| Islamic World News | |
| 07 Jul 2011, NewAgeIslam.Com |
| Karachi Ethnic violence, over 60 dead: Live updates | ||
Nineteen killed on second day of Karachi violence
Karachi: Pakistan's untold story of violence
Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh appears on TV
Ahmadinejad slams move to segregate sexes in Iran colleges
Prosecutors unveil face of terror: Riyadh
North Korea paid bribes for Pakistan n-technology: A.Q.Khan
Pakistani Taliban attack kills 38 Afghans
Syrian troops kill 22 in Hama crackdown
11 militants killed in Pakistan
14,000 militants waiting to sneak into J&K 'highly exaggerated': Chidambaram
MUSCAT: 12 jailed for taking part in protests
US warns Palestinians on statehood bid
Red lines’ must not be crossed in war on terror
Taliban deny peace talks with West
Riots erupt in Egyptian city over police trials
800 militants intrude from Afghan side
Pak doc Khalid Chishty can’t walk free yet
An international conference 100th year of birth of great poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Libyan rebels seize desert hamlet in Tripoli push
Qaddafi forces lose two towns
Khalifa hails relations with Kuwait: Wam
UAE ahead of US in justice: index Wam
Drone attacks in conflict with ground realities: PM Gilani
Afghan Taliban attack Upper Dir villages
Pakistan, India FMs likely to meet on 27th
US alerts India on potential human bomb in flights
Mumbai Blast: Mrs Mirchi moves Bombay HC to claim 2 flats
Syrian envoy keen on cultural exchanges with Himachal
Dawood Ibrahim, LeT in Russia's list of terror financiers
Pak nuclear stockpile to touch 200 in a decade: Experts
Afghan, Pak militants breach borders for tit-for-tat attacks
Shahzad killing case: Pak commission summons journalists
Pak rejects UN request for sending mission to Kurram region
Pak-Afghan situation discussed by new US war cabinet
Kayani calls for collective response to terrorism
Gilani calls Karzai over militant raids
Israel-Turkey flotilla talks break down: source
King Abdullah gives new name to Ras Al-Zour
Smoke in cockpit, Saudia plane makes emergency landing at Indian airport
'Don't let Osama kin leave Pakistan'
Days before Sudan splits, North lines up military
Piracy ransom cash ends up with Somali militants
Relatives of 7/7 victims say phones tapped
Iraq calls on Kuwait to stop work on megaport
$7.8 billion expansion for Dubai airport gets go-ahead
Opposition strike cripples Bangladesh
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: A wave of violence has gripped Karachi , with at least 60 people killed over the last 3 days
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| Karachi Ethnic violence, over 60 dead: Live updates | |
Nineteen killed on second day of Karachi violence
Karachi: Pakistan's untold story of violence
Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh appears on TV
Ahmadinejad slams move to segregate sexes in Iran colleges
Prosecutors unveil face of terror: Riyadh
North Korea paid bribes for Pakistan n-technology: A.Q.Khan
Pakistani Taliban attack kills 38 Afghans
Nineteen killed on second day of Karachi violence
Syrian troops kill 22 in Hama crackdown
11 militants killed in Pakistan
14,000 militants waiting to sneak into J&K 'highly exaggerated': Chidambaram
MUSCAT: 12 jailed for taking part in protests
US warns Palestinians on statehood bid
Red lines’ must not be crossed in war on terror
Taliban deny peace talks with West
Riots erupt in Egyptian city over police trials
800 militants intrude from Afghan side
Pak doc Khalid Chishty can’t walk free yet
An international conference 100th year of birth of great poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Libyan rebels seize desert hamlet in Tripoli push
Qaddafi forces lose two towns
Khalifa hails relations with Kuwait: Wam
UAE ahead of US in justice: index Wam
Drone attacks in conflict with ground realities: PM Gilani
Afghan Taliban attack Upper Dir villages
Pakistan, India FMs likely to meet on 27th
US alerts India on potential human bomb in flights
Mumbai Blast: Mrs Mirchi moves Bombay HC to claim 2 flats
Syrian envoy keen on cultural exchanges with Himachal
Dawood Ibrahim, LeT in Russia's list of terror financiers
Pak nuclear stockpile to touch 200 in a decade: Experts
Afghan, Pak militants breach borders for tit-for-tat attacks
Shahzad killing case: Pak commission summons journalists
Pak rejects UN request for sending mission to Kurram region
Pak-Afghan situation discussed by new US war cabinet
Kayani calls for collective response to terrorism
Gilani calls Karzai over militant raids
Israel-Turkey flotilla talks break down: source
King Abdullah gives new name to Ras Al-Zour
Smoke in cockpit, Saudia plane makes emergency landing at Indian airport
'Don't let Osama kin leave Pakistan'
Days before Sudan splits, North lines up military
Piracy ransom cash ends up with Somali militants
Relatives of 7/7 victims say phones tapped
Iraq calls on Kuwait to stop work on megaport
$7.8 billion expansion for Dubai airport gets go-ahead
Opposition strike cripples Bangladesh
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
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Karachi violence, over 60 dead: Live updates
July 7, 2011
KARACHI: A wave of violence has gripped the metropolis on Thursday, with at least 50 people killed over the last 3 days.
8:15pm
Unknown miscreants reportedly set six motorcycles on fire at a factory in Qasba colony.
Traffic department reports that the heavy traffic gridlock near National Stadium and Baloch Colony bridges is easing. While traffic on M. A. Jinnah road is less than normal.
8:09pm
The Karachi Transport Union has called a strike in the city till the transporters are provided with protection. President of the union, Irshad Bokhari, says the strike has been called after four buses were targeted by gunmen today.
Meanwhile, Presidency’s spokesperson Farhatullah Babar says that President Zardari is gravely concerned about the continuous acts of violence in Karachi. He said the President has summoned a meeting of top level officials to find an end to violence in Karachi.
8:05pm
According to Express 24/7, at least 27 people have been killed in shooting incidents in various areas of Karachi since this morning raising the three-day death toll to 60.
8:00pm
Fuel pumps across the city have shut down causing great difficulty for commuters.
One petrol pump on Khayaban-e-Bahria has been besieged by hundreds of motorists and people seeking fuel in bottles. The pump manager says that the station is almost bone-dry.
Some commuters waiting in line at the pump said that they had been waiting for as long as four hours to top up their tanks, however hundreds of people on foot, carrying bottles and jerry-cans had encircled the lone working pump at the station.
7:50pm
The president of People’s Party’s Karachi division, Syed Najmi Alam, General Secretary and the infromation Secretary Latif Mughal have strongly condemned the terrorist attack on Express television reporters on Thursday. They demanded the government provide security to media-men as well as innocent citizens.
7:35pm
Express 24/7 Reporter Shaheryar Mirza reports 10 killed in firing on a bus in Banaras, two in Qasba, one in Metroville areas of Karachi within the past hour.
7:20pm
President Asif Ali Zardari has demanded a report on the ongoing violence in Karachi.
Five people have been killed as gunmen opened fire on two buses in Banaras colony.
Karachi violence: MQM meeting ends, no strike announced
Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) elected representatives will protest against the ongoing wave of violence in Karachi.
MQM Rabita Committee members held a meeting to discuss the ongoing violence in Karachi on Thursday.
Speaking to the media in Karachi, MQM leader Raza Haroon said that the party had taken a number of decisions regarding the inaction over incidents of violence in the city. He said MQM Sindh MPAs will march from Karachi Press Club to the Chief Minister house tomorrow (Friday).
Haroon said the MQM had the option of a strike if the government did not take any action and the situation did not improve in Karachi.
He alleged that security forces were not taking action in areas hit by violence and added that the government was punishing the MQM for leaving the coalition.
MQM protest scheduled
Express 24/7 correspondent, Shaheryar Mirza reported MQM Sindh MPAs will protest outside Karachi Press Club at 3pm tomorrow (Friday). MNAs, MPAs and senators will also protest outside the parliament and the provincial assembly but no date has been given as yet.
Earlier, media reports of the MQM announcing a strike had caused panic across the city, with businesses shutting down and citizens lining up at petrol stations for fuel.
The party has not made any announcement of a strike as yet.
The session was summoned in the backdrop of relentless bloodshed in the city, particularly in localities of Orangi Town, including Gulfamabad, Qasba Colony and the Katti Pahari area.
Violence continues
Eleven people have been killed in different shooting incidents across the city since morning.
Three people were shot dead in Baldia Town, Qasba Colony and Gulistan-e-Johar areas of Karachi. Three others were killed near Makki Masjid in the Garden area.
In the latest episode of violence, two people were killed when unidentified gunmen opened fire on a minibus in Orangi Town.
The Express 24/7 news team was also attacked while covering the situation in Qasba Colony.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik has taken notice of the situation and has sought a report from Inspector General of Police (IG) Sindh. He has also issued directives to deploy more security personnel to violence hit areas of the city.
New security team: Eagle Force
IG Sindh Wajid Durrani has said that a new security force, Eagle Force, will be deployed to the violence hit areas of Karachi.
Speaking to trades at Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI), Durrani said the situation in the city was not satisfactory and security agencies were taking steps to restore law and order.
He said criminal elements were trying to create misunderstanding between political groups.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/204532/karachi-violence-mqm-meeting-ends-no-strike-announced/
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Nineteen killed on second day of Karachi violence
July 07, 2011
KARACHI: After the loss of ten lives on Tuesday in a new upsurge in violence in the city, another 19 people, including five passengers of a minibus, were killed and dozens others injured on Wednesday, taking the death toll to 29 in two days.
The violence which broke out in Orangi Town spread to Lyari, Baldia Town, Site and Gulshan-i-Iqbal areas.
Police said that armed men hijacked the minibus from Rashid Minhas Road and shot the five passengers, three of them relatives, in the head. The assailants managed to escape after dumping the vehicle in the Ziaul Haq Colony in Gulshan-i-Iqbal.
In a few hours after Wednesday midnight, at least five people were killed in different parts of the city.
Police said that armed men on motorcycles shot dead two people near Met Office on the University Road.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/07/07/death-toll-rises-to-22-in-karachi-violence.html
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Karachi: Pakistan's untold story of violence
27 March 2011
Bus in a Karachi street during a transport strike in March 2011 Karachi is increasingly being hit by damaging strikes which have disrupted public transport.
While attention is normally on the fight against the Taliban in Pakistan's north-west, the rising tide of violence in the southern city of Karachi is Pakistan's untold story. The BBC's Syed Shoaib Hasan examines the brutal spate of targeted killings in the country's commercial capital.
The death toll in Karachi is inexorably rising.
According to human rights organisations, 775 people died in political and sectarian shootings and bomb attacks in Karachi in 2010. Although the government puts the figure lower, at about 500 people, Karachi has become a perilous place.
And although thousands are killed every year in the north-west, the impact of the violence in Karachi is arguably no less important. The city is Pakistan's commercial hub.
Business losses
The disturbances and accompanying city-wide shutdowns and strikes have brought this city of 15 million to a standstill, resulting in heavy losses to business and industrial activity.
This has important implications for the rest of the country, because Karachi has Pakistan's only operational commercial port.
Local traders and business associations say that strikes and violence in 2010 have led to the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars, placing pressure on Pakistan's already beleaguered economy.
Police in Karachi Police have sometimes struggled to enforce law and order in one of the world's most crowded cities
Karachi provides 70% of the total annual tax revenue collected by the government.
Yet despite these obvious pressures, Islamabad has not addressed the issue directly.
The spate of killings began to escalate in 2008, largely ignored by the government at the time. But in recent months, this has intensified.
The violence has been largely fuelled by antagonism between the local chapters of three political parties: the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), the mostly Pashtun Awami National Party (ANP) and the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM).
All three parties are partners in the current ruling coalition that governs Pakistan.
Karachi's political balance
The MQM remains Karachi's dominant political party and represents the city's majority Urdu-speaking community - the descendants of Muslim migrants from India at the time of partition in 1947.
In December 2010, Sindh Home Minister Zulfiqar Mirza accused the MQM of being mainly responsible for the extortion and targeted killings prevalent across the city.
Within 48 hours, an enraged MQM withdrew its support for the PPP-led coalition in Islamabad.
The only reason the government could hold onto power was because opposition parties did not bring a no-confidence motion against the government.
The MQM has since been coaxed back into the coalition and now holds the political balance.
However, tensions remain with the ANP and the PPP.
A bus burned by a mob reacting to the target killing of an MQM worker in Karachi on 8 Jan 2011 Commentators worry that Karachi is becoming increasingly dangerous
In Karachi, all three parties have been involved in stoking ethnic passions.
The latter part of the 1980s saw the rise of ethnic and sectarian militants in Karachi. There were ethnic riots, primarily between the Pashtun- and Urdu-speaking communities.
By the 1990s, the situation had become so bad that security forces began operations against what they termed "anti-state and criminal elements".
This was basically a reference to the MQM and its political activists.
Thousands were arrested; many were were later killed in what human rights organisations and the Pakistan media said were staged killings by security forces.
The MQM fought back - and was held responsible for a number of murders of police and security officials
The party said it was targeted by a conservative security establishment for its liberal politics and for fighting for the rights of the Urdu-speaking community.
Pashtun pressure
Things changed under the government of President Pervez Musharraf and the party now enjoys excellent relations with the establishment.
"The MQM's 'new deal' with the establishment is that its control of Karachi will remain unchallenged by the security establishment," a political analyst, who wished to remain unnamed, told the BBC.
"In return, the MQM will support the establishment's policies in the centre."
MQM insiders acknowledge this deal, although they insist the party will never vote for "anything against the spirit of its ideology".
Obviously, this deal stands as long as the MQM controls Karachi.
But since 2006, the party has been increasingly feeling the pressure exerted by the growth of the Pashtun community in the city.
Activists of the Labour Party Pakistan in Karachi in march 2011 Karachi is home to a bewildering number of political parties and campaigning groups
Arriving here in their thousands, the Pashtun newcomers are in competition for land and jobs with the Urdu-speaking community.
MQM leaders say these new arrivals must not be treated as long-term inhabitants of the city - a call at odds with its identity as a party of migrants.
They say that there is a link between the growth of the Pashtun community and the "Talibanisation" of parts of the city - the Taliban is predominantly made up of Pashtun people.
The MQM say they will resist this at all costs, and this bellicosity has led to violence which has claimed dozens of lives.
Some of it has also involved separate turf battles between Karachi's Baloch community - the original inhabitants of the city - and the MQM.
"It's a complex political and ethnic problem which needs to be handled with extreme care," says a local human rights activist.
"Instead, a free-for-all between heavily armed factions continues to claim innocent lives - as the government plays a game of see no evil, hear no evil," he says.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12850353
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Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh appears on TV
7 July 2011
President Saleh has not been seen since the attack last month
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has appeared on TV for the first time since being badly burned in an attack on his palace last month.
Mr Saleh has been undergoing treatment in Saudi Arabia since 6 June following the attack, which officials said was caused by a bomb.
Yemen has been rocked by months of unrest, with protesters calling for Mr Saleh's resignation.
He has refused to step down, and has resisted several mediated solutions.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-1282598
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Ahmadinejad slams move to segregate sexes in Iran colleges
Jul 7, 2011
TEHRAN: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday plans to segregate male and female students at Iranian universities must be halted, drawing another battle line in his ongoing tussle with traditionalist rivals.
As part of a wider drive to assert Islamic values at Iran’s colleges, the minister in charge of higher education has said male and female students must be taught separately when classes begin again in September.
But in a message on his website, Ahmadinejad said the policy must be stopped.
“It has been heard that in some universities, classes and disciplines are being segregated without considering the coincidences,” he said on the website dolat.ir.
“Urgent action is required to prevent these superficial and non-scholarly actions.”
Ahmadinejad’s opposition to sex segregation will further alienate his conservative and religious critics who have become increasingly outspoken against him and his circle of advisers they say belong to a “deviant current” that puts secular nationalism ahead of Islam, posing a potential threat to Iran’s clerical rule.
Seen as an extreme hard-liner by many in the West due to his comments against Israel and Iran’s refusal to curb its nuclear program, at home the populist Ahmadinejad is outflanked on the right by ultra-conservatives who consider he has not adhered closely enough to the values of the Islamic Revolution.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article467747.ece
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Prosecutors unveil face of terror: Riyadh
By MUHAMMAD AL-SULAMI
Jul 7, 2011
RIYADH: Prosecutors on the sixth and final day of the first phase of a trial involving 85 accused terrorists alleged in Riyadh that they used elaborate methods such as a woman’s veil to disguise themselves and poetry praising acts of terrorism to carry out horrific attacks on three compounds in the capital.
They also allegedly purchased surveillance equipment and possessed ammunition caches and hard cash to attack the complexes in 2003 as well as plotting to bomb two air bases.
A special court in Riyadh concluded Wednesday the reading of charges against the men, who were identified only by numbers. The bombing of the three compounds resulted in death and injuries to 239 people. The prosecution is seeking the death penalty for most of the defendants. One 38-year-old defendant, identified as No. 58, is being charged with receiving SR10,000 from Turki Al-Dandani, the mastermind of the terror cell named after him that sought to create mayhem in the Kingdom.
Another defendant, the poet accused of writing odes to recruit young men to the terrorist cause, was caught with 500 rounds of ammunition and SR47,000 in cash, prosecutors said Wednesday. He is also accused of smuggling a militant into Syria from Saudi Arabia.
No. 82 is charged with giving SR150,000 to Abdul Kareem Al-Yajzi, a terrorist who was later killed in a police encounter. He is also accused of having in his possession an explosive belt that has all the signs of belonging to an Al-Qaeda member, a charge he denied in court.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article467850.ece
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North Korea paid bribes for Pakistan n-technology: A.Q.Khan
July 07, 2011
North Korea bribed top Pakistani military officials to have access to sensitive nuclear technology and equipment in the late 1990s, claims disgraced nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan.
Washington Post reported that Khan has made available documents that show he personally transferred over $3 million in payments by North Korea to senior officers in the Pakistani military.
The newspaper said that Khan has also released a copy of a North Korean official's 1998 letter that give details of the clandestine deal.
While Western intelligence officials think the letter is authentic, Pakistani officials have called the letter a fake.
The media report said that if the letter is genuine, it would show corruption related to nuclear weapons.
The letter dated July 15, 1998 and marked "Secret" said that the "3 millions dollars have already been paid" to one Pakistani military official.
"Half a million dollars" and some jewellery had been given to a second official, said the letter bearing the apparent signature of North Korean Workers' Party Secretary Jon Byong Ho.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/351358/North-Korea-paid-bribes-for-Pakistan-n-technology-AQKhan.html
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Pakistani Taliban attack kills 38 Afghans
July 07, 2011
At least 33 police and five civilians were killed in fighting after Taliban crossed over from Pakistan and attacked a remote region in eastern Afghanistan, an official said on Wednesday.
Nuristan provincial governor Jamaluddin Badr said about 40 rebels also died in the two days of clashes that follow weeks of tit-for-tat allegations of cross-border attacks that have fanned diplomatic tensions between the neighbours.
Dozens of rebels who began crossing the border from Pakistan on Tuesday triggered the fight, Badr told AFP, attacking police posts in the Kamdesh district of Nuristan.
“The report we have now from the area is that 33 border police and five civilians, two of them women, have been killed,” he said.
He said most of the dead rebels were Pakistan Taliban.
“The bodies of some of them remain in the area and a clean-up operation is under way right now,” he said.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/351302/Pakistani-Taliban-attack-kills-38-Afghans.html
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Syrian troops kill 22 in Hama crackdown
July 07, 2011
Syrian troops killed at least 22 people in an assault on the flashpoint central city of Hama that prompted US calls for an immediate pullback, human rights activists said on Wednesday.
Troops also wounded more than 80 people as they pushed through improvised roadblocks put up by residents after massive anti-government protests in the city of some 800,000 people, the National Organisation for Human Rights said.
“The wounded are being treated in two hospitals in Hama,” the rights group’s chairman Ammar Qurabi told AFP in Nicosia, adding that troops had entered the Al-Hurani hospital.
“A large number of Hama residents have fled either to the nearby town of Al-Salamiya or towards Damascus,” Qurabi said, adding that there were “continued search and kill operations and arrests in the city.”
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/351126/Syrian-troops-kill-22-in-Hama-crackdown.html
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11 militants killed in Pakistan
July 07, 2011
At least 11 militants were killed in a clash with security forces in Pakistan's northwest region bordering Afghanistan, a media report said.
Around 45 militants were also injured in the clash Wednesday in Upper Dir region, Xinhua reported citing Urdu TV channel ARY.
The militants attacked two villages and destroyed three schools and 20 shops, sources said.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/351352/11-militants-killed-in-Pakistan.html
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14,000 militants waiting to sneak into J&K 'highly exaggerated': Chidambaram
Jul 7, 2011
NEW DELHI: Union home minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday said the reports suggesting that thousands of trained militants are waiting in Pakistan to sneak into Jammu and Kashmir were "highly exaggerated".
"To the best of my assessment it's an exaggerated claim. We know that there are certain number of people from the other side of the border or LoC who are ready to infiltrate but I think that is a much smaller number," he said.
He was responding to a question over a claim made by a Pakistani militant. The unnamed militant reportedly told the `New York Times' that Pakistan has 12,000 to 14,000 fully trained Kashmiri fighters, scattered throughout various camps in Pakistan, and is "holding them in reserve to use if needed in a war against India".
Chidambaram said: "I don't think that this claim is correct that several thousand people have been trained to infiltrate. I think this is a highly exaggerated... whatever we know, whatever we assess the armed forces, the paramilitary forces and the JK police are fully competent to deal with infiltration. They are in fact dealing with infiltration."
He said even on Monday an infiltration attempt was foiled and one attempted infiltrator was killed in Jammu and Kashmir.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Reports-about-14000-militants-waiting-to-sneak-into-JK-highly-exaggerated-Chidmabaram/articleshow/9131720.cms
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MUSCAT: 12 jailed for taking part in protests
7 July 2011
MUSCAT - Twelve people accused of engaging in terrorist activities during protests in Sohar earlier this year have been given jail sentences by the Criminal Court here. Seven of them will serve two and a half years and the rest one year.
The court found the 12 accused guilty of making and possessing bombs and other types of explosives with the intention of carrying out terrorist attacks on security and army personnel and government offices in Sohar. All the accused had confessed to the crime.
The seven sentenced to two and a half years in prison are Khalid bin Hamoud Al Alawi, Amor bin Khamis Al Maqbali, Khalid bin Said Al Badi, Abdulaziz bin Ali Al Shamsi, Khalid bin Hamad Al Badi, Khalid Abdullah Al Badi and Abdulaziz bin Ali Al Maqbali.
The one-year jail term was awarded to Saud bin Rashid Al Ruweishdi, Ali bin Rashid Al Maqbali, Yusuf bin Salim Al Badi, Khalfan bin Said Al Maqbali and Dhahi bin Khadeem Al Omrani.
The charges against Khalfan Al Maqbali included forming a group called ‘Dragon Gang’ which instigated riots, vandalised public and ?private properties and threatened citizens.
ravindranath@khaleejtimes.com
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/July/middleeast_July144.xml§ion=middleeast
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US warns Palestinians on statehood bid
July 07, 2011
WASHINGTON: The United States on Wednesday warned the Palestinians against seeking UN recognition of a future state not first defined in talks with Israel, as a top Palestinian official met here with US diplomats.
“We don’t see a contradiction between the efforts being exerted to revive the peace process and our bid to go to the UN,” chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told reporters after his talks at the US State Department.
Erakat met with US President Barack Obama’s acting Middle East envoy David Hale and senior US diplomat Dennis Ross, according to department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland, who renewed US objections to the Palestinian plan.
“Our goal is to get these parties back to the table, and our position on the idea of a UN action in September remains that it’s not a good idea, that it’s not helpful,” she told reporters.
Her comments came as a senior US official announced that envoys from the diplomatic “Quartet” for Middle East peace – the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States — were to meet in Washington on July 11.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/07/07/us-warns-palestinians-on-statehood-bid.html
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Red lines’ must not be crossed in war on terror: Pak PM
July 07, 2011
SWAT: Cooperation in counter-terrorism warrants a partnership approach which fully accommodates others’ interests and respect for the clearly stipulated “red lines”, asserted Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani as he vowed to eliminate terrorism from the country.
“There is a need to bridge trust deficit and allow Pakistan space to maneuver and contribute significantly without international pressure,” Gilani said in his address to the “National Seminar on De-radicalisation”.
The country, said the premier, faced several challenges in its fight against terrorism, and called for recognition of its efforts in political and military domain for combating terrorism at the international level. “There is a need to bridge trust deficit and allow Pakistan space to maneuver and contribute significantly without international pressure.” He said that the people of Pakistan and state institutions were united in their resolve to take this campaign to its logical end. “Drone attacks inside the borders are in conflict with the ground realities, impacting negatively on our efforts in controlling radical trends”.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\07\07\story_7-7-2011_pg7_1
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Taliban deny peace talks with West
July 07, 2011
KABUL: The Afghan Taliban again refuted on Wednesday claims they had entered into talks with the West to try and find an end to the war, saying any contacts with foreign countries had only been to negotiate prisoner exchanges.
In a statement emailed to media, the Taliban also repeated their long-standing position of rejecting any negotiations for peace as long as foreign troops were in Afghanistan.
“The rumour about negotiation with America is not more than the talks aimed at the exchange of prisoners. Some circles call these contacts as comprehensive talks about the current imbroglio of Afghanistan,” the Taliban said.
“However, this shows their ... lack of knowledge about the reality. It is clear as broad daylight that we consider negotiation in condition of presence of foreign forces as a war strategy of the Americans and their futile efforts.” Last month, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the US was in direct talks with the insurgents but that talks were not at a stage where the Afghan government was sitting down with the insurgents.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\07\07\story_7-7-2011_pg7_5
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Riots erupt in Egyptian city over police trials
July 07, 2011
CAIRO: Hundreds of protesters pelted the security headquarters in the city of Suez with rocks on Wednesday, angered by a court’s decision to uphold the release of seven policemen facing trials for allegedly killing protesters during Egypt’s uprising.
Riots and protests have been escalating recently over what many see as the reluctance of the military rulers to prosecute police and former regime officials for the killing of nearly 900 protesters during the uprising earlier this year.
Ahmed el-Ganadi, the father of a protester killed in Suez during the revolt, said hundreds of residents marched toward the government building housing the courts and security headquarters to protest the court decision. “The courts are corrupt. They are complicit in denying us justice,” el-Ganadi said. “We will no longer wait for a court decision to get our retribution.”
Suez, at the southern tip of the strategic Suez Canal, was the scene of some of the most dramatic confrontations between police and protesters during the 18-day uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak in February. The military council that took over power from Mubarak has promised democratic elections in the coming months and a transition to a civil government. Justice for those who killed demonstrators has become a rallying point for the protest movement, which has splintered in political debates over how to manage the transition period. “This is the spark. God help us with what is to come,” el-Ganadi said. The court in Suez rejected an appeal of the decision in a Cairo court on Monday to release on bail seven policemen facing trial for the killings of 17 protesters in Suez.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\07\07\story_7-7-2011_pg4_2
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800 militants intrude from Afghan side
July 07, 2011
DIR – More than 800 Afghan militants attacked the Pak-Afghan border area of Dir and set ablaze a government school.
Sources said that some 800 militants equipped with heavy automatic weapons entered in Pak-Afghan borders village Kharao of Barawal area and set ablaze a government school.
Heavy contingent of security forces and volunteers of Local Aman Laskhar after getting information of the attack reached the scene and repulsed the attack. Exchange of fire between the security persons and Afghan militants continued for several hours but no causality or injury was reported.
It is worth mentioning that Afghan militants have repeatedly attacked the border areas causing human and property losses.
On one hand Pakistan was boosting bilateral cooperation with Karzai led Afghan government and playing important part in restoration of peace and reconstruction of destroyed infrastructure in Afghanistan and on other hand Afghan insurgents were sabotaging the peace efforts creating rifts and widening the gaps.
Full report at:
http://dailymailnews.com/0711/07/FrontPage/index.php?id=4
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Pak doc Khalid Chishty can’t walk free yet
By Sudhanshu Mishra in Jaipur
THE FATE of 78- year- old Pakistani virologist Dr Syed Mohammad Khaleel Chishty, sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, is hanging in balance as Rajasthan’s acting governor Shivraj Patil seems to be weighing his options on his mercy petition.
Khaleel is in prison since his conviction in January this year, but owing to his failing health, Supreme Court Justice Markandey Katju had written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in June seeking his early release.
On June 17, Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot had cleared Khaleel’s mercy petition on humanitarian grounds, but since then, the file has been lying with Patil, who has sent it back to the state home department seeking additional information.
Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and senior journalist Kuldip Nayar, who have been campaigning for Khaleel’s release, met Patil in April to press their demand. Bhatt was in Jaipur on Tuesday where he once again urged the central and state governments to consider the mercy petition favourably and ensure that Khaleel returns home alive.
When the Karachi- based virologist was sentenced by Ajmer’s additional session judge Sohan Lal Sharma in a 1992 murder case, Khaleel could hardly get on his feet.
A heat attack had severely paralysed the left part of his body. He had also fractured his hip three years before the verdict.
Full report at: Mail Today
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An international conference 100th year of birth of great poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Intel conference on Faiz in New York from June 24 NEW YORK An international conference, Aalami Urdu Conference, to commemorate 100th year of birth of great poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz will be held in New York on June 24.
Poets, singers and writers from different countries, including Pakistan, India, UAE, UK and Canada, will attend the three-day conference. The organiser of the conference, Khalilur Rehman, said it was the biggest conference of the world to commemorate Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
He said Faiz through his poetry gave message of justice and equality and it was for this reason, Faiz was alive in the hearts of masses. He said purpose of the conference was to promote harmony between different countries and people from different countries will participate in the conference. “Faiz was not a poet of one country. Rather he lives in the heart of every person who believes in freedom and justice,” Khalilur Rehman added.Daily times.
Full report at:
http://pakedu.net/pakistani-education-news/new-york-an-international-conference-100th-year-of-birth-of-great-poet-faiz-ahmed-faiz/
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Libyan rebels seize desert hamlet in Tripoli push
July 07, 2011
Libyan rebels on Wednesday seized the desert hamlet of Gualish on the first day of a NATO-backed push on the capital Tripoli and captured a number of African mercenaries.
Buoyed by French arms drops and NATO-led air strikes, the rebels attacked positions in the Gualish area, in the plains north of their enclave in the Nafusa mountains southwest of Tripoli.
During the operation, they captured a number of mercenaries, some of whom were seen in a pick-up truck.
Earlier, a rebel leader from the hill town of Zintan said his forces had coordinated their assault with NATO, which has stepped up its bombing campaign by destroying frontline armour of Muammer Gaddafi’s regime in the past week.
“We waited before launching this assault and finally got the green light from NATO this morning and the offensive began,” the rebel leader said.
There were intense exchanges of artillery, mortar and cannon fire between the rebel fighters and Government troops dug in around Gualish.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/351116/Libyan-rebels-seize-desert-hamlet-in-Tripoli-push.html
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Libyan rebels seize desert hamlet in Tripoli push
July 07, 2011
Libyan rebels on Wednesday seized the desert hamlet of Gualish on the first day of a NATO-backed push on the capital Tripoli and captured a number of African mercenaries.
Buoyed by French arms drops and NATO-led air strikes, the rebels attacked positions in the Gualish area, in the plains north of their enclave in the Nafusa mountains southwest of Tripoli.
During the operation, they captured a number of mercenaries, some of whom were seen in a pick-up truck.
Earlier, a rebel leader from the hill town of Zintan said his forces had coordinated their assault with NATO, which has stepped up its bombing campaign by destroying frontline armour of Muammer Gaddafi’s regime in the past week.
“We waited before launching this assault and finally got the green light from NATO this morning and the offensive began,” the rebel leader said.
There were intense exchanges of artillery, mortar and cannon fire between the rebel fighters and Government troops dug in around Gualish.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/351116/Libyan-rebels-seize-desert-hamlet-in-Tripoli-push.html
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Qaddafi forces lose two towns
Jul 7, 2011
TRIPOLI: Opposition fighters in western Libya seized two mountain towns from government troops Wednesday, while the embattled regime of Muammar Qaddafi said it would set up a special court to try opposition leaders for treason.
The opposition advances mark small progress in a largely deadlocked civil war. Fighting began nearly five months ago when a popular uprising against Qaddafi quickly escalated into armed conflict.
NATO said Wednesday that its warplanes have destroyed 2,700 military targets, including 600 Libyan tanks and artillery guns and nearly 800 ammunition stores, since the alliance began bombing Qaddafi-linked sites in March, under a UN mandate to protect Libyan civilians.
Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen warned that Qaddafi's forces remain a threat. "Without NATO there would be a massacre. Qaddafi would be free to use his tanks and missiles on towns and markets," he said. "We will not let that happen."
NATO's campaign was intended to deliver a sharp, devastating blow. However, with the campaign dragging on inconclusively, there have been increasing international calls for a negotiated end to the war. The ragtag opposition forces to the east and south of Qaddafi's stronghold in the capital Tripoli have failed to achieve a breakthrough in recent months.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article467736.ece
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Khalifa hails relations with Kuwait Wam
7 July 2011,
The President on Wednesday described the fraternal ties between the UAE and Kuwait as “deep” and bilateral cooperation as “constructive” under the umbrella of the GCC.
The President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on Wednesday described the fraternal ties between the UAE and Kuwait as “deep” and bilateral cooperation as “constructive” under the umbrella of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
“We are always eager to meet with Kuwaiti brethren and to elevate the scale of joint cooperation to match that of brotherhood bonds so as to better serve the mutual interests and consolidate the GCC joint action,” Shaikh Khalifa said as he welcomed visiting Kuwaiti Prime Minister Shaikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah at Al Rawdha Palace here.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2011/July/theuae_July185.xml§ion=theuae
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UAE ahead of US in justice index Wam
7 July 2011
The UAE has been ranked first in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and the 13th rank globally in the World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index which covers 66 countries.
According to the index, the UAE came ahead of the United States which ranked 20.
The WJP’s Rule of Law Index is a new tool developed and administered by the WJP to measure countries’ adherence to the rule of law in practice and provides new data regarding a variety of dimensions of the rule of law.
This is the first index to cover the rule of law comprehensively. The index is designed to provide governments, businesses, NGOs, and civil society, with a tool to plan targeted, effective reforms, and will show incremental change over the course of time.
The index is based on eight factors — limited government powers, absence of corruption, order and security, fundamental rights, open government, regulatory enforcement, access to civil justice and effective criminal justice.
In order and security, the UAE scored 90, absence of corruption 82 and effective criminal justice 84.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2011/July/theuae_July184.xml§ion=theuae
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Drone attacks in conflict with ground realities: PM Gilani
July 07, 2011
MINGORA: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday said drone attacks inside Pakistan’s borders were in conflict with ground realities and negatively impacted the country’s efforts to control radical trends.
Addressing a seminar on de-radicalisation organised by the Pakistan Army here at the University of Swat, the prime minister said that Pakistan’s efforts to combat terrorism, both in the political and military domains, needed recognition at the international level. “There is need to bridge the trust deficit and allow Pakistan space to manoeuvre and contribute significantly without international pressure,” he said.
He said that cooperation in counter-terrorism warranted a partnership approach, which fully accommodated others’ interests and was based on respect for clearly stipulated red lines. “The global resolve should manifest commitment in addressing root causes that militants exploit as psychological tools,” he said.
The prime minister said that working out such a strategy required serious and enduring commitment among stakeholders, adding that pursuing narrow interests at the cost of coalition partners and the aspirations of the people would be self-defeating. Sovereignty and self-respect of partners have to be respected, he said.
“Pakistan’s counter terrorism strategy is home grown and indigenous in character and based on the dictates of the environment. We are following a ‘4D strategy’ at the national level, which includes dialogue, deterrence, development and defeating terrorists’ ideology and mindset,” PM Gilani underscored.
Full report at:
http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?241231
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Afghan Taliban attack Upper Dir villages
July 07, 2011
PESHAWAR: Hundreds of militants based in Afghanistan once again attacked Upper Dir villages bordering the Kunar province of Afghanistan but suffered 14 fatalities, officials and locals said on Wednesday.
Up to 33 Afghan cops and five civilians were killed in fighting that ensued after militants crossed over from Pakistan and launched an attack in Nuristan province. One member of the anti-militants Lashkar in Upper Dir, who suffered serious injuries in the fighting, died while three others were wounded in the daylong fighting.
An official based in Barawal, a major town of Upper Dir in the border region, said three militants had been captured alive during the fighting. He said they belonged to a militant organisation but their nationalities were unknown.
The militants launched the attack in Nusrat Darra, a small village on the Afghanistan border, at around 5:00am in the morning. The village is a native area of Lashkar chief, Shad Malik. Different government officials put the number of the militants between 100 to 700.
Militants torched a government middle school for boys, locals said. Soldiers from the Pakistan Army and Frontier Corps, already present in the area, rushed to the village to retaliate.
Full report at:
http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?241233
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Pakistan, India FMs likely to meet on 27th
Muhammad Saleh Zaafir
July 07, 2011
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and India will have two working groups’ separate meeting for chalking out confidence building measures (CBMs) proposals on expanding facilities for cross line of control (LoC) movement and mutual nuclear safety CBMs mid this month before having full fledged dialogue of their foreign ministers being scheduled for the last week of the month.
It is likely that the foreign ministers of two countries will meet on July 27 in New Delhi. Pakistan will have to designate its full-fledge foreign minister before that. Hina Rabbani Khar, Minister of State (MoS) for Foreign Affairs, is among the front runners for the slot. The new foreign minister will have talks with his/her Indian counterpart S M Krishna. The two foreign secretaries, who had extensive round of talks on 23rd and 24th of June in Islamabad, will have preparatory discussions before the talks.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=56442&Cat=2&dt=7/7/2011
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US alerts India on potential human bomb in flights
Jul 7, 2011
WASHINGTON: The United States has alerted international carriers, including those from India, flying directly into its territory, that terrorist groups might surgically implant bomb into human beings to carry out attacks.
"This is new intelligence about a possible technique that could be used, however, there is nothing to indicate an imminent threat," a senior US security official said on condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to discuss intelligence information with the media.
The heightened communications and activities by the US, it is learnt, are in response to a potential threat, but there is no specific information about an imminent threat coming from a particular area.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/US-alerts-India-on-potential-human-bomb-in-flights/articleshow/9134406.cms
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Mumbai Blast: Mrs Mirchi moves Bombay HC to claim 2 flats
Shibu Thomas
Jul 7, 2011
MUMBAI: Eighteen years after the couple fled India just before the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, the wife of one of the world's top drug barons, Iqbal Mirchi, has returned to India and approached the Bombay High Court to stake her claim to two flats located in a prime area of the city.
Now a British national, Heena Kausar (55), a smalltime yesteryears Bollywood actress, has urged the court to revoke the detention order against her husband so that the seal on the two flats she owns in Juhu can be lifted. The flats are in Milton Apartments on Juhu Tara Road.
A division bench of Justice B H Marlapalle and Justice U D Salvi on Wednesday issued notices to the state and the Union government and asked them to file their affidavits in three weeks' time.
In her petition, Heena claimed that she is "visiting India to protect her civil rights" .
Iqbal Mirchi was declared a "proclaimed offender" by the Indian government in 1994. He has been ranked among the top drug barons in the world by a United Nations report and has an Interpol Red Corner notice pending against him.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Mrs-Mirchi-moves-Bombay-HC-to-claim-2-flats/articleshow/9132121.cms
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Syrian envoy keen on cultural exchanges with Himachal
Jul 7, 2011
SHIMLA: The Syrian ambassador to India, Dr Riad Kamel Abbas, has shown keen interest in cultural exchange programmes with Himachal Pradesh and has also expressed interest in enrolling students from that country in professional courses of law, management and IT being offered at the Himachal Pradesh University.
Dr Abbas disclosed about the interest at a meeting with vice-chancellor of HPU, Prof ADN Bajpai on Tuesday at Syrian embassy in New Delhi. ``HPU is a reputed university and students from Syria will benefit from education at its various centres, including the international centre for distance education and open learning (ICDEOL),`` he said.
The cultural heritage of Himachal is quite unique and Syria would encourage exchange of cultural troupes with Himachal to showcase the rich heritage which would further strengthen the historical and cultural ties between India and Syria, he said. Dr Abbas would be the guest of honour at the three-day foundation day function of HPU on July 22.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Syrian-envoy-keen-on-cultural-exchanges-with-Himachal/articleshow/9132931.cms
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Dawood Ibrahim, LeT in Russia's list of terror financiers
Jul 7, 2011
Russia has identified underworld don Dawood Ibrahim as a financier of terrorism through money laundering.
MOSCOW: Russia has identified underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, and Pakistan-based terror outfits LeT, HuJI and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi as financiers of terrorism through money laundering, telling people to exercise caution while entering into financial deals.
The comprehensive list also recognises Jamaat-ud-Dawa, led by Mumbai terror attack accused Hafiz Saeed, as a cover used by Lashkar-e-Taiba.
The list was published on Wednesday by the Russian government daily 'Rossiiskaya Gazeta', which said the purpose of publishing it was to help banks and general public while they are entering into normal financial and other deals, because the money launderers often use the normal channels in their activities like sale and purchase of a house.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Dawood-Ibrahim-LeT-in-Russias-list-of-terror-financiers/articleshow/9127921.cms
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Pak nuclear stockpile to touch 200 in a decade: Experts
Jul 7, 2011
WASHINGTON: Pakistan has the world's fastest-growing nuclear stockpile and it could achieve 150-200 warheads in a decade despite the political instability in the country, two top American atomic experts have said.
Pakistan is in the process of building two new plutonium production reactors and a new reprocessing facility to fabricate more nuclear weapons fuel, wrote nuclear experts Hans M Kristensen and Robert S Norris in the latest issue of Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.
In their paper 'Pakistan's nuclear forces, 2011', the authors estimate that if Pakistan's expansion continues, its nuclear weapons stockpile could reach 150-200.
"Despite its political instability, Pakistan continues to steadily expand its nuclear capabilities and competencies; in fact, it has the world's fastest-growing nuclear stockpile," they wrote.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pak-nuclear-stockpile-to-touch-200-in-a-decade-Experts/articleshow/9134454.cms
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Afghan, Pak militants breach borders for tit-for-tat attacks
Jul 7, 2011
ASAD ABAD, AFGHANISTAN: Up to 33 policemen and five civilians were killed in fighting after Taliban crossed over from Pakistan and attacked a remote region in eastern Afghanistan, an official said on Wednesday.
Nuristan provincial governor Jamaluddin Badr said about 40 rebels also died in the two days of clashes that followed weeks of tit-for-tat allegations of cross-border attacks that have fanned diplomatic tensions.
But the interior ministry contradicted the toll and said 12 policemen had died and another five were wounded. Dozens of rebels who began crossing the border from Pakistan on Tuesday triggered the fight, Badr said, attacking police posts in the Kamdesh district of Nuristan.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Afghan-Pak-militants-breach-borders-for-tit-for-tat-attacks/articleshow/9132652.cms
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Shahzad killing case: Pak commission summons journalists
July 07, 2011
AP Pak journalists protest against the killing of Syed Saleem Shahzad in Hyderabad, Pakistan. File photo
The Pakistani judicial commission probing Saleem Shahzad’s killing has summoned 16 reporters to appear before it on July 9 to record their statements.
The list of journalists asked to appear before the commission includes Hamid Mir, Zahid Hussain, Talat Hussain, Naseem Zehra and Matiullah Jan, Aizaz Syed, Umer Cheema and president APNS Hameed Haroon among others.
The commission has asked journalists to provide information and help the investigation move forward.
“The commission decided to summon individuals so that their statements could be recorded,” commission’s secretary Taimur Azmat said on Wednesday after a meeting of the panel held in the Supreme Court’s Lahore Registry.
He said the commission had also asked the public to submit any information they may have on the abduction and killing of Shahzad but only two persons had approached the body in this regard.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2207045.ece
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Pak rejects UN request for sending mission to Kurram region
July 07, 2011
Citing security reasons, the Pakistan Government has turned down a UN request to allow it to send a mission to the restive Kurram tribal region to begin humanitarian services in the wake of a military operation against militants there.
The UN had requested the federal Government to facilitate its access to Kurram to assess the situation after the military action and subsequent mass displacement, the Dawn daily reported on Wednesday, quoting unnamed sources.
The request by the UN had not been accepted by the Government owing to security reasons, the sources said.
The Government had launched a military operation in Kurram on July 3, an action that led to exodus of people from the area as 500 families so far have registered in the lone camp established to cope with displacement of people.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/351123/Pak-rejects-UN-request-for-sending-mission-to-Kurram-region.html
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Pak-Afghan situation discussed by new US war cabinet
July 07, 2011
WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama has reviewed the situation in the Pak-Afghan region with his revamped war cabinet.
The White House confirmed that in a Tuesday afternoon meeting President Obama discussed his plans for a gradual transition of responsibilities from US to Afghan authorities with three key members of his new war team.
Two of these, the new US commander for Afghanistan and the new US ambassador in Kabul will be implementing his civilian and military strategy in the war-ravaged country.
Another key member, the new Secretary of Defence, Leon Panetta, will supervise US war efforts from his headquarters in Washington.
“The president and his team discussed implementation of the next phase of our strategy in Afghanistan,” the White House said in a statement. The talks focused on the “consolidation of the gains that have been made in breaking the Taliban’s momentum and training Afghan Security Forces”.
On Tuesday, President Obama also invited the outgoing Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Michael Mullen and Vice President Joe Biden to the Oval office as he discussed his war plans with Gen John Allen, who will take over the Nato and US command in Afghanistan, and the new US ambassador to Kabul, Ryan Crocker.
http://www.dawn.com/2011/07/07/pak-afghan-situation-discussed-by-new-us-war-cabinet.html
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Kayani calls for collective response to terrorism
July 07, 2011
MINGORA: Chief of the Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has called for a collective response by all organs of the state to terrorism and extremism.
In his key-note address at a seminar on ‘de-radicalisation’ here on Wednesday, he said: “No single organ of the state is configured to mount a wholesome response to the challenges confronting national security.”
He asked for expanding army’s initiative of de-radicalisation. “We have taken the first step here in Swat by initiating a de-radicalisation programme, it needs support and initiative of the society, intellectuals and policy-makers to take the lead and put into effect a counter-radicalisation construct, not only to sustain the de-radicalisation effort, but also to assure a free and progressive future for Pakistan.”
APP adds: Gen Kayani said Pakistan Army, being a national army, derived its strength from the people of Pakistan and was answerable to the people and their representatives in parliament.
Full report at: http://www.dawn.com/2011/07/07/kayani-calls-for-collective-response-to-terrorism.html
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Gilani calls Karzai over militant raids
July 07, 2011
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani called the Afghan president on Wednesday to convey “serious” concern over cross-border incursions by militants, his office said.
Gilani’s telephone call to President Hamid Karzai came as Pakistani officials accused several hundred militants of crossing the border and attacking a village in the Pakistani district of Upper Dir, killing an anti-Taliban elder and setting fire to three schools.
It was the latest in a series of cross-border incidents that have fanned diplomatic tensions between the neighbours.
Also on Wednesday, Afghan officials said up to 33 police and five civilians were killed in fighting after Taliban militants crossed over from Pakistan and attacked a remote region in eastern Afghanistan.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/07/06/gilani-calls-karzai-over-militant-raids.html
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Israel-Turkey flotilla talks break down: source
July 07, 2011
ISTANBUL: An UN-sponsored report accused Israel of using force prematurely and causing “unacceptable” deaths in its assault of a Gaza-bound ship that killed nine Turks over a year ago, a Turkish source said Thursday.
Israel and Turkey failed to reach agreement, refusing to sign the report about the Israeli raid on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara in May last year, which was due to be handed to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon later Thursday, the source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
“Non-violent options should have been used in the first instance,” the Turkish source quoted the report as saying.
The dead and wounded resulting from the raid were “unacceptable,” the report added.
The Mavi Marmara was leading a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory, subject to an Israeli-imposed blockade, when an intervention by Israeli security forces in international waters ended in bloodshed.
Nine Turkish passengers were killed in the assault on the ship that had been chartered by a Turkish Islamist group.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/07/07/israel-turkey-flotilla-talks-break-down-source.html
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King Abdullah gives new name to Ras Al-Zour
Jul 7, 2011
RIYADH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has changed the name of the Ras Al-Zour on the Arabian Gulf to Ras Al-Khair, President of the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu Prince Saud bin Abdullah bin Thunayan said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency on Wednesday.
The Royal Commission is carrying out SR1.6 billion infrastructure work in this developing industrial city 60 kilometers north of Jubail, Eastern Province.
The mineral deposits of phosphate and bauxite found in Hazm Al-Jalameed and Zabirah are to be processed in the industrial facilities in Ras Al-Khair. SAR built a railway line from Hazm Al-Jalameed to Ras Al-Khair to carry minerals.
The king also ordered the linking of Ras Al-Khair with Dammam and Jubail by rail two weeks ago.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article467844.ece
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Smoke in cockpit, Saudia plane makes emergency landing at Indian airport
By GHAZANFAR ALI KHAN
Jul 7, 2011
RIYADH: A Saudi Arabian Airlines flight on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Jeddah made an emergency landing at Chennai airport in India after pilots noticed smoke coming from the cockpit.
“Flight SV841 took off from Chennai for Jeddah a few hours later after it was checked by engineers and technicians at an isolation bay in the airport,” said Saudia spokesman Abdullah Al-Azhar in Riyadh on Wednesday.
Al-Azhar pointed out that the plane, which was carrying 200 passengers, made the landing after smoke was detected by the pilots.
“It was not a major problem and all passengers are safe,” said the spokesman, adding that the passengers were evacuated immediately after landing.
Flight SV841 was crossing India when the pilots noticed smoke and notified air traffic control at Chennai airport.
The ATC allowed the aircraft to land and made necessary arrangements at the airport. The aircraft was thoroughly checked before it was finally certified as fit to fly.
This is the second instance of technical problems reported by a Saudia plane over the last 45 days. A Mumbai-Jeddah flight with 270 passengers on board was grounded at Mumbai airport on May 31 because of a technical glitch.
In another incident, a Saudia flight made an emergency landing at Athens International Airport recently due to a false fire alarm in the cargo hold.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article467807.ece
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'Don't let Osama kin leave Pakistan'
Jul 7, 2011
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani commission probing Osama bin Laden's presence in the country has directed the interior ministry and ISI to ensure that the slain al-Qaida chief's wives and children do not leave the country without its permission.
Two of bin Laden's wives and at least six of his children were detained by Pakistani security forces from the Abbottabad complex, where a covert US raid killed the world's most wanted terrorist on May 2.
The family is believed to be in the custody of the ISI. "The ministry and ISI have been directed to ensure that the family of Osama is not repatriated from Pakistan without the consent of the commission," panel said a statement.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Dont-let-Osama-kin-leave-Pakistan/articleshow/9132725.cms
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Days before Sudan splits, North lines up military
Jul 7, 2011
KHARTOUM: North Sudan has massed what looks like a large convoy of troops in its Southern Kordofan oil state, the site of clashes that have threatened the peaceful secession of the south, a satellite monitoring group said on Wednesday.
The United Nations said both sides in the fighting had prevented its staff from visiting thousands of civilians caught up in the conflict and left humanitarian workers powerless and trapped in their compounds , according to an internal report seen by Reuters.
More than 73,000 civilians have fled since clashes between the northern army and southlinked forces started in early June in the northern oil-producing state that borders the south, according to UN reports.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Days-before-Sudan-splits-North-lines-up-military/articleshow/9132707.cms
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Piracy ransom cash ends up with Somali militants
By RICHARD LOUGH
Jul 7, 2011
NAIROBI: Ransoms paid to Somali pirates to free merchant vessels are ending up in the hands of Islamist militants, laying shipping groups open to accusations of breaching international sanctions, UN officials told Reuters.
John Steed, the principal military adviser to the UN special envoy to Somalia and head of the envoy’s counter-piracy unit, said links between armed pirate gangs and Somalia’s Al-Qaeda-affiliated rebels were gradually firming.
“The payment of ransoms just like any other funding activity, illegal or otherwise, is technically in breach of the Somalia sanctions regime if it makes the security situation in Somalia worse,” said Steed.
“Especially if it is ending up in the hands of terrorists or militia leaders — and we believe it is, some directly, some more indirectly,” said Steed, a retired military officer.
Ransom demands have risen steadily in recent years. According to one study, the average ransom stood at $5.4 million in 2010, up from $150,000 in 2005, helping Somali pirates rake in nearly $240 million last year.
Steed acknowledged he had no proof of an operational relationship between the pirates and the Al-Qaeda-linked al Shabaab rebels who control much of southern and central Somalia and parts of the capital Mogadishu.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article467755.ece
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Relatives of 7/7 victims say phones tapped
Jul 07 2011
London : British Prime Minister David Cameron Wednesday said there should be an official inquiry into a phone hacking scandal at Rupert Murdoch’s News International that has prompted national outrage.
“We do need to have an inquiry, possibly inquiries, into what has happened,” Cameron told parliament. People had been revolted by the affair, in which journalists were said to have tapped into the mobile phone of an abducted girl Milly Dowler who was later found to have been murdered.
The government has been under increasing pressure to hold an inquiry after allegations of phone hacking against the top-selling tabloid News of the World spread beyond politicians and celebrities to victims of crime.
British lawmakers staged an emergency debate Wednesday to vent their outrage over a widening phone hacking scandal.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/813833/
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Iraq calls on Kuwait to stop work on megaport
7 July 2011
BAGHDAD — Iraqi Transportation Minister Hadi Al Amari said on Wednesday that neighbouring Kuwait must stop work on its Mubarak port project because it will block Iraqi access to shipping lanes.
“The construction of this port ... demonstrates the clear intention of Kuwait to block shipping lanes from Iraqi ports and contradicts UN resolutions,” he told reporters, adding that it would “strangle” Iraq’s main export terminal in the southern city of Basra.
“We say we will not accept that Basra and Iraq be strangled in any way,” the minister said angrily.
Kuwait began work on the $1.1 billion port in May. The facility, on Kuwait’s Bubyan Island, is scheduled for completion in 2016.
“We feel it is necessary to stop work, especially since only 14 percent of the work has been completed; its location can be changed,” Amari said.
“We have the right to free traffic movement in the sea,” government spokesman Ali Al Dabbagh said on state-run Iraqiya television.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/July/middleeast_July150.xml§ion=middleeast
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$7.8 billion expansion for Dubai airport gets go-ahead
7 July 2011
Dubai Airports on Wednesday announced a $7.8 billion, or Dh28.8 billion, airport and airspace expansion programme that will boost the capacity at Dubai International Airport to nearly 100 million passengers by 2020.
His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and the Ruler of Dubai, endorsed the programme earlier this week.
Aviation analysts welcomed the announcement and said the expansion plan shows strong future growth and it is extremely good news for the Middle East airlines that are undergoing fleet expansion plans.
The 10-year programme’s strategy includes aggressive expansion plans for airspace, airfield, aircraft stands and terminal areas at Dubai International over the remainder of the decade, which will optimise investment, deliver timely capacity and create a robust revenue stream, fuelled by increased commercial and retail income. This will fund the development of Dubai World Central in the long term.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/business/2011/July/business_July127.xml§ion=business
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Opposition strike cripples Bangladesh
By JULHAS ALAM
Jul 7, 2011
DHAKA: Schools and businesses were shuttered and transportation was disrupted in major cities across Bangladesh on Wednesday as opposition parties led a general strike against a constitutional amendment they say will allow the government to rig elections.
The Ministry of Home Affairs said thousands of security personnel were deployed in the capital, Dhaka, to prevent violence, which often occurs during such protests.
Clashes between protesters and police were reported in various parts of the country.
Police scuffled with some opposition lawmakers in a melee near Parliament. Zainal Abdin Farooque, chief whip of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, was hospitalized with a head injury.
Police cordoned off the headquarters of the party, led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article467838.ece
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9:45 PM
Moderate Islamist here
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