The Big Question: Do Pakistan's gains in the Swat valley mean it is overcoming the Taliban?

www.independent.co.uk
Why are we asking this now?

Over the weekend, the Pakistani army announced that it had taken control of Mingora, the main town in the country's Swat Valley, which has been the location of a major operation to counter and kill Taliban fighters. Capture of the town was both a considerable strategic gain and a major morale-booster. Such was the sense of excitement that a defence official, Syed Athar Ali, predicted that the entire valley could be cleared of militants in just two or three days.

Most experts believe he may have been a little too optimistic, but having secured Mingora the army is now pushing further into the valley. Some of the Taliban are apparently trying to escape through the mountains to the neighbouring Kalam valley. Officials admit it will take some time to restore essential services in Mingora, but they are hopeful that some of the town's 300,000 residents forced from their homes will start to return if they have confidence in the security situation.

Why is the battle for Swat so important?

Before it fell under the mounting influence of the Taliban two years ago, the stunning, rugged valley was a popular tourist destination for middle-class Pakistanis and – unlike the tribal areas – was seen a part of "Pakistan proper". But after militants took effective control of the valley and then, in April, spilled into several neighbouring areas, including Buner and Lower Dir, no more than 60 miles from Islamabad, there was mounting pressure on the government to act.

The Obama administration considers the operation a test of resolve for President Asif Ali Zardari and the Pakistani military following years of claims that the army has been reluctant or unable to go to war against the militants. In turn, the Pakistani leadership has pitched the operation as nothing less than a fight for the survival of the country. As such, to this point, it appears to have a fair degree of popular support – even if Mr Zardari himself does not.

Had the government tried to do a deal with the Taliban?

Among the population of Swat - which until 1969 was a so-called princely state and not fully incorporated into Pakistan – there was mounting frustration with the official justice system. People complained about corruption and bureaucracy. The valley had a tradition of Sharia or Islamic law and the Taliban seized on the people's desire for speedier justice to push for the establishment of Sharia. The militants' version of this code, however, was overwhelmingly brutal; girls schools were burned, people were flogged or beheaded and women were banned from appearing in public.

Despite this, the government brokered a ceasefire deal in February that involved the establishment of official Sharia courts. But the Taliban failed to meet its end of the deal and lay down its weapons. In April, as the Taliban started to extend its grip into surrounding areas, the military launched its operation.

But is everything going as well as the army says?

While the army has certainly made considerable gains and claims to have killed 1,200 militants, analysts say the senior figures within the local Taliban – people such as Maulana Fazlullah – have not yet been dealt with. In recent days, however, the military raised the reward for information leading to Fazlullah's capture to 50m Pakistani rupees (£375,000). It has also published the names and photographs of several Taliban fighters, again with rewards for their capture, dead or alive.

Observers say that targeting the militant leadership is vital if the local Taliban network is to be crushed. "I think the tide is turning. I think that people are hopeful," said journalist and activist Zubair Torwali. "So far it's only the second or third tier of people who have targeted – they have yet to get the leadership." And just because the army has taken Mingora, driving the militants from the rest of the valley – particularly in those areas where they can fight a more classic guerilla warfare – may not be so easy. At the same time, the army will need to retain a substantial and visible presence in places such as Mingora both the build pubic confidence and to prevent the militants returning. Expecting home-grown militia or lashkars to maintain security – especially after such groups were previously abandoned by the authorities – is not feasible.

What has been the cost of the operation so far?

Perhaps the most obvious fall-out has been the flood of around 1.9m people who have fled their homes because of the fighting. Around 500,000 had already left last summer during a similar military operation in the Bajaur tribal area, bringing to 2.4m the likely total of displaced people. Around 200,000 are in camps, with the remainder squeezed into the homes of relatives or extended family members. More perilous, however, is what might be the start of a series of revenge attacks.

Last week, at least 30 people were killed and hundreds injured in a gun and bomb attack in Lahore, which militants claimed was carried out in direct response to what is happening in Swat. The following day, around 14 people were killed in a series of blasts in Peshawar. A spokesman for Baitullah Mehsud, a senior Taliban leader based in South Waziristan, urged the residents of the country's major cities to leave as more attacks were planned.

Is there anything else the Taliban could to to put pressure on the Pakistan government?

There are a number of options available to the militants. Last night it was reported the Taliban had captured a convoy of up to 400 students, teachers and their families in North Waziristan who were driving away from a cadet's school Details of what happened were initially unclear but negotiations were under way for their release. Meanwhile, there is also concern that militants could strike again at an Indian target, thereby creating fresh strain between the two countries and furthering Pakistan's isolation. This is what happened following the assault by Pakistani militants on Mumbai last year in which more than 165 people were killed.

Is the Pakistan army going to expand its operation further?

In the last week there have been reports of clashes between militants and troops in South Waziristan, raising speculation of the opening of a new front. Certainly a quick victory in Swat might encourage the military, but there may also be a genuine danger of over-extending itself. Washington would no doubt be supportive of an operation in the tribal areas that targeted militants responsible for cross border attacks.

If the military decided against such a move, the US might decide to step-up its deeply unpopular drone attacks in Waziristan. Meanwhile, the military is still trying to consolidate its victory in Bajaur, the tribal region bordering eastern Afghanistan where the Taliban were defeated after a seven-month campaign in March, and keep a lid on militants in Khyber, where truck convoys serving US and Nato forces in Afghanistan have periodically come under attack.

So has the tide turned?

Yes...

*The Swat valley is an important and symbolic gain for the military

*In countering the militants, much is about public confidence. The recapture of Mingora will help that

*The force of the military's operation surprised many. Taliban action was a 'wake-up call' for the authorities

No...

*The military had previously captured Swat only to allow the militants back in

*Countering the militants in places such as South Waziristan is likely to be far harder than in Swat

*More terror attacks will undermine public support for the military operation

Govt employees from Buner reluctant to return

SWABI: Despite repeated announcements by the government asking the displaced public sector employees from Buner district to return to their hometowns and resume duty, majority of them are still reluctant to return.

The NWFP government declared on Sunday that all government employees should reach their respective departments and resume duty as peace has been restored to the Buner district.During a visit to the IDPs camp here, a number of government employees told The News that some of their colleagues had gone to Buner but soon returned to camps because of unpredictable situation there.

Ameer Zada, a primary schoolteacher, said: “I went to my village on Sunday to assess the situation, but it will be very difficult for us to leave for homes and resume our duty.”Sardar Ali, an employee of the Health Department, said that those belonging to Daggar and Chamla areas had returned and resumed their duties but dwellers of Pir Baba region were yet to decide about their repatriation. He also said that his colleagues had advised him not to come there in the existing situation.

Besides government servants, common displaced persons were also not ready to return to home because of uncertainty and volatile situation in the area. Some displaced persons also said that their womenfolk were not ready to go back due to Taliban phobia. They said that there was a tremendous psychological pressure on them and they were being haunted by the fear of militants’ terror. It was, however, witnessed that some of the dislocated residents of Buner, where peace has been restored, were on their way homes.

Sher Zamin Khan, a resident of Palodhand area, which connects the Buner and Swabi districts, said he had seen a few trucks, pickup vehicles and tractor-trolleys carrying Buner IDPs and their belongings on way to their villages.

Taliban kidnap over 500 Cadet College students

PESHAWAR: Tribal militants kidnapped over 500 students of the Razmak Cadet College from the Bakkakhel Frontier Region, Bannu, adjacent to the North Waziristan tribal region, on Monday, according to government and police officials.

‘This is a serious development and will have far-reaching repercussions,’ a senior security official said.

Details were sketchy but the official said that 33 vehicles had started off from Razmak, with 540 cadets, teaching staff and their families after the principal of the college ordered its closure amid apprehensions about an impending military operation against militants.

Officials acknowledged that in accordance with an agreement with the government, local militants affiliated with Commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur in Miramshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan, had escorted the vehicles, along with Khasadars, till the tribal region’s boundary with F.R. Bannu.

‘The vehicles were waylaid by armed militants in the Bakkakhel area and commandeered towards Marwat Canal,’ the official said.

Police said that some women and children were later freed. But, the militants carrying rockets, grenades and automatic machine guns boarded the vehicles and commandeered them to some unspecified place.

Another coach, carrying 17 people, including 10 students, a librarian and a doctor, managed to reach the Miryan police station in Bannu. They were later escorted to the Cantonment police station for their onward journey to their destinations, the police official said.

The number of those kidnapped varied, but one official put the figure at close to 518, including cadets and members of the teaching staff.

District Police Officer of Bannu Iqbal Marwat, however, said that 67 cadets had managed to reach the police, while over 400 were missing.

‘The Taliban are behind the kidnapping,’ Mir Sardar, Assistant Sub-Inspector of the Miryan police station, told The New York Times by phone from Bannu.

Marwat Canal leads to South Waziristan’s Spinkay, through Frontier Region Tank, linked up by a nullah frequently used by militants to bypass security checkposts.

Gul Bahadur, leader of the Ittehad-i-Shura Mujahideen, North Waziristan, has wide influence in Bakkakhel and some officials believe that the kidnapping could not have taken place without his blessing.

‘He thinks that he can hoodwink us by escorting these students and teachers to fulfil his commitment not to harm them in his area of influence and then have them kidnapped from Bakkakhel. But we all know whose people operate in Bakkakhel,’ the official said.

He said that three militant commanders -- Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan leader Baitullah Mehsud, Maulvi Nazir in South Waziristan and Hafiz Gul Bahadur -- had forged an alliance to help each other in the event of a military operation.

Citing recent reports, the official said that Maulvi Nazir who didn’t trust the TTP leader, had sent men to fight for him against any possible military operation.

‘They are all one,’ the security official said. He said the kidnapping would have far-ranging consequences since most of those kidnapped belonged to the federally administered tribal regions.

Security officials said that militants from all over the tribal region were converging on the Mehsud part of South Waziristan amid reports that a military operation was imminent.

There has been an increase in clashes between militants and security forces in the Mehsud territory after the military made inroads for what it calls ‘readjustments’ to link up vital communication network.

Baitullah Mehsud warned of attacks if troops do not withdraw from his area, after a jirga failed to mediate between him and the tribal administration.

Officials said that the militant leader would like to use the kidnapped students to secure the release of his comrades under detention and force the government to not only withdraw its forces from the region but also halt the military operation.

The political administration in F.R. Bannu and North Waziristan has tasked a jirga of tribal elders to locate the kidnapped cadets and staff members and secure their early release, the official said.

AP adds: A government official said late on Monday night that police were negotiating with the Taliban to release the kidnapped cadets. Mirza Mohammad Jihadi, who advises the prime minister on tribal regions, said that hostages had been taken to Bakkakhel in North Waziristan, a stronghold of militants.

All must rise against militancy, says Zardari

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari said on Monday the war against militancy is a total war and each and every section of the society must rise to the occasion to “defeat the mindset that creates and nurtures militancy”.

President Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani were presiding over a high-level meeting at the President’s House to review the law and order situation.

The meeting was attended by the federal ministers for information and interior, provincial chief ministers, the army chief, the chiefs of intelligence agencies and others.

Favourable public opinion at home and the willingness of the international community to help had given the government a great opportunity to eliminate the Taliban once and for all, said the president, adding that the nation could not afford to lose this war.

Jundullah a threat to Pakistan-Iran ties, gas pipeline

LAHORE (The News) - The rising terrorist activities of the Pakistan-based militant organization, Jundullah threatens not only the Pakistan-Iran diplomatic ties but also the future of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project, which was signed on May 22 by President Asif Zardari and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran.

According to well-placed diplomatic sources in Islamabad, Tehran has lodged a strong protest with Islamabad over the failure of its law enforcement agencies to dismantle the Jundullah network in Pakistan, which has claimed responsibility for the May 28 deadly suicide attack inside the Ali ibn Abi Talib mosque in Zahedan that killed 25 people and wounded 125 others.

The sources said Iranian officials had expressed their deep concern over the failure of the Pakistani authorities to proceed against the Jundullah network in Pakistan despite having been given specific intelligence.

The Pakistani ambassador was told that the Zahedan suicide attack could have been averted had Islamabad acted in time on the Iranian intelligence information. The Iranian authorities had reportedly told the Pakistani ambassador that the three terrorists (Haji Noti Zehi, Gholam Rasoul Shahi Zehi and Zabihollah Naroui), hanged publicly on May 30 in Zahedan for their alleged participation in the mosque bombing, had confessed to illegally bringing explosives from Pakistan into Iran and giving them to the main person behind the suicide attack.

Diplomatic circles in Islamabad say Tehran’s concern over the growing terrorist activities of Jundullah, across the border in Iran, could be gauged from the fact that its Ambassador to Pakistan, Mashallah Shakeri, had addressed an unusual press conference in Islamabad on March 20, accusing Pakistan of allowing its soil to be used against Iran and demanding concrete steps to contain its activities.

While claiming that the Jundullah network was located inside the Balochistan province, Shakeri had asked Islamabad to curb its anti-Iran activities by taking a decisive action against its leadership. The Iranian ambassador had given broad hints at that time that an Iranian diplomat, who had disappeared in Peshawar in 2008, could also have been kidnapped by Jundullah. In his reaction the same day, a Pakistani Foreign Office spokesman had stated that Islamabad was determined that the Pakistani soil would not be allowed to be used by Jundullah in any manner to destabilize the Iranian government.

However, the diplomatic circles in Islamabad say the Iranian authorities had warned the Pakistani ambassador to Tehran on May 30 that Islamabad’s failure to act against the Jundullah network in Balochistan could also jeopardize the future of the recently-signed Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project. They pointed out that the Pakistani and the Iranian presidents had only signed the initial agreement after 14 years of delayed negotiations and the most crucial gas sales and purchase agreement had not yet been finalized.

On the other hand, the Pakistani authorities in Islamabad do not rule out the possibility of a third player aiding and abetting the anti-Iran activities of Jundullah with a view to damage the Pakistan-Iran ties and sabotage the “peace pipeline project”.

Asked about the origin of Jundullah, the sources said the organization ostensibly represents the Baloch inside Iran who are disaffected with the Tehran government. While being interrogated at a Quetta jail, the sources said, Abdul Hamid Rigi, the brother of the Jundullah chief, had maintained that the group was formed to protect the rights of the Baloch in the Iranian Balochistan-Sistan region.

While asserting that the Pakistani authorities are making all possible efforts to dismantle the Jundullah network from Balochistan’s soil, authoritative sources in the Ministry of Interior pointed out that the militant organization in question had actually stepped up its anti-Iran activities following the June 15, 2008 extradition of Abdul Hamid Rigi from Pakistan to Iran.

Highlighting Pakistan’s efforts to recover the Iranian diplomat kidnapped from Peshawar, the Interior Ministry sources said the Karachi Police had raided a Karachi locality in February 2008 to retrieve the Iranian diplomat alive. In the ensuing battle, two policemen died while 35 men belonging to at least two banned outfits, the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and the Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan, were arrested. Yet the Iranian diplomat could not be recovered.

Pakistan vows to wipe out Jundullah: report

TEHRAN: The interior ministry of Pakistan aims to wipe out Jundullah terrorist group, an organisation that has claimed responsibility for an attack on a mosque in southeastern Iran, reports the Fars News Agency (FNA).

Pakistan’s interior ministry has presented all its information on Jundullah to the country’s intelligence services which include the ISI, MI and FIA. The ministry has also urged for the identification of group members and the immediate arrest of the ringleader Abdulmalek Rigi, according to FNA.

The report goes on to say Islamabad has ordered the group be disbanded and wiped out. The chief of the Iranian armed forces, General Hassan Firouzabadi, said Iran had located the base of the group and informed the Pakistani government of Abdulmalek Rigi’s position.

According to media reports, the group’s spokesman Abdoulrauf Rigi contacted the Pakistan office of al-Arabiya television network to report a bombing in a mosque in the Sisatn-Baluchestan province last week to claim responsibility for the attack.

The bomb blast occurred in the Iranian city of Zahedan while mourners participated in a ceremony marking the death of the daughter of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).

Iranian authorities have arrested and executed three men involved in the bombing. The trio was executed in Zahedan city.

So far Jundullah has claimed responsibility for a dozen terrorist operations in Iran, however according to the FNA, they have managed to escape punishment by crossing into Pakistan.

Tehran has warned Islamabad that it has the power and military means to trace and hunt down terrorist groups in Pakistan if such activity is not stopped by Pakistan.

Since the attack, Iran has closed down its border with Pakistan.

Girls school blown up in Mohmand Agency

PESHAWAR :A government girls middle school has blown up in Shewafarash area of tehsil Lakro in Mohmand Agency.

According to sources, militants planted the explosives in school that exploded with a bang and destroyed the building completely. However, no loss of life was reported. Security forces started strict checking after the incident.

CIA equipping tribals with ‘chips’ against militants

PESHAWAR :The CIA is equipping Pakistani tribesmen with secret electronic transmitters to help target and kill al Qaida leaders in the tribal belt, in a tactic that could aid Pakistan's army as it takes the battle against extremism.

As the army mops up Taliban resistance in the Swat valley, where a defence official predicted fighting would be over within days, the focus is shifting to Waziristan and the Taliban warlord Baitullah Mehsud.

But a deadly war of wits is already under way in the region, where tribesmen say the US is using advanced technology and old-fashioned cash to target the enemy.

Over the last 18 months the US has launched more than 50 drone attacks, mostly in South and North Waziristan. US officials claim nine of the top 20 al Qaida figures have been killed.

That success is reportedly in part thanks to the mysterious electronic devices, dubbed "chips" or "pathrai" (the Pashto word for a metal device), which have become a source of fear, intrigue and fascination.

"Everyone is talking about it," said Taj Muhammad Wazir, a student from South Waziristan. "People are scared that if a pathrai comes into your house, a drone will attack it."

According to residents and Taliban propaganda, the CIA pays tribesmen to plant the electronic devices near farmhouses sheltering al Qaida and Taliban commanders.

Hours or days later, a drone, guided by the signal from the chip, destroys the building with a salvo of missiles. "There are body parts everywhere," said Wazir, who witnessed the aftermath of a strike.

Until now the drone strikes were the only threat to militants in Waziristan, where the Pakistani army had, in effect, abandoned the fight. But now, emboldened by a successful campaign to drive militants out of Swat, a region about 80 miles from Islamabad, the army is preparing to regain lost ground in the more remote eastern tribal belt.

For the US military, drones have proved to be an effective weapon against al Qaida targets, although they have done little to prevent militants from attacking targets inside Pakistan.

It is a high-tech assassination operation for one of the world's most remote areas. The pilotless aircraft, Predators or more sophisticated Reapers, take off from a base in Balochistan province. But they are guided by a joystick-wielding operator half a world away, at a US air force base 35 miles north of Las Vegas. Barack Obama has approved the drone campaign, which is cheap and limits the danger posed to US troops. But the strikes have many unintended victims.

A Pakistani newspaper estimated that 700 people had been killed since 2006, most of them civilians, as a result of drone attacks.

Curfews eased in seven Swat towns

MINGORA: The military lifted curfews Monday in seven towns in the Swat Valley in a further sign of confidence that its military offensive against the Taliban there is making progress, though violence flared elsewhere.

The order will allow thousands of people caught in the battle zone to leave their homes and search for food and other supplies that have dwindled, often to nothing, in the past month of fighting.

The loosening of restrictions posed new dangers for residents, however, with one saying he saw soldiers open fire at civilians in Mingora town as they emerged from hiding places, apparently because they suspected they were Taliban.

‘I saw two people who came out to ask for relief goods and they opened the fire on them from the mountains,’ said Gohar Ali, one of many Mingora residents who had been trapped for weeks in his home until a curfew was lifted briefly on Sunday. Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said he was unaware of the incident.

The military said in a statement that daytime curfews were lifted Monday in the Swat towns of Bahrain, Madyan, Fatehpur, Khwazakhela, Matta and Alpurai and in the nearby district of Shangla.

Pakistan launched an offensive against militants in Swat and surrounding districts a month ago after they violated the terms of a cease-fire and advanced into a region close to Islamabad.

As a result of the Swat offensive troops have regained large swaths of the region from an estimated 4,000 militants. The fighting has forced up to three million people to evacuate, threatening a humanitarian crisis.

A day after the military declared it had retaken the town, Mingora on Sunday was battle-scarred and an Associated Press reporter who visited say two decomposing bodies lying unburied in a cemetery and a third, charred corpse near a shopping mall.

‘We have been starving for many days. We have been cooking tree leaves to keep ourselves alive. Thank God it is over,’ said resident Afzal Khan. ‘We need food. We need help. We want peace.’

Most of Mingora's at least 375,000 residents fled the offensive. The military briefly lifted a curfew Sunday, allowing some of the 20,000 or so who remained to buy provisions in the few shops that were open.

About 200 families returned to Mingora during Sunday's lull in the curfew, but refugees should not go home yet because the security situation was still unstable and the town has no power, said local lawmaker Haji Mohammad Adeel.

International Committee of the Red Cross officials who visited other parts of the valley Saturday were ‘alarmed’ at what they found.

‘There is no running water, no electricity, and food is scarce,’ team leader Daniel O'Malley said in a statement Sunday. ‘There is no fuel left for generators and most medical facilities in the district are no longer functioning. Phone lines are down, so people have been cut off from the outside world.’

Three killed, 16 hurt in Kohat blast

KOHAT :A bomb device went off at Tirah Bazaar bus stand in Kohat on Monday in which at least 16 persons were killed and four hurt, Aaj TV reported.

Large number of people was gathered at bus station at the time of blast.

The injured and bodies were shifted to hospitals where emergency has been imposed. Officials of bomb disposal squad and security agencies have reached the scene.

Police and the security agencies have cordoned off the area.

Continuous curfew, power suspension

PESHAWAR: People stranded in Mingora city said they were living without food, water and medicines for the previous two days. Asking for emergency assistance, particularly food and water, the besieged people said the continuous disruption of power supply had rendered them without drinking water.

Engr Siddiq Akbar is head of one of the trapped families, who managed to establish a contact with his family members who left Mingora 15 days ago to take refuge with relatives in Mardan. He said the people were under virtual siege and they could not come out of their houses because of the continuous curfew.

Requesting for immediate assistance from the government to ensure their survival, Engr Akbar said the militants had fled and they could be seen nowhere in the city now. He said the hospitals were closed because the staff had already left and the sick and injured people were facing serious problems in getting treatment. “We’re applying homemade medications to cure our sick children and elderly people,” he said.

About the provincial government’s claims regarding sending truckloads of food items to Mingora, the stranded person said not a single morsel of food had reached the people stuck up in the city. “We tried to offer the Juma prayers at the Allah-o-Akbar Mosque in our mohallah, but we were not allowed to go there because of the curfew,” said the man, whose half family had migrated to Mardan and put on with a relative.

He said they could not leave their houses to get food or water because three people had so far been killed for violating the curfew. “I request the elected representatives from Swat as to when would they visit us and extend a helping hand in this hour of trial. We’re awaiting a silent death, but those elected to the assemblies by the people of this unfortunate land can’t move from their offices or fortified houses to bail us out,” said the aggrieved man.

People from Islampura village, also known as the craft village for its unique handicrafts, also complained about the acute shortage of food items, medicines and potable water. Located in the neighbourhood of Saidu Sharif, dwellers of Islampura village said they were without food, water, medicines and electricity. The villagers had even run out of fodder for cattle and many animals had so far died.

Both the villagers and their animals would die if emergency assistance were not provided, said the villagers in a telephonic conversation. They said their children were extremely terrified and could not sleep all the night.

The villagers asked the government to relax the curfew and allow transportation of food items and medicines to avoid an eminent human catastrophe in the city of Mingora and adjacent villages.

Security forces had launched operation in Swat on May 8 while curfew was imposed in the city of Mingora and other parts of the restive valley on May 4. More than 500,000 people managed to flee the valley, but thousands are still stuck up or stayed back to guard their houses.

Soldiers hunt Taliban fighters as Pakistan says victory near

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PESHAWAR: Pakistan's defence secretary said on Sunday that a month-long offensive to crush Taliban fighters in northwest Swat could end within days, as fierce fighting spilled into a nearby tribal area.

Swat valley's main town Mingora is back in government hands, the military announced on Saturday, and security officials said they were now pursuing the top leadership of the hardline Taliban movement into the nearby mountains.

Secretary of Defence Syed Athar Ali told a security forum in Singapore that three targeted northwest districts were almost clear of Taliban rebels.

"Operations in Swat, Buner and adjoining areas have almost met complete success," he said.

"Only five to ten percent of the job is remaining and hopefully within the next two to three days these pockets of resistance will be cleared."

However, chief military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told AFP that it was impossible to estimate when the offensive would end.

"The operation is continuing in all of the areas and at this stage we cannot give any timeframe," he said.

The army remains locked in battle in some areas, but the fall of Mingora was a critical milestone in an offensive launched after the Taliban thrust to within 100 kilometres of Islamabad in April.

Pakistan's military also reported that 25 militants and seven soldiers were killed in clashes in South Waziristan near the Afghan border, a bolt-hole for Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked militants south of the current army bombardment.

"Miscreants attacked a security forces checkpost last night (Saturday) in Spinkai Raghzai, South Waziristan agency. The attack was repulsed successfully, inflicting heavy casualties on militants," it said in a statement.

Fifteen militants and three soldiers died in the clash in Spinkai Raghzai, while elsewhere in the semi-autonomous tribal area 10 insurgents and four troops including a lieutenant died when rebels attacked a military convoy.

Civilians have started fleeing the area fearing a fresh military onslaught, but the army has denied an imminent assault on Waziristan, where militants branded by Washington as the greatest terror threat to the West are holed up.

The United States, which is firmly backing the current military drive, had warned that the rebels threaten Pakistan's very existence.

Officials have said that lower-ranking Taliban leaders had been killed but it was harder to get to the top leaders, who had a network of hardcore militants around them and had slipped into the rugged mountain terrain.

"They will be eliminated wherever we find them," said one military official, who did not wish to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media, adding: "We believe that they are somewhere in the mountains."

Pakistan has slapped a 600,000-dollar price on the head of firebrand Swat Taliban commander Maulana Fazlullah for masterminding the nearly two-year uprising in the valley to enforce sharia law.

The government has also offered rewards for 21 rebel chiefs - wanted dead or alive - from Swat. The military claims to have killed 1,244 militants since the offensive began, although the numbers are impossible to verify.

As the government ups its campaign to stamp out the militants, fears are growing of a wave of revenge attacks.

The northwestern capital Peshawar and the eastern cultural centre of Lahore have both been rocked by deadly explosions in the last five days, killing a total of 39 people and wounding hundreds more.

A spokesman for Pakistan Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud has claimed Wednesday's suicide bombing on a police building in Lahore, and warned of more "massive attacks" to avenge the Swat military operation.

Nearly 2.4 million people have fled the current offensive, and the military relaxed a curfew Sunday in most parts of the northwest including Mingora to allow people trapped on the roads to return home or leave the region.

Senior Red Cross officials said Sunday they were "gravely concerned" over the situation in Swat Valley, after an ICRC team reported problems with running water, food, electricity and communications.

"The people of Swat need greater humanitarian protection and assistance immediately," said Pascal Cuttat, head of the organisation's delegation in Pakistan.

"Given what we have already seen on the ground, we are mobilising additional resources, but safe and unimpeded access to the area remains essential for our teams to deliver."

Obama Sends Envoy to Pakistan Refugee Camps

WASHINGTON — President Obama is dispatching his Afghanistan-Pakistan adviser, Richard C. Holbrooke, to Pakistan this week to visit the refugee camps in the northeast region of the country, where thousands of people have flooded to escape the conflict areas where government troops have been battling Taliban insurgents.

Mr. Holbrooke will be taking an inter-agency team of American officials from the Pentagon, the State Department and Usaid to look for ways to speed up the relief effort, and to help mobilize international support, a senior administration official said. The team will also hold talks with the Pakistani government on ways to help solve the growing refugee problem in the country.

More than one million Pakistanis are believed to have fled the conflict areas of Swat, Buner and Lower Dir since tensions exploded in recent months. The mass migration of Pakistanis is now the largest since the country was partitioned from India more than 60 years ago, and it has added to concerns over security and the government’s capacity to provide immediate relief to the displaced.

The American team will leave on Tuesday morning, the official said.(NYT)

US weapons in TTP hands

The Frontier Post
In an interview with the CNN army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas has claimed that many of the Pakistan Taliban’s arms are coming from Afghanistan. He replied in the affirmative when asked whether that included NATO weapons as suggested in recent reports. He said Washington was too focused on the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal whereas the US should stop worrying about the nukes and start worrying about the weapons lost in Afghanistan. A US government report last month warned that the Pentagon did not have “complete records” for about one-third of the 242,000 weapons the United States had provided to the Afghan army, or for a further 135,000 weapons other countries sent. “The Afghan army cannot fully safeguard and account for weapons”, the Government Accountability Office had stated. The US has to understand that those weapons are landing in the hands of Pakistani Taliban, and it is happening under the US/NATO watch. It is in fact their responsibility to stop smuggling of arms to Pakistan. ISPR spokesman Athar Abbas also stated that Taliban fighters in Pakistan were getting weapons and support from foreign intelligence agencies; he however did not mention the names of the countries. People of Pakistan do not understand that despite Pakistan’s cooperation in fighting the war on terror and having lost many members of the security forces the US and India are accusing Pakistan of aiding and abetting Taliban. On the other hand, Pakistan government has at number of times claimed that it has incontrovertible evidence that India is funding and supplying arms to Balochistan rebels and militants in FATA but it does not expose India and its strategic partner the US. Recently, Times of India reported that Baitullah Mehsud is working for the ISI, which is travesty of the truth. In fact, he is in cahoots with India and the US, which is why the US has not seriously tried to take him out. In a recent report, the ISI had provided information to the military commanders about Baitullah Mehsud’s exact location but CIA-operated drones refrained to knock him down. This is reflective of CIA/RAW’s involvement in creating disturbances in Pakistan with the help of people like Baitullah Mehsud. Unfortuately, Pakistan is feeling shy in exposing both India and the US. On the other hand, India concocts stories to malign Pakistan. Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor has alleged that women terrorists are being trained at camps inside Pakistan and along the border with Afghanistan for executing subversive activities. Given the social set up and structure of Pakistani society, can any one even imagine that Pakistan would indulge in such activities? In fact it is India and Israel that can stoop so low to achieve their pernicious designs. After the army started Swat operation, the US has taken some ‘respite’ in accusing Pakistan that it has links with the militants, otherwise earlier the CIA has been trying to make Pakistan/ISI a scapegoat for their failures in Afghanistan. Now, US generals and other government functionaries are appreciating military operation in Malakand division, which they should not do because that conveys an impression that Pakistan has taken the decision at the US’ behest. Whatever the reasons behind the increase in insurgency and whose war it was, the fact of the matter is that now it is very much Pakistan’s war and it has to be won to rid the people of thugs and their thuggish activities.

Venezuela's Chavez shifts gears in leftist revolution

CARACAS (Reuters) - Undaunted by a slowing economy, Venezuela's still popular President Hugo Chavez is picking up the pace of his left-wing revolution with a relentless raft of nationalizations and an offensive against opponents.

Hot on the heels of nationalizing dozens of oil service companies in the OPEC nation earlier this month, Chavez ordered the takeover of several large iron makers last week, then snapped up a large bank and vowed to further limit the private sector.

"We are not subordinated to the bourgeoise elite but to the interests of the people," Chavez said on Saturday. "We are proceeding and will continue to proceed with nationalizations of strategic sectors."

In separate moves that erode democratic credentials earned with a string of election victories since he first won office a decade ago, Chavez has also stripped power from opposition mayors and governors this year and harassed an opposition TV station.

His government has already taken over oil projects, along with telecoms, power and steel companies, and there are numerous sectors including food, health and education that could yet feel his hand through tight regulation or nationalizations.

Oil drillers including Halliburton are also potential targets of Chavez's push to build what he dubs "21st Century Socialism" in one of the most Americanized corners of Latin America, where he is popular for spending on the poor.

Despite record oil prices, 2008 was a tough year for the anti-American leader, who lost support following the defeat of a proposed new constitution that would have given him broader powers.

But Chavez has found his stride again this year, winning a referendum that lets him stay in power as long as he wins elections. He has 60 percent approval ratings even as the economy slows and his government struggles to pay bills in the vital oil sector where income has fallen.

He is operating on two fronts, increasing state control of business through takeovers and heavier scrutiny while battering critics with everything from tough policing of marches to threats to punish the fiercely critical Globovision television station.

The government has opened a number of corruption probes, including one against leading opposition voice Manuel Rosales, who fled charges and was granted asylum in Peru.

"I've said it before and I repeat, we must keep up the offensive, bulldozing the counter-revolution," Chavez told party activists in April. "We can no longer be the idiots we were."

'POWER TO THE PEOPLE'

Chavez started his nationalization drive in 2007 during a five year oil boom, when bulging state coffers allowed him to buy majority stakes in oil projects run by foreign companies such as Total and worth billions of dollars.

With oil revenues so far this year at half what they were in 2008, Chavez has warned companies that he may pay for new takeovers with government bonds.

Putting profitable ventures in state hands is a way to bolster financing for social projects, and Chavez recently said his government has recovered its investment in telephone company CANTV two years after buying a $572 million stake from U.S.-based Verizon Communications.

The government agreed last week to pay $1 billion for a unit of Spanish bank Santander, and intends to use its purchase to facilitate credits to farmers and poor families.

Major oil service companies such as Halliburton and Schlumberger Ltd are perhaps the largest interests now at risk of takeovers, since state oil company PDVSA has fallen behind in payments worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Chavez's critics accuse him of trying to establish himself as a dictator, although he has repeatedly won elections and some of his opponents' own democratic credentials are poor after trying to oust him in a 2002 coup. They also closed down the oil industry for months, and then sidelined themselves by boycotting legislative elections.

Still, Chavez has clearly clamped down following opposition wins in major cities and states in regional elections last year, stripping Caracas's new mayor of power over half the capital and naming his own unelected representative.

Chavez, who has a taste for fiery rhetoric and military uniforms, first tried to take office in a 1992 coup, but he denies he is power hungry.

"The bourgeoise accuses me of accumulating power. I am not accumulating power, I want nothing for me, everything is for the Venezuelan people," he said.

Swat operation to conclude in 2 to 3 days: official

The counterinsurgency operation in Swat valley will be completed within two to three days, Pakistani defence official said. Federal Secretary of Defence Syet Athar Ali speaking at Asian defence officials moot here said that the militancy has been flushed out mostly in Swat except a few groups adding that the remaining militants will be wiped out within two to three days. “The operation will conclude with eradication of remaining five to 10 percent militants,” the secretary defence said.

The IDP issue

THE NEWS (EDITORIAL)
During a visit to a camp in Swabi on May 29, President Asif Ali Zardari has made it clear he sees the IDPs as people who deserve the attention of the entire nation. The comments come at a time when controversy over the entry of the displaced persons into Sindh continues. In cities of Punjab too, vague allegations that unemployed young men from Swat and elsewhere may be involved in armed crime has led to hesitation on the part of people regarding their attitudes towards the IDPs. The entire situation needs to be looked at rationally and realistically. There is every possibility that some of the IDPs may not be able to return home for several months. Meanwhile there is also a distinct likelihood of further displacements as fighting continues and its arena is expanded to Waziristan and other stretches of the northern areas such as the Kurram Agency.

There can be no doubt at all that the IDPs deserve all possible help and the support of other citizens. The UN has termed the displacements, which the Pakistan government says has brought three million people out of their homes, one of the largest and most rapid in recent times.. Health experts visiting camps have stressed the need for immediate measures to stem the rapid onslaught of disease and to improve the living conditions. Reports say many IDPs continue to live in abject misery, often with host families, and have little awareness about the benefits of registering themselves. Others at Jallozai complain about long delays holding up the registration process. In short, there seems to be little doubt that there is still a great deal that needs to be done. The immediate requirement is for better sanitation at camps and more facilities for people who may be forced to live in their inhospitable environs for months. This alone will help lessen the sense of trauma.

But we need also to think about the question of the relationship between the IDPs and local communities. The generosity of ordinary people in Mardan and elsewhere has been immense. But is it fair to continue to count on it to sustain the IDPs? Beyond relief, we also need to think of providing some kind of income generation or work facilities for those in camps. The need for cash is said to be acute. It is also unrealistic to expect so many people to sit idle week after week without some occupation. Specialized NGOs and micro-credit institutions may be able to assist in this. We need innovative thinking combined with solid implementation. In the absence of this there is a real risk that the IDP issue will become more and more complicated and create a new spectrum of problems. The government then needs to anticipate the problems and work to avert them.

Experts warn against prolonged action in Malakand

PESHAWAR: Experts at a seminar Saturday demanded a targeted, precise and decisive operation in Malakand division, as a prolonged military action would have negative consequences.

The Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Islamia College Peshawar, had organised the one-day seminar on the current situation in the NWFP. Besides others, the day-long seminar was addressed by former NWFP governor Lt General (R) Ali Muhammad Jan Aurakzai, former ambassador to Afghanistan and ex-chief secretary Rustam Shah Mohmand, Brig (R) Mehmood Shah and Dr Sarfaraz of Area Study Centre, University of Peshawar.

Ali Muhammad Jan Aurakzai said the present militancy was the output of Afghan Jihad, which he said was fought by the United States for its own interests in Afghanistan. He said that the US had promoted and financed terrorism and militancy during Afghan war, adding that the presence of US troops in Afghanistan was still the main cause of violence and unrest in the region.

The former governor said the imperialist forces were trying to safeguard their interests in the region by engaging their so-called enemies in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The other speakers blamed the present and past rulers for pushing the country into crises by joining the so-called war on terror. They said the killing and displacement of innocent people in Malakand division would enhance militancy in the affected areas. They stressed for keeping the national interest supreme while fighting against terrorism and militancy in the country.

They said the displacement of more than three million people from Malakand division was one of the biggest dilemmas in the history of Pakistan. They asked the government to provide all possible facilities to the internally displaced families in each and every corner of the country.

Swat’s wanted Taliban commander is already in jail!

PESHAWAR: Following its mistake in publishing the picture of a banker instead of a wanted Taliban commander from Swat, another blunder by the NWFP government has come to light as it included the name of an already jailed militant in its list of the 21 most wanted militants’ commanders.

A Swati Taliban commander Liaqat is already in prison in Dera Ismail Khan but the ANP-PPP coalition government was unaware of his arrest. His name was thus included in the list that was published in the form of a half-page newspaper advertisement two days ago to lure informers with the promise of monetary reward for those able to assist in the capture of the 21 Taliban leaders and commanders from Swat.

In the advertisement released and paid for by the NWFP government, Liaqat is identified as a local Taliban commander in Swat’s Khwazakhela area. Head-money of Rs 2 million for him is also mentioned. In the picture published in the advertisement, Liaqat is wearing a white Chitrali cap and has a grey beard with a sprinkling of black hair.

But the same man is imprisoned in the Central Prison, Dera Ismail Khan, where he was shifted last year from the Timergara jail in Lower Dir district. He was among five Swati Taliban prisoners who were moved to Dera Ismail Khan following incidents of violence in the Timergara prison. Another 15 Taliban prisoners from Timergara were first shifted to the Haripur jail and then brought to Dera Ismail Khan. Seven Swati Taliban prisoners are still being held in the sprawling, largely mud-built prison at Dera Ismail Khan. Others were freed following the peace deal in Swat or shifted to different prisons.

Officials at the Central Prison, Dera Ismail Khan, told The News that the jail superintendent, Khalid Abbas, was intrigued when he saw Liaqat’s picture in the newspapers. He and his deputy superintendent, Binyamin, quickly probed the matter and their doubts were confirmed when it turned out that Liaqat was already imprisoned at the Dera Ismail Khan prison. Khalid Abbas promptly reported the matter to the Inspector General of Prisons, Akbar Khan, in Peshawar.

Taliban commander Liaqat, whose year of birth in his national identity card is 1950, belongs to Langar village in Swat’s Khwazakhela tehsil. Seven cases are pending against him in Anti-Terrorism Court but he hasn’t been produced in any court thus far.

The ignorance of the NWFP government about Liaqat’s arrest is the second instance of faulty intelligence regarding the whereabouts of the Taliban commanders. In the advertisement that was published by the provincial government to announce head-money for the 21 top Taliban commanders from Swat, the picture of the wrong person was used and he was identified as militants’ commander Qari Mushtaq belonging to Gulibagh area. A monetary reward of Rs 3 million was offered for his capture.

Instead of the real Qari Mushtaq, the photo of Mohammad Mushtaq, a 29-year old bearded man from Mingora, Swat employed as a research officer in the Sharia department of the Bank of Khyber in Peshawar, was published. It alarmed Mushtaq and his family as the provincial government had offered the reward money to anyone who could apprehend the wanted men alive or dead. He went into hiding and then approached the police to clear his name. It was the second time that he had fallen into trouble for having the same name as Taliban commander Qari Mushtaq and also for hailing from Swat. In March 2008, sleuths from an intelligence agency had nabbed him after mistaking him for Qari Mushtaq.

Pakistan secures key Swat Valley city

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- The Pakistani military says security forces have taken back the city of Mingora from the Taliban, calling it a significant victory in its offensive against the Taliban.

Mingora is the largest city in Pakistan's Swat Valley where security forces have been fighting the Taliban in a month-long offensive.

"It is a great accomplishment," said Pakistani Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas. "This is the largest city in Swat and for all practical purposes, Mingora has been secured."

Abbas said militants put up a stiff resistance, but their resistance weakened as troops moved in. Abbas told CNN pockets of militants remain just outside Mingora.

The fighting has uprooted about 2.4 million Pakistanis from their homes in the northwestern region of the country, according to the latest data from the United Nations. Of those displaced, about 10 percent -- or 240,000 -- are living in refugee camps, according to the U.N.

The announcement that the military has pushed the Taliban out of Mingora comes after days of Taliban attacks in other areas in the country.

The military issued a press release on Saturday saying that 25 militants and a soldier were killed in fighting across the region over the last 24 hours.

Pakistani authorities increased security throughout Islamabad on Friday after a string of deadly bombings in Lahore and Peshawar, and a threat by the Taliban to carry out further attacks.

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for Wednesday's suicide attack in Lahore on a building housing police, intelligence and emergency offices that killed 27 people.

The militant group also threatened to continue attacking cities in Pakistan until the military ends its operations against Taliban militants in the country's northwest.

Facebook Pakistanis unite against terror

From The Sunday Times
Christina Lamb in Lahore
THE first thing Sadaffe Abid did when she heard Wednesday’s massive bomb rattling the windows in her office four miles away was, like most residents of Lahore, to telephone to check on family and friends. However, what she did next was more surprising.

“I told them we should come out on to the streets to protest against these militants,” she said. “This bomb was meant to turn public opinion against the army operation to clear the Taliban from Swat, and we shouldn’t give in.”

The stylishly dressed Abid, 35, is chief executive of a foundation providing microfinance for rural women, and says until recently she never thought the Taliban were anything to do with her.

Yet twice in the past two months she and many of her friends have gathered for rallies in the Mall in central Lahore, holding placards declaring “No to terrorism”, after spreading the word through Facebook and text messages.

Outraged by a video showing the Taliban flogging a young girl in Swat, in North West Frontier Province, they were shocked to see part of the country ceded to extremists. When, even in cosmopolitan Lahore, warnings were sent to colleges for girls to cover their heads and not to wear jeans, they began a letter-writing campaign to tell the government and army chief not to give in to militants.

Among the letter-writers was Abid’s brother Farhan Rao, who left his job at Islamabad’s Marriott hotel last year only weeks before it was bombed and now runs his own business. “None of us ever got involved in politics before, but we feel the whole future of our country is at stake,” he said.

After years of turning a collective blind eye to the Taliban, while intelligence agencies groomed militants to fight proxy wars in Afghanistan and Kashmir, Pakistanis seem determined to take on the extremists. Almost the entire nation has rallied behind a military operation that has seen more than 2m people flee the mountainous region of Swat.

A series of bomb attacks last week seemed to strengthen public resolve. On Thursday, when the Taliban commander Hak-imullah Mehsud warned that residents should evacuate the cities of Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Multan or face further attacks, most stayed put.

Some kept children home from school, shops stayed closed and public places and hotels were largely deserted, but the mood was one of defiance. “It’s our war,” said one of the country’s biggest textile manufacturers. “We’re the ones who have to live here.”

Inspired by the lawyers’ movement, which had the country’s chief justice restored last March after an unprecedented two-year campaign, citizens’ groups in Peshawar are planning a march against terrorism. “We can no longer just stand by,” said Maryam Bibi, one of the organisers, who runs a women’s group in Waziristan, near the troubled Afghan border.

Such moves may be small but represent a shift of attitude in a country which has often blamed its problems on outsiders, usually Indians, rather than recognise its own failings.

“It’s a huge change,” said Pakistan’s leading human rights activist, Asma Jahangir. “For a long time it felt like we were the only ones raising voices against these militants while the rest of country remained silent and we were labelled anti-Pakistan. I just hope it’s not too late.”

Last week the Taliban showed they can hit anywhere, with two bombs in Peshawar and one in Lahore. On Friday a man wearing a suicide vest was arrested entering Islamabad, the capital.

In Lahore the area around the police headquarters was still sealed off yesterday after the powerful car bomb that killed at least 24 and injured 200 on Wednesday. That section of Mall Road was heavily guarded but gunmen shot at police before driving in and detonating the bomb.

That blast was the third big attack in Lahore, the capital of Punjab, in three months. In March a raid on the police training centre led to an eight-hour siege in which 18 died, just weeks after gunmen attacked Sri Lanka’s visiting cricket team, killing six police guards and a bus driver.

“Lahore is now the real prize for militants,” said an intelligence official.

As chief minister of Punjab, Shahbaz Sharif is charged with holding off the insurgents and protecting its 82m people. Staff say he works from 7am to midnight. He looks exhausted.

“There’s no doubt that one of their aims is to penetrate into Punjab as well as to stop the operation in Swat,” he said. “But I think finally the whole nation is behind the concept of not allowing the insurgency to cripple our society.”

In his view Pakistan is paying the price for years of oppression of its poor and needs a social revolution. Pointing out that the Taliban won public support in Swat by demanding an Islamic justice system, he said: “To think in a society thirsting for justice that people will look away from such a movement is fooling ourselves.”

Sharif, a member of the main opposition party run by his elder brother Nawaz, added: “If we don’t all work together, then we are doomed and, God forbid, this country will fall apart.”

His own efforts in Punjab have focused on improving intelligence-gathering and ensuring police, who have borne the brunt of attacks, are better equipped and paid. A believer in zero tolerance, he has proscribed all local militant organisations and kept their leaders under house arrest.

“We’re doing everything we can to stop their activities,” he said. “But just as it did not come overnight, it will not go overnight.”

Almost all suicide bombers who have been identified or arrested in Punjab have been aged between 14 and 22, so much of his focus is on youth. “Education is a key factor to curb this militancy,” he added.

Many here see Nawaz Sharif, 59, as the best hope for the future. On Friday the former prime minister was hosting his weekly Meet the People day at his farm, just outside Lahore, providing a free lunch to 3,000 supporters.

Known as the Lion of Punjab, Sharif is by far the most popular politician in Pakistan since the assassination of the former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto.

Intensive lobbying by David Miliband, the foreign secretary, has persuaded Washington to overcome America’s reluctance to deal with him, based on concern that he is too close to the religious parties.

Last week a Supreme Court ban on Sharif taking office was reversed, leading to speculation that he might use his strong public support to force a mid-term election.

Inside his white colonnaded mansion, where deer, black buck and peacocks roam the lawns outside, and two stuffed lions guard his drawing room filled with crystal and gold, Sharif insists Pakistan must set about righting its decades of inequality.

“These insurgents might have been created by dictatorship, but it’s democracy which must now deliver,” he said. “If we don’t do anything we’re at very great risk. Today they are in Swat and Malakand, tomorrow they are in the rest of the country.”

This week he has called a party meeting where it is expected that one of his MPs will agree to step down, allowing him to contest a seat, and take his place in parliament as leader of the opposition.

Sharif insists he has no intention of trying to bring down the government. “I firmly believe the issues are so grave that no single party can deal with this alone. We all have to deal with them together,” he said.

Army fillip

Yesterday Pakistani forces recaptured Mingora, the largest city in the Swat valley, which had been under Taliban control for a month.

“It’s very good that Mingora city has come under the full control of the security forces,” said Major-General Athar Abbas, an army spokesman.

He added that 1,217 militants had died since fighting began in late April; 81 soldiers had been killed and 250 wounded.

Most of the 300,000 residents fled after the Islamic fundamentalists seized control. Local authorities hope that many will be able to return home soon but the army warned that it may take a fortnight to restore electricity and other amenities.

Security forces were placed on alert for suicide bomb attacks after the Taliban vowed retaliation for the operation in Swat.

Mingora 'almost' secured, claims army

ISLAMABAD: Troops have retaken the largest town in the Swat Valley from the Taliban as the army presses its offensive against militants in the country's northwest, the army spokesman said Saturday.

Government forces had full control of Mingora, though they were still meeting pockets of resistance from fighters on the outskirts of the town, Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas told The Associated Press.

The military launched a major offensive one month ago in the Swat Valley and neighbouring areas to oust Taliban who were extending their control over the northwestern region.

The campaign is strongly backed by Washington and the government's other Western allies, who see it as a test of the government's resolve to fight extremism in the country.

'As far as Mingora city, security forces have taken over,’ Abbas said. ‘There are still pockets of resistance. They are on the periphery of Mingora city.’

Government troops have been advancing steadily into the Swat region, bombarding towns from the air and fighting house-to-house with Taliban gunmen.

The fighting has caused more than 2 million people to flee the region, raising fears of a humanitarian crisis.

More than 160,000 people are taking refuge in sweltering refugee camps south of the battle zone, while the rest are staying with relatives or relying on goodwill from local residents

Mayhem in our midst

Editorial:The News
Within two days of the Lahore blast, they have struck again – multiple times, in Peshawar and DI Khan. At least 14 people have died; hundreds have been injured. The trauma in terms of the panic that hit Qissa Khwani bazaar in Peshawar, where two of the blasts took place, followed by a gun-battle in the alleys of the city's biggest market is immeasurable. There is a limit to what we can do to safeguard ourselves. Measures announced, such as the checking of all trucks as they enter cities, will be effective only if they are properly implemented. In the past this has not happened even in Islamabad. There is also a need to seek public vigilance and ask citizens too to keep a watch out for potential bombers. It has been seen that in the aftermath of every attack, as blood stains streets, there is chaos first at the site of the incident and later at hospitals. This is an area that can be corrected. Rescue services can be bolstered and given better training, as can hospital staff. Trauma care is a specialized sphere. Our allies overseas can help us improve the limited expertise we currently have.

The war being fought in the north has entered our cities as well. The militants have in the past used their ability to strike here as a tactic of blackmail. This time round there can be no question of giving in to them. The COAS has stated Pakistan will not give in to terror. The resolve is a welcome one. But we must also face up to the fact that the fighting will continue for some time; that the Taliban will not simply disappear. Even now, though we hear that they have 'retreated' from a specific area, one wonders where they have gone – and whether they are hoping to save men so they can one day, strike again. Until they are finally vanquished, we will see more mayhem in our cities. We must do all that is possible to secure them, and take measures, like any nation caught up in war, to minimize casualties and ensuring victims of bomb attacks receive the best possible care.

‘It’s a do or die for nation and security forces’

PESHAWAR: Asking the security agencies to fulfill their part of responsibility by eliminating the Taliban in Swat, the NWFP government Friday claimed it had won the war on the political front.

“We’ve entered a decisive phase. Either the nation and its security agencies will emerge successful by eliminating the terrorists, or the latter will prevail,” said Mian Iftikhar Hussain, information minister and spokesman for the NWFP government.

Speaking at a news conference here on Friday, Mian Iftikhar said the whole Pakistani nation supported the operation against Taliban with one voice and they wanted their elimination. “Now it is the responsibility of the country’s security agencies to get rid of the rogue elements.”

He said network of militants had been dismantled and they were targeting civilians in utter frustration after receiving a serious blow in Malakand division. Attacks like the ones carried out in Qissa Khwani were meant to force the government to stop the military operation. “However, it is our firm resolve that the government can’t be intimidated through such dastardly and cowardly acts,” said the minister.

He said the militants were changing their strategy and techniques now. Tactics similar to those of Lahore were used in Peshawar. However, the government had also prepared its own strategy to thwart the ill designs of the militants.

He said the people and the government were now sailing in the same boat. “No other option, except the military action, was left with the government to root out the scourge of terrorism,” said the minister.

At the same time, he said there might be civilian casualties as the whole country was passing through a war-like situation. “But we are prepared for all kinds of sacrifices to secure the future of our coming generations,” he vowed.

Expressing satisfaction over the role of the security agencies, Mian Iftikhar said they were rendering greater services to secure the people and the blast at the Sra Khawra Police Post in Matani area was a proof of that.

To a question about the killing of Taliban commander Fazlullah, Mian Iftikhar said there were rumours, but the government had no authentic information to share with the media. However, the minister confirmed the arrest of militants from IDP camps on the basis of information provided by the dwellers of the makeshift villages. “We’ve 90 per cent proof of their being militants,” he added.

Asked why the government not sending back the Buner people into their areas after the return of normalcy there, Mian Iftikahr said the government had to restore facilities like electricity, provide edibles, water, medicines and re-organise the district administration before sending them back. He said 30 trucks full of edibles and other items had reached Buner district for the stranded people.

About the camps for IDPs, the minister said arrangements had been finalised to establish a new camp at Kund area of Nowshera district. The area had been selected because of its closeness to the river and moderate temperature, said Mian Iftikhar.

Releasing the fresh figures about the IDPs, he said a total of 19,596 families with 115,166 individuals were living in camps with another 360,963 families with 2,678,695 individuals outside camps.

Obama sure Sotomayor would restate 2001 comment

Associated Press
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Friday personally sought to deflect criticism of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, who finds herself under intensifying scrutiny for saying in 2001 that a female Hispanic judge would often reach a better decision than a white male judge. "I'm sure she would have restated it," Obama flatly told NBC News, without indicating how he knew that.
The quote in question from Sotomayor has emerged as a rallying call for conservative critics who fear she will offer opinions from the bench based less on the rule of law and more on her life experience, ethnicity and gender. That issue is likely to play a central role in her Senate confirmation process.
Obama also defended his nominee, saying her message was on target even if her exact wording was not.
"I think that when she's appearing before the Senate committee, in her confirmation process, I think all this nonsense that is being spewed out will be revealed for what it is," Obama said in the broadcast interview, clearly aware of how ethnicity and gender issues are taking hold in the debate.
The president's damage control underscored how the White House is eager to stay on message as the battle to publicly define Sotomayor picks up.
Obama's top spokesman, Robert Gibbs, told reporters about Sotomayor: "I think she'd say that her word choice in 2001 was poor."
Gibbs, however, said he did not hear that from Sotomayor directly. He said he learned it from people who had talked to her, and he did not identify who those people were. Sotomayor herself has made no public statements since her nomination became official Tuesday and was not reachable for comment.
A veteran federal judge, Sotomayor is poised to be the first Hispanic, and the third woman, to serve on the Supreme Court.
She said in 2001: "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life." The remark was in the context her saying that "our gender and national origins may and will make a difference in our judging."
Sotomayor's comments came in a lecture, titled "A Latina Judge's Voice," that she gave in 2001 at the law school of the University of California, Berkeley.
After three days of suggesting that reporters and critics should not dwell on one sentence from a speech, the White House had a different message Friday.
"If you look in the entire sweep of the essay that she wrote, what's clear is that she was simply saying that her life experiences will give her information about the struggles and hardships that people are going through, that will make her a good judge," Obama said in the broadcast interview.
Sotomayor appears headed for confirmation, needing a majority vote in a Senate, where Democrats have 59 votes. But beyond the final vote, White House officials are pushing for a smooth confirmation, not one that bogs down them or their nominee. Plus, Obama wants a strong win, not a slim one.
Obama told NBC that part of the job of a Supreme Court justice is to stand in somebody else's shoes and that Sotomayor will do that. "That breadth of experience, that knowledge of how the world works, is part of what we want for a justice who's going be effective," Obama said.
More than one line in the 2001 speech has helped drive the debate over Sotomayor's judgment.
She also said, for example: "Personal experiences affect the facts that judges choose to see."
"My hope is that I will take the good from my experiences and extrapolate them further into areas in which I am unfamiliar," she said. "I simply do not know exactly what that difference will be in my judging. But I accept there will be some based on my gender and my Latina heritage."
At the time Sotomayor gave the speech, she was in the same job she is now, a federal appeals court judge. She said then she was reminded daily that her decisions affect people and that she owes them "complete vigilance in checking my assumptions, presumptions and perspectives."
"I willingly accept that we who judge must not deny the differences resulting from experience and heritage," she added, "but attempt, as the Supreme Court suggests, continuously to judge when those opinions, sympathies and prejudices are appropriate."
In announcing Sotomayor as his choice, Obama said he wanted a judge who would "approach decisions without any particular ideology or agenda, but rather a commitment to impartial justice." But he also called her life experience essential, saying she had an understanding of "how ordinary people live."
Next week, Sotomayor will begin face-to-face meetings with senators as the confirmation process begins to take shape.

Blast victims laid to rest as city mourns F.P. Report

PESHAWAR: After Thursday's deadly twin blasts which rocked Qissa Khawani Bazaar, business hub of the provincial capital, DCO Peshawar Sahibzadah Anees on Friday has announced imposition of Section-144 in City for one month. According to official notification, after imposition of the Section-144 no person will carry any sort of arms and ammunition or any other articles which is capable of being used for physical violence or carrying of any explosive substance or any other instrument which is danger to human life and public property and no vehicle with tainted glasses shall enter and drive in the territorial limit of Peshawar District for the sake of security. Any one found violating this order shall be liable to beproceeded against under section 188 PPC. Meanwhile, the city's main bazaars and shopping centers gave a deserted look as people mourn the deaths in the blasts. People opted to stay inside their houses as threats of more deadly attacks hovered over their heads. The Qissa Khawani and adjacent markets, Saddar bazaar, Shafi Market and other main business centers were completely closed as the funerals of the blast victims were held on Friday. Even the number of people in the mosques for the Friday prayer was less than what have been in normal days. Earlier, a tea-dealer Rafeeq Baba also succumbed to injuries, raising the death toll in Qissa Khawni Bazaar to seven including a small child. The police on Friday gathered more clues from the blast sites including Kabari Bazaar to reach any conclusion in the investigation as police claim to have arrested two injured terrorists. Heavy financial loss have been feared to the business community as it will take some time to rebuilt the area after the damage that was done by the blasts. The relief activities continued in Kabari and Qissa Khawni Bazaar as shopkeepers returned to collect the rubble and search for the valuables from the gutted and damaged shops. Meanwhile, the security beefed up in the city and all the entry and exit points were sealed. Police contingent were deployed at sensitive and busy areas of the city. The sense of insecurity prevailed among citizen and city was giving a look of fear and panic where the people preferred to stay at home. Moreover, all the private schools in the city were closed for indefinite period after the threats of attacks. The students were sent back to their homes and the ongoing examinations were cancelled. It is pertinent to mention here that the provincial government had already closed all the government educational institutions in the province for early summer vacation from 16th of this month. Similarly, the United Nation has also closed its offices in the City for three days as there was a threat of more attacks.

More information needed

Dawn Editorial

Evaluating the success or otherwise of Operation Rah-i-Raast in Malakand division up to now has been difficult because of the lack of independent reports from the area.

Every day the public relations arm of the Pakistan Army has issued statements listing the number of casualties on both sides, the areas where battles have been fought and the neighbourhoods which have been retaken. But owing to the curfew imposed in the areas where the fighting has been the fiercest, the difficulty in establishing contact with the outside world for locals and the lack of reporters on the ground, it has not been possible to develop a reliable, independent picture of the situation in Malakand.

On Wednesday, journalists were given a tour of some parts of Mingora in Swat, 70 per cent of which the army claims has been secured, but as is the nature of such supervised visits, a full picture of the situation in the area could not be gleaned.

No doubt that while the fighting continues the safety and security of reporters must be kept in mind. And there is no reason to believe the press statements of the army are exaggerated or untrue. But equally there is a need to verify the government’s and the army’s claims and that will only be possible if reporters are given more access to Malakand. There are two main issues at stake here. One, the actions of the state must be open to scrutiny wherever possible. Fighting a counter-insurgency is by definition a messy business, but the state must necessarily be held to a higher standard than the militants.

Every care must be taken to ensure that it is the militants who are bearing the brunt of the military operation and not the local population, and determining whether that is indeed what is happening must not be left to the state to decide for itself. Second, more access for reporters and greater transparency can help defeat the propaganda and misinformation being spread by the militants. For example, there are reports that the militants remove weapons and ammunition from the bodies of militants killed in battle to make it appear that civilians have been killed instead.

Without independent verification of such reports, the issue becomes one of the state’s word against the militants’ and in such circumstances disproving such rumours becomes impossible, with damaging consequences for public support for the military operation. The bottom line: more information from independent sources is necessary and beneficial.

Task force being set up to register IDPs

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has said that the provincial government has set up relief camps in Hyderabad and Karachi, besides Kandhkot and Ubaro, for thousands of internally displaced persons arriving here from the federally administered tribal areas and Swat, Buner and other parts of Malakand division.

Mr Shah was talking to a three-member delegation from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which called on him at the Chief Minister’s House on Friday. They discussed at length issues related to the registration and care of the IDPs.

The chief minister informed the delegates that a task force comprising two ministers, members of the provincial assembly, five senior officers, representatives of a few non-governmental organisations, and officials of the National Database Registration Authority was being set up for IDPs’ registration. The task force would also ensure provision of food, water, medicines and other basic facilities at the relief camps, he said.

Mr Shah said that the government was not only establishing camps for the IDPs arriving here in huge numbers, but also sending food and relief goods to the NWFP on a daily basis.

UNHCR representative in Pakistan Guenet Guerr-Chiristos, who headed the delegation, along with deputy representative Michael Zwack, apprised the chief minister of their relief efforts for the IDPs in the NWFP.

She said that the UNCHR had received contributions from the governments of Australia, Japan, Sweden, the USA, the UK, Canada, the Netherlands, France and the European Union in response to the UN Pakistan Humanitarian Response Plan for IDPs.

The meeting was also attended by Secretary to the Chief Minister Syed Sohail Akbar Shah, Home Secretary Arif Ahmed Khan and Agriculture Secretary Agha Jan Akhtar.

Gilani, Zardari discuss IDPs, ongoing operation

ISLAMABAD :Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani called on President Asif Ali Zardari here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr on Friday. During the meeting matters relating to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of Malakand division, the fight against terrorism and militancy as well as the overall political situation in the country were discussed.

With regard to the people displaced in the wake of on-going military operation in Malakand Division, the President and the Prime Minister discussed the matters about the proper care of IDPs as well as their rehabilitation.

During the meeting, the two leaders reiterated the government’s resolve to root out the menace of terrorism and militancy from the country.

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Kavya Shivashankar win this year's Scripps National Spelling Bee.

US weapons being used against Pak forces: Military

ISLAMABAD: The military on Friday said US weapons stolen from Afghanistan were being used against security forces in Swat and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

While speaking to Dawn, military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said the terrorists in FATA and Swat were getting material and financial support through the Afghan border and alleged that some hostile foreign agencies were abetting them.

Answering a question about the assertions over the security of strategic assets of Pakistan, he said the United States should stop worrying about the nukes and start thinking about the weapons lost in Afghanistan.

'We are not surprised if these weapons slip out from Afghanistan and many of them are found in Swat and are being used against our troops', he remarked.

Giving details on the progress of operation Rahe Rast, he said security forces have recovered a huge quantity of looted and stolen food items and a cache of arms including 12.7 mm guns from four tunnels discovered during search and cordon operations in Peochar.

He said that the food items recovered from tunnels were apparently stolen and looted as these were otherwise not locally available.

He said the packing of the food items also shows that they were part of relief goods meant to reach the people stranded in the areas where the military operation against militants was taking place.

General Athar Abbas said the security forces continued with cordon and search operation and successfully cleared the stronghold of miscreants at Peochar village.

He said that forces have secured Bahrain and the area was under their complete control.

General Athar Abbas also said that 28 miscreants were killed and seven were apprehended in various areas of Swat during exchange of fire, while five soldiers and two civilians were injured.

The military spokesman said cordon and search operations were still continuing in Mingora.

Govt realizes prolems of IDP’s, says Zardari

SWABI :President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday said that the government realizes the troubles of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of Malakand division, assuring them that they would be rehabilitated ‘better than before’.

Addressing the IDPs during his visit to Swabi’s Shah Mansoor Relief Camp here Friday, President asked the people of the affected areas to keep trust in Allah, Pakistani nation and the government, saying that the whole nation is standing with them in these hours of need.

Bombs seen stiffening Pakistan resolve on militants

By Robert Birsel
Reuters
ISLAMABAD, May 29 (Reuters) - A series of militant bomb attacks in Pakistan aims to undermine the country's resolve to fight the Taliban but is likely only to strengthen determination to defeat the militants, analysts say.

Pakistan has undertaken its most concerted effort to roll back an expanding Taliban insurgency that has raised fears for the important U.S. ally's stability, and for the safety of its nuclear weapons.

The army late last month went into action against Taliban who had seized a district only 100 km (60 miles) from the capital after the United States criticised a peace pact as tantamount to abdicating to the militants.

This month, the military launched a full-scale offensive to root out the Taliban from their stronghold in nearby Swat.

But the militants have responded with eight bomb attacks in towns and cities since late April, three on Thursday in the northwest, a day after 24 people were killed in a suicide gun and bomb attack in the eastern city of Lahore.

The militants are trying to undermine the state's determination to fight them, and the broad public support the army's campaign enjoys, analysts told Reuters on Friday.

"This is exactly what the militants are trying to do because they have done it successfully in the past. But things have changed substantially," security analyst Ikram Sehgal said.

"I don't think it will undermine the resolve of either the public or the government. They realise that this sort of thing will only escalate if they vacillate any further," he said.

Pakistan signed up to the U.S.-led campaign against Islamist militancy after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States but at best ambivalently.

Pakistan had used Islamist fighters to oppose Soviet occupiers in Afghanistan in the 1980s and later backed the Afghan Taliban. Militants were also used to oppose India in the disputed Kashmir region.

Pursuit of strategic interests apparently at odds with U.S. aims and mixed messages from the state and media brought muddle.

But not any more.

"BRUTALITY"

The Taliban overplayed their hand when, under cover of a controversial peace pact, they denounced the constitution and pushed out of the former tourist valley of Swat towards the capital.

"The Taliban attempt to make their presence felt in an area that a large number of Pakistanis are familiar with, and the way they went about it, the brutality, exposed them and changed opinion," said Samina Ahmed of the International Crisis Group think-tank.

"They are no longer considered alienated, disaffected Pakistanis who need to be brought into the fold. They're looked upon much more as criminals who should be brought to justice."

The violence the militants have unleashed demonstrated the extent of the threat they posed and is steeling opposition, Ahmed said.

"It strengthens the government's position that the terrorists pose a major threat ... It's no longer a remote conflict being fought in FATA," she said, referring to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas on the Afghan border.

The state now had to show it can finish the offensive in Swat quickly and wind up the militant networks.

"Their main aim is to weaken public opinion, especially in Punjab," said retired Brigadier Asad Munir, a former intelligence agency officer, referring to Pakistan's most prosperous and politically important province, of which Lahore is capital.

"You won't see this now but if the operation is prolonged then things will start changing. They have got to do it in a week or 10 days," he said of the Swat operation.

Wavering at this stage would dash the hopes of the public and be disastrous, he said.

"If they stop the operation now then prepare yourself for a Taliban state," he said.

Fazlulah head-money raised to Rs50m

KARACHI: Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik said the relief camps are being searched for the suspected people and various people have been arrested.He said Taliban used to take youth and give them $60, adding it was Taliban who are responsible for taking the people out of their houses.Malik said the head money for Maulana Fazlulah has been increased to Rs50 million, adding 2.5 million people had to leave their house only because of Taliban.The security of all the major cities has been beefed up, the minister said adding the terrorists are quite nervous and panicked.He continued that some dangerous Taliban have been arrested from IDP’s camps.