International Islamic Conference on Prophetic Sunnah urges the UN to enact global anti-blasphemy laws
New Age Islam News Bureau
13 Jan 2013
Arab World
• International Islamic Conference on Prophetic Sunnah urges the UN to enact laws which incriminate the desecration of religions
• Insight: Foreign fighters seek Islamic state in post-Assad Syria
• Iraq Attacks Kill 4, Including 7-Year-Old Boy
• Egyptian court accepts Mubarak appeal, orders retrial
• Historic decision enthuses Saudis, expatriates alike
South Asia
• Impose ban on religion based politics
• Ratification of limits on freedom of assembly won’t affect ‘revolution’: MDP
• Blast in Afghanistan kills seven civilians
• Foreign Ministry launches Blue Ribbon Campaign Against Human Trafficking
• 3 Rohingyas arrested with Bangladeshi passports
• Millions attend Islamic gathering in Bangladesh
• Despite Taliban Threat, Afghanistan Manages to Entice Some Tourists
Europe
• Hollande ups security in France after Mali, Somalia action
• Vowing revenge, thousands rally in Paris over Kurd killings
• Kosovo wants all OIC states to recognize it
• Britain to provide France with logistical support in Mali against Islamists
• UN chief urges international action on Syria
• Russia Says It Supports U.N. Envoy for Syria
• Italy Foreign Minister Condemns Benghazi Attack on Consul
Africa
• Eight civilians killed in French Somalia raid: Witnesses
• At least 11 killed during Mali military operation
• African troops due in Mali as French jets stop Islamists
• France hostage rescue mission in Somalia fails spectacularly as Islamists kill 2 soldiers, but lose 17 men
• France bombs Mali rebels, African states ready troops
Pakistan
• N Waziristan blast kills 14 security personnel
• Taliban chief asks outfit to abide by peace pact
• Pakistani Taliban say they will not attack Pak army
• Malik terms Qadri’s march as “suicide attack on democracy”
• 1,113 children murdered last year: report
• Pakistan mum on brigadier-level talks
• Protests against Quetta carnage continue across the country
• Blast in Lower Kurram tribal region kills one, injures eight
• IED blast kills child, leaves one injured in Quetta
• Call for sacking of Balochistan CM
• ‘Free education to children of terrorism victims’
• Only UN can find the truth, says Pakistani daily
• Pakistani PM to meet Shiites refusing to bury dead
• Free the media, free the mind, and borders
• Olympic Games Pakistan’s behaviour bordering on belligerence
Mideast Asia
• EU to propose peace plan after Israel vote: Report
• Palestinian protesters evicted from West Bank site
• Israel evicts Palestinians from West Bank protest site
Southeast Asia
• Lesbian marriage in Riau Islands to be reported to Religious Ministry
• Mastermind behind Poso attacks remains a mystery
• Malaysia defends poll setup after opposition rally
India
• Delhi doctors help transplant livers in Pakistan
• 2,500 ultras waiting to crossover into Jammu & Kashmir
• Widow of slain soldier goes on hunger strike
• 20 panchayat members resign in J&K citing threat to life
• People living near LoC demand grant for constructing bunkers
• Pakistan delegation forced out of Gujarat summit?
• Akbar Owaisi shown recording of 'hate speech'
• Woman panchayat member injured in militant attack in Jammu and Kashmir
• Omar Abdullah to review security of village heads
• Fresh firing at LoC in Poonch, army reports infiltration
• Have Didi’s mandate for what I’m doing: Arabul
• Flag meeting between India and Pakistan being held in Poonch
• Shiv Sena stages protest against Pakistani hockey players in Mumbai
• Pakistani artistes in India on peace mission
North America
• US judge OKs group prayers for Muslim inmates in Indiana
• War is over, Obama hints at fast tracking Af pullout
• US condemns ‘senseless, inhumane’ attacks in Pakistan
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Foreign fighters seek Islamic state in post-Assad Syria
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Arab World
International Islamic Conference on Prophetic Sunnah urges the UN to enact laws which incriminate the desecration of religions
13/01/2013
Khartoum: Jan. 13 -- (BNA) The International Islamic Conference on Prophetic Sunnah – Sunnah is the Tradition of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) - has urged the United Nations to enact laws which incriminate the tarnishing of religions and penalize offenders, and also urged the countries of the Islamic World to enact similar laws which incriminate anyone who desecrates or profanes religious sanctities.
The international conference hosted in the Sudanese Capital, Khartoum, concluded last night, urging special attention to women's issues and contributions from an Islamic perspective in the light of the prophetic guidance and to convene international conferences in order to discuss prophetic guidance to remedy women's issues and to work hard in order to establish specialized Islamic satellite radio and TV stations.
The conference urged the creation of specialized research study centers to study women's contributions in all walks of life and to pay attention to expatriate Muslim women in terms of academic qualification, "Dawa" (i.e. call to Islam" and the requirements of a dignified living and to support highly-qualified and creative pioneering women.
The conference urged officials in Islamic countries to set up curricula of prophetic Sunnah for various levels and to take care of the essence of "Shura" (i.e. consultation amongst Muslims regarding all worthwhile matters) as well as encourage research studies and discussion of issues and challenges facing Muslim communities and to convene and invite moderate non-Muslims to dialogue conferences and to urge media institutions to discuss issues of the prophetic story and Islamic action in general.
The conference recommended the creation of effective, qualified internet websites in order to introduce the prophetic story and to instill the love of the prophet Mohammed (PBUH) in children and to educate them on Islamic ethics and proposed the creation of a specialized international academy in order to spread prophetic guidance and to respond to misunderstandings and to train teachers in order to teach the prophet's story through modern and attractive teaching methodology.
The conference urged to provide mosques and Islamic cultural centers in the Islamic world and in the western world with introductory pamphlets, booklets, CDs in order to teach the story of the prophet Mohammed (PBUH) and to encourage researchers and writers to simplify the prophet's story into short stories in a style that is suitable for children. The conference pointed out the role of modern and conventional mass media in the Islamic and the Arab world in explaining the true real message of Islam and the image of the merciful prophet Mohammed (PBUH).
The conference praised the efforts of the International Youth Forum, the Republic of the Sudan, Africa International University, the Islamic World Organization and everybody who has contributed into the success of the conference business.
http://www.bna.bh/portal/en/news/541591
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Insight: Foreign fighters seek Islamic state in post-Assad Syria
January 12, 2013
ALEPPO: Huddled around a fire in a bombed-out building in Aleppo, foreign jihadists say they are fighting for a radical Islamic state in Syria - whether local rebels trying to topple President Bashar al-Assad like it or not.
Among their fellow revolutionaries and civilians, these foreigners draw both respect for their iron discipline and fear that if Assad falls, they may turn on former allies to complete the struggle for an Islamic caliphate.
One Turkish fighter in the devastated Aleppo district of Karm al-Jabal expressed an unbending determination to achieve a state under Sharia Islamic law that worries many Syrians, the West and even regional backers of the anti-Assad rebellion.
“Syria…will be an Islamic and Sharia state and we will not accept anything else. Democracy and secularism are completely rejected,” said the fighter, who called himself Khattab.
Sporting a shaggy beard and with an AK-47 slung over his shoulder, he warned anyone who might stand in the way. “We will fight them, even if they are among the revolutionaries or anyone else,” said Khattab, who left his job as a driver to fight for two years in Afghanistan before moving to Syria six months ago.
A member of the Jundollah rebel unit, Khattab has little knowledge of Arabic – he spoke in the rubble-strewn building through a Syrian translator – and refused to be filmed or photographed for fear of being identified back in Turkey.
The government of Turkey is itself Islamist but strongly opposes the radical ideology of Khattab and the militants who are rising among the rebel groups fighting Assad in a conflict that has claimed at least 60,000 lives.
The United States designated al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, al-Nusra Front, as a terrorist organization in December after it claimed responsibility for bombings in Damascus and Aleppo.
However, many rebels and Aleppo residents say fear of the jihadists is overblown. The West is exploiting it to justify not sending desperately-needed arms to the rebels, they say, prolonging Assad’s hold on power.
In Aleppo, Syria’s biggest city, the radicals’ influence is obvious. Many rebels drive through the shattered streets in cars emblazoned with black Islamist flags carrying religious slogans.
Accounts differ on how much radical groups coordinate with units of the mainstream rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA). Many rebels praise the skills of the jihadists – often honed in Afghanistan or Iraq - saying they are among the bravest fighters although they tend to be reclusive.
Some, however, are new recruits in the holy war in a country they call Al-Sham, recalling a greater Syria established after the Muslim conquest over 1,300 years ago.
One such is Abu al-Harith, a stocky, fair, 27-year-old from Azerbaijan who spoke at a rebel base in Karm al-Jabal, a district so damaged it seems to have suffered an earthquake.
“This is my first time to embark on a Jihad because … there was no one worse than Bashar. Even Stalin was merciful compared with him,” said the young man, who wore a ski mask and had a black badge bearing an Islamic religious slogan sewn onto his green fatigues.
FIGHTING THE FSA
Nevertheless, there is concern about the post-Assad vision of these foreign radicals – whose numbers are difficult to assess – and whose rejection of a future democratic state may sit uneasily with many Syrians fighting authoritarian rule.
Some jihadists distrust the Free Syrian Army, an army in name only composed of mostly local Sunni Muslim fighters and army defectors. Likewise they see little difference between the West and regional Islamic countries which back the FSA.
“All this talk about freedom, democracy and the secular state and a state of open freedoms like America and the European system – Islamists do not care about this talk at all,” said 25-year-old Abu Muawiyah, a skinny fighter who said he was from the Aleppo countryside and translated for the foreigners.
“There are some fighting factions like the Free Syrian Army, who have links to other countries like Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar and these countries have links with the controlling pole, which is the United States,” he said. “America is against anything Islamic. That is obvious to everyone.”
Not all foreign fighters have a radical vision, and they are welcomed heartily by Syrian fighters. Abu Ahmed al-Libi, who fought to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, said he came to Syria with a band of 15 Libyans eight months ago.
A large man who had an easy camaraderie with Syrian fighters in his unit, he shook hands with a female reporter – a rarity among even mainstream Islamist groups in Syria. Libi said he had trained 40 Syrians in Libya before bringing them over, and estimated the number of Libyan fighters in Syria at about 200.
DIFFERENT IDEOLOGY, SAME GOALS
While Washington has recognized the rebels’ National Coalition as the sole representative of Syria, its designation of al-Nusra Front as a terrorist organization has angered many rebel leaders. They say the group, whether it espouses extremist ideology or not, is fighting the same enemy as they are.
Al-Nusra Front has a reputation for being extremely disciplined, and it is hard to find many people who will criticize it. Abu Abdo, a fighter on one of the many frontlines in Aleppo, said he had tried to join the group but was rejected because he was a smoker.
Colonel Abduljabbar Oqaidi, who heads the military revolutionary council in Aleppo province, defended al-Nusra Front. “We may differ with them on their thought,” he told Reuters recently, but he rejected Washington’s designation.
“They’re fierce and loyal … And at the end of the day they’re fighting the regime with us. And we have not seen their extremism, they have not done anything that proves they are terrorists,” he said. “Anyone fighting the regime is a mujahid and a revolutionary and we kiss their forehead,” said Oqaidi, adding that their numbers were not more than 500 in Aleppo.
By contrast, support for the Free Syrian Army has eroded among some Aleppians due to some cases of looting.
“The cleanest unit on the ground, with no corruption within its ranks, is the al-Nusra Front. The group now has a popular base. Maybe their ideology is distant from the people’s but they started liking al-Nusra front because they are just,” said Abu Ahmed, who leads an Aleppo unit of the large al-Tawheed brigade.
“The fear surrounding the Nusra Front is down to intimidation by the media,” he said. “My ideology is not the same as the Nusra Front but I have to say what I’ve experienced from them.”
OMINOUS FUTURE?
Fears of internecine conflict remain. A commander of al-Farouq Brigades, one of Syria’s largest rebel groups, was shot dead on Wednesday in what rebel sources said may have been in revenge for the killing of an al-Nusra Front leader.
Some rebels see a more ominous future. “We’re scared that after the fall of the regime, they will try to impose their views on the Syrian people. Their goal is for Syria to be an Islamic state and the Free Syrian Army is the opposite of that,” said a 24-year-old rebel fighter in trainers and tracksuit pants who goes by the name Saqr Idlib.
Walking through a destroyed part of the al-Sukkari district in Aleppo, the fighter puffed worriedly on a cigarette: “We’re scared there’ll be problems by al-Nusra Front and other groups like them after the fall of the regime.”
By contrast, Abu Ahmed said he had no fear of a future conflict and his wife – who wears a headscarf but does not cover her face – chimed in: “Al-Nusra Front’s ideology is Islamic and at the end of the day, we are Muslims.”
While Syria’s uprising has been led by Sunnis, minority Christians and members of Assad’s Alawite sect – an offshoot of Shi’ite Islam – had nothing to worry about, said Adnan Abu Raad as he watched gravediggers shovel dirt in the town of Azaz near the Turkish border.
“Any boy, child or women will say we want an Islamic state only. And there is no difference between Sunni, Christian or Alawite. Just peace and security for all,” Abu Raad said.
At least some people in Aleppo seem willing to tolerate even gruesome retribution by the jihadists. “Yes, they have the sword and beheading, but only for those people who deserve it,” said Hadi, a bearded rebel who spoke in the corridor of a bombed-out building that served as a gateway to a frontline.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/492965/insight-foreign-fighters-seek-islamic-state-in-post-assad-syria/
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Iraq Attacks Kill 4, Including 7-Year-Old Boy
January 13, 2013
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi officials say insurgent attacks in separate parts of the country have killed four people including a 7-year-old boy and wounded five others.
Police officials say that the first attack took place early Sunday when gunmen attacked an army checkpoint near the city of Samarra north of Baghdad, killing three soldiers and wounding two others.
In the western province of Anbar, police said a roadside bomb went off on a security patrol in the city of Fallujah, killing the boy who was walking near the patrol. Three policemen were wounded also in the attack.
Medics in nearby hospitals confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to media.
Violence has ebbed in Iraq, but insurgent attacks are still frequent.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2013/01/13/world/middleeast/ap-ml-
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Egyptian court accepts Mubarak appeal, orders retrial
Jan 13, 2013
CAIRO: An Egyptian court accepted an appeal by ousted former president Hosni Mubarak and his former interior minister on Sunday, allowing him to be retried over the killings of protesters in the 2011 uprising.
Mubarak and former interior minister Habib al-Adli were sentenced to life in prison in June last year in a court ruling that held them responsible for the deaths of protesters killed by security forces trying to quell the uprising.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Egyptian-court-accepts-Mubarak-appeal-orders-retrial/articleshow/18005877.cms
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Historic decision enthuses Saudis, expatriates alike
13 January 2013
A day after Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah appointed 30 highly educated women to the Shoura Council, Saudis and expatriates from all walks of life welcomed the historic decision.
In coffee shops, five-star hotel lobbies, newsrooms, chatrooms, Internet groups and on Facebook and Twitter, the Saudi leadership received effusive praise.
“We love King Abdullah and we always knew that he would keep his promise and honor us by giving us a table at one of the top decision-making bodies,” said Leila Al-Shamrani, a teacher at a secondary school in Al-Hasa.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/historic-decision-enthuses-saudis-expatriates-alike
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South Asia
Impose ban on religion based politics
January 13 2013
Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigoshthi yesterday demanded that the government expedite the trial of war criminals, ensures peace in the country and imposes a ban on religion-based politics.
Udichi Central Council General Secretary Probir Sarder in a written statement made the demand at a press conference at its central office in the capital.
Communal and fundamentalist forces have created a reign of terror in the country, he said, adding that religion-based politics was rightly banned in the 1972 constitution.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=265020
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Ratification of limits on freedom of assembly won’t affect ‘revolution’: MDP
By Luke Powell | January 12th, 2013
The ratification of the Freedom of Peaceful Assembly Bill is a “direct response” to the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s proposed revolution, the party’s Spokesperson Hamed Abdul Ghafoor has alleged.
Yesterday (January 11) the President’s Office website announced that President Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik had approved the controversial bill, which enforces limits for protests in the Maldives.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/ratification-of-limits-on-freedom-of-assembly-wont-affect-revolution-mdp-51011
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Blast in Afghanistan kills seven civilians
January 13 2013
KABUL: An explosion killed seven Afghan villagers Sunday as they tried to pull bodies of insurgents killed from the rubble of a village mosque after a night raid by Nato and Afghan troops in the country’s east, officials said.
The predawn operation in Sayedabad district was aimed capturing a Taliban fighter who had holed up in a village, said Wardak province spokesman Shahidullah Shahid .
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/01/13/blast-in-afghanistan-kills-seven-civilians/
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Foreign Ministry launches Blue Ribbon Campaign Against Human Trafficking
By Mariyath Mohamed | January 9th, 2013
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has today inaugurated an initiative targeted at raising awareness of the issue of human trafficking in the Maldives.
The Maldives has come under strong criticism internationally in recent years over its record in trying to prevent people trafficking, with the country appearing on the US State Department’s Tier Two Watch List for Human Trafficking three years in a row.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/foreign-ministry-launches-blue-ribbon-campaign-against-human-trafficking-50854
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3 Rohingyas arrested with Bangladeshi passports
January 13 2013
Three Rohingyas were arrested yesterday when trying to go abroad with fake papers at Sylhet's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
The arrestees are Ziaur Rahman, 23, Mohammad Aiyub, 29, and Mohammad Ali, 32.
Armed Police Battalion (APBn) arrested the Rohingyas around 10:00am, when their passports were found to be fake during verification, according to APBn officials.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=264976
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Millions attend Islamic gathering in Bangladesh
Jan 13, 2013
DHAKA, Bangladesh: Millions of Muslim devotees have raised their hands to seek divine blessings, world peace and revival of Islamic values at one of the world's largest Islamic gatherings near Bangladesh's capital.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Millions-attend-Islamic-gathering-in-Bangladesh/articleshow/18005737.cms
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Despite Taliban Threat, Afghanistan Manages to Entice Some Tourists
By ROD NORDLAND
January 13, 2013
KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban have a message for foreign tourists who come to Afghanistan, especially if they are from any of the 50 countries that are part of the NATO-led coalition supporting the government: Big mistake.
“It is part of our war strategy to target any foreign citizen whose country has a military presence in Afghanistan and enters our country without permission from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,” said Zabiullah Mujahid, the spokesman for the insurgents in northern and eastern Afghanistan, reached by telephone at an undisclosed location.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/13/world/asia/taliban-targets-tourists-but-some-still-
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Europe
Hollande ups security in France after Mali, Somalia action
Jan 13, 2013
PARIS: France has ordered tightened security in public buildings and transport following action against radical Islamists both in Mali and Somalia, President Francois Hollande said on Saturday.
Hollande said France "has to take all necessary precautions" in the face of a terrorist threat, including "surveillance of our public buildings and our transport network."
The French leader evoked Vigipirate, France's national security alert system, created in 1978 and updated several times.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Hollande-ups-security-in-France-after-Mali-Somalia-action/articleshow/18001340.cms
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Vowing revenge, thousands rally in Paris over Kurd killings
Jan 12, 2013
PARIS: Thousands of Kurds, many coming from Germany, vowed revenge as they rallied Saturday in Paris over the killing of three top Kurdish activists from a separatist group banned in Turkey.
The march, which began at city's Gare de l'Est railway station, was emotionally charged with demonstrators saying France would be an accomplice in the brazen murders if it did not identify and punish the killers.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Vowing-revenge-thousands-rally-in-Paris-over-Kurd-killings/articleshow/17998296.cms
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Kosovo wants all OIC states to recognize it
13 January 2013
Enver Hoxhaj, Kosovo foreign minister, paid a special visit to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) headquarters in Jeddah yesterday, meeting with the OIC's secretary-general, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu.
Hoxhaj expressed his hope that more OIC member states will recognize Kosovo as an independent country. So far, only 31 of the organization's 57 members have granted recognition to Kosovo.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/kosovo-wants-all-oic-states-recognize-it
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Britain to provide France with logistical support in Mali against Islamists
Jan 13, 2013
LONDON: Britain will provide France with logistical military assistance during its intervention in Mali, but will not deploy any personnel in a combat role, the prime minister's office said on Saturday.
"The Prime Minister has agreed that the UK will provide logistical military assistance to help transport foreign troops and equipment quickly to Mali," David Cameron's office said in a statement.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/Britain-to-provide-France-with-logistical-support-in-Mali-against-Islamists/articleshow/18002601.cms
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UN chief urges international action on Syria
January 13 2013
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged international action on Syria, comparing the ongoing civil conflict in the country to Holocaust, the UN News Centre reported.
Speaking at a Holocaust memorial event in New York Saturday, the UN chief referred to the principle of the responsibility to protect, which puts the obligation on every state to protect the population from genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes or ethnic cleansing.
The principle was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2005.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/un-chief-urges-international-action-on-syria/article4304274.ece
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Russia Says It Supports U.N. Envoy for Syria
January 13, 2013
MOSCOW (Reuters) — Russia voiced support on Saturday for Lakhdar Brahimi, the special Syria envoy from the United Nations and the Arab League, but insisted that the exit of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, could not be a precondition for a deal to end the country’s conflict.
A Foreign Ministry statement after talks in Geneva on Friday with the United States and Mr. Brahimi, who the Syrian government has said is “flagrantly biased,” reiterated calls for an end to the violence in Syria, where more than 60,000 people have been killed since March 2011.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/13/world/middleeast/syria-war-
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Italy Foreign Minister Condemns Benghazi Attack on Consul
January 13, 2013
ROME (Reuters) - Italy's foreign minister, Giulio Terzi, on Sunday condemned an attack on an Italian consul who came under fire in his car in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, describing it as a fresh attempt to destabilise the country.
Consul Guido De Sanctis was unhurt in the shooting on Saturday of his heavily armoured car, which came four months after the U.S. ambassador was killed in an attack on the U.S. mission in the city.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2013/01/13/world/europe/13reuters-italy-libya-
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Africa
Eight civilians killed in French Somalia raid: Witnesses
Jan 13, 2013
MOGADISHU: At least eight civilians were killed during France's failed attempt to free a hostage in Somalia, witnesses said Sunday, adding to prior reported death tolls.
They also said Saturday's operation failed because the Islamist fighters were warned of the French commandos' arrival, a report confirmed by a local Islamist commander.
"Four civilians, including three from one family, are among the dead. They were all killed outside Bulomarer, where the French commandos landed before entering the city," resident Adan Derow said by telephone.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Eight-civilians-killed-in-French-Somalia-raid-Witnesses/articleshow/18007522.cms
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At least 11 killed during Mali military operation
Jan 13, 2013
BAMAKO: A presidential spokesman says at least 11 Malians were killed and over 60 injured after the country launched a military intervention to fight al-Qaida-linked rebels advancing on a crucial town.
In a communique read on state television late yesterday, Ousmane Sy, the secretary-general at the presidential palace said that the 11 were killed in the town of Konna, which the rebels took last Thursday, prompting France to authorize airstrikes to help Mali take back the territory.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/At-least-11-killed-during-Mali-military-operation/articleshow/18005989.cms
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African troops due in Mali as French jets stop Islamists
January 13, 2013
The first troops promised by African nations were expected in Mali Sunday to join local forces who, backed by French air support, have driven back an advance by Islamist fighters.
Burkina Faso, Niger and Senegal on Saturday each pledged 500 troops for an African-led intervention force.
Ivory Coast's African integration minister Ally Coulibaly, speaking for the West African bloc ECOWAS, said the first soldiers could arrive as early as Sunday.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/Africa/African-troops-due-in-Mali-as-French-jets-stop-Islamists/Article1-989009.aspx
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France hostage rescue mission in Somalia fails spectacularly as Islamists kill 2 soldiers, but lose 17 men
Jan 12 2013
Two French soldiers died and 17 "terrorists" were killed in a failed bid to free a French hostage in southern Somalia from Islamists holding him since 2009, the French defence minister said today.
The overnight operation was launched by France's elite DGSE secret service, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement, adding that the raid was sparked by the "intransigence of the terrorists who have refused to negotiate for three and a half years and were holding Denis Allex in inhuman conditions."
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/france-hostage-rescue-mission-in-somalia-fails-spectacularly-as-islami.../1058510/
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France bombs Mali rebels, African states ready troops
Jan 13, 2013
BAMAKO/PARIS: French aircraft pounded Islamist rebels in Mali for a second day on Saturday and neighbouring West African states sped up their plans to deploy troops in an international campaign to prevent groups linked to al Qaeda expanding their power base.
France, warning that the control of northern Mali by the militants posed a security threat to Europe, intervened dramatically on Friday as heavily armed Islamist fighters swept southwards towards Mali's capital Bamako.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/France-bombs-Mali-rebels-African-states-ready-troops/articleshow/18003807.cms
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Pakistan
N Waziristan blast kills 14 security personnel
January 13 2013
LANDI KOTAL: A remotely detonated bomb targeting a security forces’ vehicle killed 14 personnel and injured 25 others on Miramshah road in North Waziristan’s Razmak area on Sunday, intelligence sources told Dawn.com.
Military sources confirmed that 14 personnel were killed and 25 others were injured in the attack.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/01/13/khyber-tribal-region-blast-kills-one/
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Taliban chief asks outfit to abide by peace pact
January 13, 2013
Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud has directed his men in the northwest tribal region to abide by a peace accord with the government, a media report said Sunday.
The pact was struck with the authorities by North Waziristan Taliban chief Hafiz Gul Bahadur, Geo News reported.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/Pakistan/Taliban-chief-asks-outfit-to-abide-by-peace-pact/Article1-989068.aspx
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Pakistani Taliban say they will not attack Pak army
January 13 2013
PESHAWAR: The Pakistani Taliban said on Saturday they would cease their occasional attacks on the Pakistani army in the Taliban stronghold of North Waziristan and concentrate attacks on Nato forces in Afghanistan instead – an announcement possibly designed to head off divisions in the insurgency.
The ceasefire does not apply to the rest of the country, where there are often fierce clashes between the Taliban and security services.
Thousands of Pakistani soldiers are stationed in North Waziristan, a tribal region along the Afghan border.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/01/12/pakistani-taliban-say-they-will-not-attack-pak-army/
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1,113 children murdered last year: report
January 13 2013
KARACHI: Growing lawlessness in the country and weak role of police and law enforcers have resulted in spike in the cases violence against children in Pakistan, as 1,113 children were murdered and 1,374 injured alone in the year 2012, said human rights attorney Zia Ahmed Awan.
The government agencies have failed to provide security to people and the lack of the rule of law has further aggravated the human rights situation in the country, he said, adding children being the most vulnerable section of society were paying a high price, as all types of crimes and violence against them were on sharp rise.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013\01\13\story_13-1-2013_pg12_5
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Malik terms Qadri’s march as “suicide attack on democracy”
January 13 2013
LAHORE: Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Saturday said that Dr Tahirul Qadri’s long march was nothing but a “blanket mach” and a “suicide attack on democracy,” Dawn News reported.
Speaking to media representatives after offering condolences to Sharif brothers over the demise of Nawaz Sharif’s younger brother, he reiterated that there were “confirmed intelligence reports” of terrorism threats for the long march.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/01/12/malik-terms-qadris-march-as-suicide-attack-on-democracy/
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Pakistan mum on brigadier-level talks
Jan 13, 2013
NEW DELHI: Almost 24 hours after it was suggested Pakistan was yet to respond to Indian recommendation for a brigadier-level flag meeting along the line of control (LoC), even as Army sources said there has been no major ceasefire violation since Thursday night.
According to Army sources, until Saturday evening Pakistan had not responded to the Indian suggestion that both sides hold a flag meeting of the brigade commanders in Poonch sector. India had on Friday morning suggested the meeting.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pakistan-mum-on-brigadier-level-talks/articleshow/18001290.cms
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Protests against Quetta carnage continue across the country
January 13 2013
KARACHI: A strike was observed on Sunday in most parts of the country including Karachi, Multan, Hyderabad, Lahore, Islamabad and Quetta against Thursday’s blasts in Balochistan’s provincial capital.
Pakistani Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf flew to Quetta on Sunday to meet locals holding a protest alongside the bodies of family members killed in one of the country’s worst sectarian attacks.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/01/13/protests-against-quetta-carnage-continue-in-various-parts-of-the-country/
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Blast in Lower Kurram tribal region kills one, injures eight
January 13 2013
PARACHINAR: One person was killed and eight others were injured on Sunday when a blast struck a passenger coach in Khwar Killay area near Sadda town in Lower Kurram tribal region.
A passenger coach, carrying around two dozen passengers, was traveling from Peshawar to Parachinar when it was struck by a remotely detonated improvised explosive device (IED).
The condition of many injured was reported as critical.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/01/13/blast-in-lower-kurram-tribal-region-injures-several/
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IED blast kills child, leaves one injured in Quetta
January 13 2013
QUETTA: A blast killed a child and injured another person in Brewery road area of Quetta on Saturday night, police said.
Wazir Khan Nasar, the Deputy Inspector General Police told Dawn.Com that the militants planted an improvised explosive device near an internet cafe in Brewery road area.
“The blast killed a passerby child and injured another person,” he said. Nasar said the blast caused damage to the internet cafe and other nearby shops.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/01/12/ied-blast-kills-child-leaves-one-injured-in-quetta/
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Call for sacking of Balochistan CM
January 13 2013
ISLAMABAD: Almost all political and religious parties are united in expressing solidarity with the protesting Hazaras, but most of them are not supportive of the demand that army should be called out to deal with the situation in Balochistan.
When contacted, leaders of various parties, mainly from the opposition, termed the protest by the angry Hazaras “justified”, but said they believed that their demand for the army’s role in the province was not feasible because it could aggravate the already volatile situation there.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/01/13/call-for-sacking-of-balochistan-cm/
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‘Free education to children of terrorism victims’
January 13 2013
KARACHI: Sindh Minister for Education Pir Mazhar Ul Haq has said the provincial government would provide free of cost education till matriculation to the children whose parents were martyred in acts of terrorism. Talking to media after chairing a Steering Committee (SC) Meeting at N. J.V High School on Saturday, he said all the important decisions regarding education department had been taken in the meeting. He said a few changes had been made in old academic calendar system and now the Steering Committee meetings would be held twice a year.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013\01\13\story_13-1-2013_pg12_12
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Only UN can find the truth, says Pakistani daily
Jan 13, 2013
ISLAMABAD: Only the UN can find the real truth behind the India-Pakistan clashes on the Jammu and Kashmir border, a Pakistani daily said on Sunday.
There was "no better forum" than a UN observer group for this task, the Dawn said in an editorial.
New Delhi cannot bypass the UN Military Observer Group for India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) although it keeps referring to the 1972 Shimla pact to keep away third parties in India-Pakistan conflicts.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Only-UN-can-find-the-truth-says-Pakistani-daily/articleshow/18005947.cms
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Pakistani PM to meet Shiites refusing to bury dead
Jan 13, 2013
QUETTA, Pakistan: Pakistan's Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf arrived Sunday in the south western city of Quetta to meet Shiite Muslim families refusing to bury their dead after devastating bombings, officials said.
At least 92 people were killed and 121 wounded Thursday in twin suicide attacks claimed by Sunni Muslim militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi in an area dominated by Shiites from the Hazara ethnic minority.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pakistani-PM-to-meet-Shiites-refusing-to-bury-dead/articleshow/18005674.cms
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Free the media, free the mind, and borders
Jan 13, 2013
LAHORE: Churchill famously said, 'Jaw-jaw is better than war-war'. In the case of Indo-Pak relationships, we manage to do both simultaneously. So it was sad and typical that, even while some 300 journalists from South Asia deliberated on positive ways to cover the issues dividing our neighbouring countries, battle cries rang out over the killing and mutilation of two Indian soldiers at the LOC.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Free-the-media-free-the-mind-and-borders/articleshow/18000645.cms
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Olympic Games Pakistan’s behaviour bordering on belligerence
January 13 2013
A STEP forward and two steps backward. That characterises relations between India and Pakistan. Just as the impetus to trade and easing of visa restrictions gave rise to hope that the two neighbours would be able to put their troubled past behind them has come the shocking incident which saw the bodies of Indian soldiers being mulitated by their Pakistani counterparts. While exchange of fire across the LoC has occurred every once in a while despite the ceasefire in place, the barbarity of beheading Indian jawans after Pakistani troops crossed the LoC has sent a wave of revulsion across the country.
Full report at: Mail Today
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Mideast Asia
EU to propose peace plan after Israel vote: Report
Jan 13, 2013
JERUSALEM: The European Union is drawing up a detailed new plan to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, and expects to present it after this month's Israeli general election, Yediot Aharonot reported on Sunday.
Citing diplomatic sources in Jerusalem, Israel's top-selling daily said the plan was intended to "bring about the establishment of a Palestinian state on the basis of the 1967 lines with east Jerusalem as its capital."
The plan will include "clear timetables for the completion of the negotiations on all the core issues in the course of 2013."
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/EU-to-propose-peace-plan-after-Israel-vote-Report/articleshow/18005759.cms
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Palestinian protesters evicted from West Bank site
Jan 13, 2013
JERUSALEM: Palestinian protesters who pitched tents at a strategic West Bank site to protest plans to build a Jewish housing project there were evicted early Sunday, police said.
Spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said police evicted about a hundred protesters from the site after a court decision authorizing their removal.
Haaretz reported that the eviction was carried out despite a temporary High Court injunction preventing it.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Palestinian-protesters-evicted-from-West-Bank-site/articleshow/18003302.cms
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Israel evicts Palestinians from West Bank protest site
Jan 13, 2013
ZAIM, Palestinian Territories: Israeli police evicted dozens of Palestinian activists early Sunday from a first-of-its-kind protest camp they set up in a West Bank area slated for Jewish settlement.
Police and activists confirmed that hundreds of Israeli police entered the campsite in the controversial E1 area on the outskirts of Jerusalem at around 2:30am (00.030 GMT) on Sunday.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Israel-evicts-Palestinians-from-West-Bank-protest-site/articleshow/18006275.cms
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Southeast Asia
Lesbian marriage in Riau Islands to be reported to Religious Ministry
January 13 2013
While same-sex marriage is technically illegal in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country, gay and lesbian couples are occasionally able to find loopholes and get married, such as the case of Angga Sucipto, 21, and Ninies Ramiliyutias, 40.
Despite both being females, Angga was able to marry Ninies in January 2012 at the Sei Beduk Religious Affairs Office (KUA) in Riau Islands by pretending to be male.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/01/13/lesbian-marriage-riau-islands-be-reported-religious-ministry.html
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Mastermind behind Poso attacks remains a mystery
Ruslan Sangadji
January 13 2013
Who is responsible for the acts of terror in Poso, Central Sulawesi? The question is often a topic of discussion among many people. During the discussions, the name Santoso is frequently mentioned.
The man is currently the most wanted suspected terrorist in Poso as he is said to be the leader of a terrorist group involved in various terror attacks in the regency.
Attacks launched in 2012 include the murder of two police officers, Andi Sappa and Sudirman, in Tamanjeka hamlet, Poso Pesisir, in August; a bomb attack in North Poso, also in August; a bomb attack at a Poso City Police post in September; the shooting of the North Poso Pesisir Police station chief in November; and the shooting of four police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) members in North Poso Pesisir in December.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/01/13/mastermind-behind-poso-attacks-remains-a-mystery.html
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Malaysia defends poll setup after opposition rally
January 13 2013
Malaysia’s government defended the country’s electoral system as free and fair after a massive opposition rally demanded further transparency in general elections due in months.
About 45,000 people joined the rally on Saturday by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s three-party alliance in a downtown Kuala Lumpur stadium ahead of elections that must be held by June. The polls are seen a major test for Prime Minister Najib Razak’s ruling coalition after its dismal performance in 2008 polls.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/malaysia-defends-poll-setup-after-opposition-rally/article4304138.ece
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India
Delhi doctors help transplant livers in Pakistan
Jan 13, 2013
NEW DELHI: When Pakistani raiders were fighting Indian soldiers, a group of Indian doctors was helping their Pakistani counterparts to do complex liver transplants in Lahore.
The doctors from Delhi's Apollo Hospital spent long hours in the surgery room of Sheikh Zayed Hospital during a four-day trip that began on January 6.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Delhi-doctors-help-transplant-livers-in-Pakistan/articleshow/18001986.cms
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2,500 ultras waiting to crossover into Jammu & Kashmir
January 13, 2013
As tension prevails along the Indo-Pakistan border, more than 2,500 militants are getting ready in different terrorist camps at Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir and waiting for opportunities to cross over to India.
Intelligence reports indicate that there were 42 militants camps functioning across the borders of which 25 are in PoK and 17 in other parts of Pakistan where the 2,500 militants were getting ready with training, arms and ammunition, home ministry sources said.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/2-500-ultras-waiting-to-crossover-into-Jammu-amp-Kashmir/Article1-989067.aspx
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Widow of slain soldier goes on hunger strike
By Rajat Rai in Lucknow
January 13 2013
Villagers gather to demand justice for Hemraj ( left).
THE wife of Lance Naik Hemraj Singh, who was beheaded by Pakistani troops on January 8, has declared a hunger strike until the government hands over his decapitated head to the family. Full report at:
Mail Today
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20 panchayat members resign in J&K citing threat to life
PJan 13, 2013
SRINAGAR: In the wake of the fresh militant attacks on Panchayat members in Jammu and Kashmir, around 20 panches and sarpanches of the Baramulla district today tendered their resignations here citing "threats to their lives".
The panches and sarpanches from Hardshiva A and B and Yemberzalwari halqas of Sopore area in the district announced their resignations in the presence of the media here.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/20-panchayat-members-resign-in-JK-citing-threat-to-life/articleshow/18006985.cms
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People living near LoC demand grant for constructing bunkers
Jan 13, 2013
SRINAGAR: People living in areas close to Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir are demanding special grant for construction of bunkers to escape shelling as India and Pakistan have resumed hostilities by heavy firing at each others' position.
Residents of villages close to the LoC in Uri sector of north Kashmir Baramulla district claim that the earthquake of 2005, which had flattened wide parts of Kashmir on either side of the ceasefire line, had destroyed their bunkers.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/People-living-near-LoC-demand-grant-for-constructing-bunkers/articleshow/18006421.cms
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Pakistan delegation forced out of Gujarat summit?
Jan 13, 2013
AHMEDABAD: A Pakistani delegation that had come to Ahmedabad for three-day Vibrant Gujarat summit left without attending it amid rising tension between Islamabad and New Delhi over recent killing of soldiers along the line of control.
Officials refused to specify whether the delegation was asked to stay away. But they said its presence at the event while chief minister Narendra Modi was also present there would have embarrassed the BJP's leadership that had taken a strong position against the Centre's response to the LoC ceasefire violation.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pakistan-delegation-forced-out-of-Gujarat-summit/articleshow/18001791.cms
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Akbar Owaisi shown recording of 'hate speech'
Jan 13, 2013
ADILABAD (ANDHRA PRADESH): Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (MIM) legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi was on Saturday shown the recording of his alleged hate speech that he was arrested for four days earlier on the first day of his questioning in police custody.
Owaisi had made the speech in Nirmal town of Andhra Pradeh's Adilabad district on December 22.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Akbar-Owaisi-shown-recording-of-hate-speech/articleshow/18000615.cms
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Woman panchayat member injured in militant attack in Jammu and Kashmir
Jan 12, 2013
SRINAGAR: In the second incident in as many days, suspected militants shot at and injured a woman panchayat member in Sopore area in Baramulla district of north Kashmir on Saturday.
Militants shot Zoona, wife of Mohammad Ramzan, in the neck at her house at Hardshiva Sopore, some 52-km from here, police said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Woman-panchayat-member-injured-in-militant-attack-in-Jammu-and-Kashmir/articleshow/17998039.cms
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Omar Abdullah to review security of village heads
January 13 2013
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will on Sunday, review the security of the elected village representatives after militants targeted some of them.
A day after shooting dead a sarpanch in Baramulla district, guerrillas shot and wounded a woman panch near Sopore town late on Saturday.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/omar-abdullah-to-review-security-of-village-heads/article4304306.ece
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Fresh firing at LoC in Poonch, army reports infiltration
January 13, 2013
Indian and Pakistan troops on late Saturday night traded heavy gunfire along the Line of Control in Poonch sector after the movement of a group of suspected infiltrators was detected, in fresh escalation of tension.
"There was a movement of six to seven persons close to LoC opposite Krishagati sub-sector in Poonch sector at around 2145 hours tonight," defence spokesman Col RK Palta said.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/JAndK/Fresh-firing-at-LoC-in-Poonch-army-reports-infiltration/Article1-988989.aspx
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Have Didi’s mandate for what I’m doing: Arabul
Jan 13 2013
kolkata : The ruling Trinamool Congress may be facing widespread criticism over criminalisation of politics and blatant “goondaism” — as described by none other than the Governor — but the party strongman held responsible for the latest spate of violence in West Bengal is not exactly worried.
“I have Didi’s mandate for whatever I am doing,” Arabul Islam told The Sunday Express, referring to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/have-didi-s-mandate-for-what-i-m-doing-arabul/1058562/
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Flag meeting between India and Pakistan being held in Poonch
Arun Sharma
Jan 13 2013
Jammu : Descalation of nearly a week long tension between India and Pakistan today appeared in sight as latter today agreed to the former’s proposal for a flag meeting at Chakkan Da Bagh near Line of Control in Poonch.
Confirming this, an official spokesman said that Brigadier level flag meeting between the two countries will be held at Chakkan Da Bagh around 12 noon on Monday. The India had mooted the proposal for a flag meeting on hotline to Pakistan on Friday.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/flag-meeting-between-india-and-pakistan-being-held.../1058754/
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Shiv Sena stages protest against Pakistani hockey players in Mumbai
Jan 13, 2013
MUMBAI: Shiv Sena workers staged a protest on Sunday at Mumbai Hockey Association's stadium here against the participation of four Pakistani players in a scheduled practise session of 'Mumbai Magicians' team.
The protest led to cancellation of the session, sources said.
Mumbai Magicians, a franchise of Hockey India League, has signed up Pakistani players Mahmood Rashid, Fareed Ahmed, Muhammad Tousiq and Imran Butt.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Shiv-Sena-stages-protest-against-Pakistani-hockey-players-in-Mumbai/articleshow/18008265.cms
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Pakistani artistes in India on peace mission
Jan 13, 2013
KOLKATA: Amidst the growing tension between India and Pakistan after the brutal killing of two Indian jawans along the LoC in Kashmir, a troupe of artistes from Karachi are on a peace mission in the country to strengthen people-to-people relations.
"The tension is political in nature and the people have nothing to do with it. People from both sides of the border want peace. We want regular cultural exchanges with India and a hassle-free visa process so that we can meet each other," Pakistani theatre director Zain Ahmed told PTI here today.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pakistani-artistes-in-India-on-peace-mission/articleshow/18007291.cms
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North America
US judge OKs group prayers for Muslim inmates in Indiana
January 13 2013
INDIANAPOLIS: John Walker Lindh, known as the ‘American Taliban,’ and other Muslims housed in an Indiana prison have the right to congregate for daily group prayer sessions, a federal judge ruled on Friday. The decision by officials at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, to ban daily group prayers for Muslim inmates violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, US District Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson said. The ruling came in a complaint filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana on behalf of Lindh, who was captured in Afghanistan and imprisoned in the United States after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and two other Muslim inmates. The case was argued before Magnus-Stinson last August.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013\01\13\story_13-1-2013_pg7_3
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War is over, Obama hints at fast tracking Af pullout
By Michael R Gordon & Mark Lander
Jan 13, 2013
WASHINGTON: President Obama , eager to turn the page after more than a decade of war, said on Friday that beginning this spring American forces would play only a supporting role in Afghanistan, which opens the way for a more rapid withdrawal of the troops.
Though Obama said he had not yet decided on specific troop levels for the rest of the year, he said the US would accelerate the transition of security responsibilities to the Afghans, which had been set to occur at the middle of the year, because of gains by Afghan forces.
Obama also made it clear that he planned to leave relatively few troops in Afghanistan after the Nato combat mission ends in 2014, saying those forces would be narrowly focused on advising and training Afghan troops and hunting down the remnants of al-Qaida .
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/War-is-over-Obama-hints-at-fast-tracking-Af-pullout/articleshow/18002568.cms
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US condemns ‘senseless, inhumane’ attacks in Pakistan
January 13 2013
QUETTA: The United States has condemned the “senseless and inhumane” extremist attacks in Pakistan after a day of bomb blasts that killed 126 people and sparked angry protests by Shias.
Two suicide bombers killed 92 people and wounded 121 when they targeted a crowded snooker club in Quetta on Thursday, in an area dominated by Shias from the Hazara ethnic minority.
US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said on Friday Washington offered “the families of those killed in these brutal attacks in Quetta, in Swat, in Karachi... our deepest condolences”.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013\01\13\story_13-1-2013_pg7_1
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