“Kill Me before You Kill a Fellow Maldivian”: President
Kazakh Students Win Fight against Hijab Ban
Need Stressed to Spread Values of Sufism to End Strife
Eleven yrs old Pakistani girl sets new world record in O levels
Sultan of Sokoto Urges Solution to ethno-religious crises
New laws protect women from abuse in Pakistan
Burqa ban: Canada prohibits Muslim veil in citizenship ceremonies
House of Commons calls on Pakistan to release Christian woman
Engage youth in decision making: Ambassador of Alliance of Civilizations
Learn diplomacy from India: Pakistan’s UN envoy to Karzai
'Muslim world set to form powerful bloc'
Islamist Vision of 'sin-free' tourism raises Alarm in Egypt
Afzal Guru: Govt. puts the ball in Prez’s court
Vandals attack disused Jerusalem mosque
‘90pc of missing Baloch killed by their own groups’
Punjab Assembly calls for mandatory Quran, Sunnah education
Dead body identified as of Hindu trader
Probe ordered into ‘secret killings’: Bangladesh Home Minister
Militants kill five Pakistani villagers: officials
Police, militants clash in Pakistan
Two Lashkar Men Killed in Khyber Clash
Panetta asks Kayani to help resume NATO supplies
Pakistan Talking Again to US-Led Coalition: NATO
Zardari's real power in Pakistan comes from his party, not his presidency
Pakistan PM promises to reconsider ban on BBC World News
Pakistan First
MFN status to India to affect Pak auto industry
UN rights expert starts probing Iran rights abuses
Iraq: UN calls for more time to resolve issue of camp residents
Iraqi Foreign Minister Meets the High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs and Security in the European Union
UN asks Iraq to extend dissident camp deadline
Islamic World Tells Clinton: Defamation of Islam Must be Prevented -- in America
Indian Animal Rights Group Asks Pakistan to Free Monkey
Compiled By New Age Islam News Bureau
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“Kill Me before You Kill a Fellow Maldivian”: President
By JJ Robinson
December 13th, 2011
“Kill me before you kill a fellow Maldivian,” President Mohamed Nasheed has said, after several slogans calling for the “slaughter of anyone against Islam” were published yesterday on a website calling for a religious protest on December 23.
The organisers of the protest yesterday removed the slogans calling for murder, attributing them to “a mistake on the technical teams’ side.”
The website, 23December.com, this morning appeared to have been targeted by hackers, replaced with green skulls and the statement “We’ll come out against you with machetes if you protest.”
The original site promoting the protest is now back up at the domain.
Speaking at a Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) rally last night, President Nasheed promised that should the protests target Maldivians, “The government and MDP will come out in defence of the people. We’ll not come out on the streets with the defence forces but with bare hands. No one can confront us on these streets,” Nasheed was reported as saying.
His statements followed an attack on Saturday against a group of ‘silent protesters’ on the Artificial Beach calling for religious tolerance. Several people were injured in the skirmish, including controversial blogger Ismail ‘Khilath’ Rasheed who’s website was last month blocked on the order of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs.
That evening, Nasheed gave an address at a function marking International Human Rights Day, in which he said that “Islam stands for the dignity, honour, and nobility of mankind, on which Islamic Sharia is based”, and contended that those who claimed Sharia conflicts with fundamental human rights “are clearly unable to comprehend or accept Sharia verdicts.”
The explosive reaction against UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, following her recent call for a moratorium and debate on the practice of flogging for extramarital sex, and an amendment to the “discriminatory” constitutional provision that all Maldivians be Muslim, was a lost opportunity to showcase Sharia’s compatability with human rights, he said.
“Our scholars lost the chance by reacting in a provocative and ‘Jihadi’ manner, even calling to harm the High Commissioner,” Nasheed said.
Religious figures were yesterday quick to publicly condemn the calls for violence.
Speaking to Minivan News, Former State Minister of Islamic Affairs Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed said that the slogan calling for murder was “not good”, adding that “Islam is a religion of peace, not of violence”.
http://minivannews.com/politics/kill-me-before-you-kill-a-fellow-maldivian-president-condemns-calls-for-religious-violence-29345
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Kazakh Students Win Fight Against Hijab Ban
AQTOBE, Kazakhstan, Dec 14, 2011 -- Officials at a university in northwestern Kazakhstan have lifted a Hijab ban for students after eight female students threatened to sue the school, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.
The students told RFE/RL on December 8 that they had been unable to attend classes at Saqtaghan Baishev University, as a duty officer at the school's entrance was preventing them from entering the university because of their head scarves, or hijabs.
The students received help on the issue from the Kazakh Bureau for Human Rights when its lawyer, Aghyzbek Tolegenov, met with university Rector Khalel Khusainov last week.
Tolegenov told Khusainov that the university's internal regulations contradicted the Kazakh Constitution and reminded him that "our society should fight extremism, but not Islam."
Tolegenov told RFE/RL on December 12 that he and human rights experts from the nongovernmental organization Coalition for Defending Human Rights and Freedoms started a campaign on "lifting the hijab ban" at the university.
University officials then held a series of discussions involving teachers and students that lasted until December 10. Aqtobe Oblast Imam Abdimutalip Daurenbekov also took part in the discussions.
Daurenbekov told RFE/RL that it was decided that students can attend classes with head scarves as of December 12.
'Do Not Cover Up In Black'
The university's deputy rector, Bayan Orynbaeva, refused to comment on the issue last week and told RFE/RL's correspondent to leave the university. But she agreed to talk to RFE/RL on December 12 and said the main problem was the color of the students' head scarves and dresses.
Perizat Moldasheva said what she wears is traditional Kazakh dress.
"They were all black, which is not a traditional [color for] Kazakhs to wear," Orynbaeva said.
However, one of the eight female students who made the initial complaint, Shynar Mantaiqyzy, told RFE/RL that none of them ever wore either black dresses or black head scarves.
"Kazakhs traditionally say, 'Do not cover up in black,' something that we all follow. Our clothes and head scarves were always of different colors," she said.
Another student, Perizat Moldasheva, told RFE/RL that "what we wear is not a hijab, what we wear is called a head scarf -- a traditional part of a Kazakh woman's dress."
The Kazakh Constitution guarantees the right of all citizens to practice any religion freely and without any restrictions. Amendments to the law on religions do not say anything regarding the head scarf or other religious dress.
http://www.rferl.org/content/kazakh_university_hijab_ban_overturned/24420949.html
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Need Stressed to Spread Values of Sufism to End Strife
Anil Dutta
Karachi December 14, 2011, Love and tolerance, which forms the edifice of Sufism, was highlighted at a lecture titled, “Sufism in Islam”, at the Goethe-Instut on Tuesday by Prof Dr Jurgen Wasim Frembgen.
The lecture highlighted the mystical thoughts and values embedded in Sufi poetry, which serves to build bridges by spreading the message of love, harmony and tolerance. In addition to the field of philosophy, practical tolerance is exemplified within the devotional religiosity at the shrines of Sufi saints in Punjab and Sindh.
Expressing concern over the danger faced by the cultural heritage of Pakistan owing to the current socio-political conditions, Frembgen said this Sufi heritage was worth conserving as it was the surest panacea for the religious and cultural strife that had engulfed society today. He said that Sufi values of universal brotherhood, love and tolerance were enshrined in the Holy Quran. To consolidate his thesis, he said that Muslims of the subcontinent often drew on the mystical poetry which characterises Sufi Islam.
In ethical terms, he said, Sufism preached non-interference in the religious beliefs of others and acceptance of every viewpoint. In this context, he cited the oft-quoted axiom, “Apne aqeede ko mat choro, doosron ke aqeede ko mat chero”, (Stick steadfastly to your beliefs, don’t comment on the beliefs of others). Sufis in the subcontinent, Frembgen said, had all along promoted the saying, “Mohabbat sab ke liye, nafrat kisi ke liye naheen” (Love for everybody, hatred for none). The Sufis, he said, believed that love was all that existed in the world and was the force that kept the world and mankind going. For them, he said, divine and human love was the edifice of religion.
Absolute unity and uniqueness of God, Frembgen, said, was the key to the Sufi tradition. “For those who love, there are no Muslims, no Christians, but all are the equal sons and daughters of Allah Almighty, all of them equal masterpieces of His creation,” he said.
He said that Sufism in Islam was the exact antithesis of the rigid caste system of Hinduism. Sufis, he said, warn strictly against religious exclusivism as they firmly believe that whichever way one turns, there’s Allah. Talking expressly on the Sufi tradition in the subcontinent, he frequently quoted Baba Farid, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, Bulleh Shah and Odero Lal and their message of universal love transcending all religious differences and uniting mankind into one large homogenous family, all a creation of the loving Allah Almighty.
Frembgen is the curator of the Oriental Department at the museum of ethnology Munich, Germany, and a private lecturer in Islamic Studies at the University of Munich.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=82131&Cat=4
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Eleven yrs old Pakistani girl sets new world record in O levels
Suhail Yusuf Dec 14 2011
KARACHI: A Pakistani girl has become the youngest student in the world to have passed the British Ordinary Level (O’Level) examination.
Sitara Brooj Akbar, at the age of 11, passed six O’level subjects including Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology.
In addition to this honour, Sitara also holds the title of being the youngest Pakistani candidate of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and successfully attained seven bands out of nine, scoring 7.5 in the testing system.
The little genius from Chiniot (Punjab) has been making headlines across local media but is yet to receive any recognition from the Government of Pakistan.
“We don’t need any sort of monetary aid from the government, we just want the government to recognise that Sitara has made a shining example for Pakistan on the international stage and she is the daughter of Pakistan,” Sitara’s father Ali Akbar told Dawn.com.
Ali Akbar added that the British Council has declared and recognised Sitara’s feat as the world’s youngest student to have passed O’level exams. However, she has only been declared the youngest IELTS candidate in Pakistan, and not across the world, as the British Council is yet to confirm her feat globally.
Speaking to Dawn.com, Sitara’s mother mentioned that her daughter is a great fan of Dr Abdus Salam, Pakistan’s sole Nobel laurete and aims to become a top researcher in the field of biochemistry.
http://www.dawn.com/2011/12/13/pakistani-girl-set-new-world-record-in-o-levels.html
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Sultan of Sokoto Urges Solution to ethno-religious crises
By Our Reporter, Dec 14, 2011
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, has appealed to the Federal Government to proffer a permanent solution to the ethno-religious crisis in some parts of the country to ensure sustainable peace.
Abubakar made the call at the 5th Annual General Conference of Muslim Lawyers Association of Nigeria (MULAN), in Kaduna, saying: “Islam is a peaceful religion that is promoting the cause of unity, tolerance and not violence.’’
He said groups which had deviated from these principles of the faith were not practising the true teachings of Prophet Mohammed (SAN) and Islam but acting for personal gains.
The Sultan said Muslims were being victimised because of the activities and actions of a few people, who claimed to be part of the Muslim community but whose activities were alien to the tinets of Islamic religion.
He urged the association to use its position to defend and protect the good image and rights of Muslims and Islam in Nigeria.
Earlier, the National President of the association, Alhaji Tajuddeen Oladoja, said the primary objective of the conference was to articulate appropriate strategies for the promotion and protection of fundamental rights and interest of Muslims in Nigeria.
He said MULAN was carrying out the task by identifying rights of Muslims in the context of law and judicial process in Nigeria.
Oladoja said MULAN frowned at the non establishment of Shariah courts by state governments in southern Nigeria.
He appealed to the Federal Government to hasten efforts in establishing Shariah courts in the southern states to ensure the adjudication of certain Islamic personal matters relating to marriage, divorce, inheritance, paternity among others.
The president said the association had joined the labour movement and other bodies to oppose the removal of oil subsidy.
“We are warning the government that the indices that gave rise to the uprising in North Africa and the Arab world are everywhere in Nigeria, “ he said.
http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/newsextra/29646-sultan-urges-solution-to-ethno-religious-crises.html
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New laws protect women from abuse in Pakistan
By MUNIR AHMED, Associated Press
ISLAMABAD (AP) Dec, 14, 2011, — Azim Mai's husband allegedly threw acid in her face last year after she refused to sell their two boys to a man in Dubai to use as camel racers. The 35-year-old mother of five can no longer find work as a maid because her deeply scarred face scares potential employers.
Acid burnings are among the most horrific crimes against women in Pakistan that are now criminalized in a landmark set of laws passed by the parliament. They stand to protect millions of women from common forms of abuse in a conservative, Muslim country with a terrible history of gender inequality.
Rights activists praised the laws Tuesday while stressing their passage was just the first step, and likely not the hardest one. It could be even more difficult to get Pakistan's corrupt and inefficient legal system to protect women's rights that many men in this patriarchal society likely oppose.
"This is a big achievement for the women of Pakistan, civil society and the organizations that have been working for more than 30 years to get women friendly bills passed," said Nayyar Shabana Kiyani, who has lobbied for the legislation as part of The Aurat Foundation, a women's rights group.
"We can't really get good results until the laws are implemented at the grassroots level," she added.
Full Report at:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j-Cwkf4F6qPJMGSWk-sFbk9lScWA?docId=261c64a9ea1c4a0d8440c7e7ba231845
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Burqa ban: Canada prohibits Muslim veil in citizenship ceremonies
Canada, a country that prides itself on having one of the world's most liberal systems for immigration, just banned women from wearing veils while taking the oath of citizenship.
Limited to citizenship ceremonies, Canada's new rules make it the second nation after France to ban face-covering garments in public, although there are a number of countries in Europe that have begun to target Islamic fashion and religious observance in the past few years.
France's conservative government passed a veil ban in October 2010, a law that went into force in April 2011. The Netherlands also indicated in September that it would impose a ban on veils because the "wearing of clothing that completely or almost entirely covers the face is fundamentally at odds with public life." In August 2009, Switzerland outlawed the construction of new minarets at Swiss mosques.
Canada's minister of citizenship and immigration, Jason Kenney, told reporters that he found it "bizarre" that Canada's rules had once allowed women to wear face-concealing garments during their citizenship ceremonies.
Full Report at:
http://www.minnpost.com/globalpost/2011/12/14/33810/burqa_ban_canada_prohibits_muslim_veil_in_citizenship_ceremonies
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House of Commons calls on Pakistan to release Christian woman
12 December 2011
Asia Bibi faces possible death sentence under blasphemy laws
By Deborah Gyapong
The Canadian Catholic News
OTTAWA (CCN)—Canada’s Parliament has called on Pakistan to release a Christian woman who faces a possible death sentence under that country’s blasphemy laws.
On Dec. 8, the House of Commons unanimously passed the following motion: “That, the House of Commons joins the Senate of Canada in calling upon the Government of Pakistan to immediately release Ms. Asia Bibi, to ensure her safety and well-being, to hear the outcry of the international community and to respect the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”
The motion, tabled by Liberal MP Irwin Cotler, was welcomed by International Christian Voice (ICV), a religious freedom organization founded by Peter Bhatti, the brother of the former Pakistani Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti assassinated in March.
Bhatti was the second highly-ranked Pakistani official who was assassinated for speaking against the blasphemy laws. On Jan. 4, Punjab province governor Salmaan Taseer was killed by his own bodyguard for defence of Bibi.
Full Report at:
http://bcc.rcav.org/canadian/1226-house-of-commons-calls-on-pakistan-to-release-christian-woman
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Engage youth in decision making: Ambassador of Alliance of Civilizations
BY RAYNALD C RIVERA
DOHA: 14 December 2011, H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, ambassador of Alliance of Civilizations, stressed the importance of linking the Alliance’s objectives to Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), making education a main priority and actively engaging the youth as decision makers, during the conclusion of the fourth United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Forum yesterday.
Establishing a link between the Alliance’s objectives and the MDGs, Sheikah Moza expressed optimism the Millennium Development Goals could be realized by turning conviction to action through projects approved by the United Nations within a certain framework to eventually reach international tolerance, peace and cultural diversity.
To this end, Sheikha Moza also called for setting up a monitoring and follow-up mechanism to ensure progress on the outcomes of the UNAOC dialogues.
“We thought of creating an observatory in order to ensure follow-up and identify indicators in all levels. We will try to monitor through reports to assess efforts and see results reached,” she said.
Full Report at:
http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/175753-engage-youth-in-decision-making-sheikha-moza.html
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Learn diplomacy from India: Pakistan’s UN envoy to Karzai
New York: Dec< 14 12 2011,Advising President Hamid Karzai to “take a leaf out of India’s book” and learn from the “enormous maturity” it has shown, Islamabad’s envoy at the UN said Afghanistan’s “accusatory” stance towards Pakistan will not help bilateral ties.
Noting that a “massive change around” has come today in India-Pakistan relations as compared to the post-26/11 environment, Pakistan’s ambassador to the UN Abdullah Hussain Haroon said the two neighbours are beginning to see “things from each others’ perspective” thanks to the dialogue process.
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai. PTI
“I wish President Karzai could take a leaf out of the Indian book, instead of being accusatory towards Pakistan,” Haroon said in New York.
He said even if a “leaf falls on the grass in Afghanistan”, the Afghan leader points a finger towards Islamabad, saying the “Pakistanis must have done it”.
“It does not work that way. I think India would be a good example for Karzai to follow in which he should realise that this accusatory game gets no where”.
Full Report at:
http://www.firstpost.com/world/learn-diplomacy-from-india-pakistans-un-envoy-to-karzai-155796.html
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'Muslim world set to form powerful bloc': Secretary General, IIAC
Dec 13, 2011
Secretary General of the International Islamic Awakening Conference Ali Akbar Velayati says the Muslim world is set to become a global power bloc.
“Considering the current Islamic Awakening trend, the Muslim world will turn into a powerful bloc in the future,” Velayati said at a Tuesday meeting in the Iranian capital city, Tehran.
“The golden age of the US has come to an end; they cannot even be accountable for what has happened in their country,” IRNA quoted him as saying.
The senior Iranian official was making reference to the anti-capitalism Occupy movement which emerged in the US after demonstrators staged an occupy protest rally in New York's financial district on September 17.
Despite police harassment and mass arrests, the Occupy protests have spread to other major US cities as well as other capitalist countries such as Australia, Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain, Ireland, and Portugal.
“Under the existing circumstances, not only have the Western countries faced problems in economic aspects, but also their officials are not accountable to their own people regarding the political areas,” Velayati pointed out.
“The Islamic countries no longer tolerate any colonialism and dictatorship of the West; moreover, the Western countries are not as strong as they were before in wanting to bully the Middle Eastern countries,” he added.
Since early 2011, a wave of popular uprisings has spread across the Arab world. The growing Islamic Awakening movement has so far led to three regime changes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/215470.html
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Islamist Vision of 'sin-free' tourism raises Alarm in Egypt
December 13, 2011
REPORTING FROM CAIRO -- The Egyptian tourism minister has expressed concern about recent comments by members of the country's leading Islamist parties, who have outlined their vision for "sin-free" tourism.
"There are international concerns about some irresponsible comments made by some Islamists about beach tourism in Egypt," Tourism Minister Mounir Fakhri Abdel Nour told the independent satellite channel Mehwar on Monday evening. "Many countries have sent inquiries and asked for explanations, and Egyptian tourism already lost a lot because of these comments."
Abdel Nour was referring to statements by members of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party and the ultraconservative Salafi party Al Nour. The two parties are leading in parliamentary polls after the first stage of voting last month, raising fears that the country's lucrative tourism industry could be at risk.
About 15 million holiday-makers visited the country last year, contributing $12.5 billion to the economy, Abdel Nour said.
A senior assistant at the ministry said Tuesday that Egypt is expected to earn no more than $9 billion from tourism this year because of a reduced number of visitors, which at one point during the uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak was 80% lower than the previous year.
Abdel Nour said Egyptian tourism "is currently facing a double challenge: security and the [religious] fatwas."
Full Report at:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2011/12/egypt-sin-free-tourism.html
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Afzal Guru: Govt. puts the ball in Prez’s court
New Delhi: Dec 13, 2011, Under fire from opposition over the delay in carrying out the death sentence of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, government today put the onus on President Pratibha Patil saying a decision on the issue has to
be taken by her.
Using the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Parliament attack, BJP asked why government was not punishing those held guilty for the December 13, 2001 audacious strike.
UPA meet ends; Chidambaram says meeting 'fruitful'. Reuters
“Despite the Supreme Court confirming the sentence, the man (Guru) is still out there in jail… The nation wants to know, why are we hesitating in punishing those guilty for the Parliament attack,” Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said.
“We come here every year to remember all those killed in the attack. There are two sides to the issue, one is to pay homage to those killed and the other is to carry out the sentence granted by the Supreme Court on the man responsible
for being behind the attack conspiracy,” she said at a function in Parliament House to pay homage to nine people who lost their lives in the attack.
BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad asked “Why the delay in Afzal Guru’s (case). How long? Why? I think, the sooner that verdict is executed, it will be the biggest homage to those great warriors…,” he said.
Full Report at:
http://www.firstpost.com/india/afzal-guru-govt-puts-the-ball-in-prezs-court-155428.html
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Vandals attack disused Jerusalem mosque
14 December 2011
Vandals have set fire to a disused 12th Century mosque in the centre of Jerusalem and left graffiti insulting the Prophet Muhammad on its walls.
Jerusalem's mayor denounced the attack, which caused no structural damage.
The incident is being linked to a wave of attacks by Jewish settlers and right-wing extremists angered by what they see as Israeli government attempts to restrict settlement building.
Early on Tuesday, protesters broke into an Israeli army base in the West Bank.
They set tyres alight and damaged vehicles inside the Ephraim Brigade's headquarters near Qalqilya, officials said. The brigade's commander was also slightly injured when his vehicle was pelted with stones.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the violence "intolerable" and told security forces to "to act aggressively" against those responsible.
'Price-tag' attacks
The Nebi Akasha mosque is located in the middle of an ultra-Orthodox part of Jerusalem.
Israeli media reports say it has not been used as a place of worship since Israel's war of independence in 1948, though it was recently renovated and turned into a municipal storage facility.
Early on Wednesday morning, the Jerusalem Fire and Rescue Services received a call saying there was a fire in the building.
Full Report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16176316
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‘90pc of missing Baloch killed by their own groups’
By Mohammad Zafar
QUETTA: December 14, 2011, Frontier Corps (FC) Inspector General Major General Ubaidullah Khattak on Tuesday claimed that 90 percent of the Baloch missing persons were involved in criminal activities and had been killed by their own organisations.
Addressing a press conference at FC Headquarters in Quetta on Tuesday, he said that the FC was present in various districts of Balochistan to maintain law and order. “If tribal elders and members of civil society ensure peace in the province, then the FC will be withdrawn,” he said.
Khattak denied the allegations that his force was involved in enforced disappearances of Baloch youth and political activists.
Defending the FC existence, the FC chief said there had been decline in violence during this year as 1,328 incidents took place while there were 1,425 incidents of violence in 2010. According to information shared by FC, there were 110 rocket attacks in this year and there were 164 in last year. Similarly, 134 grenade attacks in this year and 168 during the last year.
For Full Report:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\12\14\story_14-12-2011_pg7_5
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Punjab Assembly calls for mandatory Quran, Sunnah education
By Hussain Kashif
LAHORE: Dec 14, 2011, The Punjab Assembly (PA) session on Tuesday was marked by the passage of a unanimous resolution asking to include the education of Quran and Sunnah in the educational curriculum upto matric, a hot debate on President Asif Ali Zardari’s medical trip to Dubai and declarations of Shahbaz Sharif as an arrogant Chief Minister (CM) and his ministers being incompetent.
The resolution was presented by a female member of the treasury bench, MPA Nasim Nasir Khajawa, who had mentioned the word ‘students’ in the resolution, which was later modified and the word ‘female students’ was added by Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) legislator Seemal Kamran in the resolution. The resolution sought to make compulsory the education of holy Quran as well as Hadiths for both the male and female students up to matric. Since no objections were raised on the resolution, the assembly approved it, declaring the education of Quran and Sunnah compulsory for students up to matric.
Meanwhile, the PA also adopted another resolution, confirming contract employees of Utility Stores from Grade 14 to 18.
For Full Report:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\12\14\story_14-12-2011_pg13_1
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Dead body identified as of Hindu trader
Staff Report
QUETTA: 14 Dec, 2011, A body found Monday night in Sardar Kariz, an outskirt area of Quetta, has been identified as that of Hindu trader Ravi Kumar on Monday, police said.
Kumar, a local trader of Quetta, had been abducted by armed persons in broad daylight some three months ago from posh the area of Satellite Town. His captors demanded Rs 20 million from the family, and ultimately reduced their demand to Rs 10 million. When the family did not fulfil their demand, the captors executed Ravi and threw his body in the area close to Western Bypass, outskirts of the provincial capital.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\12\14\story_14-12-2011_pg7_17
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Probe ordered into ‘secret killings’: Bangladesh Home Minister
Star Online Report, December 14, 2011
Home Minister Shahara Khatun said on Wednesday that she had directed the law enforcement agencies to investigate the incidents of secret killing after coming to know about those through newspapers.
Asked whether she has any intelligence information about the ‘forced disappearance’ and ‘killings’, she did not give any reply.
Shahara was talking to reporters after a meeting at her ministry on law and order during Bishwa Ijtema.
Devotees from over 100 countries will participate in this year's Ijtema, she said.
The first phase of Bishwa Ijtema will begin on the bank of the Turag River at Tongi on January 13.
Another three-day Ijtema will begin at the same venue on January 20.
Mayor of Tongi municipality Azmat Ullah Khan, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Hasan Mahmud Khondoker and Rapid Action battalion (Rab) Director General Mokhlesur Rahman were present at the meeting.
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=34400
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Militants kill five Pakistani villagers: officials
(AFP)
PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Dec 14, 2011 — Militants opened fire on Pakistani villagers Tuesday, killing at least five civilians and wounding another six in the tribal badlands bordering Afghanistan, government officials said.
The attack took place in the Shalobar area of Khyber, part of Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal belt where the military is fighting homegrown militants led by warlord Mangal Bagh.
"Five villagers were killed and six were injured," Sayed Ahmad Jan, a senior government official in Khyber, told AFP by telephone.
"Militants came in a pick-up and fired on the villagers who were standing on the side of the road," Jan added.
An intelligence official in Khyber said villagers were helping the Frontier Corps (FC) dislodge militants, confirming that paramilitary troops had launched a search operation in the area on Tuesday.
Elsewhere in Shalobar, seven people, including two children and three women, were wounded when a mortar shell slammed into their home, Jan said.
Al-Qaeda-linked militants have carved out strongholds in Pakistan's tribal belt, also a rear base for Taliban fighting US troops in Afghanistan.
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Police, militants clash in Pakistan
Islamabad, 14/12/2011 (IANS) Clashes erupted Tuesday between police and at least 50 armed militants in Pakistan's northwest tribal region after the outlaws ambushed a police convoy, a media report said.
At least five policemen were injured in the incident in Budhbeer area of Peshawar, Xinhua reported citing Urdu TV channel ARY.
Though local media reports said several militants were killed in the clashes, they did not specify the exact number.
The attackers may have come from nearby Khyber Agency, a tribal area along the border with Afghanistan, reports said.
The militants fled the scene after police reinforcements arrived.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
©Indo-Asian News Service
http://news.in.msn.com/international/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5675128
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Two Lashkar Men Killed in Khyber Clash
Reuters, Dec 14, 2011
KHYBER: Militants clashed with pro-government militiamen and local police in the Bara area of the northwestern Khyber tribal region, killing two militia members and wounding another, security officials said.
http://www.dawn.com/2011/12/14/two-lashkar-men-killed-in-khyber-clash-2.html
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Panetta asks Kayani to help resume NATO supplies
Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD - Dec 14, 2011, US Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta made a phone call to Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Tuesday and sought his ‘good offices’ for the resumption of NATO supplies to Afghanistan through Pakistan, as the top NATO commander in Afghanistan Marine General John Allen revealed for the first time that he spoke to General Kayani on the phone on Monday - their first conversation since the November 26 NATO air strikes - and said he was seeing some signs of a possible lifting of Pakistan’s communications blackout imposed on the US-led coalition after the NATO attack.
Panetta, who was on an unannounced visit to Afghanistan to discuss the latest situation there with Afghan authorities, telephoned the army chief a day after General Allen. Panetta, who said in Kabul that it was important to reach out to Pakistan if the United States wanted to dismantle Afghan militant havens, told General Kayani that his country wanted normalisation of ties with Islamabad as it was vital to win the ongoing war on terror?
Full Report at:
http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2011/12/panetta-asks-kayani-to-help-resume-nato-supplies/
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Pakistan Talking Again to US-Led Coalition: NATO
Associated Press
Kabul: December 14, 2011, Voicing cautious optimism, the top NATO commander in Afghanistan said that he's seeing signs of a possible lifting of Pakistan's communications blackout imposed on the US-led coalition after NATO airstrikes killed two dozen Pakistani forces last month.
Marine Gen John Allen revealed for the first time that he spoke on the phone on Monday with Pakistan army chief Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani their first conversation since just after the airstrikes. Allen said they both expressed a commitment to work through the incident and try to restore coordination between their forces along the border.
"I do have a sense of progress," Allen told reporters at a news briefing at his Camp Eggers headquarters in Kabul, describing the phone call as businesslike and cordial. "The conversation was clearly about attempting to resolve the issue... around the border incident, in the sense that, let's restore border coordination so that we can move on."
He added that he believes Pakistan will soon restore its liaison officers, who were pulled after the November 26 incident, to border coordination centers or NATO headquarters in Kabul. Allen said the two did not discuss when Pakistan would reopen its border crossings to NATO convoys transporting supplies for troops in Afghanistan.
Allen made his comments shortly after Defense Secretary Leon Panetta arrived in Afghanistan unannounced to talk with commanders about the war. In addition to chilly relations with Pakistan, the US also is grappling with ongoing plans to withdraw tens of thousands of troops in coming months, handover security to Afghan forces and the impact of potentially big budget cuts to the military.
Full Report at:
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/pak-talking-again-to-usled-coalition-nato/211696-2.html
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Zardari's real power in Pakistan comes from his party, not his presidency
Saeed Shah in Islamabad
guardian.co.uk,13 December 2011
Formally, the Pakistani president, Asif Ali Zardari, exercises few powers in a position that is now supposed to be largely ceremonial.
However, he derives his authority from his position as the joint head, with his son Bilawal, of the ruling Pakistan People's party (PPP). From his party position, Zardari controls the government, including the appointment of the prime minister.
When the PPP was elected in 2008, he chose the party veteran Yousuf Raza Gilani as the prime minister. Gilani, who is theoretically the one in charge of day-to-day government, has proved fiercely loyal to his party and the president so far.
Zardari and his cronies in the presidency are immersed in all aspects of the government, as the regular press releases issued from his office make clear, with updates on him dealing with everything from flood control measures to foreign affairs. No doubt the orders to the government are continuing to flow from his hospital bed in Dubai.
If Zardari becomes incapacitated then a real power vacuum could follow, as the government is run by few ministers of any ability or initiative. Indeed they appear to have been chosen for that reason.
Full Report at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/13/zardari-power-pakistan-party-presidency?newsfeed=true
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Pakistan PM promises to reconsider ban on BBC World News
Indiantelevision.com Team
NEW DELHI: 13 December 2011, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani has promised that he will investigate the blockade of BBC World News in Pakistan. The move has been welcomed by the BBC .
Gillani promised to look on this issue during an interview to the BBC. He said that his government believed in the freedom of speech and the freedom of media and that was why the 'Draconian' laws imposed on the freedom of expression in Pakistan in past had been rejected.
The BBC World News is currently banned to display on all Pakistani cable networks, due to its telecasting an anti-Pakistan documentary 'Secret Pakistan' which tried to prove links between Pakistani intelligence agency ISI and Taliban.
The 'Secret Pakistan' documentary was televised on BBC World News in days after NATO strikes on Pakistani checkpost had raised anger in Pakistanis about the news channel, after which its coverage was abandoned by all Pakistani cable networks.
http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k11/dec/dec92.php
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Pakistan First
By Tanveer Ahmed
ISLAMABAD: Dec. 14, 2011,The envoys conference has reaffirmed that Pakistan’s external relations continue to be based on the principles of respect for sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity in accordance with international law as enshrined in the United Nations Charter.
At the concluding session of the conference on Tuesday, ambassador-designate to US Sherry Rehman presented the recommendations made by the conference to the prime minister. She said that the envoys of Pakistan from select capitals evaluated important aspects of the Pakistan’s foreign policy. They were also guided by the resolutions adopted by parliament (22 October 2008 and 14 May 2011), which reflected the aspirations of the people of Pakistan.
The envoys discussed Pakistan’s relationships with key countries, as well as international organisations and assessed the overall regional situation. Addressing the concluding session of the two-day conference, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani stressed that Pakistan’s foreign policy was based on immutable principles. The Charter of the United Nations, norms of inter-state conduct and international law provided the framework for Pakistan’s endeavours to ensure peace and security – both in its own region and the world, he added.
Full Report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011%5C12%5C14%5Cstory_14-12-2011_pg1_1
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MFN status to India to affect Pak auto industry
By Shabbir Sarwar
LAHORE: 14th De, 2011, Pakistan is producing just 20 percent of current automobile production as compared to India and the government of Pakistan is moving too fast on the issue of trade with India especially on giving Most Favourite Nation (MFN) status, which would put negative affects on the Pakistani auto industry, said Nabeel Hashmi, chairman Pakistan Association of Automotive Parts Accessories Manufacturers (PAAPAM) on Tuesday.
He said during 2010-11 India manufactured 2.50 million cars, 12.671 million motorcycles, 0.548 million tractors, 0.799 million rickshaws, 0.408 million light commercial vehicles, 0.318 million multi utility vehicles including means ambulances, television communication vans etc, 0.344 million buses and trucks.
Pakistan is producing 0.119 million cars, 0.034 million LCVs, 0.003 million buses and trucks, 0.070 million tractors, 1.8 million motorcycles and just 0.015 million rickshaws.
India’s overall automotive industries worth was $39.4 billion. Last year India exported auto parts worth $5 billion. Overall engineering goods exports by India last year were $37.198 billion.
Full Report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011%5C12%5C14%5Cstory_14-12-2011_pg5_10
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UN rights expert starts probing Iran rights abuses
AFP – Nov 29, 2011
United Nations Special Rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed, seen here in 2005, will talk to …
A UN expert tasked with investigating alleged human rights abuses in Iran will talk to Iranian activists in France, Germany and Belgium this week after a request to visit the country itself was refused.
United Nations Special Rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed will meet Iranians living in the three countries during a fact-finding mission from November 30 to December 8.
"A visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran would have allowed me to gain better understanding of the situation," Shaheed said in a statement.
"However I will now study a wide range of human rights issues by meeting activists within the Iranian diaspora, alleged victims of human rights violations, intergovernmental and civil society organisations," he said.
The former Maldives foreign minister, appointed Special Rapporteur in June, will report back to the Human Rights Council in March next year.
http://news.yahoo.com/un-rights-expert-starts-probing-iran-rights-abuses-152134793.html
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Iraq: UN calls for more time to resolve issue of camp residents
Special Representative Martin Kobler
6 December 2011 – The United Nations envoy for Iraq today voiced concern over the situation in a camp housing several thousand Iranian exiles and urged the Iraqi Government to extend the deadline for closing down the settlement as efforts continue o find a peaceful solution that conforms with international law.
Situated in the eastern Iraqi province of Diyala, Camp Ashraf houses members of a group known as the People’s Mojahedeen of Iran. The Iraqi Government has repeatedly stated its intention to close down the camp by 31 December and to transfer residents to another location until countries willing to accept them for resettlement are found. Residents want to remain in the camp until a resettlement solution is found.
Martin Kobler, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), told the Security Council in a briefing on the situation in the country that the UN is making efforts to facilitate a peaceful and durable solution.
“Lives are at stake and must be protected,” said Mr. Kobler. “The Government has a responsibility to ensure the safety, security and welfare of the residents. Any forced action that results in bloodshed or loss of life would be both ill-advised and unacceptable.”
Mr. Kobler noted that any workable solution must be acceptable to both the Iraqi Government and residents of Camp Ashraf. A solution must respect Iraqi sovereignty, on the one hand, and be in line with international humanitarian, human rights and refugee laws, on the other.
Full Report at:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40639
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Iraqi Foreign Minister Meets the High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs and Security in the European Union
07/12/2011
Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari met on the morning of 5/12/2011 in the Conference Centre in Bonn, Baroness Catherine Ashton, the High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs and Security in the European Union. The relationship between Iraq and the European Union reviewed during the meeting in the light of the evolving relationships between the two sides and in the light of the preparations for the signing of partnership and cooperation agreement between Iraq and the European Union. The two sides stressed on the importance of this agreement in pushing the relationship between them to advanced steps forward. They also discussed the decision of the Government of Iraq to close the Camp Ashraf at the end of the year 2011, and the emphasis on the sovereign decision of Iraq. Baroness Ashton praised Iraq's position in the treatment of the subject according to the considerations of humanity and respect for international humanitarian law, and the steps taken by Iraq in this area in cooperation with international bodies relevant in the forefront of the UN High Commissioner for refugees and the UN mission to help in Iraq (UNAMI).
http://www.mofa.gov.iq/eng/articles/display.aspx?id=11346
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UN asks Iraq to extend dissident camp deadline
By Jewel Samad
AFP Dec 7, 2011
The United Nations on Tuesday appealed to the Iraqi government to push back a December 31 deadline to close an Iranian dissident camp north of Baghdad, warning of a growing risk of violence.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also renewed appeals to the international community to find a home for the estimated 3,400 Iranian exiles at Camp Ashraf.
Amid heightened international concerns, the UN envoy to Iraq, Martin Kobler, told the UN Security Council many "obstacles" remain to ending doubts over how to end the camp standoff.
The positions of the residents and the government "remain far apart," Kobler told the 15-member council.
There is "a real danger of confrontation and even violence" because of the uncertainty over the camp, which has been home to members of the People's Mujahedeen Organisation of Iran (PMOI) since the 1980s.
Full Report at:
http://ph.news.yahoo.com/un-asks-iraq-extend-dissident-camp-deadline-212103263.html
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Islamic World Tells Clinton: Defamation of Islam Must be Prevented -- in America
By Clare M. Lopez
Dec 14, 2011
As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomes Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu to Washington this week, it is critical that Americans pay attention to what these two leaders intend to do. From 12 to 14 December 2011, working teams from the Department of State (DoS) and the OIC are going to discuss implementation mechanisms that could impose limits on freedom of speech and expression.
The OIC's purpose, as stated explicitly in its April 2011 4th Annual Report on Islamophobia, is to criminalize "incitement to hatred and violence on religious grounds." Incitement is to be defined by applying the "test of consequences" to speech. Under this twisted perversion of falsely "yelling 'fire' in a crowded theater," it doesn't matter what someone actually says -- or even whether it is true or not; if someone else commits violence and says it's because of something that person said, the speaker will be held criminally liable.
The OIC is taking direct aim at free speech and expression about Islam. Neither Christianity nor Judaism is named in the OIC's official documents, whose only concern is to make the world safe from "defamation" of Islam -- a charge that includes speaking truthfully about the national security implications of the Islamic doctrine of jihad
Full Report at:
http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/12/islamic_world_tells_clinton_defamation_of_islam_must_be_prevented_in_america.html
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Indian Animal Rights Group Asks Pakistan to Free Monkey
By Will Davies
Dec, 14, 2011
As if Pakistan’s ambassador to India doesn’t have enough challenges to deal with — from Kashmir tensions to the trial of militants involved in the Mumbai attacks to improving trade relations – now another tricky issue has emerged, and it comes in the unlikely form of a monkey named Bob.
Bob, or to use his full name, Bobby, was reportedly “arrested” last week after straying into Pakistan from India.
Bobby, astonishingly, hadn’t even bothered to submit the necessary visa paperwork before his little cross-border trip, and now he’s paying a heavy price for presuming that, as an animal, he was free to wander hither and thither however he chose. This lax approach to admin does little to dispel the stereotype that monkeys are irresponsible, or “cheeky.”
At least now, as he sits incarcerated in Bahawalpur Zoo in Pakistan’s Punjab province, Bobby has time to reflect on the errors of his ways, perhaps as he bounces a baseball off the wall of his cell, à la Steve McQueen in “The Great Escape,” though of course, being Indian, he’d have a cricket ball.
Full Report at:
http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2011/12/13/indian-animal-rights-group-asks-pakistan-to-free-monkey/