian lady doctor cleared of murder of husband in Saudi Arabia, returns home
Australia apologises to Indian doctor Haneef over wrongful terror charges
Hindu Mahasabha moves SC on Ayodhya title suit
Ban on SMS lifted in J&K
SAN FRANCISCO: Pay $2.5m to Islamic charity, court tells Feds
CIA launches task force on WikiLeaks
Indonesia, religious leaders and UNICEF commit to promote breastfeeding
Dubai court slashes sentences in Chechen slaying
ISLAMABAD: Shariat Court knocks out 3 sections of women’s protection act
Three Iraqi cities call off Christmas festivities
Iran Sunni militant group to kill hostage: report
Iranian lawmakers: Cut ties with Britain
Iran seeks Turkey’s support in nuclear row
Saudis do not have a leading role in Al-Qaeda: Ex-militant
US medicines for Afghan soldiers disappear
Manila: 2 Malaysians freed after 10 months in captivity
Palestinian woman prisoner ends hunger strike
Baloch leader held with arms cache
In poverty-struck Yemen, al-Qaida a low priority
“Russia and the World of Islam” Published in Moscow
OIC chief affirms need for strong Islamic media
JEDDAH: New tourism projects to create 50,000 jobs
JEDDAH: Ittihad, Nasr disappoint, held to draws
Hillary Clinton calls up Krishna, talks Afghanistan, bilateral issues
J&K gears up for BJP’s Ekta Sankalp rally on Dec 24
Mutiny-hit BDR of Bangladesh renamed as BGB
Pakistan to set up national forensic agency
Pakistan, Iran jockey for influence after bombings
Pakistan: Petitioner tells PHC he has video of killing of missing people
Compiled by New Age Isalm News Bureau
Photo: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Indresh Kumar
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Mecca Masjid blast heat on RSS top man
December 23, 2010
NEW DELHI: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Indresh Kumar was questioned by the CBI on Thursday in connection with the 2007 Mecca Masjid blast in Hyderabad that killed nine people.
After arriving at the CBI office in the afternoon, Kumar told reporters that he had full faith in the country's institutions. "I am sure I will be fully proved innocent," he said.
The CBI summoned Kumar after his name figured in the case registered by the CBI though he is not named an accused.
In 2007, a bomb blast inside Mecca Masjid claimed nine lives. Five more people died in police firing following the blast.
Indresh Kumar (62), who was based in Rajasthan from 2001 to 2004, has also been involved with the work of the Rashtriya Muslim Manch, an RSS affiliate that calls itself a "nationalist organisation" of Muslims.
"It's a political conspiracy by the Congress party. I am not aware why they have called me. As a law abiding citizen I have come here to answer whatever question they have," said Indresh Kumar before going for questioning.
Indresh added, "I request my friends and colleagues to protest against my questioning peacefully. I am innocent. I have full faith in the judiciary and the people of my country."
In its 806-page chargesheet filed in the court of the additional chief judicial magistrate in Ajmer on Friday, the ATS
had said that Swami Aseemanand and Sunil Joshi, who was murdered in 2007, were the brains behind the Ajmer blast.
Aseemanand and Joshi allegedly held a secret meeting in Jaipur on October 31, 2005 with five others, including Indresh and Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, an accused in the Malegaon blast case.
At the meeting, Indresh suggested they work in tandem with other religious organisations so that no one would suspect anything and they could successfully carry out the attacks, the chargesheet says.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Hyderabad-bombing-CBI-quizzes-RSS-leader-
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ISLAMABAD: Man murders mother in courtroom 'honour killing'
December 23, 2010
ISLAMABAD: A man shot dead his mother in a courtroom in Pakistan's Punjab province in what is being described by officials as an " honour killing".
Muhammad Rafiq killed his mother Ghulam Bibi on Tuesday in the court of Magistrate Eased Rasa in Arifwala, a town located 210 km southeast of Lahore.
Rafiq had suspected that his mother and sister Abida Bibi had illicit relations with a man named Shahbaz Ahmad.
After Abida Bibi married Shahbaz Ahmad against the wishes of Rafiq and their father Nazir Ahmad, the father and son forcibly took her away from her home.
On Monday, Shahbaz Ahmad filed a petition urging the court to help him get back his wife Abida.
However, Additional Sessions Judge Tariq Mehmood Bajwa sent Abida with her mother Ghulam Bibi.
On Tuesday, Ghulam Bibi and Abida came to the court of Magistrate Saeed Raza and filed a petition for them to be sent to the Darul Aman, a state-run women's home.
While the hearing was underway, Rafiq entered the courtroom and shot his mother.
A court official caught Rafiq, who was then handed over to the police.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Man-murders-mother-in-courtroom-
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Taliban treats heroin stocks like savings accounts: WikiLeaks
December 23, 2010
London : The Taliban in Afghanistan are hoarding 12,400 tonnes of heroin and treating their drugs like "savings accounts" to manipulate street prices in the west, according to a US diplomatic cable leaked by WikiLeaks.
The United Nations' drugs czar Antonio Maria Costa told Nato representatives that the Taliban and organised crime gangs had withheld 12,400 tonnes of opium from the global market to keep the price of heroin and opium at a profitable level.
The opium allegedly withheld by insurgents was worth around USD 1.25 billion. Each tonne of opium is said to be worth around USD 100,000 and can be used to produce 100 kg of heroin, the Guardian reported.
The US cable appears to show that the UN believed that the Taliban and other insurgents in Afghanistan were well- organised, aware of the market and focused on maintaining a viable price for the drug, it said.
Costa's claims, reported in a confidential document, were expressed at a meeting on 18 September 2009, the Guardian said, quoting the US cable leaked by WikiLeaks.
Afghanistan is the world's biggest exporter of heroin and opium most of which is grown in Helmand province.
Under the heading "Opium Stocks Remain High", the cable states: "Costa said that Afghanistan has 12,400 tonnes of opium stocks because it produces more than the world consumes.
Costa believes that the insurgency is withholding these stocks from the market and treating them like 'savings accounts'.
He said the stocks pose a serious threat as it could be used to finance the insurgency. Costa encourage intelligence organisations to to keep focus on the storage and movement of Afghanistan's opium stocks."
Costa's reported opinion was not part of the UN's final 2009 Afghanistan Survey.
According to the cable, opium trends were positive overall and showcased a major decline in opium cultivation by 22 per cent in 2009, the lowest in 15 years.
"Costa said that even though Afghanistan was among the most impoverished countries in the world poverty was not the main factor. Costa said abandoning opium cultivation dies not produce humanitarian crisis."
He said market forces caused a shift in opium prices and could easily influence farmers to grow illicit crops if high market prices and revenue could be gained from them.
Costa, head of UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) retired earlier this year. He prompted an international debate when he claimed billions dollars of laundered drug money from organised crime had been used to prop up many of the world's major financial institutions during the financial downturn.
A spokesman for UNODC declined to comment on the report.
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/727662/
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Islamology Software to be Displayed at Karachi Int’l Exhibition
December 23, 2010
Iran Cultural Center in Pakistan will present software of Islamology in its sixth international exhibition to open on December 24 in Karachi.
(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Iran Cultural Center in Pakistan will present software of Islamology in its sixth international exhibition to open on December 24 in Karachi.
The exhibition will be held for 4 days with the participation of local and foreign publications at the venue of international exhibitions of the city.
Iranian publications such as Al-Hoda International Publications, affiliated to the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization, the Institute for Compilation and Publication of the Works by Imam Khomeini, ‘Uruj Publications, Ahlul Bayt (AS) World Assembly, Research Center of Persian Literature of Iran and Pakistan- Islamabad and Ansariyan International Publications will also actively take part at the exhibition.
Books and software on Islamology, studies of Iran, Persian language and literature, religious, historical and literary sciences in Persian, Urdu, English and Arabic will be presented by the Iranian publications to introduce Iranian achievements in culture, research and education.
http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=217963
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Three men found guilty of terror plot on Oz army base
December 23, 2010
Melbourne : Three Australian citizens who were upset about their country's involvement in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and believed that Islam was under attack from the west were today found guilty of planning a suicide attack on an army base in Sydney.
Wissam Mahmoud Fattal, 34, Saney Edow Aweys, 27 and 26-year old Nayef El Sayed, were found guilty at the Supreme Court and could face life in prison.
All are Australian citizens of Lebanese or Somalian origins. Two of their co-accused, Yacqub Khayre, 23 and Abdirahman Ahmed 26 Preston, were found not guilty.
Prosecutors alleged the men sought from figures in Somalia a fatwa, or religious ruling, on the permissibility of staging an attack in Australia.
The Melbourne men planned to kill as many people as possible in a shootout at the Holsworthy Army Barracks in reaction to Australia's involvement in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and over the jailing of a group of Muslim men on similar charges. The three will appear in court for a mention hearing on January 24, the ABC reported.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/three-men-found-guilty-of-terror-plot-on-oz-army-
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Hindu spiritual leader kidnapped in Pakistan
December 23, 2010
Islamabad, Dec 23 : A leading Hindu spiritual leader of Pakistan was kidnapped at gunpoint in Balochistan province while he was on his way to officiate a wedding.
Eightytwo-year-old Lakki Chand Garji, who is the `maharaja' of the Kali Mata Mandir in Kalat town, is considered to be one of Pakistan's most revered Hindu spiritual leaders. He was kidnapped Tuesday night, the Express Tribune reported Thursday.
As the news of his abduction spread, hundreds of Hindu community members blocked the key highway that links Karachi and Quetta, bringing traffic to a halt for several hours.
Hindus demanded that the government secure the immediate release of their spiritual leader.
Garji along with five people was travelling from Kalat town to Khuzdar to attend a marriage ceremony.
Full report at:
http://www.newkerala.com/news/world/fullnews-110808.html
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Azad from Kashmir, not India: Azam Khan
December 23, 2010
LUCKNOW: A fortnight after rejoining the Samajwadi Party, Mohammad Azam Khan ran into a raging controversy for stating that ''UPA had only one Muslim minister to showcase — Ghulam Nabi Azad — who hailed from Kashmir and not from India''.
Khan made the alleged remark at a seminar on ''Status of Muslims In India''organised by a local Muslim outfit of Budaun on Tuesday. As news channels telecast the video footage of Khan's statement, rival parties went into an overdrive. BJP president Surya Pratap Shahi lost no time in demanding Khan's arrest while Congress asked Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav to explain Azam's shocking remarks.
Khan, of course, pleaded not guilty. The statement, he told TOI, was taken out of context to stir an unnecessary controversy. He insisted that his statement was deliberately distorted by a section of media to sensationalise the issue. ''Kashmir, I firmly believe, has always been an integral part of India and shall always remain so,'' he said by way of explanation.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Azad-from-Kashmir-not-India-Azam-
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Jeans not acceptable: Darul Uloom Deoband
December 23, 2010
“Skin-tight” dresses are “not lawful” and clothes should be “loose and simple”
‘A couple should consult a hakim before resorting to use of contraceptives for medical reasons'
New Delhi: In a statement that might trigger a dress-code debate, leading Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband has said that wearing jeans or other tight-fitting clothes is not appropriate as per religious beliefs.
In another observation, it said a couple should seek the opinion of a hakim or a unani practitioner before resorting to the use of contraceptives if needed for medical reasons.
In response to a question whether wearing “skin-tight” trousers and jeans were allowed as per religious beliefs, the seminary on Tuesday posted a response in the ‘fatwa online' section of its website saying that wearing “skin-tight” dresses is “not lawful” and that clothes should be “loose and simple.”
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/12/23/stories/2010122354642000.htm
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Yoga for madrassa students in Uttar Pradesh district
December 23, 2010
Lucknow, Dec 22 (PTI) Yoga has made inroads in a madrassa in Kaushambi district of Uttar Pradesh but the only change made in the traditional discipline is that the 'asana' session for students is started by chanting 'Bismillah' and 'Rahim'.
Impressed by the power of yoga which helped his neighbour Isrial regain his health after being bed-ridden for a long time, Mohammad Imran, the principal of Jamia Imdadul Uloom, Karari, decided to introduce Yoga for some 600 children, both boys and girls.
"Isrial, who was bed-ridden for a long time regained his health with the help of yoga and this prompted me to think of introducing it for the school children for improving their health", Mohammad Imran told PTI on phone.
http://www.ptinews.com/news/1210615_Yoga-for-madrassa-students-in-UP-district
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100 new Madarasas get affiliation in Uttar Pradesh
December 23, 2010
Lucknow, Dec 22 (PTI) With a view to promote education in Madarasas, Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education has given affiliation to 100 new madrassas in the state.
"We have given affiliation to 100 new madarasas in Uttar Pradesh. With this there would be a total of 1,700 madarasas in the state affiliated to the Board," a UPMBE official told PTI.
These new madarasas, besides "deeni" (religious) education, will also impart education in English, Computer and Hindi to the students, he said.
The admission in these new affiliated madarasas will start from the next academic session 2011-12.
Of the total 1,700 madarasas, 499 are given aid by the government, he added.
http://www.ptinews.com/news/1210727_100-new-Madarasas-get-affiliation-in-UP
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J&K: Now professor booked over exam passage on breasts
December 23, 2010
Srinagar : Days after a college teacher was arrested for including a question on stone-pelters in an examination paper, J&K Police have booked a university professor for drawing up an “obscene question paper”.
Professor Shad Ramzan, who prepared the Kashmiri language question paper for the BA First Year examination, has been accused of including a “vulgar passage” in English for translation into Kashmiri. A case has already been registered against him at Hazratbal police station though he has not been arrested yet.
The passage that Ramzan asked students to translate reads: “From the ancient times, women have been concerned about the shape and size of their breasts. Breast development is the vital part of reproduction in human females. Unlike other mammals, however, human females are the only ones who develop full breasts long before they are needed to nurse their offspring.”
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/j&k-again-now-professor-booked-over-exam-passage-
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U.N. planned to fight opium with wheat
Anita Joshua
December 23, 2010
ISLAMABAD: In a bid to wean Afghan farmers away from opium cultivation and, thereby, dry up the “savings account” of the Taliban, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) had, according to a WikiLeaks cable, wanted the World Food Programme (WFP) to exercise the less economical option of sourcing wheat from Afghanistan instead of Pakistan.
That the Taliban was withholding huge stocks of opium from the market and treating them like “savings accounts” was revealed by the former UNODC Executive Director, Antonio Maria Costa, in a September 18, 2009, NATO briefing on last year's Afghanistan Opium Survey.
Details of that briefing have now come to light in a leaked U.S. cable released by WikiLeaks on Monday. According to that briefing, Afghanistan then had 12,400 tonnes of opium stocks because it produces more than the world consumes. The stocks, Mr. Costa added, posed a serious threat as it could be used to finance the insurgency.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/12/23/stories/2010122364891900.htm
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Afghan official blasts NATO for civilian deaths
December 23, 2010
KABUL: An Afghan provincial governor said Wednesday that a battle between NATO and the Taleban the previous day had killed three women and two children, and called on the coalition to “pay attention” to civilian casualties.
Afghan officials have often spoken out about civilian deaths, arguing that the international forces are not being careful enough to avoid such casualties as the war nears its tenth year. Insurgents also try to use the civilian death toll as a way of rallying support for their cause.
In Helmand, a Taleban stronghold and scene of some of the heaviest fighting in the war, the provincial governor’s office said the five civilians died Tuesday as militants attacked coalition forces in the Sangin district. Seven insurgents were killed in the battle, according to the statement from the governor’s office.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article221042.ece
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The Islamic Republic has a major problem: Iranian women
By Sheda Vasseghi
December 23, 2010
Recently Islamic Republic’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed that feminism is “a cry of protest from crushed women in a capitalistic system.” Further, he called on all “Muslim” women to restore their rights in social, economic, cultural and political realms.
That the goal of the Islamic regime is to methodically eradicate Iranian national identity, heritage and culture while draining Iranian resources to further Shi'ite Islamic movements across the globe can clearly be seen from Ahmadinejad’s statement lumping Iranian women together with Muslim women.
Given it is a death sentence under Islam to change religious affiliations and that Islam is a hostile, foreign ideology to many Iranians, it is rather presumptuous of Ahmadinejad to claim the majority of Iranian women identify with Muslims in a true sense after 31 years of physical, emotional and political torture under Islamic theocracy.
Full report at:
http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2010/me_iran1275_12_22.asp
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Shia primary teacher dismissed for learning students to do the prayers on Shi'a way
December 23, 2010
In December 2010 , the Saudi Wahhabi Ministry of Education removed the Shi'a primary teacher (Fawzi Shanar) from Hamam town in Qatif , from his post for learning students in the primary school of Sohaib al-Roumi for boys to do the prayers on Shi'a way ...
(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - In December 2010 , the Saudi Wahhabi Ministry of Education removed the Shi'a primary teacher (Fawzi Shanar) from Hamam town in Qatif , from his post for learning students in the primary school of Sohaib al-Roumi for boys to do the prayers on Shi'a way .
The teacher Shanar was accused by his Salfi colleagues that he present his student in first grade with a booklet about learning prayer on Shi'a way .
The Ministry decision banned the teacher to accede another governmental position .
http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&Id=217966
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Will North Sudan become a state ruled by Shari'a law? Bashir says yes
Gamal Abdel-Gawad
December 23, 2010
In his recent statements, a cheery President Bashir announced his plans for the day after Southern independence. The future of North Sudan under his rule, it seems, will be more religious and more authoritarian
Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir cannot hide what he’s thinking and what he truly believes. Bashir recently promised to amend the Sudanese Constitution once the South declares independence. The new Constitution, he said, would be an Islamic one – as if the current Constitution does not already contain enough Shari’a.
“Nonsense talk about a multi-ethnic Sudan has no place in the new Sudanese Constitution,” Bashir declared. The harsh words he used to refute the existence of multiple ethnicities and cultures reveal his true beliefs. Bashir spoke cheerfully and enthusiastically about getting rid of the burden of the South, which has prevented the North from expressing its Muslim identity.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContentP/4/2376/Opinion/Will-North-Sudan-become-a-
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Muslim fundamentalist group launched in the Netherlands
December 23, 2010
A group - Sharia4Holland - calling on Muslims to fight for the setting up of a Dutch Islamic state has started operating openly in the Netherlands, writes the Protestant daily newspaper, Trouw.
The group, which has split from Sharia4Belgium, wants Islamic sharia law to be introduced in the Netherlands. Dutch National Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Erik Akerboom and the Dutch AIVD intelligence agency say they are aware of the group and its activities. Mr Akerboom believes it is too soon to intervene. “As far as we are aware, no crimes have as yet been committed,” he tells the paper.
He declines to go into the scale of the group or who might be behind it. It is to be found on the internet, including on YouTube and facebook, where Sharia4Holland says it is “a group of young people from the Netherlands” who are prepared to fight for the law of Allah.
http://www.rnw.nl/english/bulletin/muslim-fundamentalist-group-launched-netherlands
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Homosexuality and Islam, the Religion of Tolerance
David F Mayer
December 23, 2010
Same-sex intercourse carries the death penalty in five officially Muslim nations: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Mauritania, Sudan, and Yemen. [3] It formerly carried the death penalty in Afghanistan under the Taliban, and in Iraq under a 2001 decree by Saddam Hussein. The legal situation in the United Arab Emirates is unclear. In many Muslim nations, such as Bahrain, Qatar, Algeria or the Maldives, homosexuality is punished with jail time, fines or corporal punishment. In some Muslim-majority nations, such as Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, or Mali, same-sex intercourse is not forbidden by law. However, in Egypt gays have been the victims of laws against "morality".
In Saudi Arabia, the maximium punishment for homosexuality is public execution, but the government will use other punishments, i.e. fines, jail time and whipping as alternatives, unless it feels that homosexuals are challenging state authority by engaging in a gay rights movement. [4] Iran is perhaps the nation to execute the largest number of its citizens for homosexuality. Since its Islamic revolution in Iran, the Iranian government has executed more than 4000 people charged with homosexual acts. In Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban homosexuality went from a capital crime to one that it punished with fines and prison sentence, and a similar situation seems to have occurred in Iraq.
http://disc.yourwebapps.com/discussion.cgi?disc=175790;article=1407263;
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US attack on Muslim women not isolated
December 23, 2010
Interview with Zafar Bangash, director of the Contemporary Islamic Thought Institute in Toronto, Canada.
A 20-year-old Muslim immigrant from Somalia, Saida Said, said she was assaulted with pepper spray outside a mosque in the US State of Ohio.
The incident happened in the mosque's parking lot on the west side of Columbus.
The attacker reportedly told the woman to leave the country and threatened to kill her.
Police have handed the matter to the prosecutor's office. The FBI says it will likely open a civil rights investigation. The security camera has recorded parts of the incident.
To discuss this further Press TV interviewed Zafar Bangash, the director of the Contemporary Islamic Thought Institute in Toronto.
Full report at:
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/156620.html
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Modern Dutch Muslim women can't find suitable partners
December 23, 2010
Free newspaper Sp!ts reports that it is becoming increasingly difficult for Dutch Muslim women to find suitable husbands.
The current generation of young Dutch Muslim women are often quite well-educated and open-minded compared to most of their potential spouses, many of whom do not want a 'modern' wife.
In addition, arranged marriages are going out of fashion. Nermin Altintas, the Turkish-Dutch director of the Yasmin foundation in The Hague, says: "Men and women are increasingly left to their own devices to find potential partners. This can be really difficult when you are not in the habit of going to discos and bars. It is increasingly rare for parents to find you a husband. One of the few possibilities of meeting men is at weddings."
Ms Altintas says she sees quite a lot of singles in her circle of friends and acquaintances, but also a growing number of divorcees who became disappointed in their partners after getting married.
Full report at:
http://www.rnw.nl/english/bulletin/modern-dutch-muslim-women-cant-find-suitable-
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Saudi bans posters on mosques
December 23, 2010
Saudi Arabia has banned sticking posters and other papers on mosques in an apparent bid to curb terror funding, a local daily said on Thursday.
(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Saudi Arabia has banned sticking posters and other papers on mosques in an apparent bid to curb terror funding, a local daily said on Thursday.
Preachers told congregates at mosques that they have received instructions from the Ministry of Islamic Affairs and Endowments to stop sticking any posters on mosque walls or inside the “house of God”, Alyoum said.
“The preachers at the mosques said the ban covers all those posters which call for donations for Islamic activities and charity groups,” the paper said.
Full report at:
http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&Id=218082
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Two top Pak police officers arrested in Benazir killing case
December 23, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Two top Pakistani police officials were on Wednesday arrested in a courtroom on the orders of an anti-terrorism judge conducting the trial of suspects accused of involvement in the 2007 assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto.
Judge Rana Nisar Ahmed, who is conducting the trial within the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi for security reasons, rejected the bail applications of former city police chief Saud Aziz and former superintendent of police Khurram Shahzad and directed officials to arrest them.
The move came after the Federal Investigation Agency submitted a supplementary chargesheet in which it named the two police officers as accused and sought their arrest to take forward its probe into the assassination.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Two-top-Pak-police-officers-arrested-in-
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Indian lady doctor cleared of murder of husband in Saudi Arabia, returns home
December 23, 2010
DUBAI: An Indian lady doctor, accused of poisoning to death her husband in Saudi Arabia after he reportedly converted to Islam, has been absolved of the charges after 10 months of detention which she described as a "nightmare".
Investigations into the death of her husband turned into a trauma for the 36-year-old Shalini Chawla, a woman doctor from New Delhi, as she had to face detention, while nursing her days old baby.
Chawla travails began when her husband Ashish Chawla died in sleep on January 31, and it was suspected that he had been poisoned by his wife, 'Saudi Gazette' reported.
But an initial medical report from King Khaled Hospital in Najran stated that the cause of death was "myocardial infarction" (or heart attack).
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/indians-abroad/Indian-lady-doctor-cleared-of-
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Australia apologises to Indian doctor Haneef over wrongful terror charges
December 23, 2010
SYDNEY: Australia has made a formal apology to Indian doctor Mohamed Haneef for his wrongful detention in 2007 over failed extremist attacks at airports in London and Glasgow.
The move follows the payment of undisclosed compensation to Haneef, who was detained and charged with giving support to a terrorist organisation after his mobile phone SIM card was wrongly linked to the attempted car-bombings.
"The AFP (Australian Federal Police) acknowledges that it was mistaken and that Dr. Haneef was innocent of the offence of which he was suspected," said a statement on the attorney-general's website.
"The (government) apologises and hopes that the compensation to be paid to Dr. Haneef will mark the end of an unfortunate chapter and allow Dr. Haneef to move forward with his life and career."
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Australia-apologises-to-Indian-
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Hindu Mahasabha moves SC on Ayodhya title suit
December 23, 2010
NEW DELHI: Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha has moved the Supreme Court challenging the part of Allahabad High Court's September 30 ruling on Ayodhya title suit which has given one third of the disputed land to Muslims.
The Hindu Mahasabha'a national president Swami Chakra Pani has moved the apex court close on the heels of religious and social Islamic bodies Sunni Wakf Board and Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind (JUH) moving it challenging the verdict which ruled for a three-way divsion of the disputed land around and underneath the demolished Babri mosque with two parts to Hindus and one to Muslims.
While seeking partial annullment of the majority verdict by the high court's Lucknow bench, which ruled for handing over one third of the disputed land to Muslims, the Hindu Sabha sought the apex court's endorsement of the September 30 minority verdict by Justice Dharam Veer Sharma who ruled for handing over of the entire land to Hindus.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Hindu-Mahasabha-moves-SC-on-Ayodhya-title-
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Ban on SMS lifted in J&K
December 23, 2010
After a gap of six months, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday lifted the ban on the SMS services in J&K on post-paid connections.
The Chief Minister lifted the ban after reviewing overall security situation at a high level meeting.
The ban on SMS services was earlier imposed in the month of June at the peak of unrest in Kashmir valley, with protesters allegedly using the SMS services to spread rumors and incite violence.
An official spokesman of the State Government said, “BSNL and other private telecom companies operating in the State of Jammu & Kashmir have been advised to start the service as soon as possible.” However, the ban on post-paid bulk messages will continue, the spokesman added.
The high-level meeting was also attended by Director General of Police Kuldeep Khoda and Principal Secretary to Government, Home Department, BR Sharma.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/305583/Ban-on-SMS--lifted-in-JK.html
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SAN FRANCISCO: Pay $2.5m to Islamic charity, court tells Feds
December 23, 2010
SAN FRANCISCO: A federal judge ordered the US government to pay over $2.5 million in attorney fees and damages after he concluded investigators wiretapped the phones of a suspected terrorist organisation without a warrant.
US district court Judge Vaughn Walker said the attorneys for the Ashland, Oregon chapter of the now-defunct Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation should receive $2.5 million for waging its nearly five-year legal challenge to the Bush administration's so-called Terrorist Surveillance Program.
Walker also awarded $20,400 to two of the charity's lawyers. They had their phone conversations with Al-Haramain principals monitored. The eavesdropping was discovered when Treasury Department officials mistakenly turned over a document to Al-Haramain lawyers that appeared to be a top-secret call log.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Pay-25m-to-Islamic-charity-court-tells-
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CIA launches task force on WikiLeaks
December 23, 2010
WASHINGTON: The CIA has launched a task force to assess the impact of unauthorised publication of thousands of secret US diplomatic cables by the whistle-blower website WikiLeaks on the agency's foreign relationships and operations.
Called WikiLeaks task Force or WTF, it is focused on the immediate impact of the most recently released files, Washington Post reported.
"One issue is whether the agency's ability to recruit informants could be damaged by declining confidence in the US government's ability to keep secrets," it said.
"The (CIA) Director asked the task force to examine whether the latest release of WikiLeaks documents might affect the agency's foreign relationships or operations," CIA spokesman George Little told the daily.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/CIA-launches-task-force-on-
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Indonesia, religious leaders and UNICEF commit to promote breastfeeding
December 23, 2010
JAKARTA, INDONESIA : As Indonesia commemorates national Mothers Day this week, influential leaders from the government and the country's religious community have come together with the support of UNICEF to promote the importance of breastfeeding.
At a special conference led by the Indonesian Ministry of Health in coordination with the Ministry of Religious Affairs, and building on the World Day for Prayer and Action in November, leaders from Indonesia's Muslim, Christian, Buddhist and Hindu faiths came together to discuss their role in promoting breastfeeding amongst adherents.
"The health of the nation is dependent upon a shared vision and shared action that can only come through practical partnerships," said UNICEF Representative Angela Kearney. "Today we are showing how the public sector and the faith-based community in Indonesia can deliver a practical commitment to improving the health of our children."
Full report at:
http://www.newkerala.com/news/world/fullnews-110786.html
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Dubai court slashes sentences in Chechen slaying
December 23, 2010
A Dubai court on Wednesday slashed the prison terms for two men convicted in the 2009 slaying of a former Chechen warlord from life to just three years in a surprise ruling that highlighted the international intrigue surrounding the case.
The Dubai Appeals Court judge gave no immediate reason for the decision, but the family of the slain Chechen strongman, Sulim Yamadayev, had submitted a letter disavowing any desire for further punishments in connection with the killing.
Four other suspects remain at large, including Russian Parliament member Adam Delimkhanov, and it’s unclear whether the family’s letter also could sway Dubai police to drop their demands for the suspects’ arrest. Delimkhanov has denied any link to the slaying. The justice system in the United Arab Emirates mixes Western codes with Islamic tenets, including giving weight to family appeals such as accepting “blood money” in exchange for leniency in murder cases.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/305548/Dubai-court-slashes-sentences-in-Chechen-
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Shariat Court knocks out 3 sections of women’s protection act
By Iftikhar A. Khan
December 23, 2010
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Shariat Court has declared as unconstitutional and un-Islamic three sections of the Protection of Women Act 2006, holding that these take away the overriding effects of the Hudood Ordinance 1979.
A three-member FSC bench comprising Chief Justice Agha Rafiq Ahmed Khan, Justice Afzaal Haider and Justice Shahzado Sheikh announced its verdict on Wednesday on identical petitions challenging the act.
It declared that sections 11, 28 and 29 incorporated in the Hudood Ordinance during the Musharraf government were in violation of Article 203DD of the Constitution.
The court asked the government to take necessary steps to amend the impugned laws in conformity with the Holy Quran and Sunnah.
The FSC also held that Section 25 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 was against Article 203DD of the Constitution.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/23/shariat-court-knocks-out-3-sections-of-
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Three Iraqi cities call off Christmas festivities
December 23, 2010
KIRKUK: Iraqi Christians on Wednesday called off Christmas festivities in three cities across the country as Al-Qaeda insurgents threatened more attacks on a beleaguered community still terrified from a bloody siege on a Baghdad church.
Church officials in the northern cities of Kirkuk and Mosul along with the southern city of Basra said they will not put up Christmas decorations, have canceled evening Mass and urged people to refrain from decorating their homes. Even an appearance by Santa Claus has been called off.
“Nobody can ignore the threats of Al-Qaeda against Iraqi Christians,” said Chaldean Archbishop Louis Sako in Kirkuk. “We cannot find a single source of joy that makes us celebrate. The situation of the Christians is bleak.”
Christians across Iraq have been living in fear since a Baghdad church attack in October that left 68 people dead. Days later insurgents targeted Christians across the capital with a series of bombs. An Al-Qaeda front group that claimed responsibility for the church siege vowed at the time to carry out a reign of terror against Christians.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article221056.ece
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Iran Sunni militant group to kill hostage: report
December 23, 2010
CAIRO: A spokesman for Iran’s armed Sunni militant group says it will kill an abducted Iranian after authorities rejected an offer to swap the hostage for 200 of the group’s imprisoned members.
Jundallah spokesman Abdel Raouf Rigi is quoted Wednesday by the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat daily as saying the hostage would be killed ”very soon.”
The man was identified as a former worker at an Iranian nuclear facility who was kidnapped two months ago.
Iran on Monday hanged 11 men who authorities said were members of Jundallah, which has long waged an insurgency in the remote Sistan-Baluchistan province.
The executions took place after Jundallah claimed responsibility for an attack earlier this month on Shia worshippers that killed 39 people.
http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/22/iran-sunni-militant-group-to-kill-hostage-report.html
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Iranian lawmakers: Cut ties with Britain
December 23, 2010
(CNN) -- Angered by a British envoy's criticism of Iran's human rights record, Iran is considering severing ties between the two countries, Iranian media said.
"It is time we gave a decisive response to Britain and showed that the Iranian nation will not remain indifferent to such clear insults and flagrant interferences," lawmaker Aziz Akbarian told the semi-official Fars News Agency on Wednesday.
The Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission approved a bill Sunday that would cut diplomatic ties. It was submitted for approval to the full parliament Tuesday.
Simon Gass, the British ambassador in Tehran, wrote on International Human Rights Day earlier this month that the British government will continue to draw attention to people who "are deprived of their fundamental freedoms."
Full report at:
http://157.166.255.31/2010/WORLD/meast/12/22/iran.britain.relations/index.html?hpt=T2
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Iran seeks Turkey’s support in nuclear row
December 23, 2010
LONDON: Iran's fiery President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will be in Turkey on Thursday looking for at least moral support from his increasingly influential neighbor a month before nuclear talks with six major powers in Istanbul.
Iran's agreement to hold another round of negotiations over its nuclear program with Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States was the only tangible result of talks in Geneva this month. Hopes for a breakthrough are slight.
Iran had wanted to hold that meeting in Istanbul also, but the European Union, whose foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton is leading negotiations for the so-called P5+1, resisted as it saw Turkey's involvement in the talks as a complicating factor.
Ahmadinejad's official reason for going to Turkey now is for a meeting that also includes Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asian states, but he will also have one-to-one talks with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article221072.ece
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Saudis do not have a leading role in Al-Qaeda: Ex-militant
December 23, 2010
JEDDAH: In a rare TV interview on Saudi TV broadcast on Tuesday night, Jaber Al-Fifi, a former militant who was No. 20 in the Kingdom’s list of 85 most-wanted militants, said Al-Qaeda did not exist before 9/11 and only came into existence when coalition forces attacked Afghanistan.
Speaking on the Saudi Channel 1 program, Homomna (Our Concerns), Al-Fifi said Saudis did not hold any key positions in Afghanistan or had any leading roles in battles, adding that this was limited to Afghans and Arabs of other nationalities.
The former Guantánamo Bay inmate said the only position given to Saudis was leading a group of 12 people, which he said was a minor role and that the Saudis that were with him in Afghanistan were young, between the ages of 20 and 25.
The 36-year-old underwent a rehabilitation program in the Kingdom on release from Guantánamo Bay, but then fled to Yemen where he joined Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. He gave himself up to Saudi authorities earlier this year and announced he had repented from deviant thought.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article221145.ece
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US medicines for Afghan soldiers disappear
Dec 23, 2010
KABUL: US-donated medicines and pharmaceutical supplies meant to keep the new Afghan army and police healthy have been disappearing before reaching Afghan military hospitals and clinics, and the government said it is removing the army's top medical officer from his post as part of an investigation into alleged corruption.
Afghan Defense Minister Gen Abdul Rahim Wardak told The Associated Press that Surgeon General Ahmad Zia Yaftali was being removed from his post as part of the inquiry.
Three officials from the country's top medical facility, Dawood National Military Hospital in Kabul, have been fired, he said.
It's unclear just how much has gone missing of the USD 42 million worth of medical goods the US has donated this year, and whether any Afghan soldiers have died as a result.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-medicines-for-Afghan-soldiers-
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2 Malaysians freed after 10 months in captivity
December 23, 2010
MANILA: Filipino gunmen with ties to Al-Qaeda-linked militants, under pressure from pursuing police commandos, have freed two Malaysian laborers from 10 months of jungle captivity, police said Wednesday.
The hostages were seized Feb. 8 from a seaweed farm in Malaysia’s Sabah state and whisked away in a speedboat to nearby Philippine waters in a pattern similar to past kidnappings-for-ransom blamed on the notorious terrorist group Abu Sayyaf.
Police commandos, who have been searching for the captives, recovered the two men near Bongao town in the southernmost island province of Tawi-Tawi late Tuesday, national police chief Raul Bacalzo told reporters. He said the gunmen abandoned the hostages after they were encircled by government forces.
The kidnappers escaped and the Malaysians, Chen Yui Chung, 48, and Lai Wong Chun, 46, were flown to Manila. They will be turned over to the Malaysian Embassy after being debriefed by Philippine authorities and checked up in a hospital at police headquarters in the capital.
Full report at:
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Palestinian woman prisoner ends hunger strike
December 23, 2010
RAMALLAH: After 20 days, a Palestinian woman prisoner ended her hunger strike to protest the Israeli decision not be placed in the same prison with her sister, a Palestinian official said on Wednesday.
Issa Qaraqi, the Palestinian minister of detainees and ex-detainees, said that Lanan Abu Ghilmeh ended the strike she launched in early December in the Hasharon (Telmond), a central Israeli prison located between Tel Aviv and Netanya, after its administration accepted her appeal to be placed with her sister Taghreed, who is jailed in the Al-Damon prison, in the Haifa area.
Qaraqi' said that the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) "agreed first to end solitary confinement and isolation of Lanan and to place her with other Palestinian women prisoners in the Al-Damon prison."
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article221073.ece
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Baloch leader held with arms cache
Anita Joshua
December 23, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Shahzain Bugti, the grandson of the former Chief Minister of Balochistan, Nawab Akbar Bugti, was arrested by the Frontier Corps in Quetta on Wednesday for allegedly trying to smuggle a large cache of weapons into the capital of the restive province.
Mr. Bugti — who heads the provincial wing of the Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) founded by his grandfather — was arrested in the early hours of the day as he was returning from Chaman along the Afghanistan border.
According to the Frontier Corps, they had acted on information that Mr. Bugti had purchased weapons and ammunition from Chaman where he had gone to condole the death of a Pashtun leader.
Acting on this information, his convoy was stopped at Baleli check post and the weapons and ammunition — including rocket launchers and anti-aircraft guns — were found in one of the vehicles.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/12/23/stories/2010122364971900.htm
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In poverty-struck Yemen, al-Qaida a low priority
December 23, 2010
SANAA: A doctor would have recognized the signs of chronic malnutrition immediately in the 7-month-old girl _ the swollen stomach, the constant cough. Her mother, though, had only traditional healers to turn to in her Yemeni mountain village, and they told her to stop breastfeeding.
Her milk had spoiled, they said. Their solution: stuff the baby’s nose with ghee.
When that didn’t work, the young mother, Sayeda al-Wadei, made the arduous 60-mile journey through the mountains to the closest hospital with facilities to treat her daughter, in the capital Sanaa.
More than 50 per cent of Yemen’s children are malnourished, rivaling war zones like Sudan’s Darfur and parts of sub-Saharan Africa. That’s just one of many worrying statistics in Yemen.
Nearly half the population lives below the poverty line of $2 a day and doesn’t have access to proper sanitation. Less than a tenth of the roads are paved. Water is running out. Tens of thousands have been displaced from their homes by conflict, flooding into cities. The government is riddled with corruption, has little control outside the capital, and its main source of income oil could run dry in a decade.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/22/in-poverty-struck-yemen-al-qaida-a-low-priority.html
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“Russia and the World of Islam” Published in Moscow
December 23, 2010
A book entitled “Russia and the world of Islam; historical revision and modern attitudes” by W.Y. Blakernitski and E.W. Zayetsoff and N. U. Ulchenko was published in Russian language in Moscow.
(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - A book entitled “Russia and the world of Islam; historical revision and modern attitudes” by W.Y. Blakernitski and E.W. Zayetsoff and N. U. Ulchenko was published in Russian language in Moscow.
It is a collection of the speeches presented at the scientific international conference held in November 2006 at the Faculty of Orientalism in Russia’s Academy of Sciences.
History of relations of Russia and Turkey has been investigated in detailed and Islam in Russian and Ottoman Empire has been discussed in another part.
The mutual relations of Russia with Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan have also been stressed at the book.
Full report at:
http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=217897
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JEDDAH: New tourism projects to create 50,000 jobs
December 23, 2010
JEDDAH: Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal announced Wednesday the government’s plan to establish an airport in Qunfuda, a town on the Red Sea, south of Jeddah, as well as a seaport and an industrial city in Al-Leeth, another town on the Red Sea.
He made this comment after launching a number of tourism projects in Qunfuda and Al-Leeth, in the presence of Prince Mansour bin Miteb, minister of municipal and rural affairs and Prince Sultan bin Salman, chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA).
“We have completed construction of most infrastructure projects in both Qunfuda and Al-Leeth,” the governor said. Prince Sultan said the new tourism projects launched by Prince Khaled would create about 50,000 new jobs for Saudis.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article221139.ece
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JEDDAH: Ittihad, Nasr disappoint, held to draws
December 23, 2010
JEDDAH: Al-Ittihad and Al-Nasr failed to live up to their expectations when both were held 2-2 by Najran and Al-Taawon respectively in round 16 of the Saudi Professional League.
In Najran, Ittihad continued with their dismal performance, when they failed to get the better home team, making it their eighth consecutive draw, a record in the Saudi league.
Nasr on the other hand were held by Al-Taawon in Riyadh.
The result deprived Nasr from temporary claiming top spot in the league table.
The results of these matches worked to the advantage of Al-Hilal who lead the standings with a two-point difference and three pending matches.
Nasr remained in second place with 29 points followed by Ittihad with the same number of points. Najran are 12th in the standings with 14 points and Al-Taawon 11th with 14.
In the third match of the day, Al-Raid defeated Wehda of Makkah 3-2. Al-Raid strengthened their position in the seventh place with 22 points and Wehda remained ninth with 16 points.
Four matches are scheduled for Thursday. In the first match, Al-Ittifaq will host Al-Shabab in Muhammad bin Fahd stadium in Dammam, Qadasiya will host Al-Hazem in Alkhobar, Al-Fateh will play Ahli in Al-Ahsa and Alfaisaly will take on Al-Hilal in Al-Ahsa.
http://arabnews.com/sports/article221098.ece
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Hillary Clinton calls up Krishna, talks Afghanistan, bilateral issues
December 23, 2010
NEW DELHI: India and the US today discussed the status of various initiatives announced during the visit of President Barack Obama a month ago, apart from deliberating on the situation in Afghanistan.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called external affairs minister S M Krishna and had a nearly 40-minute discussion during which both reviewed the situation in the region, including in Afghanistan.
Both sides also talked about the steps to be taken to strengthen the cooperation between the two countries as envisaged by Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during the US President's visit to India in November. They exchanged their views on taking forward the initiatives announced during Obama's tour.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Hillary-Clinton-calls-up-Krishna-talks-Afghanistan-
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J&K gears up for BJP’s Ekta Sankalp rally on Dec 24
December 23, 2010
After launching the fiercest attack yet on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the 2G spectrum issue, the top brass of the BJP, including Chief Ministers of all BJP-ruled States, are gathering here to brainstorm and further sharpen their strategy against the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre.
“At least 70 top BJP leaders including party chief Nitin Gadkari, LK Advani, Leaders of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley respectively, former party presidents Rajnath Singh and Murli Manohar Joshi, along with Chief Ministers of all the BJP-ruled States are reaching here to attend the national office-bearers meeting, followed by ‘Ekta Sankalp rally’ on December 24.
The State police has made tight security arrangements in and around the venue of the meetings to ensure foolproof security of senior leaders, several of whom fall in Z-plus security category.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/305584/JK-gears-up-for-BJP%E2%80%99s-Ekta-Sankalp-
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Mutiny-hit BDR of Bangladesh renamed as BGB
December 23, 2010
Bangladesh has renamed its mutiny-hit paramilitary force BDR as Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), changing its logo as well as uniform.
President Zillur Rahman has assented to the Border Guard Bangladesh Bill 2010 that renames Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), changes its logo and provides death penalty for mutiny, The Daily Star reported. Under the new law, the paramilitary agency will be known as the Border Guards of Bangladesh (BGB).
The Bill will come into effect from December 23. The draft law was passed in Parliament on December 8 after it was tabled on July 14. The Cabinet approved it on July 12. The Government had moved to enact the law repealing the existing one to restructure the BDR in the wake of the heinous killings of army officers at the Pilkhana headquarters in February last year.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/305544/Mutiny-hit-BDR-of-Bangladesh-renamed-as-BGB.html
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Pakistan to set up national forensic agency
December 23, 2010
Islamabad, Dec 23 : Pakistan has decided to establish a national forensic agency (NFA) due to the worsening law and order situation in the country and a budget of Rs.2 billion (23 million dollars) has been approved for setting it up, an official said.
The Express Tribune Thursday reported that the poor law and order situation prompted the government to set up the NFA that will provide forensic science services to the police, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and other government agencies that require it for investigation.
A senior official said that the decision to set up the NFA was taken due to the frequent attacks on security forces and on public places.
The NFA will be run by the interior ministry and its head office will be set up in Islamabad.
The branches of the new agency will be spread across the country, barring Punjab.
Full report at:
http://www.newkerala.com/news/world/fullnews-110830.html
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Pakistan, Iran jockey for influence after bombings
December 23, 2010
ISLAMABAD: As tension grows between Pakistan and Iran after a mosque bombing in Iran, Pakistan could find itself increasingly isolated as its western neighbour looks to increase its influence in the region, analysts say.
Jundollah, a Sunni Muslim militant group Iran says is based in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Baluchistan, claimed responsibility for a Dec. 15 double suicide bombing in the Iranian town of Chabahar that killed 39 people and wounded more than 100.
Iran has demanded Pakistan take action with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad calling this week on his Pakistani counterpart, Asif Ali Zardari, to arrest “identified terrorists” and hand them over to Iran.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/22/pakistan-iran-jockey-for-influence-after-bombings.html
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Pakistan: Petitioner tells PHC he has video of killing of missing people
By Akhtar Amin
December 23, 2010
PESHAWAR: A father of two missing students on Wednesday informed the Peshawar High Court (PHC) that his sons and three relatives were shot dead along with 12 other missing people, who were allegedly picked up by the military and Frontier Corps, on suspicion of being Taliban during an operation in the Frontier Region (FR) Peshawar about 10 months ago.
Asghar Khan, the father of Rahim and Abid, students of 10th and 9th classes respectively, informed a division bench that he has a video of execution of 17 people. Among the executed were his sons and three youngsters, Dad Khan, a first year student, Noor Khan and Samiullah.
Asghar said about three months ago, a man met him at the Kohat bus stand in Peshawar and introduced himself as an MI personnel by the name of Sajid, and took the video from him. He told him that there was pressure on military officers concerned from Islamabad and they were sending the video to Islamabad.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\23\story_23-12-2010_pg7_2
URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=3824
9:40 PM
Moderate Islamist here
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