Protests erupt as Hindus are served beef in flood camps

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Protests erupt as Hindus are served beef in flood camps

24 August 2010

ISLAMABAD: Hundreds of minority Hindus rendered homeless by the devastating floods in Pakistan were served beef by authorities at a relief camp in Karachi, triggering protest from the community members.

The Hindus belonging to the Baagri and Waghari nomadic tribes, who numbered around 600, are among 4,000 flood victims of different faiths living in the relief camp in Lyari area.

"We are Hindus and consumption of beef is prohibited in our religion but we were given beef, which is unacceptable," Mohan Baagri, a Hindu living at the camp, said. Several women with traditional tattoos on their faces and wearing ‘lehengas’ left the camp with their children and demanded that they be shifted elsewhere.

Following the protest, officials of the minority affairs ministry of Sindh province rushed to the camp and intervened to resolve the issue.

"It was a misunderstanding. The food was for the residents of the camp but the authorities were not aware of their faith. However, we have made arrangements and they will now be given rations so they can cook their own food," said Dara Kazi, personal assistant to provincial minority affairs minister Mohan Mal Kohistani.

Times of India

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PAKISTAN: Two more Ahmadis murdered in target killings

24 August 2010

Two more Ahmadis, Dr. Najam al-Hasan and Pir Habib al-Rehman have been murdered in religiously motivated killings. Once again, no one has been arrested and the likelihood of anyone being prosecuted is virtually nil.

Dr. al-Hasan was leaving his clinic in Karachi, the capital of Sindh province, and had just entered his car when he was shot dead by a group of assailants, who remain unidentified. Dr. al-Hasan was just 39 years old and a professor at the Dow Medical University, Karachi.

Pir Habib-al-Rehman, a resident of Sanghar city, Sindh province, was on his way to his farm when two masked assailants approached his vehicle and shot him twice. One of the shots fired struck his head. He was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. Pir Habib al-Rehman was a US citizen and had been in Pakistan on personal business. He is the second US citizen in two years to be killed for being an Ahmadi. In 2006 Pir Habib's brother, Dr. Pir Mujeeb al-Rehman, was also killed for being an Ahmadi Muslim in Sanghar city. Previously in September, 2008, Dr. Abdul Mannan Siddiqi, also a US citizen, was brutally killed in Mirpurkhas.

Since the anti-Ahmadiyya Ordinance XX in 1984, 20 Ahmadi doctors have been killed in sectarian attacks, ten of whom were murdered in Sindh province. Dr. Najam al-Hasan becomes the second Ahmadi to be killed in Karachi this year because of his religion. Such violence is a result of the continuing hatred that is spread throughout Pakistan against Ahmadiyya Muslims.

Violent assaults against Ahmadis are carried out in the name of religion and all too often they are premeditated and well organised. It is most unfortunate that certain parts of the media in Pakistan are being used to incite the sentiments of people against Ahmadis and inflame the already raging fire of sectarianism in the country. It is unacceptable that some of the main media and press is aiding the fundamentalist and extremist agenda by openly declaring Ahmadis to be Wajibul Qatl (must be murdered) which is leading to the deaths of innocent Pakistanis. The fundamentalists encourage these deaths by claiming that the killers will be entitled to place in heaven.

The recent attacks on Ahmadis in Lahore have shown that it is open season for extremist and fundamentalist mullahs to spill their venom against Ahmadis which has resulted in the persecution of Ahmadis in various cities and towns of Pakistan. This lack of law and order is resulting in increasing agitation and lawlessness in Pakistan which does not bode well for the country moving forward.

It is also deplorable to learn that during the current national emergency (flooding) Ahmadi victims have been denied aid and have been turned away from shelters. In view of the fact that the government of Pakistan has been asking for millions of dollars in international aid they have a duty to explain this to the funding countries. The aid is being provided for all Pakistanis and this includes the extremists, fundamentalists, Ahmadis and Christians alike. The AHRC calls on the government of Pakistan to end this inhumane and barbaric treatment.

The AHRC urges the authorities in Pakistan to safeguard the security and dignity of all its citizens irrespective of race, religion or creed. In particular it is the Ahmadis who have been denied basic fundamental human rights and whose tormentors and killers are never brought to justice.

In the case of the recent killings the government of Pakistan must show its sincerity to the world and the countries funding the aid by ensuring that minority groups will receive the same degree of aid that the majority are receiving. The killers of Dr. Najam al-Hasan and Pir Habib al-Rehman must be brought to justice.

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission

About AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional non-governmental organisation monitoring and lobbying human rights issues in Asia. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984.

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5 more NATO tankers blown up at Torkham

25 Aug. 10

LANDIKOTAL: Five NATO oil-supply tankers were blown up at the Torkham border on Tuesday. On the second consecutive day, in a parking lot at the Torkham border, five oil tankers carrying fuel to NATO forces in Afghanistan were blown up by a bomb fixed to one of them. The rest of the tankers caught fire and were burnt totally. No casualties were reported until the filing of this report. More than 150 Afghanistan-bound oil tankers had been parked near the Torkham border for customs clearance on Tuesday when a powerful bomb went off in one of the tankers, turning four more into ashes, a Khasadar Force official said.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\25\story_25-8-2010_pg7_9

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Six Somali lawmakers among 32 dead in hotel carnage

25 Aug. 10

MOGADISHU: Somali extremist militants disguised as government soldiers went on a shooting rampage in a Mogadishu hotel on Tuesday, killing 32 people including six MPs before blowing themselves up.

The brazen attack by two rebels from the al Qaeda-inspired Shebab movement a stone’s throw from the presidential palace marked a new escalation on the second day of clashes in the capital that had already left 29 civilians dead.

“Thirty-two people died in this ambush. Six of them are members of the Somali parliament and four are Somali government civil servants,” Deputy Prime Minister Abdirahman Haji Adan Ibbi told reporters.

“The 20 others are innocent civilians who died in this horrible incident.” An AFP reporter who managed to enter the Hotel Mona compound said the doors of every single room and even the toilets had been smashed open by the two attackers.

Officials visiting the scene of the carnage held their noses because of the stench of burned flesh and smoke.

Witnesses and hotel staff said the attackers were wearing government security uniforms and shot dead security guards at the gate to the compound as they rushed into the three-storey building.

“They rained gunfire on everybody. Nobody stood a chance. I was lucky because they aimed at me but I jumped out of the window and survived,” hotel employee Adan Mohamed told AFP.

“People were screaming, there was total panic. When they decided they had finished killing everybody, they climbed to the balcony and started opening fire on government forces outside the hotel,” he added.

One government soldier who took part in the fighting and refused to give his name said one of the bombers detonated his suicide vest on the balcony when he saw they were surrounded. “These two guys were on the balcony, close together, shouting God is greatest. It seems one of them failed to detonate his vest but the other did and that probably killed both of them,” he said.

“One of them was blown to pieces, only the head remains. The other one’s body is completely burned, he is all black,” the soldier added.

Shebab spokesman Sheikh Ali Mohamoud Rage claimed responsibility for the attack during a phone press conference.

“Our commando units carried out this attack,” he said. The bloodbath at Hotel Mona, which lies in the small area firmly under government control, came on the second day of a deadly battle in the city.

The embattled transitional government and the UN condemned the attack.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\25\story_25-8-2010_pg1_5

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Terrorists will try to exploit flood crisis, says Zardari

25 Aug. 10

LONDON/ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday warned that the Taliban could take advantage of the country’s floods crisis while defending the government’s handling of the catastrophe.

He told The Guardian that it would take at least three years for the country to rebuild the devastated areas, but “I don’t think Pakistan will ever fully recover”. However, he said he believed Pakistanis had the resilience to withstand the challenge.

Zardari said the furore surrounding his overseas trip at the start of the disaster actually showed how much he is “wanted” at home. His comments came as the Taliban killed at least 36 people in three separate attacks in the country’s north-west, and the raging waters hit new areas in the south of the country.

Full report at:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\25\story_25-8-2010_pg1_3

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Pakistan moves choppers from Taliban fight to relief

25 Aug. 10

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has relieved some helicopters from the fight against the Taliban for use in rescue and relief operations in flooded regions. “The first priority of these helicopters is relief work,” a security official said on condition of anonymity. Asked how could it impact operations against militants in the northwest, he said, “They cannot be readily available, but we can bring them back any time if needed. We haven’t lowered our guard”. Additionally, the army has redeployed about 60,000 troops for relief efforts. Military officials say they have not withdrawn any of the 140,000 ground troops fighting militants along the border with Afghanistan, rather redeployed some from central Punjab. Any diversion of army’s focus from the fight with militants would raise alarm in the US, as Pakistan’s action in its Tribal Areas is crucial for Washington’s efforts to suppress Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan. reuters

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\25\story_25-8-2010_pg1_4

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Afghan withdrawal date bolsters enemy: US general

25 Aug. 10

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama’s July 2011 date to start withdrawing troops from Afghanistan has given morale boost to Taliban insurgents, who believe they can wait out NATO forces, the top US Marine said on Tuesday.

But General James Conway, who is retiring this fall as commandant of the Marine Corps, said he believed Marines would not be in a position to withdraw from the fight in southern Afghanistan for years. “In some ways, we think right now it is probably giving our enemy sustenance,” he said of the deadline.

“We can either lose fast or win slow,” Conway, quoting one of his own commanders, told reporters at the Pentagon. The timetable for withdrawal is certain to come under close scrutiny in a White House strategy review, which Obama called for last December when he announced the deadline and additional forces.

Full report at:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\25\story_25-8-2010_pg7_7

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Hezbollah clash with Lebanon Sunni group kills one

25 August 2010

 BEIRUT — Supporters of Lebanon’s Shiite movement Hezbollah clashed on Tuesday with partisans of a small Sunni Muslim group in the Lebanese capital, killing one person, an army spokesman said.

“A personal fight between a supporter of Hezbollah and another of Al-Ahbash erupted just after 7:00 pm (1600 GMT) in Beirut’s Burj Abi Haidar neighbourhood and escalated into a firefight in which a supporter of Hezbollah was killed,” an army spokesman told AFP.

“The army has intervened and is trying to restore calm in the area,” he said.

A police spokesman told AFP the fighters were using shoulder-launched rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns.

Three people were injured in the clashes, a Red Cross aid worker told AFP.

An AFP correspondent said the army had cordonned off the area as several Red Cross ambulances arrived to the site of the clashes.

Full report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/August/middleeast_August473.xml&section=middleeast

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Austria far right wants vote on minaret, veil ban

24 August 2010

Austria’s far-right Freedom Party, mindful of a forthcoming regional election in Vienna, has called for a special vote on whether to ban minarets and Islamic face veils.

Analysts say the debate will play a major role in the Oct. 10 regional election in the capital Vienna, a stronghold of the struggling Social Democrats in conservative Austria.

The non-binding referendum that Freedom wants can be called by Austria’s parliament and could influence government policy. There has not been such a vote at a national level in post-war history though some provinces including Vienna have held such polls.

Around 1.2 million can vote in the province which comprises the capital city, Austria’s financial and political hub.

Full report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/August/international_August1292.xml&section=international&col=

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Al Dahab is Islamic Personality of the Year

24 August 2010

Former Sudanese president Field Marshal Abdul Rahman Swar Al Dahab won the Islamic Personality prize for his service to Islam, the Holy Quran and humanity.

Deputy Chairman of the Dubai International Holy Quran Award organising committee Dr Saeed Harib made the announcement late on Sunday night at the Dubai Chamber of Commerce.

“Al Dahab — born in Al Obeid town in 1930 — has been named for the Dh1 million prize in appreciation of his noble activities for the Arab and Islamic worlds.”

Several scholars, scientists, presidents and institutions have won the Islamic Personality Prize over the past 13 sessions. The first winner was Late Sheikh Mohammed Metwally Al Shaarawy of Egypt in 1997 while former German ambassador to Algeria Dr Murad Hofmann was the last winner in 2009.

Al Dahab graduated from the military college in 1955 and joined the armed forces. He served as Minister of Defence, Military Commander and became the president from April 6, 1985 to May 6, 1986.

Full report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/August/theuae_August663.xml&section=theuae&col=

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Israeli police arrest rabbi over inciting violence against non-Jews

24 August 2010

By MOHAMMED MAR’I

RAMALLAH: The Israeli police on Thursday arrested Rabbi Yosef Elitzur from the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar on suspicion of incitement for violence against non-Jews, possession of racist text and possession of material that incites violence.

The police said that Elitzur was questioned by investigators from the international crimes unit. It added that Elitzur was scheduled to be brought before the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court for a remand hearing later on Thursday.

According to the police, the arrest comes as part of the investigation into the book “Torat Hamelech” (“The King’s Torah”), co-written by Elitzur and Rabbi Yitzhak Shapira of Yitzhar and was published in November.

The preface of the book states that it is forbidden to kill non-Jews but the book then describes the context in which it is permitted to do so.

Full report at:

http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article107088.ece

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Saudi not mulling paralysis penalty for attacker

24 August 2010

Saudi officials are trying to persuade a man paralysed in a fight in the conservative kingdom to accept compensation for his injuries.

The also asked the man to drop a demand that his attacker have his spinal cord severed, a judicial spokesman said on Monday.

Amnesty International had said earlier that the court in the province of Tabuk approached a number of hospitals about the possibility of paralysing the attacker in a medical setting. Amnesty urged the state not to carry out such a penalty.

The spokesman for the court said it had ruled for monetary compensation to be paid to 22-year-old Abdulaziz al-Mutairi and that the Tabuk provincial governor, Prince Fahad Bin Sultan, had ordered mediation between the two parties.

“Mutairi did request that the attacker face the same bodily harm he received, but the court ruled that he is to obtain a financial compensation agreed upon between the two parties,” the spokesman said.

Full report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/August/middleeast_August447.xml&section=middleeast&col=

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Debate rages over Saudi women working as cashiers

By FATIMA SIDIYA | ARAB NEWS

JEDDAH: The Saudi society has been debating on the Internet about the announcement by Panda supermarket chain that they will have women cashiers.

Many disagreed with the decision, believing it will only create more social problems and put Saudi women in embarrassing situations where they could be harassed by customers. Others, however, supported the idea believing that women have already been working in mixed environments for long time.

Arab News went to number of public places where women are selling, including Jeddah’s downtown (the Balad). Om Amir, a Saudi woman who sells henna and traditional clothing at the Bedouin Souq, said that she and her eldest daughter work the booth.

“We have been selling here for ages, I raised my children from what I sell here,” she told Arab News.

Full report at:

http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article106238.ece

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Pak dismantles LeT relief camps

24 August 2010

ISLAMABAD: Authorities in northwest Pakistan have launched a crackdown against banned terrorist groups like LeT that are engaged in relief efforts for flood victims and closed down 16 camps set up by these organisations.

The government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province decided on Sunday to act against outlawed terrorist groups involved in collecting donations for flood victims by using different names, media reports said on Monday.

The provincial government has closed 16 relief camps established by groups with terror links, including the Jamaat-ud-Dawah, a front of LeT, which has been blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Full report at: Times of India

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Brother of ANP leader shot dead in Karachi

24 August 2010

KARACHI: A brother of a senior leader of Awami National Party and MNA from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was gunned down here on Monday.

Police and party sources said that 55-year-old Asif Jan was going home from his office in the Civic Centre when his car was intercepted near a petrol pump by two gunmen who fired four shots.

“One of the bullets hit Mr Jan in the head and another in the abdomen. He was taken to a hospital by his driver, but he succumbed to the wounds during treatment,” Inspector Tariq Imran, SHO of the New Town police station, said.

He said that according to witnesses the attackers were wearing trousers and shirts.

Asif Jan, who worked for the land department of the city district government, lived in KMC Apartments in Civil Lines. He was younger brother of MNA Pervaiz Khan from Swabi.

Full report at:

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/08-brother-of-anp-leader-shot-dead-in-karachi-ts-02

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12 Taliban fighters killed, 15 injured in US drone attacks

24 August 2010

PESHAWAR: Twelve Taliban militants were killed and fifteen injured in two US drone attacks in Pakistan's restive North Waziristan tribal region, which is known as the hub of al-Qaida linked terrorist groups.

Five Taliban fighters were killed and three others injured when US a drone targeted a militant compound in the volatile North Waziristan tribal region.

The drones fired three missiles at a house in Danday Darpakhel area, three kilometres north of Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan Agency.

The region is also famous as stronghold of the al-Qaida-linked Haqqani network, known for staging attacks on US and NATO troops in Afghanistan.

Local residents rushed to the site and retrieved the dead and injured from the collapsed building.

Full report at: Times of India

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US drone strike kills 20 in Miranshah

August 24, 2010

MIRANSHAH: Missiles fired from a US pilotless drone aircraft killed 13 militants and seven civilians in North Waziristan on Monday, Pakistani intelligence officials said.

On Monday, the missiles targeted a compound used by militants in Kutabkhel village, some three kilometers south of Miranshah. The nationalities of the militants killed in the Monday attack were not immediately clear, but intelligence officials in the area said most of those killed were Afghans. Residents in Miranshah said militants linked to the Haqqani network were using the house as a training camp.

Most of the militants killed were members of the Afghan Taliban. Four women and three children were among the dead, said the officials. “The missiles hit a militant compound and a house adjacent to it. We have confirmed reports of 20 dead,” said one of the intelligence officials.

Another official said members of the al-Qaeda-linked Haqqani network — one of the most effective militant forces fighting Western troops in Afghanistan — had been using the compound.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/24-08-2010/Top-Story/107.htm

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Suicide attack kills 15 at mosque in Pakistan's Waziristan

24 August 2010

WANA (Pakistan): A blast inside a mosque in Pakistan's South Waziristan tribal region on the Afghan border killed at least 15 people on Monday, Pakistani intelligence officials said.

Taliban insurgents, who have carried out similar bombings, have been keeping a low profile during Pakistan's flood crisis, which has overwhelmed the government.

"Apparently it was a suicide attack and Maulana Noor Mohammad was the target," said an intelligence official in Wana, referring to a pro-government cleric.

Pakistan had said it made serious progress against militants before the floods hit more than three weeks ago.

Times of India

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Kashmir: Normalcy returns as curfew lifts

24 August 2010

After days of unrest, the situation in the Kashmir Valley was today calm with curfew being lifted from all areas.

With the lifting of curfew coinciding with the separatist' decision not to call for a shutdown, shoppers flocked markets and business establishments reopened in Srinagar and all major towns of the Valley.

The situation is peaceful throughout the Valley and curfew has been lifted from all parts, police said.

Traffic snarls were seen at many place as people came out to stock supplies particularly in view of the ongoing holy month of Ramzan.

Schools, colleges, banks and private offices reopened and public transport was back on the roads.

Full report at:

http://www.dailypioneer.com/278312/Kashmir-Normalcy-returns-as-curfew-lifts.html

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Tehran shuts Swedish cosmetics firm, arrests five

24 August 2010

23 August 2010 STOCKHOLM — Iranian authorities have arrested five employees of Swedish direct-sales cosmetics firm Oriflame and shut its Tehran office amid reported Iranian allegations of a massive pyramid scheme.

“The authorities have now closed Oriflame’s operation in Tehran (and) have also detained three members of staff and two sales consultants without disclosed reasons,” the company said in a statement on Monday.

The Oriflame Tehran branch was on Sunday “abruptly shut down with authorities coming into the office,” the company’s chief financial officer Gabriel Bennet told AFP.

“We are working with the embassy to find out why this is, and to try to secure (our employees’) release,” he said, adding that a Swede and another foreigner were among those arrested.

Full report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/August/middleeast_August448.xml&section=middleeast&col=

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Pak exaggerating flood damages to get more aid?

24 August 2010

NEW DELHI: Is Pakistan exaggerating damages caused by floods to garner more aid? Discrepancies in figures bandied around by none other than the Pakistani government on the number of people affected suggest that the authorities had initially overestimated the damages with an eye on aid from international agencies.

According to official figures, of the 6.378 million affected in the country, 2.45 million belong to Sindh, 1.9 million to Punjab, 1.56 million to Khyber Pakhtunkwa, 476,845 to Balochistan and 87,000 to Gilgit-Baltistan.

Noted security analyst B Raman commented that initially Pakistan might have exaggerated its losses on purpose, and Indian donors must ensure their aid reached organisations that are friendly with New Delhi. "Originally, the Gilani government had claimed that about 20 million had been affected by the floods. It has now come down to 6.378 million, one-third of the initial estimates. The international aid pledges made, so far, were on the basis of the estimate that about 20 million had been affected as claimed by the Pakistani government. Full report at: Times of India

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Kabul assails US for embracing Pakistan as ‘strategic partner’

24 August 2010

Afghanistan’s National Security Adviser Rangin Dadfar Spanta has obliquely criticised the United States for embracing Pakistan as a ‘strategic partner’ even though that country is ‘nurturing terrorism’ and continues to actively back Al Qaeda and a host of Taliban groups.

In a sharply-worded op-ed piece in The Washington Post, Spanta has slammed Pakistan as a country that “still sees terrorism as a strategic asset and foreign policy tool”. And its spy outfit, the ISI, “still regards Afghanistan as its sphere of influence”.

Putting it bluntly, Spanta warned: “Global efforts to counter terrorism will not succeed until and unless there is clarity on who our friends and foes are… How can we persuade Afghans, or the parents of young soldiers from coalition countries, to support a war where our ‘partners’ are involved in killing their sons and daughters?”

Full report at:

http://www.dailypioneer.com/278111/Kabul-assails-US-for-embracing-Pakistan-as-%E2%80%98strategic-partner%E2%80%99.html

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Kabul feels the heat of 'working' with Pakistan

24 August 2010

NEW DELHI: Afghanistan is feeling the cost of its much-hyped joined-at-the-hip relationship with Pakistan. After months of trying to "work" with Pakistan to get some kind of a reconciliation programme going in Afghanistan, the Afghan frustration has been expressed by no less than its national security adviser, Rangin Dadfar Spanta.

In fact, as India prepares to receive Afghan foreign minister, Zalmay Rasoul, on Tuesday, the collective exasperation with Pakistan is now palpable. Spanta, in an sharply worded article in The Washington Post, said: "We cannot mobilize the Afghan people with uncertainty, confusion or appeasement of those who sponsor terrorism", a thinly-veiled reference to US-Nato's indulgence of Pakistan's terrorism antics.

Full report at: Times of India

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Pak sabotaged Afghan peace bid

24 August 2010

WASHINGTON: Even as the United States and the rest of the world is busy rescuing Pakistan’s from its flood crisis with billions of dollars in aid, it transpires Islamabad has been screwing Washington and the international community by sabotaging peace efforts in Afghanistan in a ceaseless pursuit of its policy of strategic depth.

In one of the more egregious cases of “biting the hands that feed” recorded in recent times, Pakistan arrested Mullah Baradar and some other top taliban leaders “to shut down secret peace talks that Baradar had been conducting with the Afghan government that excluded Pakistan,” the New York Times reported on Monday.

“We picked up Baradar and the others because they were trying to make a deal without us,” a Pakistani security official was quoted as saying brazenly, about the murky arrests earlier this year. “We protect the Taliban. They are dependent on us. We are not going to allow them to make a deal with Karzai and the Indians.”

Full report at: Times of India

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‘No affected Sindhi should be forced to leave Karachi’

24 August 2010

Karachi :A large number of flood-affected people have arrived in Karachi from interior Sindh after losing their lands and properties, and all the Sindhis have the right to stay in the provincial capital as long as they want and no one should have any problem in this regard.

Addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Monday, Chairman Save Sindh Movement (SSM) Syed Shah Muhammad Shah said that no one should force the flood victims to leave the city. “It is a different if the affected people would voluntarily go back to their respective areas once life returns to normal in their native towns.”

Shah is also a leader of the Sindh Progressive Nationalists Party (SPNA), an alliance of several Sindhi nationalist parties, including Sindh Taraqi Passand Party (STP), Awami Tehreek (AT), and Sindh United Party (SUF).

Full report at:

http://thenews.com.pk/24-08-2010/ethenews/e-831.htm

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Taliban kill three members of lashkar in Peshawar

August 24, 2010

PESHAWAR: At least three members of the anti-Taliban Adezai Qaumi Lashkar were killed and 11 people were injured when a blast rocked the Matni bazaar near Peshawar on Monday evening.

The bazaar is near Darra Adamkhel along the Peshawar-Kohat road, about 25km from the provincial capital. A few days ago, police had defused a 15kg bomb in the same area.

Israr Khan, commander of the lashkar, and members Islam Gul and Khaista Gul were killed in the blast said to have been caused by an improvised explosive device.

According to witnesses, the explosion was followed by heavy firing in which some local people were injured.

They said several houses were damaged and power supply was disrupted by the explosion.

Rural Circle SP Abdul Kalam Khan said the device had been placed in a wheelbarrow and detonated by remote control. He said the victims had gone to the bazaar to buy food for Iftar.

Full report at:

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/08-blast-in-peshawar-targets-peace-jirga-ts-03

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Torture of boy reveals police modus operandi

August 24, 2010

THE police system developed to protect the life and property of citizens is in fact tailor-made to help the law enforcers exploit those in peril. Though the Lahore Police bosses award punishment to the culprits in uniform who subject innocent citizens to torture, the punishments are mere eyewash.

A boy who underwent a 10-day long torture not only revealed a brutal tale of police affairs but also exposed the mechanism of so-called monitoring system.

The scars of cigarettes on both sides of his shoulders, his swollen toes and fear in his mind were visible when the boy visited the Jang/The News offices to tell as to how he was tortured and forced by police to identify innocent people, trapped by police, for involvement in crimes.

Full report at:

http://www.thenews.com.pk/24-08-2010/lahore/

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25 militants escape from Tajik prison

August 24, 2010

DUSHANBE: A group of 25 militants serving time on terrorism charges have escaped from a prison in Tajikistan's capital after dramatic assaults that left at least five guards dead, the security services said Monday.

The escaped convicts include many members of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan group, among them Russian and Afghan citizens, officials said.

The violent breakout from a prison run by the National State Security Committee in the capital, Dushanbe, has dealt the government an embarrassing blow after it claimed successes lately in a clampdown on alleged militant organizations.

The prisoners attacked their guards late Sunday, killing one and badly wounding two others, the security services said. They then grabbed a supply of weapons, changed into camouflage uniforms and fled.

Full report at:

http://arabnews.com/world/article111240.ece

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Controversial Ahmadinejad aide named as Mideast envoy

August 24, 2010

TEHRAN: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has defied calls to fire one of his closest aides and appointed him envoy to the Middle East instead, suggesting that for now he may have the upper hand over his critics.

Media reported on Monday that Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaie, the target of frequent criticism from inside the hardline establishment since he became chief of staff last year, was taking one of four new foreign policy posts.

News of Rahim-Mashaie’s appointment came a day after Ahmadinejad and the head of Parliament met and said they would put aside differences that have exposed deep divisions among hardliners and prompted a warning from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Rahim-Mashaie, whose daughter is married to Ahmadinejad’s son, has become the focal point for infighting among the hardliners who rule the Islamic Republic.

Full report at:

http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article111205.ece

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Sol-Gen. to Head Communal Violence Bill Panel

August 24, 2010

Solicitor-general of India Gopal Subramaniam will head the drafting committee formed by the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council to prepare the Communal and Sectarian Violence Bill, 2010 by November this year.

Having rejected the Communal Violence (Prevention, Control and Rehabilitation of Victims) Bill, prepared by the government last month, the NAC has decided to broaden the scope of the legislation by changing its nomenclature to Communal and Sectarian Violence Bill, 2010 keeping in mind the concerns of the civil society groups.

The NAC has also set a timeline for the drafting committee and has asked it to work out the draft bill by November this year. Besides well-known Supreme Court lawyers like Maja Daruwala and Najmi Waziri, other members of the drafting panel include social activist Teesta Setalwad and lawyers Usha Ramanathan and Vrinda Grover.

Full report at:

http://www.asianage.com/india/sol-gen-head-communal-violence-bill-panel-174

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Kashmir situation serious: Karat

August 24, 2010

SRINAGAR: Terming the current situation in Kashmir “extremely serious,” Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat on Monday said there was no justification for deaths when protesting youth were only throwing stones.

Talking to journalists here, he said the CPI(M) was shocked at the death of 62 youths in the firing by the Central paramilitary forces and the police. These deaths could not be condoned and “we have a deep sense of sympathy with the families who have lost their young members.”

“There can be no justification whatsoever for these needless deaths when the protesting youth were only throwing stones. There has to be an immediate end to these brutal and inhuman police firings. There has to be a strict no-firing policy to face stone-throwing crowds. Other measures are to be resorted to in such confrontations.”

Full report at: The Hindu

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Prisons asked to produce Sayedee Sept 21

August 24, 2010

The International Crimes Tribunal on Tuesday again directed the prisons authorities to produce detained Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Delwar Hossain Sayedee before it on September 21.

The tribunal also fixed September 21 for holding hearing on the eight applications filed earlier by Sayedee and four other top Jamaat leaders.

Prosecutor Rezaur Rahman during his submission earlier told the court that primarily it is evident through the investigation, and collected evidence and information that crimes against humanity (as per article 3(2) of International Crimes Tribunal Act, 1973) were committed in 1971 at different places in Pirojpur and Sayedee committed those crimes.

On August 10, the tribunal had directed the prisons authorities to produce Sayedee before it on August 24. But the tribunal deferred the date as the structural reform of the court building has been going on.

Full report at: Daily Star

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War crime probe against Ghulam Azam begins

August 24, 2010

A team from the International Crimes Tribunal started investigating the war crimes charges against the former ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh Ghulam Azam yesterday.

The three-member team was led by Matiur Rahman, additional superintendent of police, along with investigation officer Shyamol Chowdhury and Probir Bhattacharya.

The team reached Brahmanbaria Sunday afternoon and visited various sites including, the prisons, Poirtola Baddhabhumi, Kaltali Soudho Hironmay and Intellectual Monument yesterday morning.

They also spoke to the locals for information on the killings of sub-inspector Shiru Miah and his son during the War of Independence in 1971.

The team expects to work for several days to delve into the war crimes committed by Ghulam Azam, who was born in Beergaan village under Nabinagar upazila of the district and collaborated with Pakistani occupation force during 1971.

ASP Matiur Rahman told The Daily Star that he prefers not to divulge any information about their findings yet.

Daily Star

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Pirates kill fisherman, abduct 125 for ransom

August 24, 2010

Pirates killed a fisherman and abducted at least 125 fishermen while looting 84 trawlers in Borguna and Bagerhat on Sunday.

Pirates killed a fisherman and shot four others near Chalna Boya point of the Bay of Bengal in Borguna district on Sunday night.

They also looted four fishing trawlers and abducted 25 fishermen at around 11:00pm, reports a correspondent from Barisal.

The deceased was identified as Ripon Khan, 30, son of Rezwan Khan of Kalmegha village under Patharghata upazila of Borguna.

At least 26 other fishermen jumped into the river to save themselves from the pirates.

The nearby fishing trawlers rescued them from the sea. All of them hailing from Banshkhali of Chittagong returned to Patharghata at around 10:00am yesterday.

Full report at:

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=25473

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Indo-Bangla ties worsened after Bangabandhu's death

August 24, 2010

Relations between India and Bangladesh worsened after the death of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975, as political parties instilled anti-India sentiment in people to gain political advantage.

Such practice by the political parties even adversely affected the economic development of both the countries, said speakers at a discussion yesterday on “Bangabandhu: Relationship with India under present perspective” at the city's Engineers' Institute organised by Shaheed M Mansur Ali Smrity Sangsad. The organisation arranged the discussion to mark the August 15, 1975 tragedy.

They also said Bangabandhu had established a strong bilateral relationship with largest neighbouring country India considering its economic potentials.

Without mentioning any political party, Golam Sarwar, editor of Dainik Samakal, said political parties were reluctant to identify India as a friend in fear of losing public acceptance during elections.

Full report at:

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=152042

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Jamaat men backtrack on war trial act

August 24, 2010

Two Jamaat-e-Islami leaders yesterday withdrew from the High Court a writ petition that challenged the first amendment to the constitution and some sections of the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973 under which the war crimes trial is being held.

Jamaat assistant secretaries general Muhammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Molla jointly filed the writ petition on August 16 seeking HC's directive to stop proceedings of the trial against them under the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act.

Petitioners' counsel Abdur Razzaq told an HC bench that his clients had asked him not to proceed with the writ petition.

Following the court order, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said there is no legal bar now to proceed with the trial of the 1971 crimes against humanity and war crimes under the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973.

He said the Jamaat leaders might move the same writ petition to another HC bench in future.

Daily Star

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Mike Tyson in Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage

August 24, 2010

DUBAI: Former boxing champion Mike Tyson is on his first visit to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage.

Tyson, who embraced Islam while serving a prison sentence in the 1990s, arrived in the holy city of Madinah on Friday to perform prayers at the Prophet's Mosque, Arabic media reports said.

From Madinah, Tyson will travel to Makkah to perform 'Umrah' and later will visit Jeddah, Abha and Riyadh as part of his tour.

His visit was arranged by a Canadian organisation which organises visits for new Muslim celebrities to Islamic sites in Saudi Arabia.

Tyson would be in the Kingdom for one week, visiting the holy places as well as important landmarks in the country and will meet the Saudi people to know their culture and traditions.

Times of India

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Spanish aid workers freed by Al-Qaeda return home

August 24, 2010

BARCELONA: Two Spanish aid workers freed by Al-Qaeda's North African branch returned home on Tuesday after a nine-month hostage ordeal in the Sahara, and said they were well-treated by their captors.

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) said it agreed to free the two after some of its demands were met, the Spanish newspaper El Pais reported, quoting an audio statement it said was from the group.

The group did not give details. But Spanish newspapers reported that a ransom of several million euros was paid, and hours before the hostages' release the mastermind behind the kidnapping was freed in Mali, according to a member of his family.

Albert Vilalta, 35, and Roque Pascual, 50, who worked for Catalan aid group Accio Solidaria, were seized north of the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott on November 29 along with a third Spaniard, 39-year-old Alicia Gamez, who was freed in March.

Full report at: Times of India

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Floods: Pakistan eases visa regime except for Indians

August 24, 2010

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has eased visa restrictions for aid workers from all countries except India and Israel to help the nation deal with the humanitarian crisis caused by the devastating floods.

All Pakistani missions abroad have been authorised by the Interior Ministry to “grant three months “Relief Work'' visa to aid workers/relief providers [except from India and Israel] taking part in relief/rescue operation for the flood victims''. This facility will be available to all U. N. officials and international aid workers also.

Additionally, aid workers from well-known organisations will be granted Visa on Arrival free-of-cost initially for three months by the Federal Investigation Agency (Immigration) at entry points including airports.

Full report at: The Hindu

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Bangladesh battling anthrax outbreak

August 24, 2010

Health officials are struggling to contain a major outbreak of anthrax in northern Bangladesh, with at least 52 new infections registered in the past week, the Health Ministry said on Monday.

At least 162 people have been infected with the bacteria in nine separate outbreaks in less than a year, but no one has died so far, Mahmudur Rahman, a Health Ministry director, said.

Most of the cases have been in the rural cattle-rearing region of northern Bangladesh.

“In the latest outbreak in the northern town of Shajadpur, 52 people became infected in the last week,” Rahman said.

Anthrax is a potentially lethal bacterium that exists naturally in the soil and commonly infects livestock which ingest or inhale its spores while grazing.

Full report at:

http://www.dailypioneer.com/278098/Bangladesh-battling-anthrax-outbreak.html

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US support of Pakistan ‘strategic mistake’

August 24, 2010

WASHINGTON: A senior Afghan official is urging the United States to re-evaluate its friendship with Pakistan, accusing the country of supporting al-Qaeda and other extremists as it plays a double-game.

Writing in Monday’s Washington Post, Afghanistan’s national security adviser Rangin Dadfar Spanta said Pakistani policy has helped maintain a level of violence that is leading to the erosion of Western support for the war. US-led troops are deployed with a mission to fight extremist groups, but the task “has been compounded by another strategic failure: the mistaken embrace of ‘strategic partners’ who have, in fact, been nurturing terrorism,” he wrote.

“While we are losing dozens of men and women to terrorist attacks every day, the terrorists’ main mentor continues to receive billions of dollars in aid and assistance. How is this fundamental contradiction justified?” Spanta wrote.

Full report at:

http://thenews.com.pk/24-08-2010/ethenews/t-123.htm

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UAE, US ink deal on nuclear safeguards

August 24, 2010

The nuclear regulatory bodies of the UAE and the US have inked a deal for cooperation in areas like safety, security and safeguards of the nuclear installations.

The nuclear regulatory bodies of the UAE and the US have inked a deal  for cooperation in areas like safety, security and safeguards of the nuclear installations, taking the historic 123 agreement signed by the two countries earlier for collaboration in nuclear fields to greater heights.

The latest agreement has been signed between the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) of the UAE and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) of the US at the NRC’s headquarters in Washington, D.C, according to a communication issued by the UAE’s official news agency Wam here on Monday.

This Arrangement was made within the framework of the bilateral nuclear cooperation (123) agreement between the Governments of the UAE and the US which was signed in January last year and implemented on December 17, 2009, Wam report said.

Full report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/August/theuae_August662.xml&section=theuae&col=

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Afghan security force training faces big hurdles

August 24, 2010

24 August 2010 WASHINGTON - High drop-out and illiteracy rates mean it will take until late October 2011 to build up Afghanistan’s police and military so they can take the lead in more areas, a senior U.S. commander said on Monday.

Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon via video link-up from Afghanistan, Lieutenant-General William Caldwell said at the current pace of training, the Afghan army and police could take the lead only in “isolated pockets” of the country and with support from foreign forces.

“To say they will be able to do much more before October next year would be stretching it, only because we have not finished the development of their force,” said Caldwell, who leads NATO’s training mission.

“So if somebody says, when will the security force have the lead in a particular area, we will not have finished building the entire army until October of next year,” he added.

Full report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/August/international_August1274.xml&section=international&col=

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Saudi flood rescue team reaches Pakistan

August 24, 2010

JEDDAH: A team of Saudi search and rescue workers arrived in Karachi on Monday to take part in relief and rescue operations in Pakistan and assist flood victims. They were sent on orders of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.

The team, including officers of civil defense and border guards, arrived on three large transport planes. Saudi Ambassador Abdul Aziz Alghadeer said the team would go to Hyderabad to work with the Pakistani armed forces in rescue operations."The sending of a search and rescue team to Pakistan reflects the deep-rooted relations between the two countries," said Alghadeer and urged the team members to exert all possible efforts to save the lives of their Pakistani brethren.

Prince Muhammad bin Naif, assistant interior minister for security affairs, said the Kingdom would send a second search and rescue team to Pakistan on Tuesday. He said the Saudi team members were trained in rescuing people trapped by floodwaters.

Full report at:

http://arabnews.com/world/article111249.ece

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First locomotives for mineral railway arrive

August 24, 2010

RIYADH: The first consignment of six of the 25 locomotives for the mineral railway line project was received Sunday by the Saudi Railway Company (SAR) at the King Abdulaziz Seaport in Dammam.

"The locomotives are imported from EMD (Electro-Motive Diesels)," Fawaz Al-Magati, rolling stock supervisor of SAR, told Arab News on Monday.

Al-Magati said that the remaining 19 locomotives will arrive here by the end of this year. These 4,300-hp engines will be used for transporting mineral on the North-South Railway.

"They are designed to suit the climatic conditions of the Kingdom and are equipped with pulse and sand filters to travel through desert conditions," said Al-Magati.

Early last month, SAR received 125 of the 688 wagons for the mineral freight line. The locomotives are manufactured in Canada for the US-based company while the wagons are produced by the Chinese CSR company.

Full report at:

http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article111244.ece