20 Shias pulled off bus, shot dead in northern Pakistan

Gunmen dragged 20 Shia Muslim travelers off a bus and killed them at point blank range in northern Pakistan on Thursday, the third such incident in six months, officials said. The attack happened in the northwestern district of Mansehra as the bus was travelling between Rawalpindi and the mainly Shia northern city of Gilgit. Officials said it was ambushed in the hills of Babusar Top, around 100 miles north of the capital Islamabad, although they differed over details of the incident. “Ten to 12 people wearing army uniform stopped the bus and forced some people off the bus,” said Khalid Omarzai, administration chief in Mansehra. “After checking their papers, they opened fire and at least 20 people are reported to have been killed. This is initial information and the final toll may go up. They are all Shias,” he said. Local police official Shafiq Gul told AFP that the gunmen were masked, but said the victims were pulled from three separate vehicles in the district, which neighbours the Swat valley, a former Taliban stronghold. “They stopped three vehicles, searched them and picked up people in three batches of five, six and nine and shot them dead. They were all Shias,” he said. Mansehra police chief Sher Akbar Khan put the toll at 19, saying the attackers had worn military commando uniforms when they opened fire at around 6.00 am. “They intercepted three buses, took people out and checked their ID cards and later sprayed bullets at them,” Khan said. Sectarian violence linked to Gilgit, a popular tourist destination for wealthy Pakistanis and expatriates who live in the country, has increased in recent months. It is the capital of Pakistan’s far northern Gilgit-Baltistan region and is popular with mountaineers as a gateway to the Karakoram and Himalayan mountain ranges. Angry mobs burnt tyres and blocked roads in some parts of the city to protest against the killings as extra police patrolled deserted streets and markets closed, said an AFP reporter in Gilgit. The chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan, Syed Mehdi Shah, called an emergency meeting of top officials and ordered them to step up security and demanded the immediate arrest of the killers, a spokesman said. The road from Babusar to Gilgit has been closed indefinitely, the local government added. On February 28, gunmen hauled 18 Shia Muslim men off buses travelling from Rawalpindi to Gilgit in the northern district of Kohistan, shooting them dead. On April 3, a mob dragged nine Shia Muslims from buses and also shot them dead in the town of Chilas, about 60 miles south of Gilgit. Human rights groups have heavily criticised Pakistan for failing to crack down on sectarian violence.

US General James Mattis arrives in Pakistan

Centcom Commander General James Mattis arrived in Pakistan on a two-day official visit on Thursday. During his visit, General Mattis would meet Pakistan’s civil and military leadership and discuss matters of mutual interest of the US and Pakistan. According to the Sources the visit was a follow-up to the recent trip of ISI Director General Lt-Gen Zahirul Islam to the US and it would largely focus on the operational matters between the armed forces of the two countries.

Pakistan: judiciary's coup- d’etat

Any law or amendment passed by two third majority of National Assembly and Senate (good or bad) becomes a part of the constitution and dismantling by judiciary legally becomes a coup- d’etat by itself that is a treason.Pakistan's constitution is by itself highly contradictory and based on politics and raped over and over again.The whole fuss is that judiciary created an unlawful situation to extend their own power. Agree that PPP Government is corrupt, incompetent and have all the ills that all the others leaders and political parties also have but it is not judiciary’s territory and intentionally or unintentionally they are harming Pakistan unparalleled to any other institution in the past or present.The court is interfering in civilian political matters.

Judiciary in Pakistan should be renamed or reclassified as Judicial Brigade of Pakistan army. Their function, at least in essence, is not much different from the notorious 111 Brigade (expert in military coup).

Pakistan already has established judicial dictatorship, since march 2009. peoples, whom believe in democracy, have to fight against this dictatorship as they did against Zia ul Haq dictatorship. There is no difference between Zia ul Haq and Choudary Iftikhar. Judicial dictatorship is worse than army martial law. Unfortunately, today, PPP does not have genuine leadership like Benazir. PPP and other democratic forces should come out and make this judicial dictatorship as main issue in next election. Because this judiciary is destroying constitution, parliament and whole system. Many independent peoples already start realizing this activism as a dictatorship. I am sure, If ppp able to make this political judicialization as main issue in next election. Then, those political parties, whom are advancing their propaganda and depending on this judiciary to win next election, will be defeated. PPP has big chance to win next election, If they used and advance their election campaign on this main issue.

A.Q. Khan’s hate speech against Ahmadis

Let Us Build Pakistan

On 14 August 2012, Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan (the father of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program and the rogue scientist who confessed in 2004 that he sold nuclear technology to several countries) said the following words on Geo TV (part of Jang Media Group) which can be legitimately described as hate speech against Ahmadiyya Muslims, Pakistan’s most persecuted minority sect. Sitting on a throne in Geo TV’s grand Ramzan show set, Dr. Khan said (in Urdu): “Hum Bhopalion ko do cheezon per fakhr hai, aik tau ye ke humaray haan aaj tak koi ghaddaar peda nahin hua, aur humain iss per bhi fakhr hai ke humaray haan aaj tak koi Qadiani peda nahin hua” Loose translation: “We, the people of Bhopal origin, are proud of two things: first, Bhopal has never produced a traitor. Second, Bhopal has never produced a Qadiyani” Q khan degrading Ahmedis on Geo TV.37:00 mins onwards: Ironically Dr. Khan used these words against Ahmadis on the occasion of Pakistan’s independence day (14 August), which was an event to respect and include Pakistanis of all ethnic and religious backgrounds, instead of dividing them into traitors and patriots, pure and impure, Muslim and non-Muslim etc. Unfortunately, Dr. Khan insulted not only Ahmadiyya Muslims but also violated the spirit of Pakistan’s independence day. No wonder, only a day before Dr. Khan’s hate speech, General Kayani in a public speech in Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul (the OBL last hideout) said that Islam and Pakistan are inseparable. In other words, Pakistan’s most powerful man, the army chief, conveyed the following message: non-Muslims are separable from Pakistan! Points to note in Dr Khan’s hate speech: 1. Dr. Khan described Ahmadis as Qadianis, a derogatory term for Ahmadis used by religious fanatics (e.g., Aamir Liaquat Hussain, Hamid Mir, Orya Maqbool Jan, Munawar Hassan etc) and terrorists (e.g., Malik Ishaq, Hafiz Saeed, Ahmed Ludhianvi, Taliban etc) 2. Dr. Khan felt proud of “the fact” that no Ahmadi was ever born in the land of Bhopal. Now consider the fact that the population of Bhopal district is 2368145; it has nearly 56% Hindus and 40% Muslims, while 2-4% include Christians, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs. In other words, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists etc, everyone is acceptable but Ahmadis are not. This approach is consistent with Hamid Mir and other fanatics’ line of thinking that Ahmadis are worse than Kafir (non-Muslim infidels). Such approach has in the past enabled further persecution and massacre of Ahmadi community in Pakistan, such as the May 2010 Lahore massacre in which at least 100 Ahmadiyya Muslims were killed in ASWJ-LeJ terrorists attacks on two Ahmadi mosques in Lahore. The Lahore massacre was enabled by none other than Hamid Mir, another presenter of Geo TV and columnist of Jang newspaper. 3. Dr. Khan uttered his hate speech in the TV show of controversial televangelist Aamir Liaquat Hussain, who himself is notorious for hate speech against Ahmadiyya Muslims. Dr. Aamir Liaquat has in the past directly incited to violence against Ahmadis which resulted in death of at least two innocent individuals in Sindh. 4. Last but not least, the single major source of hate speech against Ahmadiyya community is none else than Pakistan’s largest media group Jang Group under the leadership of Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman. Mir Shakil is the snake who is the nurturer and promoter of snakelets such as Hamid Mir, Dr. Aamir Liaquat Hussain, Dr. A.Q. Khan who are responsible for spreading hatred against Ahmadiyya community.

Here’s our call for joint action to all like minded activists and campaigners.

We demand the following: 1. All human rights organizations and civil society groups must protest not only against Dr. A.Q. Khan, Dr. Aamir Liaquat Hussain, Hamid Mir etc but more importantly against Jang Group (including Jang, The News, Geo TV) and its CEO Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman. 2. United Nations, EU, USA, UK, other democratic organizations and governments must stop all forms of funding to the Jang Group or any of its media outlet (newspaper, TV channel etc). Names of Mir Shakil, A.Q. Khan, Hamid Mir, Aamir Liaquat etc should be placed in list of persona non grata, not eligible for visas or foreign travels. Their assets in foreign countries should also be monitored, frozen or confiscated as per laws of terrorism and hate speech. 3. A police report (FIR) be lodged against Mir Shakil, Dr. A.Q. Khan, Dr. Aamir Liaquat etc for inciting to violence against Ahmadis, Pakistan’s equal citizens. We urge PEMRA (Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority) to take notice of hate speech against Ahmadis. We also urge Pakistan’s Supreme Court to take due notice of this incident which is clearly a violation of basic human rights of Ahmadis. Given that Supreme Court claims itself to be guardian of constitution and fundamental rights in Pakistan, this is high time it must prove its sincerity and integrity.

India to launch Mars orbiter in 2013

With New Delhi's iconic Red Fort as a backdrop, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced Wednesday his country has set its sights on the Red Planet. In a Wednesday speech marking India's independence day, Singh said his government has approved plans to put an unmanned probe in orbit around Mars. The mission "will be a huge step for us in the area of science and technology," he said. It's an ambitious goal, with a planned launch in November 2013 for a 10-month flight, said Kiran Karnik, a former official with the Indian Space Research Organization. "By the time the mission gets there, Mars will be comparatively the closest," Karnik told CNN's sister network CNN-IBN. "So there's a small window in which we need to make a launch and that's the reason the mission has to go up next year."

TALIBAN ZOMBIES KILL 22 INNOCENT IN PAKISTAN

Militants kill 22 in Pakistan bus attack

Suspected militants in northwest Pakistan forced passengers to step out of three buses and shot dead 22 of them in an apparent sectarian attack on Thursday, officials said. The officials said about 15 armed men wearing army uniforms checked the identification cards of the passengers and then opened fire after learning they were Shi'ites. "It is confirmed at least 22 people are dead," said a senior police official. Pakistan is a majority Sunni Muslim state, and most Sunnis and Shi'ites live peacefully together. But the country has a long history of sectarian attacks by extremists on both sides. Sunni militant groups inspired by al Qaeda often attack religious minorities such as Shi'ites in Pakistan, a strategic U.S. ally facing a Taliban insurgency. The director of police in the northwestern city of Gilgit, Ali Sher, said the buses were stopped at dawn in the Lulusar area, which lies below mountains.

Shahbaz Sharif behind Punjab’s load shedding

http://www.thenewstribe.com

Shahbaz Sharif, Chief Minister of Punjab, who is blaming the federal government for the load shedding issue in Punjab is actually the reason behind it, accuses Awab Alvi, social media team member of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. In his personal profile of Facebook,

he has posted the following screen capture from the website of the Energy Department of the Government of Punjab, which reveals that after 18th amendment, provinces are fully entitled to develop their own power project.He also accuses Shahbaz Sharif for the corruption of Rs. 19 billion as Government of Punjab has been allocated Rs. 9 billion for 2011 and Rs. 10 billion for 2012. No electricity projects by the Punjab Government were initiated which only indicate one thing i.e. more load shedding for Punjab. And ultimately Alvi ridicule the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz for letting down the people of Punjab and creating all the drama at Minar-e-Pakistan camp office.

Pakistan Civil Awards: Swat’s harbingers of hope recognised for their efforts

The Express Tribune

Three of the 192 citizens who were conferred civil awards by President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday belong to Swat valley.

Malala Yousaf Zai, Dr Taj Muhammad and Dr Lal Noor Afridi have made the valley proud for being nominated for the top civil awards of the country, civil society members and locals said. Malala Yousafzai, 14, who has been nominated for Tamgha-i-Shujaat, was also the first child to be nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize 2011, beating 93 contestants from 42 countries. During the militancy when Taliban banned female education in the district, she kept a diary for British Broadcasting Corporation and wrote about the misdeeds of militants. She also remained a speaker for the Child Assembly in Swat, which works for child rights in the district. Later on, she was awarded the first National Peace Award by the government of Pakistan on December 19, 2011 for rendering courageous services to promote peace during the mayhem. Dr Taj Muhammad was nominated for his compassion and relentless services in the field of medicine during militancy. He is the chief executive at Saidu Group of Hospitals and principal at Saidu Sharif Medical College Swat. He is credited for running the only medical college of Malakand division amidst threats from militants. Furthermore, his visionary approach not only kept the college running but also helped it earn a name for itself among the best institutions of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Similarly, the award was conferred on Dr Lal Noor Afridi for his dedication and round-the-clock service during militancy at Saidu Group of Hospitals as medical superintendant. During the mayhem when hundreds of wounded were brought to the hospitals, he worked tirelessly along his team to provide them relief and comfort. Published in The Express Tribune

Taliban on a killing spree in Karachi

Karachi, it seems, didn’t turn out to be a safe retreat for pro-government Pashtun leaders seeking to escape the vengeful Taliban in Swat and tribal areas – refugee-militants have begun targeting Awami National Party workers in the metropolis. The most recent attack was on ANP Sindh central working committee member Amir Sardar, who hailed from Thana, Malakand. Sardar, 55, who was associated with the ANP for over 30 years, was shot dead, along with two other ANP Sindh activists, near his home in SITE Town, Karachi, on Monday. The Malakand chapter of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the killings, claiming Sardar was punished for his assistance to the police in arresting TTP men. Sher Shah Khan, an elected representative from Swat in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly, told The Express Tribune that over 65 people hailing from Swat have been killed in Karachi in target killings, mostly at the hands of the TTP. According to Sher Shah, militants fled to Karachi when the Pakistan Army and paramilitary forces launched an operation in Swat against the Maulana Fazalullah-led militants in 2009. “For a year, they abandoned their activities and remained underground, but later, they started killing pro-government leaders and those who were associated with peace committees in Swat or supported security forces,” he said. People from the Kabal Tehsil of Swat were mostly targeted as the tehsil was the birthplace of TTP-Swat. “Since the military offensive in Swat, 36 people from Kabal Tehsil have been killed in Karachi, mostly by militants from TTP-Swat,” Sher Shah added. He also raised the issue in the K-P Assembly. “If a military operation can be conducted in Swat, then why not in Karachi?” he said. ‘Settling scores’ Saifullah Khan, chairman of the Nekpikhel Aman Jirga in Swat, told The Express Tribune that militants began targeting influential people from Swat in May 2010, and have, so far, killed over 60 people in Karachi. Former ANP Sindh District West president Saeed Ahmed Khan was killed in SITE Town on January 5, 2012. One of the attackers, identified as Aminullah, was killed on the spot by retaliatory fire by the police. “Aminullah was a member of the Fazalullah group in Swat and was hiding in Karachi since the military offensive,” Saifullah said. On June 18, Sher Ali Khan, head of Swat Quami Ittehad and Chairman Pakistan Seamen’s Union, was also killed in SITE. “The militants have killed mainly those people who were associated with peace committees or those who supported the military operation,” Saifullah said, adding that there was no doubt that they are killing people from Swat ‘to settle score’. ‘Taliban not the only killers’ ANP Sindh General Secretary Bashir Jan, however, says the Taliban are not the only ones behind the killing of Pashtuns. “Blaming the Taliban for every killing is not correct. There are a multiple factors involved in the target killings of Pashtuns in Karachi,” Jan told The Express Tribune. “The Taliban have killed some of our people in Karachi but they are not responsible for all the killings,” he added. Jan said his party has asked law enforcement agencies to provide security to its leaders in Sindh, numbering between 30 and 40. However, he added, their request is yet to be fulfilled. Meanwhile, Chief of the Anti-Extremist Cell of the Crime Investigation Department SSP Chaudhry Muhammad Aslam Khan told The Express Tribune: “We have arrested a number of militants hailing from Swat in Karachi, who are wanted in various cases back home,” Khan said. While admitting that militants from Swat are involved in target killings, he stressed that militants from tribal regions are far more active in Karachi. West Zone SSP Amer Farooqi suspected that most of the target killings are preplanned and militants had come to Karachi with specific instructions and plans. “A new trend has emerged,” he said. “They have started killing policemen to increase their personal influence, and I also think they kill each other because they support different groups.” Published in The Express Tribune

Kamra attack: TTP claims responsibility

The banned outfit Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility of the attack carried out at Kamra Airbase early Thursday morning, Geo News reported. Militants dressed in uniforms and armed with guns and rocket launchers stormed PAF base Kamra, sparking heavy clashes that left nine militants and a security official dead while a plane was also damaged. The base commander, who led the counter-attack, was also injured in the battle. The attack comes amid speculation that Pakistan could launch an operation against militants in the tribal district of North Waziristan. The Air Force said the attackers with rocket propelled-grenades and suicide vests attacked the base, home to the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex that assembles Mirage and JF-17 fighter jets, at 2:00 am today. A statement said there had been a shootout "for more than two hours" and 10 hours after the assault began, spokesman Tariq Mahmood confirmed the base was "totally safe".

Taliban terrorist Adnan Rasheed suspected in Kamra attack

The Ministry of Interior has suspected the involvement of dangerous Taliban terrorist Adnan Rasheed in Kamra air base attack that left nine terrorists and a security official dead Thursday, Geo News reported. According to the report, a brazen attack on the Bannu prison was carried out in April to free convicted terrorist Adnan Rasheed, along with 400 other prison inmates after which it was advised to beef up the security of military installations and VIPs. The report had also elucidated that Adnan Rasheed was an ex-PAF employee and had information about the air bases and highly sensitive installations. Security has been tightened after the militants stormed Kamra air base early today as heavy contingents of security forces have been deployed at all entry and exit points of the airport. The airport sources also told that the security forces have been equipped with latest weapons to counter any untoward incident. Militants dressed in uniforms and armed with guns and rocket launchers stormed PAF base Kamra, sparking heavy clashes that left nine militants and a security official dead while a plane was also damaged. The base commander, who led the counter-attack, was also injured in the battle. The attack comes amid speculation that Pakistan could launch an operation against militants in the tribal district of North Waziristan. The Air Force said the attackers with rocket propelled-grenades and suicide vests attacked the base, home to the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex that assembles Mirage and JF-17 fighter jets, at 2:00 am today. The security forces completed the operation after hours of attack while all the dead attackers were identified as foreigners. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the Pakistani Taliban have targeted a string of military bases since rising up against the government in July 2007.

MERGE FATA WITH KP

The Government is planning to introduce Local Government system in the Federally Administered Tribal Area from next year giving representation to the local people to solve their local problems at their own without intervention from the political authorities. The move is welcome as it meant to grant some rights to the tribal people in the shape of Local Government. It should be considered as a significant move to merge FATA with the KP Province ultimately giving them representation in the Provincial Assembly with the universal suffrage of democratic franchise after six decades. There is no other solution to the FATA problem except its merger with the KP Province. Only vested interests or privileged people are opposing the move that they will loose their positions when the political parties contact the common people at the grassroots level. Grassroots politics is not acceptable to the vested interests and they are opposing the merger and formation of a unified Province for the Pakhtuns so that they should have a powerful voice in the Pakistani Federation. It was the security establishment that disturbed the age-old system and undermined the authority of Maliks and tribal elders and the political administration making Jihadi Commanders supreme during the Afghan civil war after the Soviet invasion. Now the Jihadi commanders had changed their loyalties and they are fighting Pakistan after the Red Army left Afghanistan. There is a need to contain the power and influence of the Jihadi Commanders and deny them resources and funds to fight the Pakistan Army. There should not be a selective approach of ‘Good Taliban’ or ‘Bad Taliban’. They should be treated equally and without any discrimination which is the only solution to militancy in FATA and its adjoining areas of KP Province.

Zardari urges Muslim countries to help in Afghan reconciliation

President Asif Ali Zardari

has urged the Muslim Heads of States and Governments to join Pakistan in appealing all the groups in Afghanistan to join the reconciliation and peace process. Addressing the fourth Islamic Summit here in Makkah on Thursday, President Zardari said that Pakistan has been seriously affected by the unrest in Afghanistan adding that the fallout of the Mujahideen resistance to the former Soviet Union was still haunting Pakistan. Reiterating Pakistan’s support to Afghan-led and Afghan-owned reconciliation process, the President said that peace and stability in Afghanistan was vital for the peace and stability of Pakistan. Indeed, it is vital for peace and stability of the region and the world, the President remarked. The President said that he remembered Afghanistan as a tourist attraction and now the world has seen what war has brought to that beautiful country. He said that through past experience Pakistan knows what war means. The President further said, “We have been the allies of the world in the war against rival ideology and we have witnessed the introduction of heroine as a war weapon.” He added that there were more than three million Afghan refugees in Pakistan and expressed the hope that these refugees will soon return to their homeland to rebuild their country. The President said that his brother President Karzai and he himself were determined that these efforts succeed. President Zardari said, “Afghanistan has taught us that while thinkers and philosophers talk of changing the destinies of nations, they must also have knowledge of the societies they wish to change.” Commenting on other issues of major concern to the Muslim world, the President said that Muslim communities in different parts of the world continue to suffer denial of their human rights. He said Kashmir issue continues to fester. Reiterating Pakistan’s commitment to a just and peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute, in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolutions, he expressed the hope that Pakistan’s engagement with India will be result oriented and purposeful. The President said that unresolved Palestinian question was a deep wound in the heart of Middle East. He said that Pakistan fully supports the creation of an independent and viable Palestinian state. Referring to some recent developments in Middle East and other parts of Muslim world, the President said that fast moving and far reaching developments have been taking place in North Africa and the Middle East. He said, “Over the past two years we have witnessed youth aspiring for change and democratic transformation.” The President said that Egypt and Tunisia have completed peaceful transformations in their countries and we wish them success in their difficult transformation. Calling for putting an immediate end to the bloodshed in Syria, the President said, “Pakistan is deeply pained to see Syria bleed”. He said, “Pakistan desires that Syria must forge its own destiny in accordance with the aspirations of its people.” The President said, “We must respect Syria’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.” He said the international community must respect the principles of non interference and non intervention. He said that the OIC should continue to have leverage with Syria. The President also appealed to all sides in Syria to declare ceasefire during Eid-ul-Fitr.

Shabaz Sharif VS Poor

EDITORIAL:Shahbaz’s acrobatics

One is amazed at the straight face with which Shahbaz Sharif strikes postures of saintliness and piety when this posturing of this chief minister of Punjab is so obviously deceitful and funny. He laments that the system did not support at all Mohsin Ali who has secured the top position in the BA examination. Yes, it did not, for which Shahbaz himself is no lesser responsible. Mohsin was kneading dough and baking loaves in the oven while Shahbaz was feeding sasti roti to the well-off ostentatiously. Mohsin was struggling to find a corner in the single-room home housing 11 family members to study and prepare for examinations while Shahbaz was doling out showily houses and plots in the state-funded housing estates. Mohsin was studying in streetlights at nights as Shahbaz was distributing laptops to fatten his vote-bank. In none of his populist schemes and ploys did Mohsin have a place. He was left out to fend for himself. And yet Shahbaz has the gall to pretend as if he is no part of the iniquitous system that favours and pampers the elite and degrades and decimates the hoi polloi. He is very much part of it and for pretty long. He blares that politicians, bureaucrats and judiciary are responsible for the country’s worsening condition. But when was it when he was not a member of this select atrocious club? For years, he has been there in politics. He has also been in governments. Then shouldn’t he share the blame in equal measure for bringing this unfortunate country to such a sorry pass? Yet he seems flaunting his own innocence. Indeed, when his elder sibling Mian Nawaz Sharif first rode to the prime minister’s house in Islamabad in an admittedly engineered election, Shahbaz donned the mantle of a prince regent, earning him the sobriquet of Robert Kennedy. Like younger Kennedy, Shahbaz too had had an incisive intrusive role in the administration of his elder brother without being accountable for his acts. During the second prime ministerial stint of Nawaz, Shahbaz landed the plum job of the chief minister of the country’s most populous province, Punjab, that he ruled autocratically. And now for more than four years he has been holding the Lahore fort, distinguishing himself for blowing away recklessly the precious taxpayer’s money on enterprises of pork barrel and populism to advance his political objectives at the public expense. Then with what face can he flaunt the mean skullduggery of being no part of the crises that he says the politicians, bureaucrats and judiciary have together brought about? He must come clean, confess his sins and apologise. He may have now doled out some money to Mohsin. He may have even granted Mohsin’s family a home in a government housing society. But that is not enough to atone for his sins that are too big. Does he have even a foggiest idea how many Mohsins in Punjab are being smothered by the cruel state-run schooling system that he has left to rot? Does he feel no compunction in his conscience over the doleful fact that on his watch government schools are functioning even in graveyards in Punjab? Does no concern prick his heart that there are hundreds of state-run schools on his domain that are running in dilapidated buildings posing a serious danger to the lives of their students? With a hugely money-driven media management, he may have mustered up laudatory notes for his intellectually bankrupt daanish schools venture. But does he know how much of budding talent has he ruined and ransacked by ignoring and neglecting the state-run schooling as well as college education in his domain? When indeed will he come to admit that there are thousands and thousands of Mohsins wandering forlornly in Punjab with no hope in heart and no prospects in sight under the very nose of this Khadam-e-Punjab? When in fact will he come to confess that he is no different from the political chicaners and operators strutting on the national landscape wearing the masks of political leaders? With his posturing, he may be beguiling the fondling commentariat, the chattering classes and the trading community for their vested interests. But the common citizenry has long thrown him out of its good graces. The street holds him the part of the league that he himself says has reduced this nation into an utterly pathetic state with its great betrayal of the masses.

Bloody day in Peshawar

FRONTIER POST

4 more body bags take count to 14 in Ramazan One found dead in car; another shot dead at home; woman commits 'suicide' in presence of husband, father Four more bodies packed in bag were recovered on Wednesday talking the count of the mysterious bodies bags found in the City in the month of Ramazan to fourteen. Of the four body bags two were found in Chamkani on Budni Service Road. Identity cards found on the bodies revealed that on murdered man was Imran s/o Sayed Gul resident of Larama and Ayaz son of Munir of Hawalia, Abbotabad. Police said there were no signs of torture on the bodies. The two bodies were found by the police on five pm on the information locals. The other two bodies were found by the Ring Road said near Hayatabad Toll Plaza in the jurisdiction of Sarband police station. Police said that though both had had bullet wounds in the head there also were signs of brutal torture on both the bodies. The bodies were identified as of Arif son of Taza Gul of Hangu and Anwar Khan Son of Ikram of Musazai. Cops shifted the body to Khyber Medical Collage for postmortem. It is worth mentioning here that during the Holy month of Ramazan around 12 bodies packed in bag were recovered in provincial capital, whereas, the cops of city were silent spectator and still not a single case was either solved or any investigation seemed to have been carried.. Meanwhile, a man was shot dead by unidentified men in his car No. BA 5907. On receiving of this information police reached the spot and took the body in custody. The man was identified as Gul Muhammad son Shah Zubair of Afghanistan. Cops also took the car registration and cash money in custody which was recovered from the murdered man's pocket. Meanwhile, a man was killed and other injured during dispute in Surozai, Badbair. Brother of deceased, Idrees son of Haji Firdos Khan, lodged report with police against Fayaz and Masood son Kachkol. The complaint said that he and his brother Fazal Rehman were at home when the said murderers came to his home and opened fire on them. As a result his brother Fazal Rehaman died at the spot and the complainant was injured. In another yet another case, Fatima wife of one Amjad of Wazir Colony Dalazhak Road, and daughter of Zulfiqar of the same area reportedly committed suicide. The father of the dead women, who is also the complainant reported to the police that the two husband and father of Fatima were at home when they heard a shot and found that the Fatima had shot herself dead. The father in his report also said that he had come to visit his daughter.

Gunmen attack Pakistan air base, 9 dead

Militants dressed in uniforms and armed with guns and rocket launchers stormed a Pakistani air force base on Thursday, sparking heavy clashes that left nine people dead, officials said. One security official was killed and a plane damaged in the pre-dawn assault at PAF Base Minhas, where suspected Islamists again penetrated a sensitive site in the nuclear-armed country battling a five-year Taliban insurgency. The attack comes amid speculation that Pakistan could launch an operation against militants in the tribal district of North Waziristan, where Washington has long demanded an offensive against the Al-Qaeda-linked Haqqani network. The Air Force said seven to eight attackers with rocket propelled-grenades and suicide vests attacked the base, home to to the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex that assembles Mirage and JF-17 fighter jets, at 2:00 am (2100 GMT Wednesday). That gunmen disguised themselves in uniforms and got inside the facility just 60 kilometres (37 miles) northwest of Islamabad will renew questions about security, particularly at a base which has been attacked twice before. "Other miscreants then fired RPGs from outside the base boundary wall. As a result one PAF aircraft got damaged," the air force said in a statement. Gunfire, rocket and hand grenade explosions were heard during heavy clashes. One officer told AFP that he saw flames after waking up for his late night meal, eaten during the dawn-to-dusk Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. "There was an announcement by megaphone for soldiers not to move from the barracks and we were forbidden from going to the area where I saw the fire," he said. Special forces and police were scrambled to the scene. "Eight terrorists have been killed and one security official martyred," an Air Force spokesman told AFP. "The attackers were wearing security force uniforms but I can't specify of which force uniform they were wearing," he added. At least seven of the attackers were wearing suicide vests. The military initially said that two security personnel were killed but no explanation was given for revising down the number. The base commander, who led the counter-attack, was wounded and forces were searching the base to ensure no other gunmen remained, the military said. An AFP reporter who arrived at the base after daybreak said it was quiet, but saw a helicopter still hovering over the area several hours later. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the Pakistani Taliban have targeted a string of military bases since rising up against the government in July 2007. In May 2011, it took 17 hours to quell an attack on an air base in Karachi claimed by the Taliban, piling embarrassment on the armed forces just three weeks after US troops killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. Thursday's attack was the second in weeks to see troops die near the relatively secure capital. Gunmen on July 9 killed seven security personnel who had camped by a river less than 160 kilometres (100 miles) southeast of Islamabad. Despite a relative lull in high-profile attacks, Pakistan has been on alert for violence to coincide with its independence day on Tuesday this week and the Muslim festival of Eid, which is expected to begin at the weekend. On Tuesday, the head of the army, General Ashraf Kayani, used his independence day address to describe the war on terror, often seen in Pakistan as an American battle, as "our own war and a just war too". He acknowledged the difficulties of fighting his own people, but said "no state can afford a parallel system of governance and militias," and called on the nation to stand united or face the risk of a "civil war situation". Pakistan says 35,000 of its people, including more than 3,000 soldiers, have been killed as a result of terrorism since the 9/11 attacks and the 2001 US-led invasion of neighbouring Afghanistan. The base in Kamra was previously targeted on October 23, 2009 when a suicide bomber killed six civilians and two Pakistan Air Force personnel at a checkpoint. On December 10, 2007, a suicide car bomber struck a school bus, wounding at least five children of base employees.