Stop Brutal Sectarian Violence against Shias, Chairman Pakistan Secular Forum
New Age Islam News Bureau
17 March 2012
• Enforcing Islamic system panacea to all problems: Pakistan’s Jamaat-e-Islami former Ameer
• Gaddafi spy chief Abdullah al-Senussi held in Mauritania
• Libya demands handover of Gaddafi spy chief Senussi
• Balochistan reconciliation: Govt withdraws cases against Brahamdagh
• Talk of sanctions on India over Iranian oil highly speculative: US
• Baseball bat attacker kills one at French mosque
• Thatcher's 1981 Christmas card list included Gaddafi and Saddam
• Kofi Annan warns Syria conflict could spread, urges UN unity
• Deadly explosions rock Damascus, says Syrian TV
• Attack on Iran imminent: Russian official
• NATO helicopter crash kills 16 people in Afghanistan
• Pakistan's president boasts gains in terror war
• Pak panel records statement in 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case
• Osama Bin Laden 'plotted to kill Obama' before death
• ‘Pak still believes India poses existential threat to it’: A top American commander
• The sovereignty mantra: Pakistan says no accord with US on drone strikes
• Pak-US ties: US keen on new ISI chief’s role
• Threatened Hindu girls to be moved to Islamabad
• Karachi: Journalists urged to respect community sentiments
• Pak SC lifts ban on kite-flying in Punjab for 15 days
• Security forces kill 4 militants in South Waziristan: Officials
• 2 blasts hit Syria capital, several killed
• US suspect in Afghan killings identified
• Karzai blasts US over probe into shootings
• Report says Bin Laden had plans to attack Obama
• Activists report clashes near Syrian capital
• Syrian revolt simmers outside capital
• Afghan massacre suspect identified, Karzai slams US
• Syrian rebels smuggle people, goods across border with Turkey
• Russian-made ammunition found in Osama's home
• Obama plans to defeat al-Qaida, transfer security to Afghans
• Kidnapped American in its custody, says Al Qaeda
• India bars Pak team from meeting Kasab
• India links Delhi blast on Israeli to Thai attack
• Speakers call for Pak-Saudi strategic cooperation
• OIC reaffirms support to Kashmir cause
• India seeks Interpol warrants for Iranians
• 33,000 Hajis to come from Iraq this year
• Hollywood movie star released after arrest at anti-Sudan protest in DC
Complied by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Stop Brutal Sectarian Violence against Shias
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/stop-brutal-sectarian-violence-shias,/d/6868
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Stop Brutal Sectarian Violence against Shias, Chairman Pakistan Secular Forum March 1, 2012.
(PCP) The Chairman Pakistan Secular Forum Dilshad Bhutto has strongly condemned the massacre of Shia in Pakistan and said federal, provincial Government and Police is often failing to protect the members of religious minorities including Ahmadias, Shias, Christians and Hindus. In his press statement Dilshad Bhutto said Militant groups are carrying out suicide bombings and targeted killings across the country. The Taliban and affiliated groups are increasingly targeting civilians and public spaces, including marketplaces, hospitals, and religious processions on the way. It is a recognized fact that a state's police and law enforcement agencies play a critical role as the first line of defense against the threats of terrorism and insurgencies. Although Shias are a minority in the country, Pakistan holds the second largest Shia community after Iran in terms of numbers. The total Shia population in Pakistan is approximately 50 million and may be as high as 60 million. Globally, Shia Islam represents 10-20% of the total Muslims population, while the remaining 90% or nine-tenths practice Sunni Islam. Attacks in Hazara, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta and the north-west seem to be manifestations of the bitter split between Sunnis and Shias. In most cases, no-one claims responsibility for such attacks.
The PSF Chairman said Pakistan's ISI-backed Punjabi judiciary once again demonstrated its institutional hatred of Shia Muslims today by releasing the notorious leader of the Jihadi-sectarian organization Malik Ishaq, the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (also known as the Punjabi Taliban or Sipah-e-Sahaba). Punjabi judges, backed by Punjabi generals, released a Punjabi terrorist to enable further massacres of Shias, Ahmadis, Christians and other targeted communities and they all banned organizations founded Diffa-e- Council Pakistan, Chief Patron is Notorious Former Intelligence Chief Retd Gen Hameed Gul. He is leading and patronizing all Jihadi org which are working in Kashmir and Afghanistan the Chairman PSF Dilshad Bhutto has demanded from Govt Pakistan to take strict action against such Religious Militant organizations which are involve in genocide of Shias and are also involve in all kind of Sectarian Violence in Pakistan
http://www.pakistanchristianpost.com/headlinenewsd.php?hnewsid=3351
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Enforcing Islamic system panacea to all problems: Pakistan’s Jamaat-e-Islami former Ameer
By: Muhammad Sabrin
March 17, 2012
ATTOCK - Jamaat-e-Islami former Ameer Qazi Hussain Ahmad said on Friday that there was no justice, no education and no health facilities for a layman in the country, as those in power were busy looting public wealth and transferring it to their Swiss, Britain and US bank accounts.
He said this while addressing a gathering here at Fwara Chowk, Attock. JI candidate for NA-57 Israr Ahmad, JI candidate for PP-15 Muhammad Iqbal Malik and JI office-bearers and party activists were also present on the occasion.
Qazi Hussain Ahmad observed that a common man was leading a miserable life, as he had no security and no dignity. He claimed that this situation could only be changed if the Islamic system was implemented. He said the country came into being in the name of Islam, but every thing was being done against Islam. He said this system could only be changed if there was honest leadership, rather than by terrorism and killing of innocent people in mosques, imambargahs and public places. He said people were confused as from where they could get justice and which door they could knock for it. He said it was regrettable that neither DCOs, nor MPAs and MNAs were interested in ensuring justice to the people. He said there was disappointment everywhere. He alleged that the present leadership was responsible for all this. He observed that the country was rich with resources, manpower and talent but there was no sincere leadership could utilise all these boons for the prosperity of the country. Qazi said the central government was providing supplies to Nato forces in Afghanistan, which was beyond understanding, as Nato forces were busy killing innocent people. He urged the people to elect honest leadership in the next elections, if they wanted a prosperous Pakistan. Earlier, Israr Ahmad and Malik Muhammad Iqbal also addressed the gathering.
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/national/17-Mar-2012/enforcing-islamic-system-panacea-to-all-problems-qazi
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Gaddafi spy chief Abdullah al-Senussi held in Mauritania
17 March 2012
The intelligence chief of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has been arrested in Mauritania, reports say.
Officials said Abdullah al-Senussi was detained at Nouakchott airport.
Mr Senussi, 63, was Col Gaddafi's brother-in-law, and has been described as one of his most trusted aides.
He fled Libya when Col Gaddafi was ousted and killed last year after an uprising and months of fighting. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.
Mauritanian security officials said Mr Senussi was arrested during the night as he arrived on a regular flight from the Moroccan city of Casablanca on a false Malian passport.
Full Report At:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17413626?print=true
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Libya demands handover of Gaddafi spy chief Senussi
18 March 2012
Libya has formally requested the handover of Col Gaddafi's former intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi, following his arrest in Mauritania.
A spokesman for the new government in Tripoli "insisted" Senussi be extradited to Libya to face trial.
However, he is also sought by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of crimes against humanity.
France also wants to extradite him in connection with a bomb attack on a plane in 1989.
Mauritania has already said it wants to carry out its own investigation before considering any extradition requests.
Senussi was held at the airport in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, after flying in from Morocco using a false passport, officials said.
However, Mauritania has not yet provided any evidence of his arrest.
It is believed he is being held at the offices of the Mauritanian intelligence agency.
Senussi, 63, fled Libya last year as Colonel Gaddafi's regime began to crumble.
'Gaddafi's black box'
"We insist that Senussi is extradited to Libya," said Mohammed al-Harizy, spokesman for Libya's National Transitional Council.
"There are demands from the ICC and France to get Senussi, but the priority is to deliver Senussi to Libya."
The arrest provoked strong feelings on the streets of Tripoli on Saturday.
"Senussi is Gaddafi's black box, he has a lot of information," Tripoli resident Mustafa Jhyma was quoted by Reuters as saying.
"He has blood on his hands, he should be brought here and tried in Libya."
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International both said that Mauritania was bound by the UN Security Council to co-operate with the ICC, even though it has not signed up to its statute.
Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty's deputy director for North Africa, said in a statement that the Libyan justice system remained "weak and unable to conduct effective investigations into alleged crimes".
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague also urged all involved to co-operate with the ICC.
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Senussi last June, saying he was an "indirect perpetrator of crimes against humanity, of murder and persecution based on political grounds" committed in the eastern city of Benghazi.
He could also be held to account for the massacre of more than 1,000 detainees at a Libyan prison in 1996.
A French court has already convicted the former spy chief in absentia of involvement in a 1989 attack on a French plane that killed 170 people, and sentenced him to life in prison.
Senussi, nicknamed "the butcher", was one of the last significant members of the Gaddafi regime still at large.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17419575
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Al-Qaeda chief tells Pakistanis to revolt against govt.
Mar 17, 2012
Washington: Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri asked Pakistanis to revolt against their government and military by staging uprisings on the pattern of ‘Arab Spring’ and labelled the nation’s army as “slaves of America”.
Believed to be in deep hiding, Zawahiri surfaced for the first time in months to post a ten minute video uploaded to jihadist forums, saying that the Pakistan army was in “partnership with America” in a war against Islam.
Zawahiri, who heads the Al-Qaeda, . Undated screengrab. Reuters “Cannot a million free people rise from amongst the Muslims of Pakistan to stage a protest against the Generals of Pakistan Army so as to force them to stop their treachery”, Zawahiri, 60, said in the video that was not dated.
The Egyptian cleric now heading the al-Qaeda said his groups would not release an elderly American developmental expert Warren Weinstein, captured in Pakistan last month.
“O people of Pakistan! The Arab world around you is surging in a wave of revolution. Tyrants and oppressive rulers are falling. Why are you not making any move? Why are you not deposing these tyrants? Why are you not toppling these treacherous bribe takers?” Zawahiri was quoted as saying by CNN.
Zawahiri shown on the video standing in front of a green curtain, asked Pakistanis to follow the example of the Arab Spring as the military could not be expected to turn against America, despite a deadly US strike against Pakistani troops in November.
Claiming that his fighters had taken American as hostage, Zawahiri said, “He will not return to his family until our demands for the release of Aafia Siddiqui, Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman and the family of Sheikh Osama bin Laden were released.”
Long al-Qaeda’s number 2, Zawahiri took over the helm of the group after bin Laden was killed in May 2011 in a US special forces raid.
http://www.firstpost.com/world/al-qaedas-zawahiri-tells-pakistanis-to-revolt-against-govt-248069.html
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UN may review air safety certification to Pakistan
By: Sikander Shaheen
March 17, 2012
ISLAMABAD - The United Nations may review the terms of its safety certification awarded to the Pakistan International Airline (PIA) following the reports of non-compliance with the internationally recognised standards for aircraft safety, it is learnt on Friday.
While the state-run airline struggles to get its air safety licence “Part 145 organisational approval and maintenance” reinstated, which the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has recently suspended for two months, the reports officially confirmed to TheNation by the officials concerned at UN International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) suggest that the UN body is reviewing the provisions of its air safety licence granted to PIA and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) over a decade ago. Being the world’s largest aviation body, the ICAO monitors the aviation scenario in 191 states.
On the other hand, General Manager Public Relations at PIA Syed Sultan Hassan does not believe that the suspension of air safety certification by EASA would have any impact on the ICAO air safety certification to Pakistan. He told The Nation that EASA inspectors had not visited Pakistan since 2004 when the EASA air safety licence was given to Pakistan. As per the existing terms and conditions, he said, the EASA inspectors stood obligated to visit Pakistan and conduct audit thrice every two years. The PIA GM said that there was no relevance between the terms and conditions on aircraft and air safety Pakistan had signed with the ICAO and those with EASA. In 2008, he said, EASA had communicated to PIA that its inspectors could not visit Pakistan following travelling restrictions imposed due to deteriorated security situation in Pakistan.
Back in the year 2000, the ICAO had awarded a renewed aviation safety certificate to Pakistan that largely dealt with aircraft engineering and maintenance following detailed audit and inspection of Pakistan’s CAA and PIA. The audit was conducted under the ICAO’s most reputed Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP).
The ICAO inspectors implementing USOAP scrutinised Pakistan’s aviation scenario in two parts, “Establishment” and “Implementation.”
The establishment part entailed organisational safety oversight, procedural guidelines, operational regulations and technical expertise while the implementation part contained surveillance and inspection obligations, resolving safety concerns and licensing and certification obligations. Under licensing and certification obligations, appropriate action, that may include the suspension of licence, is recommended against Pakistani authorities if found lacking appropriate safety oversight. The line of action to be adopted in this regard is based on the ICAO’s internationally acceptable rule, “Lack of appropriate safety oversight in one contracting state, therefore, threatens the health of international civil aircraft operations.”
When contacted by phone, ICAO Chief Spokesperson in Montreal, Canada, Denis Chagnon referred this scribe to contact Christian Schleifer-Heingärtner President ICAO’s Air Navigation Commission for comments over the issue. Heingärtner, on contact, said, “We make evaluations of the inputs we receive by our aviation inspectors from across the world. Recently, an ICAO team of experts had been to Pakistan and inspected their (Pakistan’s) airports and aircrafts to ensure that aviation license, certificate, authorisation and/or approval holders continue to meet the established requirements and functions at the level of competency and safety required by the state.” Confirming on the reservations shown by ICAO inspectors in their inspection reports, the ICAO official said these would be taken up at ICAO’s relevant forums including Assembly, Council and related committees dealing with aviation shortcomings in any given state.
“The moment we learn that international aviation standards devised, implemented and practiced through ICAO are not being followed, we make necessary arrangements accordingly. As ICAO’s mission statement says, ICAO works to achieve its vision of safe, secure and sustainable development of civil aviation through the cooperation of its member states.”
Director Airworthiness Pakistan’s CAA Ghulam Murtaza told The Nation that CAA had 83 per cent compliance ratio with ICAO rules and regulations. He said that ICAO followed a different set of aviation practices compared to EASA and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). “These (ICAO, EASA and FAA) are internationally known aviation bodies but their mandate and rules and regulations are different. I don’t think there’s any chance that ICAO would follow EASA’s course of action to suspend Pakistan’s licence.” He said the suspension of EASA’s airs safety licence to PIA did not directly affect CAA. It stops PIA from providing engineering and maintenance services to foreign airlines while the PIAs’ domestic operations would not be affected, he said.
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/islamabad/17-Mar-2012/un-may-review-air-safety-certification-to-pakistan
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Balochistan reconciliation: Govt withdraws cases against Brahamdagh
By Shehzad Baloch
March 17, 2012
QUETTA: The Balochistan government has decided to withdraw 28 cases registered against the self-exiled chief of Baloch Republican Party (BRP) Brahamdagh Bugti, who has applied for political asylum in Switzerland.
The decision comes after Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that estranged Baloch nationalists would be allowed to return to Pakistan and join mainstream politics. Bugti has been accused of targeting important national installations such as gas pipelines and power pylons, along with security forces in Dera Bugti and Sui areas.
According to a senior official of the Balochistan’s home department, Sibi division’s commissioner had submitted detailed reports about the cases registered against Brahamdagh.
Full Report At:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/351155/balochistan-reconciliation-govt-withdraws-cases-against-brahamdagh/
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Talk of sanctions on India over Iranian oil highly speculative: US
16 MARCH 2012 23:35
S RAJAGOPALAN
US officials have dismissed as “highly speculative” an American wire service report that Washington may slap sanctions on India if it does not curtail Iranian oil imports by June-end.
Noting that “productive conversations” are being held with New Delhi on this issue, a US government official said Washington welcomes Indian statements about diversifying its crude oil sourcing and encourages this positive trend.
“India continues to be a valued partner in our common objective of preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon,” the official said, while responding to a Bloomberg report that cited unnamed US officials as saying that the Obama administration may find itself compelled to impose such sanctions under US law after June-end.
Full Report At:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/world/50268-talk-of-sanctions-on-india-over-iranian-oil-highly-speculative-us.html
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Baseball bat attacker kills one at French mosque
March 17, 2012
PARIS - A man armed with a baseball bat attacked worshippers at a mosque in France on Friday, killing one person and seriously wounding another, police said.
The suspected assailant was held after the incident in the northern city of Arras near the Belgian border, and was described by police sources as having a history of psychiatric problems. “He is a young Muslim who attended the mosque and was known as someone unbalanced,” Abdelkader Assouedj, regional representative for the Federation of the Grand Mosque of Paris, told AFP.
Full Report At:
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/national/17-Mar-2012/baseball-bat-attacker-kills-one-at-french-mosque
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Thatcher's 1981 Christmas card list included Gaddafi and Saddam
17 March 2012
Margaret Thatcher's 1981 Christmas card list gives an insight into the way Britain's view of the world has changed over 30 years. Foreign heads of state who received seasonal greetings from Thatcher in 1981 included the Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi – the card was addressed: "To the Leader of the Great First of September Revolution" – and the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
Gaddafi was killed last October after David Cameron ordered the RAF to mount air raids in support of a rebel uprising in Libya. Saddam was hanged for crimes against humanity in 2006 following the 2003 invasion of Iraq by British and American troops.
Full Report At:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/mar/17/thatcher-christmas-card-gaddafi-saddam
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Kofi Annan warns Syria conflict could spread, urges UN unity
Mar 17, 2012
Special envoy Kofi Annan warned of an ‘escalation’ of the Syria conflict into the rest of the Middle East unless it is carefully handled as he called on the UN Security Council to unite to put pressure on President Bashar al-Assad.
Annan gave his warning as Turkey told its nationals to leave Syria where thousands took part in new protests against the government. Activists said at least another 15 people were killed.
The UN-Arab League envoy has ordered a team of UN experts to Damascus this weekend to discuss a possible ceasefire and international monitoring mission, his spokesman said.
All countries around Syria are worried about fallout from the uprising, Annan told reporters after briefing a closed session of the UN Security Council on the crisis.
"We tend to focus on Syria, but any miscalculation that leads to major escalation will have impact in the region which would be extremely difficult to manage," he told reporters in Geneva, according to an official transcript.
Full Report At:
http://www.asianage.com/international/kofi-annan-warns-syria-conflict-could-spread-urges-un-unity-641
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Deadly explosions rock Damascus, says Syrian TV
17 March 2012
The report said preliminary reports indicated the "terrorist" blasts were caused by car bombs that hit the aviation intelligence department and the criminal security department.
The blasts took place two days after the first anniversary of year-long uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, in which the United Nations says more than 8,000 people have been killed.
Syria has seen a string of suicide bombings, the last major one on 10 February when twin blasts struck security compounds in the government stronghold city of Aleppo, killing 28 people.
Damascus, another Assad stronghold, has had three other suicide bombings since December.
Full Report At:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/17/explosions-damascus-targets-state-tv
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Attack on Iran imminent: Russian official
March 16, 2012
Israel will attack Iran this year if a new round of talks scheduled for April fail, a leading Russian newspaper has reported quoting a senior Russian diplomat.
Russian diplomats at the United Nations believe the strike against Iran is “a matter of when, not if”, said the Kommersant daily on Wednesday.
“The attack will be mounted before the end of this year. Israel is blackmailing [U.S. President Barack] Obama by confronting him with a dilemma: either he supports the war option or will lose the support [of the U.S. Jews],” a high-ranking official of the Russian Foreign Ministry told the paper ahead of the U.N. Security Council meeting on Syria on Monday.
Full Report At:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article3003440.ece
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NATO helicopter crash kills 16 people in Afghanistan
By HAMID SHALIZI & JACK KIMBALL
Mar 16, 2012
KABUL: A NATO helicopter crashed into a house on the outskirts of the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Friday, killing 12 Turkish soldiers on board and four Afghan civilians on the ground, Turkey’s military and a senior Afghan police official said.
The crash came amid growing unease among NATO partner countries about the increasingly unpopular and costly war nearly 11 years into the conflict as most foreign combat troops set to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014.
“Twelve of our military personnel on board the helicopter have been martyred,” the Turkish general staff said in a statement in Ankara. A team had been sent to the scene to investigate, it said.
Full Report At:
http://arabnews.com/world/article588043.ece
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Pakistan's president boasts gains in terror war
Mar 17, 2012,
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's president lauded his government's commitment to democracy and boasted of gains in the country's war on militants in a Saturday speech to lawmakers, many of whom hurled abuse at his leadership before walking out in protest.
Asif Ali Zardari was making his fifth address as president to the joint session, something he claimed was an achievement in itself given the country's turbulent political history. Few would have predicted the coalition government he headed would last that long when it took office in 2008.
"The world can see the march of democracy goes on,'' he said. "We are creating history, while a lot more needs to be done. We Pakistanis can be proud of our young democracy.''
The government, like others before it, has barely made a dent in the economic and social problems facing the country, which relies heavily on foreign aid to survive. Mismanagement and corruption have been the hallmarks of his administration, most independent analysts say.
Even before Zardari opened his mouth, opposition leaders began hurling abuse at the government, occasionally disrupting his speech. "Stop looting!'' "Stop lying!'' and "Whoever is America's friend is a traitor!'' they chanted for a quarter of an hour before leaving.
Full Report At:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pakistans-president-boasts-gains-in-terror-war/articleshow/12306503.cms
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Pak panel records statement in 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case
PTI |
MUMBAI, Mar 17, 2012: The 8-member judicial commission from Pakistan, here to record statements of four key witnesses in the November 26 Mumbai terror attacks case, on Saturday took down the versions of the investigating officer and two doctors (who had conducted post-mortem of victims).
The proceedings were held in-camera before the chief metropolitan magistrate S S Shinde for the second day on Saturday. Special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, who headed the prosecution in 26/11 trial, was also present.
Full Report At:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pak-panel-records-statement-in-26/11-Mumbai-terror-attack-case/articleshow/12305356.cms
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Osama Bin Laden 'plotted to kill Obama' before death
17 March 2012
Osama bin Laden was plotting to kill US President Barack Obama, US media reports say.
The plans are said to be in papers found in the compound in Abbottabad where the al-Qaeda leader was killed by US special forces last year.
Bin Laden asked deputies to plan an attack against an aircraft carrying Mr Obama and General David Petraeus.
He said the killing would throw the US into crisis, as Vice President Biden was "totally unprepared" to take over.
The documents were seen by the Washington Post. There is growing anticipation in the US over government plans to publish all the papers seized at the compound when it was raided in May 2011.
Full Report At:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17413055
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‘Pak still believes India poses existential threat to it’: A top American commander
Mar 17, 2012
Washington: Pakistan still believes that India poses “existential threat” to them, even as the US has been pulling them closer to the view that the terrorism is the greater danger to it, a top American commander has said.
“They still believe that India poses their greatest existential threat, although we’ve been pulling them closer to our view, which would suggest that terrorism is as much a threat to them as it is to us,” General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff told PBS news.
General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani has got some internal issues which he has to manage politically, Dempsey said.
Full Report At:
http://www.firstpost.com/world/pak-still-believes-india-poses-existential-threat-to-it-247888.html
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The sovereignty mantra: Pakistan says no accord with US on drone strikes
By Kamran Yousaf
March 17, 2012
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday denied reports that it was willing to agree on a joint mechanism with the United States to carry out drone strikes in tribal regions to take out ‘high value’ targets associated with al Qaeda and the Taliban.
“We have been saying all along that Pakistan’s sovereignty is non-negotiable. Therefore, we cannot think of, let alone accept any arrangement whereby our sovereignty is compromised,” Foreign Office spokesperson Abdul Basit told a weekly briefing.
Drone strikes inside Pakistan are illegal and these should be stopped, he demanded.
“Moreover, we firmly believe that these strikes are damaging our efforts against militancy and terrorism,” Basit said.
Full Report At:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/351181/the-sovereignty-mantra-pakistan-says-no-accord-with-us-on-drone-strikes/
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Pak-US ties: US keen on new ISI chief’s role
By Huma Imtiaz
March 17, 2012
WASHINGTON: As Pakistan’s premier military spy agency prepares to welcome its new chief, many in Washington are looking closely at how Lt Gen Ahmad Shuja Pasha’s successor will affect the US-Pakistan relationship.
“The last year has been awful on so many levels – diplomatically, politically,” Brian Katulis, a senior analyst at the Center for American Progress, told the Express News.
“The lack of coordination on the intelligence level has been worrisome. Some days it looks quite good when we’re arresting militants; then there are days it’s not very good. I think the hope is that the new director (Lt Gen Zaheerul Islam) will be able to turn the page on all of this. But the proof will come from the review of US-Pakistan relations and how things go.”
Pakistan’s Parliament is likely to review and approve new terms of engagement with the United States later this week.
Full Report At:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/351214/pak-us-ties-us-keen-on-new-isi-chiefs-role/
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Threatened Hindu girls to be moved to Islamabad
By Zahid Gishkori
March 17, 2012
ISLAMABAD: A National Assembly panel directed on Friday the Sindh police to shift two Hindu girls to Islamabad for protection against severe threats to their lives at the Panah Shelter Home in Karachi.
The panel gave the directions after the Sindh police expressed concern over the security for Rinkle (now, Faryal Bibi) and Lata Kumari, who were allegedly abducted and forced to get marry after embracing Islam.
Both girls will be shifted to Islamabad via the first flight available on the Pakistan International Airlines on Monday, according to the chairperson of the National Assembly Standing on Human Rights, Riaz Fatyana.
“I have directed the Sindh police to shift the girls to Islamabad for better security,” Fatyana told The Express Tribune.
Full Report At:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/351192/forced-conversions-threatened-hindu-girls-to-be-moved-to-islamabad/
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Karachi: Journalists urged to respect community sentiments
March 17, 2012
KARACHI: Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister Sharmila Farooqi said that journalists should understand the importance of their role and make sure that their news items do not cause harm to any community.
She was speaking at the concluding ceremony of three-day training workshop organised by Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) here Friday, attended by journalists belonging to print and electronic media. Referring to Sughra Solangi and Shehla Bibi, she said that the media should highlight such personalities as well, adding that their work reached the USA but they are not highlighted in our media. She said that community radio stations were the need of the hour but added that development should be carried out responsibly so that interests of one community do not clash with interests of another one. ppi
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\03\17\story_17-3-2012_pg7_24
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Pak SC lifts ban on kite-flying in Punjab for 15 days
16 MARCH 2012
Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Friday partially lifted a Punjab Government ban on kite-flying during the ‘Basant’ festival, allowing residents to do so for 15 days but without the use of chemical and glass-coated twine.
During a hearing conducted in Lahore, a two-judge bench of the apex court comprising Justices Saqib Nisar and Tassaduq Hussain Jilani granted conditional permission for the flying of kites, paving the way for celebrations to mark the Basant festival in Pakistan’s cultural capital of Lahore.
But, the bench asked people participating in the activity to observe a code of conduct. In its order, the apex court said those flying kites would have to observe a 2009 law that permits kite flying only for 15 days and a ban on the use of chemical and glass-coated twine and large kites.
Full Report At:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/world/50255-pak-sc-lifts-ban-on-kite-flying-in-punjab-for-15-days.html
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Security forces kill 4 militants in South Waziristan: Officials
March 17, 2012
PESHAWAR: At least four militants were killed in an early morning attack on a security check post in Laddha district of South Waziristan agency on Saturday, officials said.
The militants, whose exact number could not be identified, attacked a military check post in the Zangarra village of Ladha in South Waziristan.
“Four militants were killed when the security men retaliated. There were no casualties amongst the soldiers,” an intelligence official from the area said.
The identities of those killed were not immediately verified, said the official.
The area is close to North Waziristan agency and a highly-rugged terrain influenced by the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP).
http://tribune.com.pk/story/351316/security-forces-kill-4-militants-in-south-waziristan-officials/
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2 blasts hit Syria capital, several killed
Mar 17 2012,
Damscus : Two "terrorist explosions'' struck security targets in the Syrian capital on Saturday morning, killing a number of civilians and security forces, the country's state news agency said.
The report said preliminary reports indicated the blasts were caused by car bombs that hit the aviation intelligence department and the criminal security department.
One year into the Syrian revolt, the fight to oust President Bashar Assad is transforming into a nascent civil war.
Syria has seen a string of suicide bombings, the last major one on Feb. 10, when twin blasts struck security compounds in the government stronghold city of Aleppo, killing 28 people.
Damascus, another Assad stronghold, has seen three suicide previous bombings since December.
Full Report At:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/924984/
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US suspect in Afghan killings identified
Mar 17, 2012
After five days cloaked in military secrecy, the US soldier suspected in a massacre of 16 Afghan civilians has been identified as a Washington state father of two who underwent anger management counseling a decade ago after an arrest for assault on a girlfriend.
The soldier accused in the killings is Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, 38, his lawyer confirmed Friday. Bales is from Lake Tapps, Washington, a community set amid pine trees surrounding a reservoir about 35 miles (56 kilometers) south of Seattle.
Bales is married, the father of two young children and a veteran who was in the midst of his fourth tour in a war zone. Neighbours described him Friday as good-natured and warm, and recalled seeing him playing outside the family’s modern split-level with his children, ages 3 and 4.
Full Report At:
https://mail.google.com/mail/?shva=1#inbox
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Karzai blasts US over probe into shootings
FRIDAY, 16 MARCH 2012
Afghan President Hamid Karzai lashed out at the United States on Friday, saying he is at the “end of the rope” because of the lack of US cooperation into a probe of a killing spree allegedly carried out by an American soldier.
In a meeting with families of the 16 Afghan civilians killed on Sunday in southern Afghanistan, Karzai said the delegation he sent to investigate the shootings did not receive the cooperation the Afghans expected from American officials.
During the meeting, the relatives of the dead insisted there must have been more than one shooter and argued that they did not receive all the information they asked for from Americans. Previously, Afghan officials had said that there was surveillance video that was kept from them. “This has been going on for too long.
Full Report At:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/world/50267-karzai-blasts-us-over-probe-into-shootings.html
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Report says Bin Laden had plans to attack Obama
Mar 17, 2012
Washington: Before his death, al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had ordered his followers in Afghanistan and Pakistan to attack the aircraft of President Barack Obama.
The Washington Post report today, which cited documents seized at the Pakistan compound where bin laden was killed by US forces, said the al Qaeda leader also sought to kill General David Petraeus, who then headed international forces in Afghanistan.
The hunt for Osama bin Laden took nearly a decade. AP
Bin Laden wanted to kill the US president because “Obama is the head of infidelity and killing him automatically will make (Vice President Joe) Biden take over the presidency,” according to a document purported to come from the compound.
Full Report At:
http://www.firstpost.com/world/report-says-bin-laden-had-plans-to-attack-obama-247731.html
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Activists report clashes near Syrian capital
16 MARCH 2012
Syrian troops clashed with army defectors in several areas near the capital Damascus in the first significant battles there since President Bashar Assad’s forces regained control of the suburbs weeks ago, activists said Friday, even as Russia said on Friday it has encouraged the Syrian government to cooperate with Kofi Annan, the envoy charged with trying to help end the violence there, and urged the West to do the same with the Syrian rebels.
“It’s not only us and China who should be sending signals to Damascus so that it fully cooperates with Kofi Annan’s mission, but other Security Council members also need to do their part of the work and urge the opposition not to provoke the exacerbation of tensions, but similarly cooperate with Kofi Annan and respond constructively to his proposals,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.
The fighting came just hours before tens of thousands of people held protests in many Syrian towns and cities after Friday prayers, the activists said. The protests spread from the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest, to the central regions of Hama and Homs, southern province of Daraa.
Full Report At:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/world/50261-activists-report-clashes-near-syrian-capital.html
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Syrian revolt simmers outside capital
March 17, 2012
Syrian rebels have ignited a new front outside the capital, Damascus, in the first significant fighting there since regime forces swept over the suburbs weeks ago. The clashes highlight the shifting nature of Syria’s conflict, with rebels lying in wait to rise up when the regime turns its guns elsewhere.
The return of violence to the Damascus suburbs on Friday raises questions about how long troops can control areas before they re-erupt. Though government forces have shown they can crush armed fighters, the regime has appeared unable to conduct major offensives in more than one place at once.
Full Report At:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article3005849.ece
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Afghan massacre suspect identified, Karzai slams US
March 17, 2012
The US Army identified the soldier implicated in the massacre of 16 villagers in Afghanistan this week as Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, and said he arrived on Friday at a Kansas base where he will be held in a solitary cell.
Bales, a four-tour veteran, is suspected of walking off his base in southern Afghanistan on Sunday and gunning down the 16 civilians, including nine children and three women, in a massacre that sent American-Afghan relations into a tailspin.
"The Army confirms that Staff Sergeant Robert Bales was transferred to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Bales is being held in pre-trial confinement," the Army said in a statement.
Full Report At:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/826714.aspx
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Syrian rebels smuggle people, goods across border with Turkey
By Michael Gunn and Rose-Anne
March 16, 2012
ORONTES RIVER, Syria — In snow-flecked forests separating Turkey and northern Syria, a band of some 50 Syrian rebels regroup in a makeshift hillside base, safe for the moment.
With an escalating crackdown against regime opponents and no more than 30 assault rifles and a few shotguns among them, they still say time is on their side.
“We are not going to retreat nor give up,” says Abu Youssef, a 43-year-old building contractor-turned-revolutionary from Darkush, a few miles across the border in the Idlib province in Syria.
Mr. Youssef, who asked that his real name be withheld for his family’s safety, takes supplies across the border almost daily.
Full Report At:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/mar/16/syrian-rebels-smuggle-people-goods-border-turkey/
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Russian-made ammunition found in Osama's home
Mar 16, 2012,
ISLAMABAD: Russian-made ammunition has been found in al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden's high-walled compound in Abbottabad, a media report said on Friday.
The inquiry commission probing the US commando raid that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden May 2 last year has learnt that Russian-made ammunition was found in the compound.
The ammunition was in a cupboard, sources told Dawn.
One casing of a used bullet was found.
The US operation was carried out without tipping off the Pakistani military, straining ties between Islamabad and Washington.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Russian-made-ammunition-found-in-Osamas-home/articleshow/12288951.cms
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Obama plans to defeat al-Qaida, transfer security to Afghans
Mar 17, 2012,
WASHINGTON: The plan of President Barack Obama in Afghanistan includes defeating al-Qaida, transfer security lead to the Afghan forces and withdrawal of American troops from the country, a top US official has said.
"The president's plan envisions an end to this war, and not just the hope for an end but the concrete measures that need to be taken to withdraw US forces, to transfer security lead over to Afghan forces, to give control of the country to Afghan forces so that our men and women can come home," White House press secretary Jay Carney said after Obama had a telephonic talk with his Afghan counterpart, Hamid Karzai.
"The two men very much share the goal of Afghanistan being able to be responsible for its own security, for Afghan forces to be able to do that and have the capacity to do that, and for mission to be successful, which is to further erode and ultimately defeat al-Qaida and allow Afghanistan to be stable enough so that it will not become a haven for al-Qaida in the future," Carney said.
Full Report At:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Obama-plans-to-defeat-al-Qaida-transfer-security-to-Afghans/articleshow/12304630.cms
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Kidnapped American in its custody, says Al Qaeda
17th March, 2012
DUBAI: Al Qaeda chief Ayman Al Zawahiri said on Friday that unless its demands were met, Al Qaeda would not release an elderly American development expert who was kidnapped from Lahore last year.
In a video uploaded on Internet, the Al Qaeda leader said: “By the grace of Allah, we, on our part, have captured the American Jew Warren Weinstein.”
The American was snatched after gunmen tricked their way into his Lahore home on Aug 13, days before he was due to return to the United States.
Zawahiri said: “He (Weinstein) will not return to his family, by the will of Allah, until our demands are met, which include the release of Aafia Siddiqui, Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman, the family of Shaikh Osama bin Laden, and every single person arrested on allegations of links with Al Qaeda and Taliban.”
Zawahiri, shown standing in front of a green curtain, called on Pakistanis to revolt against their government and military.
Full Report At:
http://www.dawn.com/2012/03/17/kidnapped-american-in-its-custody-says-al-qaeda.html
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India bars Pak team from meeting Kasab
March 17, 2012
ISLAMABAD: India has made it clear that the Pakistani commission, which is in Mumbai to record statements of witnesses of 26/11 terror attacks, will not be allowed to cross examine any of the four men.
“As per the agreement between the two countries, the commission will record statements of the four witnesses,” special public prosecutor in the case, Ujjwal Nikam, told an Indian newspaper.
The commission is to examine the four witnesses – the chief investigating officer, Ramesh Mahale, chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sawant Waghule, Dr Shailesh Mohite of Nair hospital and Dr Ganesh Nitukar, medical officer of the Forensic Science Department at JJ hospital.
Full Report At:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\03\17\story_17-3-2012_pg1_5
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India links Delhi blast on Israeli to Thai attack
17th March, 2012
NEW DELHI: Indian police say a bomb attack on an Israeli diplomat’s wife in India is connected to a failed attack in Bangkok the next day blamed on a group of Iranian men.
Israel has accused Iran of carrying out both attacks as well as a failed bombing in the former Soviet republic of Georgia. Iran has denied any involvement.
Indian police issued arrest warrants earlier this week for three Iranians who had left the country and were accused of involvement in the Delhi blast on Feb. 13.
Delhi Police Commissioner B.K. Gupta told reporters Friday that one of those men had been in contact with Masoud Sedaghatzadeh, who was arrested in Malaysia and is accused of involvement in the blast in the Thai capital, Bangkok.
http://www.dawn.com/2012/03/17/india-links-delhi-blast-on-israeli-to-thai-attack.html
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Speakers call for Pak-Saudi strategic cooperation
March 17, 2012
ISLAMABAD – Speakers at a seminar on Friday called for further boosting the strategic partnership between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, stating that enhanced cooperation between the two leading Islamic nations would help both the friendly nations to face emerging challenges and better serving shared interests.
The moot was held here under the aegis of Pak-Saudia Cooperation Forum (PSCF) with the former information minister Mohammed Ali Durrani, who is Chairman of the PSCF, in the chair. Addressing the gathering, former chairman of the chiefs of staff committee General (retd) Ihsanul Haq said that the bilateral relations between both the countries was decades-old and these relations needed to be developed into enhanced strategic partnership.
He said that the ties between both the nations were above any political, sectarian and ethnic divide and these ties had successfully seen challenges and were time-tested.
Full Report At:
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/islamabad/17-Mar-2012/speakers-call-for-pak-saudi-strategic-cooperation
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OIC reaffirms support to Kashmir cause
March 17, 2012
GENEVA - The OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir on Friday reaffirmed its support to the Kashmiris in their struggle for right to self-determination.
The Group, during its meeting at the level of Ambassadors on the sidelines of the main session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, expressed serious concern over the situation of human rights in held Kashmir.
In his address to the Group, All Parties Hurriyet Conference Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq thanked the OIC for its continued support to the Kashmir cause. He said that the Kashmiri people were carrying on a peaceful and indigenous liberation struggle, but India was trying to link it to terrorism. He also underscored the need to involve the Kashmiris in the process of resolving the dispute.
Full Report At:
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/international/17-Mar-2012/oic-reaffirms-support-to-kashmir-cause
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India seeks Interpol warrants for Iranians
March 17, 2012
* Indian police says Interpol ‘red corner’ notices being drawn up
* Says Delhi, Bangkok blasts linked
NEW DELHI: Indian police said Friday that Interpol “red corner” notices were being drawn up for three men of Iranian origin identified as suspects in an attack on an Israeli diplomat in New Delhi.
Delhi police commissioner Brijesh Kumar Gupta also revealed that investigations had established a clear link between February 13 attack and a similar plot targeting Israeli diplomats in Bangkok. Gupta said the red corner notices — tantamount to international arrest warrants — would be issued “in the next two days.”
In the attack last month, a hitman on a rented motorbike attached a magnetic bomb to the back of an Israeli embassy car carrying the 42-year-old diplomat as she went to pick up her children from school. The woman, also the wife of the defence attache at the embassy, was left in a critical condition with spinal injuries and has since been flown to Israel for further treatment.
Full Report At:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\03\17\story_17-3-2012_pg14_1
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33,000 Hajis to come from Iraq this year
Mar 17, 2012
MAKKAH: About 33,000 pilgrims from Iraq will perform Haj this year, local daily Al-Madinah reported yesterday quoting the adviser to the president of the Iraqi Supreme Haj Authority.
Hussein Jumaa said the authority would train the Iraqi pilgrims on the best and correct methods of performing the ritual before they depart for the Kingdom. The adviser made the statements after a meeting with the chairman of the Tawafa Establishment for Pilgrims of Arab Countries Faisal bin Muhammad Nuh.
Members of the Iraqi Haj mission and members of the board of directors of the Tawafa establishment attended the meeting that discussed all matters related to the Iraqi pilgrims.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article588239.ece
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Hollywood movie star released after arrest at anti-Sudan protest in DC
Mar 17, 2012
Hollywood movie star George Clooney was released from custody Friday afternoon after being arrested in Washington during a protest in front of the Sudanese embassy.
The protesters accuse Sudan’s president, Omar al-Bashir, of provoking a humanitarian crisis by blocking food aid from entering the Nuba Mountains, which is in the crucial border region near South Sudan.
Clooney, his father Nick and other anti-Sudan activists ignored three police warnings to leave the embassy grounds and were led away in plastic handcuffs to a waiting van by uniformed members of the Secret Service, a Reuters journalist covering the demonstration said.
“We need humanitarian aid to be allowed into the Sudan before it becomes the worst humanitarian crisis in the world,” Clooney told reporters just before his arrest.
Full Report At:
http://www.firstpost.com/world/clooney-released-after-arrest-at-anti-sudan-protest-in-dc-247860.html
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/stop-brutal-sectarian-violence-shias,/d/6868