Khamenei tells Mousavi to toe the line over election or be cast out

www.timesonline.co.uk

The moderate Iranian leader who says that he was robbed of victory in last week’s presidential election faces a fateful choice today: support the regime or be cast out.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, has told Mir Hossein Mousavi to stand beside him as he uses Friday prayers at Tehran University to call for national unity. An army of Basiji — Islamic volunteer militiamen — is also expected to be bussed in to support the Supreme Leader.

The demand was made at a meeting this week with representatives of all three candidates who claim that the poll was rigged, and it puts Mr Mousavi on the spot. He has become the figurehead of a popular movement that is mounting huge demonstrations daily against the “theft” of last Friday’s election by President Ahmadinejad, the ayatollah’s protégé.

Mr Mousavi, 67, is a creature of the political Establishment — a former revolutionary and prime minister who would like to liberalise Iranian politics but has never challenged the system in the way his followers are doing. It was unclear last night what he would do or even whether the protests would die away if he backed down. Yesterday tens of thousands of demonstrators packed into the Imam Khomeini Square in Tehran — named after the founder of the Islamic Republic — for another massive rally, this one to mourn protesters killed in Monday’s clashes with pro-government militias.

Men, women and children from all backgrounds came dressed in black, with green wristbands, the colour of the Mousavi campaign, and staged a two-hour vigil. Some held banners bearing the names or pictures of the dead, and placards proclaiming “My martyred brother, we will get back your vote” or “We have not had people killed to compromise and accept a doctored ballot box”.

There was near silence until Mr Mousavi arrived with his wife, Zahra Rahnavard, and the throng broke into chants of “Mousavi! We support you!” With almost ecstatic fervour, the traditional lament for Shia Islam’s most important martyr, “Ya Hussein! was answered by the defeated presidential candidate’s forenames “Mir Hossein!

Mr Mousavi was accompanied by Mehdi Karoubi, another of the defeated candidates. He attempted to speak from the top of a car using a loudhailer, but few could hear him.

As the protesters departed just before dusk they left behind little shrines of black candles placed around photographs of the dead. “It encourages us to follow their path, fighting for the vote,” one woman said.

It was the sixth day of demonstrations and first to be held in the poorer south-central district, an apparent effort to dispel notions that the protesters are middle-class or pro-Western.

The Guardian Council, a body of 12 senior clerics whom the Supreme Leader has asked to investigate claims of electoral fraud, said it had received 646 complaints of irregularities. It has invited Mr Mousavi and the other two candidates challenging Mr Ahmadinejad — Mr Karoubi and Mohsen Rezai — to set out their grievances tomorrow and will decide on Sunday whether to order a recount. Nobody believes that it will. The Supreme Leader controls the council and is widely believed to have asked it to investigate as a way to play for time.

Mr Ahmadinejad defended the vote, telling a Cabinet meeting yesterday that “the ideals of the Islamic Revolution were the winners”.

PML factions stage walkout over ‘Pakhtunkhwa’

PESHAWAR: The lawmakers of both factions of Pakistan Muslim League (N and Q) on Wednesday staged a walkout from the budget session when Senior Minister Rahimdad Khan repeatedly called Sarhad as Pakhtunkhwa during his speech.

Khan was reading out his budget speech, perhaps written by some bureaucrat, laced with names like Sarhad, rejected by the Awami National Party MPAs and supported by both PML factions. Wherever the word Sarhad province occurred in his written speech, Khan intentionally replaced it with the word Pakhtunkhwa, which stirred a rumpus in the house.

Khan, one of the two Frontier senior ministers, was presenting the budget on behalf of his ailing colleague, Finance Minister Mohammad Humayun Khan, in the house.

‘In the Constitution, it is NWFP, while the finance minister was adamant on calling it Pakhtunkhwa. It is violation of the Constitution. If the parliament changes the name, we will accept it, but right now we oppose calling it Pakhtunkhwa,’ PML parliamentary leader Pir Sabir Shah told the journalists.

He denied that his party had endorsed ANP resolution on changing of the province’s name. ‘We had opted to abstain from the session; when the assembly had approved this resolution. Only parliament through one third majority of its members can bring any such change into the Constitution,’ he said.

Giving his party’s version, Provincial Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said calling Sarhad as Pakhtunkhwa was not unconstitutional, because President Asif Ali Zardari had called it Pakhtunkhwa on the floor of parliament and in the United Nations General Assembly.

Speaker Karamatullah Chagarmati, however, advised the minister to confine himself to the written text. But the minister kept himself oscillating between Sarhad and Pakhtunkhwa throughout the speech.

Earlier, the speaker administered oath to the newly elected MPA, Auranzeb Khan, who won the election from PF-1, Peshawar-I, which fell vacant after the assassination of his brother Alamzeb Khan.

He thanked all the political parties for extending him political support during the by-election. Khan also lashed out at the Peshawar police, which had failed to track down the killers of his brother Alamzeb Khan. He said growing incidents of kidnapping for ransom, bomb blasts, burglaries, murders and car-snatching were enough to gauge the performance of police force.

During his remarks about the journalist community, the speaker called them the ‘fifth pillar of the state.’ Perhaps, he was mixing up ‘fourth estate’ with the ‘fifth columnist.’ None of the lawmakers, even Abdul Akbar Khan, Saquibullah Chamkani, Israrullah Khan Gandapur, known for their scholarship, tried to enlighten the speaker.

Earlier, when the speaker invited the finance minister to present the budget, Pir Sabir Shah stood in his seat and proposed a discussion on the law and order situation in the province. He said it was more important to speak on the war-like situation in the province than listening to the budget speech, but the chair didn’t take his words seriously.

The speaker said he had put a ban on the guests and personal guards of the MPAs owing to the deteriorating law and order situation and danger of terror incidents in the city. He hoped that lawmakers would extend him cooperation during the budget session.

A motion tabled by Abdul Akabar Khan of Pakistan People’s Party drew the attention of the chair about the two days gap in proceedings after the budget speech and asked the speaker to reduce it. The chair entertained the suggestion and reduced the gap to one day instead of two days.

All roads leading towards assembly building remained closed till the adjournment of the sitting.

U.S. Struggling for Right Response to Iran

Washington Post

The political unrest in Iran presents the Obama administration with a dilemma: keep quiet to pursue a nuclear deal with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country's supreme leader, or heed calls to respond more supportively to the protesters there -- and risk alienating the Shiite cleric.

President Obama and his advisers have struggled to strike the right tone, carefully calibrating positive messages about the protests in an effort to avoid giving the government in Tehran an excuse to portray the demonstrators as pro-American. Nevertheless, the Iranian Foreign Ministry yesterday summoned the Swiss ambassador, who represents American interests in Tehran, to complain of "interventionist" comments by U.S. officials, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

In an apt summation of the administration's position, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told reporters yesterday: "We are obviously waiting to see the outcome of the internal Iranian processes, but our intent is to pursue whatever opportunities might exist in the future with Iran."

The administration's stance is practical -- the real power in Iran rests with Khamenei, not with whoever is president -- but pressure for a shift in policy will mount if the protests continue to grow and begin to threaten the government's hold on power. Obama already has been criticized -- notably by his Republican presidential rival, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) -- as abandoning "fundamental principles" of support for human rights.

Khamenei, a former president of Iran who became supreme leader 20 years ago after the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, plays a defining behind-the-scenes role in Iran's complex and often opaque political system. His power derives from his support among the armed forces and the clerical establishment that presides over the nation's quasi-theocracy.

Few experts doubt Khamenei would have approved of manipulating election results to ensure President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's reelection or could have the influence to order a new vote, though it is unclear whether recent events have threatened his grip on power internally. If he remains in control, Khamenei's views would be expected to prevail on any key decisions affecting the future of the Islamic republic, especially on the question of whether to deal with the Obama administration.

Mohsen Milani, chairman of the international relations department at the University of South Florida, said it appears that an internal power struggle among the governing elites has burst into the open, combined with images of public discontent. "President Obama has made one very important decision," he said. "He has not taken a position on the internal struggle."

One of Obama's signature pledges during last year's campaign was to reach out to the Islamic republic and seek to end three decades of estrangement between the two countries. A central objective is to dissuade Iran from attempts to build a nuclear weapon, a development that Western nations argue would destabilize the Middle East. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is purely for civilian uses.

With a televised Persian New Year's greeting to Iran's leaders in March, Obama effectively recognized the current ruling structure and took regime change out of the equation. Administration officials had planned to seek a dialogue, preferably with officials close to Khamenei, after Iran's presidential vote.

Now those ambitions are on hold, awaiting the outcome of the disputed election. But Obama has made clear that he assumes the results, for now, will not change his approach to the nation.

"Although there is amazing ferment taking place in Iran, the difference between Ahmadinejad and Mousavi in terms of their actual positions may not be as great as has been advertised," Obama told CNBC on Tuesday. "We've got long-term interests in having them not weaponize nuclear power and stop funding organizations like Hezbollah and Hamas. And that would be true whoever came out on top in this election."

Obama's statement has struck some commentators as insulting to the huge demonstrations in support of challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi. McCain, appearing on CNN yesterday, said he was "frankly incredulous" about Obama's comment. "To say there's not a bit of difference between the two candidates is beside the point," he said. "The Iranian people, obviously, think there's some difference, or tens or hundreds of thousands of them wouldn't be in the streets."

But Suzanne Maloney, an Iran expert at the Brookings Institution, said of Obama's remark: "It is coldblooded, but it is also hard-headed. It is important not to get romantic about the idea of an Iranian moderate."

A senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to explain the administration's thinking, said U.S. officials want to "keep faith" with the demonstrators, letting the government know "the world is watching," to avoid a bloody denouement. But he said the odds are slim that Khamenei will somehow lose power. "We can't lose sight of the fact that they are enriching uranium every day," he said. "They were a threat before the election. They are a threat today, and the clock keeps ticking."

Too much overt U.S. support for the demonstrators, he said, may feed Iranian suspicions about a U.S. desire for regime change and make Iran's leaders less likely to agree to restraints on the nuclear program. "It is easy to say you ought to talk tough," the official said. "But before you do that, you have to ask yourself: What is the effect of having done that? Will it change their behavior or not?"

Shirin Ebadi, an Iranian human rights activist who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003, said she has no complaints about Obama's rhetoric. "What happens in Iran regards the people themselves, and it is up to them to make their voices heard," she said in a telephone interview from Geneva. "I respect his comments on all the events in Iran, but I think it is sufficient."

IRAN..."Death to the Dictator!" Mousavi supporters gather for Iran rebellion

www.timesonline.co.uk


A silent sea of black-clad mourners made its way through the streets of Tehran this afternoon, commemorating the lives of those slain in six straight days of protests since the announcement of President Ahmedinajad’s election victory.

The scenes recalled the mass mourning protests of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when hundreds of thousands took to the streets to play their part in the overthrow of the American-backed Shah.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched silently until they reached Iman Khomeini square, the huge plaza named for the founder of the revolution, where they were joined by Mir Hossein Mousavi, the defeated opposition candidate.

The crowd broke into chants, shouting “Death to the Dictator!” and “where are our votes?” as Mr Mousavi addressed them, repeating his calls for a fresh ballot to replace a result widely seen as fraudulent.

At least seven people were killed in violence that erupted during Monday’s massive protest, when militiamen attacked and opened fire on protestors demanding that their “stolen” votes be counted. But persistent reports indicate that more may have been killed in both Tehran and Shiraz and buried quickly without official recording.

Protestors dressed in black for mourning - a change from the usual green worn by Mousavi supporters - and carried placards remembering the dead. “We have not had people killed to compromise and accept a doctored ballot box” read one; another “My martyred brother, I will get back your vote."

Some protesters carried pictures of footballers from Iran’s national team wearing green wrist-bands in their World Cup qualifier against South Korea last night. Passing motorists sounded their horns in support as the marchers stopped to let them pass.

The march and rally took place despite a ban issued by the Interior Ministry, which backs the hardline incumbent, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who claimed victory in the polls with 63 per cent of the ballot. That figure is widely believed to have been doctored, with official results showing Mr Mousavi heavily defeated in his own hometown and also in Tehran, where his support is at it highest.

Mr Mousavi, who claimed he was the real victor, has dismissed the June 12 election as a “shameful fraud” and called for a re-run, with the backing of reformists, including some powerful clerics. Many protesters carried white flowers and placards reading: “We cried for Gaza, who cries for us?”

The fourth consecutive day of protests came in open defiance of Iran’s supreme leader, who has urged the people to pursue their complaints within the limits of the cleric-led system.

In a bid to ward off further protests, Iran’s Guardian Council invited Mr Mousavi and two other opposition candidates to a meeting on Saturday to discuss their grievances.

The unelected body of 12 clerics and Islamic law experts close to Ayatollah Khamenei said it was prepared to conduct a limited recount of ballots at sites where candidates claim irregularities. Mr Mousavi, however, has demanded an independent investigation and a new election, charging that the Council is too close to Mr Ahmadinejad to be trusted with the task.

The Council has received a total of 646 complaints from the three candidates, raising the possibility that even a limited recount could turn into a far larger and messier exercise than the government intended.

The crisis presents one of the gravest threats to Iran’s complex blend of democracy and religious authority since the system emerged out of the Islamic revolution that brought down Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

The ruling clerics still command deep public support and are defended by Iran’s most powerful military force - the Revolutionary Guard - as well as a vast network of militias.

But Mr Mousavi’s movement has forced Ayatollah Khamenei into the centre of the escalating crisis, questioning his role as the final authority on all critical issues.

Jolie, Pitt give $1 million for Pakistan refugees

LOS ANGELES - Celebrity couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt donated $1 million to a U.N. refugee agency to help Pakistanis displaced by fighting between troops and Taliban militants, the agency said on Thursday.

Jolie, the star of 2008 movies "Changeling" and "Wanted," has visited Pakistan three times to witness United Nations relief operations since becoming a "goodwill ambassador" for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in 2001.

The agency said it was grateful for the donation from Pitt and Jolie, and added that more than 2 million people in Pakistan had been uprooted this year as a result of the conflict in the northwest part of the country.

Most Pakistanis forced from their homes are living in government buildings or with host families, but 260,000 of them are in camps run by UNHCR, the agency said.

The Hollywood power couple, who gave the $1 million through their Jolie-Pitt Foundation, donated $2 million in September to help children in Ethiopia stricken by disease.

Islamabad resembles battle zone

ISLAMABAD — Agitated commuters queue up every morning rush hour on Islamabad's wide avenues, their cars snaking back from security checkposts manned by heavily-armed police and paramilitary forces.
Pakistan's capital of manicured lawns, stately houses and imposing government buildings is increasingly resembling a war zone as the Taliban take their battle to the cities, with a wave of devastating attacks in recent weeks.
Blast walls have swallowed UN buildings, embassies and ambassadors' homes. To enter the Serena Hotel, one of Islamabad's two five-star hotels, visitors must navigate four security barriers manned by jittery guards.
Dozens of new police checkposts have been set up on Islamabad's main highways and streets inside the city after authorities issued orders to beef up security, taking it to unprecedented levels, residents say.
"We can't cross even a street to the other side without going through stiff checks," complained Hassan Khan, a local businessman.
The capital is about 250 kilometres (155 miles) southeast of Swat valley, where the army is locked in a seven-week offensive against the Taliban, enraging militants who have carried out a series of revenge attacks.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan movement led by feared warlord Baitullah Mehsud has threatened more strikes on key installations in Pakistan's urban centres, putting everyone on edge.
Clad in a bullet-proof jacket and finger on the trigger of his submachine gun, elite commando police constable Sajid Abbas eyes every passing vehicle.
"This is our duty to safeguard this homeland from the terrorists and we are proud to serve our nation," said a bullish Abbas, wearing a black T-shirt emblazoned with the logo "No Fear" on the back.
About 134 people have been killed in suicide attacks and bombings in the capital since government forces fought gunmen holed up in the radical Islamabad Red Mosque in July 2007. Nationwide, 1,995 people have been killed in attacks.
Past targets have included Islamabad's Marriott Hotel, the Danish embassy, an Italian restaurant and police checkposts and buildings.
In the latest attack in the capital, a suicide bomber walked up to a police building on June 6 in a residential district home to many government officials and detonated explosives strapped to his body, killing two policemen.
Pakistani police on Wednesday arrested three men suspected of planning a suicide attack near Islamabad and seized explosives and suicide jackets, while four other suspects have been held in the capital in the past three weeks.
Now, vehicles have to crawl through concrete barriers manned by up to seven police -- some hunkered down behind sandbags -- as security forces peer into the cars, waving some through but pulling other nervous drivers over.
"We are keeping an eye on every vehicle with thorough checking of suspected persons," said Sub Inspector Muhammad Siddque, stationed on the Islamabad Highway, one of the main entry points from adjacent Rawalpindi city.
Tahir Alam, senior superintendent of Islamabad police, said that there were now 70 security checkposts throughout the capital.
But some worry about the increasingly sophisticated tactics of the militants, who have recently been able to penetrate past tough security and cause massive devastation to high-profile targets.
On June 9, three militants shot their way past the security barriers at the five-star Pearl Continental hotel in the northwestern city of Peshawar, ramming a explosives-packed truck into the building, killing nine people.
"The terrorists come suddenly and attack with modern ammunition, which we lack. This is our weak point," said Zia, a policeman stationed on the Kashmir Highway, glancing nervously around him.
"I heard our government has imported new bullet-proof jackets, but I don?t know when I will get one."

Jetliner lands safely after pilot dies

(CNN) -- Continental Flight 61, whose pilot died Thursday while flying from Brussels, Belgium, to Newark, New Jersey, has landed safely, the Federal Aviation Administration and Continental Airlines said.




The Boeing 777 landed at Newark International Airport at 11:49 a.m. ET Thursday, the airline said, after the 60-year-old Newark-based pilot died "apparently of natural causes."

The airline said the crew on the flight included an additional relief pilot who took the place of the deceased man, and "the flight continued safely with two pilots at the controls."

Asked whether the plane's 247 passengers had been told of the situation, a Continental spokesman said only that the plane had arrived safely.

Passengers told CNN that they were not told, and only that an announcement for a doctor was made during the flight.

Steve Coleman, a spokesman for the New York and New Jersey Port Authority, said the FAA told Newark airport officials to have emergency crews standing by for the landing.

The plane landed without any problem, he said, and a medical examiner met the plane to help handle the situation.

The pilot had 32 years of service with Continental, the airline said.

Iranian Opposition Urges Day of Mourning and Protest

New York Times
TEHRAN — Iranians challenging the results of last week’s election prepared for a day of mourning Thursday after renewed protests brought tens of thousands of people onto the streets of Tehran and human rights groups accused the authorities of rounding up prominent figures including a former foreign minister.

Mir Hussein Moussavi, the main opposition candidate in last Friday’s disputed election, urged his followers on Wednesday to visit mosques and parade on the streets on Thursday. The call seemed designed to maintain the momentum of protests that began almost as soon as the election results were announced on Saturday and ballooned this week into mass demonstrations.

At least seven people were reported killed in the first day of mass protests on Monday. Student activists say seven more people have died since then in attacks by government militia on student dormitories in Tehran and the southern city of Shiraz.

In the unfolding battle of wills, the government worked on many fronts to disrupt the outside world’s view of the unrest, banning coverage of the demonstrations, arresting journalists, threatening bloggers and trying to block Web sites like Facebook and Twitter, which have become vital outlets for information about the confrontation.

The senior prosecutor in the central province of Isfahan, where there have also been tense demonstrations, went so far as to say protesters could be executed under Islamic law.

According to news reports and a human rights activist group, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, the latest detainees include Ibrahim Yazdi, a former foreign minister who leads on organization called Freedom Movement. According to the rights group, he was arrested at a hospital in Tehran while undergoing treatment on Wednesday.

The arrest was reported after other people were detained, including Mohammad Reza Jalaipour, a sociologist and university professor. He was arrested at Tehran airport while trying to leave the country with his wife, news reports said.

Amnesty International issued a tally of detentions, saying 17 people including some associated with the Freedom Movement, had been detained in the northwestern city of Tabriz. “Among those arrested was Dr. Ghaffari Farzadi, a leading member of the Iran Freedom Movement and a lecturer at Tabriz University,” Amnesty International said on its Web site, adding that students appeared to have been “particularly targeted.”

As nations around the world urged Iran’s leadership to exercise restraint, Mr. Moussavi, who the government said finished second in the election, and one of Iran’s chief reformers, former President Mohammad Khatami, issued a joint letter urging an end to violence and arrests.

“We ask you to take all the necessary measures to put an end to today’s worrying situation, to stop the violent actions against people and to free those arrested,” they wrote in a letter on Mr. Moussavi’s Web site.

The crisis — the gravest since the Islamic Revolution in 1979 — erupted after the Interior Ministry declared that the moderate Mr. Moussavi was defeated by the conservative incumbent, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in Friday’s election by 63 percent to 34 percent. Mr. Moussavi, the demonstrators who represent a cross section of Iranian society and part of the clerical establishment have called the official results a fraud.

With the nation’s ruling class apparently divided by the results, the hard-liners in charge sought to portray the unrest as the work of outsiders. The powerful Revolutionary Guard said it had taken action against “deviant news sites” financed by American and Canadian companies.

The Foreign Ministry, meantime, summoned the Swiss ambassador, who represents American interests in Tehran, in protest of what it called “meddling” by the United States into its affairs because of statements by American officials on Iran’s elections. The Swiss Foreign Ministry in Berne, Switzerland, declined to discuss what was said at the meeting.

The Iranian authorities also summoned the Canadian chargé d’affaires over the same accusations. Several other European ambassadors were summoned Tuesday.

America and Iran broke off diplomatic relations after the 1979 revolution.

No apparent ground was gained Wednesday in reaching a negotiated solution.

This week, Iran’s supreme religious leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final word on state matters and who certified Mr. Ahmadinejad’s re-election, apparently made two concessions, ordering an investigation into the election and calling for a partial recount.

But Mr. Moussavi and the protesters are rejecting anything less than new elections.

“It is a very complicated situation,” said Abbass Abdi, a political scientist in Tehran. “People feel humiliated because they came and voted in large numbers. On the other hand, it is very difficult for the establishment to admit fraud because its legitimacy would go under question.

“There is no legal solution to this dilemma and, we need a solution that neither side would lose face.”

For the third day in a row on Wednesday, supporters of Mr. Moussavi massed in silence, from Hafteh Tir Square, with photographs and samizdat video showing a sea of people at least tens of thousands strong. Many protesters wore black to honor those slain in recent days, a witness said. Some carried flowers and wore green ribbons to show their support for Mr. Moussavi.

“We are becoming stronger,” said Abolfazl, 36, a cab driver. “The only way we can win is to stick together and keep coming back.”

Mostafa, 26, a businessman, who had gone to the rally on the back of a friend’s motorcycle, said he did not fear the violent clashes that killed protesters. “The student protests failed because people left the students alone,” he said, referring to the student protests in 1999 and 2003. “This time they cannot defeat us because everybody has joined.”

Surprise support for the protesters came from members of Iran’s soccer team, with several wearing the bright green ribbons, now the signature for Mr. Moussavi’s supporters, during a game with South Korea.

The national football team is controlled by the government, and their defiance demonstrated the deepening divide.

It was unclear whether clashes erupted between security forces and protesters later Wednesday evening, as has happened during other protests this week.

The government had announced that seven people were killed Monday and 15 others were injured after a Basij militia, loyal to Mr. Ahmadinejad, opened fire on people. On Wednesday, a student group, the Office for Consolidating Unity, said in a statement on its Web site that five students were killed in an attack on a Tehran University dormitory and two other students were killed in a separate attack at the dormitory in the southern city of Shiraz.

Iran’s Interior Ministry on Thursday ordered an investigation into the episode at Tehran University, which has been widely denounced inside Iran.

Meanwhile, the government expanded its crackdown with more arrests and pressure against journalists to limit coverage of the protests.

Saeed Leylaz, an economist and political analyst, was arrested Wednesday at his home. Reporters Without Borders said that at least 11 Iranian journalists had been arrested.

Because of continued intimidation and pressure on journalists, at least one newspaper, Khabar, said Wednesday that it would stop publishing. A representative from the office of the prosecutor general in Tehran on Friday began screening newspapers before publication to block what it called “provocative” material.

In an effort that appeared to limit reporters’ access, foreign news outlets were warned by the Ministry of Culture not to “participate in or cover” the rallies because the ministry said it “had received specific threats against reporters.” One photographer, Amin Kiani, was stabbed at a protest on Tuesday. The ministry expanded its restriction on Wednesday to covering any news conferences linked to Mr. Moussavi.

News agencies reported that Mohammadreza Habibi, the senior prosecutor in the central province of Isfahan, had warned demonstrators that they could be executed under Islamic law.

“We warn the few elements controlled by foreigners who try to disrupt domestic security by inciting individuals to destroy and to commit arson that the Islamic penal code for such individuals waging war against God is execution,” Mr. Habibi said, according to the Fars news agency.

Peshawar airport shut down amid terror threats

Authorities have closed the International Airport in the provincial capital Peshawar amid threats of possible terrorist attacks against civilian flights.

"The authorities have been directed by the provincial government there to shut down the Peshawar airport after an intelligence report warning of possible terror attacks by militants," Zahid Khan, a senior lawmaker of ruling Awami National Party (ANP) told Press TV on Wednesday.

The closure followed a threat of attacks on passenger aircraft from the pro-Taliban militants who have been launching bombing attacks across Pakistan to put an end to the ongoing military operation in the violent northwest.

The Tehrik-e-Taliban in Darra Adamkhel, led by a former Lashkar-e-Jhangvi member, had set a Monday deadline for the military to halt its attack.

Instead, Islamabad evacuated domestic and international departure lounges of the airport and a contingent of security forces was deployed to guard the airport.

The Civil Aviation Authority issued a notice on Wednesday, advising all national and international airlines to cancel their flights to Peshawar International Airport until further notification. It asked the carriers to divert their flights to Islamabad.

On Wednesday, military officials said dozens of militants -- including a top commander -- were killed in clashes in Malakand and 17 others were arrested in the northwestern region.

In Galgut area in the state of Dir, security forces killed 20 terrorists and seized a cache of arms and ammunition.

The military also kept pounding militant hideouts in Sentaga, Wali Noor, and Khujdarkhel areas in Banuu, killing at least 10 pro-Taliban insurgents.

Pakistan has seen a fresh spate of terror attacks and deaths of scores of people in bombings since the military began its anti-Taliban campaign in the northwestern Swat valley in April 26.

At least 8 killed, several injured as US drones fired missiles in South Waziristan

Suspected US missile strikes pounded the hide-outs of a Taliban commander in northwestern Pakistan on Thursday, killing at least eight people, government officials said. Shahab Ali Shah, the top administrative official in the South Waziristan tribal area along the Afghanistan border, said the missiles hit close to the villages of Gharlamai and Nandaran, about six miles (10 kilometers) west of the Wana bazaar area. He said the death toll could rise as villagers dig through the rubble. Two Pakistani intelligence officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to media, said a training center of Taliban commander Malang Wazir between the two villages was the target and that nine people were killed. Two other intelligence officials, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said four missiles were fired at two sites. They put the casualties at eight dead and about two dozen wounded. Ali Khan Wazir, a shopkeeper, said drone aircraft had been flying over the area for hours before the explosions. He said Taliban vehicles were seen rushing to the scenes. U.S. missiles fired from unmanned drones have repeatedly struck South Waziristan, most recently on Sunday after nearly a one-month lull. The strikes have generated a backlash over civilian casualties. Wednesday's strikes come as the Pakistani military has started pounding militant targets in the area with airstrikes. The highly anticipated operation is seen as a potential turning point in the yearslong and sometimes halfhearted fight against militancy in Pakistan. It could also help curb Taliban attacks on Western forces in Afghanistan. But while Washington has been pushing for the offensive, on the heels of a similar operation in the Swat Valley, fighting in the lawless tribal region will likely be the toughest yet for Pakistan's military, testing both its combat capability and the government's will to see it through. The Swat offensive has triggered a wave of retaliatory attacks by militants across Pakistan that have been blamed on Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, whose base is in South Waziristan. More than 100 people have died since late May in suicide bombings on targets including police and security buildings, mosques and a hotel catering to foreigners. The attacks have fueled anti-Taliban sentiment in Pakistan that in turn has emboldened the politically weak government of President Asif Ali Zardari.

IRAN....Time Tempers a Challenger Forged in Revolution

NEW YORK TIMES

TEHRAN — His followers have begun calling him “the Gandhi of Iran.” His image is carried aloft in the vast opposition demonstrations that have roiled Iran in recent days, his name chanted in rhyming verses that invoke Islam’s most sacred martyrs.

Mir Hussein Moussavi has become the public face of the movement, the man the protesters consider the true winner of the disputed presidential election.

But he is in some ways an accidental leader, a moderate figure anointed at the last minute to represent a popular upwelling against the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He is far from being a liberal in the Western sense, and it is not yet clear how far he will be willing to go in defending the broad democratic hopes he has come to embody.

Mr. Moussavi, 67, is an insider who has moved toward opposition, and his motives for doing so remain murky. He was close to the founder of Iran’s Islamic revolution but is at odds with the current supreme leader. Some prominent figures have rallied to his cause, including a former president, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. So it is not clear how much this battle reflects a popular resistance to Mr. Ahmadinejad’s hard-line policies, and how much is about a struggle for power.

Mr. Moussavi and his wife, who played a prominent role in his campaign, have been under enormous pressure to accept the election results, said a close relative who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The relative did not specify what kind of pressure.

“They are both being very courageous and are expecting the pressure to increase,” said the relative. “Mr. Moussavi says he has taken a path that has no return and he is ready to make sacrifices.”

Mr. Moussavi began his political career as a hard-liner and a favorite of the revolution’s architect, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Although he has long had an adversarial relationship with Iran’s current supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, his insider status makes him loath to mount a real challenge to the core institutions of the Islamic Republic. He was an early supporter of Iran’s nuclear program, and as prime minister in the 1980s he approved Iran’s purchase of centrifuges on the nuclear black market, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Yet like many founding figures of the revolution, he has come to believe that the incendiary radicalism of the revolution’s early days must be tempered in an era of peace and state-building, those who know him say. Some have seen a symbolic meaning in his decision to make Monday’s vast demonstration in Tehran a march from Enghelab (revolution) Square to Azadi (freedom) Square.

“He is a hybrid child of the revolution,” said Shahram Kholdi, a lecturer at the University of Manchester who has written about Mr. Moussavi’s political evolution. “He is committed to Islamic principles but has liberal aspirations.”

In recent days, Mr. Moussavi has been pushed inexorably toward a confrontation that carries terrible risks for both sides. If the authorities use force on a major scale to quell the protests, it could crush the movement. It could also generate martyrs and deeper public anger, swelling the demonstrations into a broader threat to the system Mr. Moussavi hopes to preserve.

The steadiness he has shown since the election results were announced Saturday has helped solidify his role as a leader and has heartened his followers.

“The demands of the people are the most important goal of the Islamic Republic,” Mr. Moussavi said as the polls closed on Friday night, in what was widely seen as a shot across the bow of Iran’s clerical leadership, and a warning that he would take his case public in the event of voter fraud.

Mr. Moussavi is in some ways an unlikely figurehead. Calm and deliberate, he has a soporific speaking manner, and even his most ardent defenders grant that he has little charisma. He was out of public life for two decades, a soft-spoken architect who loves to watch movies at home and was overshadowed for years by his distinguished wife, Zahra Rahnavard, a professor and artist.

Yet many also describe him as a resolute figure whose hard experience as Iran’s prime minister during the 1980s taught him not to fear risky decisions.

“He was an artist, a university professor with no experience, but he managed under harsh conditions to run a country of 35 million people through trial and error,” said Muhammad Atrianfar, who served as deputy interior minister under Mr. Moussavi, and later became a journalist. “The biggest result for him was the self-confidence he gained from that.”

As prime minister, he often clashed with Ayatollah Khamenei, who was president at the time. The fights were mostly over economic issues; Mr. Moussavi favored greater state control over the wartime economy, and Ayatollah Khamenei argued for less regulation. The president was more moderate on some issues, and unlike Mr. Moussavi, sometimes drew rebukes from Ayatollah Khomeini, then the supreme leader. In that sense they have switched positions, but the animus between them remains.

After stepping down in 1989, Mr. Moussavi kept a hand in politics, serving on Iran’s Expediency Council. But most of his time was devoted to architecture and painting. His chief influences include the Italian architect Renzo Piano, said a close relative.

“He takes some elements of modern Japanese architecture, and American postmodern, and then puts them in the context of Iranian architecture,” the relative said.

Although he is deeply religious, Mr. Moussavi (the name is also often rendered in English as Mir Hossein Mousavi) appears to hold relatively liberal social views. His wife is a well-known professor of political science who has campaigned alongside him, often giving speeches and news conferences independently. When they were younger, he was sometimes introduced as “the husband of Zahra Rahnavard.” His wife promised that if elected, he would advance women’s rights and appoint “at least two or three women” to the cabinet.

His oldest daughter is a nuclear physicist. The youngest prefers not to wear the Islamic chador, and her parents do not mind, the relative said. “There has never been any compulsion in the family,” the relative added.

In recent years, Mr. Moussavi was deeply dismayed by the excesses of the morality police and by the government’s decisions to shut down newspapers, his relative said.

He decided to run for president earlier this year to save Iran from what he said were Mr. Ahmadinejad’s “destructive” policies. But it was not until a few weeks ago that a popular movement began to build behind him. As the campaign drew to a close, Mr. Moussavi began answering the president’s rhetorical broadsides with some strong language of his own.

“When the president lies, nobody confronts him,” Mr. Moussavi said during his final debate appearance. “I’m a revolutionary and I’m speaking out against the situation he has created. He has filled the country with lies and hypocrisy. I’m not frightened to speak out. Remember that.”

For a long time, Mr. Moussavi was compared unfavorably to Mohammad Khatami, the charismatic reformist cleric who was president from 1997 to 2005. But many now say that during the recent protests, Mr. Moussavi had held firm against the government in ways Mr. Khatami never would have.

“He’s not as open-minded as Khatami,” said Nasser Hadian, a political analyst. “But he’s more of a man of action.”

Pakistan’s ‘Invisible Refugees’ Burden Cities

New York Times

MARDAN, Pakistan — The Khan family made it through Taliban rule, a military offensive and the three-day journey to this crowded city.

But after more than a month of living together — 75 people, three rooms, one bathroom — they might not survive one another.

“This is a test for us,” said Akhtar Jan, a mother of four who is part of the extended family. “If we don’t smile, we would be dead from crying.”

Pakistan is experiencing its worst refugee crisis since partition from India in 1947, and while the world may be familiar with the tent camps that have rolled out like carpets since its operation against the Taliban started in April, the overwhelming majority of the nearly three million people who have fled live unseen in houses and schools, according to aid agencies.

They are the invisible refugees, and their numbers have swollen the populations of towns like this one northwest of the capital, Islamabad, multiplying burdens on already sagging roads, schools, sewers and water supplies, and, not least, on their host families.

Most fled suddenly, without cash or belongings, and many have limited access to the millions of dollars in international aid that has been flowing in.

“People aren’t noticing them,” said Michael McGrath, Pakistan director of Save the Children, an aid organization that has focused on refugees outside of camps. “Their needs are not being met.”

Their hardships have made time of the essence. Refugees said they left their homes because they believed that the government was serious about stopping the militants this time. The more time passes, the more good will is lost, and the more likely they are to become frustrated with the war effort.

“This is it,” Hamid Akbar, 25, a refugee from the Swat Valley, said in Peshawar, the regional capital. “The military isn’t going to get another chance.”

But as far as the refugee crisis goes, the provincial and federal governments’ response has been haphazard, or non-existent. Refugees said in interviews last week that they saw no evidence of government assistance.

The main relief effort is instead carried out by aid organizations and the United Nations, which register refugees in the tent camps, most which are far from the city centers. Many of the displaced did not know how to register, or even that they could.

All of this puts the burden on their host families, who, according to a survey conducted by Save the Children, have taken in more than two families each. (The average family size is 10.)

It is a colossal act of charity. The survey found that only a third of refugees were living with relatives. The rest were staying with friends and even strangers.

“It would have been a disaster if these people didn’t take them into their homes,” said Azam Khanis, who is coordinating the provincial government’s aid effort.

But that generosity is not endless. It has been more than a month since Pakistan began the operation in Swat, and host families are tiring of their guests.

Ms. Jan said her family navigated daily life by assigning numbers to family members, divvying up bathroom time, sleeping time, and the time for cooking, which takes place over two blue propane gas canisters in a courtyard.

At night, 25 women and children sleep together in her room, covering the stone floor like a blanket. “Foot on mouth, hand in face,” are the words Ms. Jan uses to describe it.

They have taken over three spare rooms in a building reserved for guests that belongs to a local businessman. They get free lunches at a nearby school, but the rice is full of pebbles. For dinner, they are on their own. On a recent night, Ms. Jan cooked turnips.

“We are forgotten,” said Shah Khan, one of her cousins.

The Swat Valley, where the Khan family is from, is cool, green and full of streams and forests, and the searing heat of Mardan is unfamiliar. Children were lying in wilted forms on mats on the floor.

Hamza Bakht, 14, spends his days on the street for relief from the stifling two-room apartment where his 40-member family is living. When he was home in the Swat Valley, his parents shut him inside and forbade him to go out after school, for fear that he would be forcibly recruited by the Taliban, whose foot soldiers were mostly teenagers.

“Mostly I watched TV,” he said.

None of Hamza’s friends had joined the Taliban, but he knew boys his age who had. They were tempted by simple things, he said, like military training exercises that “made you feel manlike, as if you were defending something.”

Members of his own family were convinced. One of his aunts giggled that her sister had given her jewelry to the Taliban.

“They told us they were building a seminary,” said the sister, looking apologetic. “We didn’t know they’d do this to us.”

For women, the dynamic is different. In many traditional families, women are not allowed to mix with men who are not close family members, a rule that now requires acrobatic feats and that can be infuriating for the hosts, making them unwelcome strangers in their own homes. They are Pashtun, an ethnicity famous for its hospitality, but tradition is being stretched to its limit.

“I thought they’d be living with us for a week, but it’s been a month,” said Noman Ashraf, a teacher, whose mother and sister moved to a relative’s house to make room for 16 Swat refugees, mostly women and children.

Every part of his daily routine is different. He cannot go into the kitchen to have his morning tea, because the women are there. He does not set his alarm for morning prayer so as not to wake the five men who are sleeping beside him. Children — at least six — tumble through the house, hiding combs and rolls of tape, and demanding to watch television in Mr. Ashraf’s room just as he begins to grade papers.

“It’s a sort of hospitality,” he said. “I can’t tell them no.”

But he added, “I can’t explain in words how much I am suffering.”

Shy to ask the new women to wash his dirty clothes, he sends them to his mother and sister in the village, about an hour’s drive away. One day, the water ran out because the women forgot to turn on the pump, leaving Mr. Ashraf fully soaped and shivering with fury.

“This could happen to my family too,” he said. “It’s a test. If I’m not patient, it’s possible that God will notice.”

Pakistan to boost Swat valley police

www.independent.co.uk
Thousands of people who suffered under the brutal rule of the Taliban in Pakistan's Swat valley could be recruited into a bolstered police force as part of a plan to protect the area against a possible resurgence of militants.

With the valley's police force severely depleted as a result of the Taliban's policy of targeting security officials, the authorities see rebuilding the forces of law and order as an essential component of restoring public confidence and persuading people to return.

To speed up the process of building the force, the authorities intend to recruit 6,000 civilians and 2,500 former military personnel. Many of those who sign up are likely to be recruited by officials touring refugee camps that are home to hundreds of thousands of people forced out of their homes when the military launched its operation to oust the Taliban from the Swat valley. Preference is to be given to the Taliban's victims.

"[To fight an insurgency] the people have to be actively with you," Malik Naveed Khan, the inspector general of police for the North West Frontier Province, told the Associated Press.

Before the militants invaded the Swat valley in 2007, the popular tourist destination was considered a "soft district". Crime rates were low and there were around just 2,000 lightly armed officers for a population of around 1.75 million.

The police were easily overwhelmed by the insurgents who attacked their buildings, beheaded officers and targeted checkpoints. Such was the fear among the police that many took out advertisements with local newspapers announcing that they had left the force and were no longer officers. The pressure from militants, led by the radical cleric Maulana Fazlullah was relentless; at least 120 officers were killed and around 700 quit.

Mr Khan said the authorities were looking for "able-bodied, tough people with a clear background". He said the salary for the police will be about £80 a month.

* Pakistani police investigating the attack on the Sri Lanka cricket team in Lahore in March said they have made their first arrest. Six other suspects are said to have fled to the Afghan border region.

Frontier govt unveils Rs214bn budget

PESHAWAR: The conflict-riddled Frontier government on Wednesday unveiled a deficit budget with a total outlay of Rs 214.181 billion and annual development programme worth Rs 51.156 billion for financial year 2009-10.

NWFP Senior Minister for Planning and Development Rahim dad Khan tabled the budgetary proposals for next financial year in the provincial assembly, which met amid extraordinary security arrangements.

The minister in his budget speech claimed that no new tax has been levied in the next budget, however, the Finance Bill 2009 contains proposals for increasing the ratio of different provincial taxes and duties including property tax besides bringing a number of new sectors into the tax net.

The new sectors to be taxed under professional tax are restaurants, professional caterers, wedding halls and charted accountant firms that is likely to spark resentment from different businesses and service providers, who are already bearing the brunt of worsening law and order situation in the province.

The provincial government anticipates collecting additional resources worth Rs 1.317 billion through increasing the ratio of different taxes and bringing more sectors into the tax net, an official privy to the development told Dawn.

The budget carries proposals of relief measures for serving and retired civil servants, internally displaced persons and creation of a Provincial Employment Fund for unemployed youth are major attractions in the new budget.

The provincial government, according to budget estimates, anticipates total revenue receipts to the tune of Rs 211.114 billion, which is almost 40 per cent higher than the revised revenue receipts of the outgoing financial year.

Against the available resources, the estimated expenditures in the next financial year have been projected at Rs 214.181 billion, showing a deficit of Rs 3.066 billion, which the minister did not elaborate on how it would be tackled in the next fiscal year.

Analysts believe the revenue shortfall of the cash-strapped province will grow further because the impact of 15 per cent pay and pension rise of the government servants have not been taken into account.

As new battlefields are being marked in the southern parts of the province, they say the financial woes of the government will grow because of another spell of mass displacement and massive mobilization of security personnel.

In the outgoing fiscal year total budget outlay was projected at Rs 170.904 billion, however, it stood at Rs 159.451 billion as per the revised estimates because of lower-than-budgeted transfers from the federal government.

The provincial government had projected the outgoing budget as surplus with Rs 345.561 million; however it ended up at a major deficit of Rs 9.149 billion.

According to budget estimates for next financial year, the total general revenue receipts of the province stand at Rs 113.688 billion, which include Rs 67.808 billion from federal divisible pool, Rs 7.549 billion as royalty on gas and oil production, Rs 2.110 billion as province share on GST on services and Rs 7.861 billion to be collected on account of sales tax for district and cantonment boards in lieu of defunct Zilla Tax.

Similarly, special grant worth Rs 14.822 billion from the federal government as determined under interim National Finance Commission (NFC) award and Rs 6 billion-capped proceeds on account of net hydel profit are also part of revenue receipts of the next financial year.

The provincial government’s own contribution to the overall resource pool will be merely three per cent, the lowest-ever, of the total revenue in the next fiscal year.

According to the budget estimates target for provincial own receipts (POR) has been set at Rs 7.537 billion, showing an increase of almost 17 per cent comparing to the recoveries of the outgoing fiscal year.

An amount of Rs 97.244 billion on account of capital and development receipts from federal and foreign lenders and donors are also part of the expected revenue in the next fiscal year.

Against the total revenue collection, an amount of Rs 80 billion would be spent on general administration, Rs 3.266 billion on debt serving, Rs 51.156 billion on development and Rs 79.757 billion on state trading, which mainly deals with procurement of wheat for the local consumption from the open market.

Of the total revenue to be spent on general administration, public order and safety affairs carries an allocation of Rs 11.487 billion, major portion of which will be consumed by the police, fighting militancy in almost 70 per cent areas of the province.

Regular budget of the police has been projected at Rs 9.677 billion in the next financial year, which almost 48 per cent higher than the estimates of outgoing fiscal year. This amount will be spent on creation of special elite force, incentive to the constables and compensation to the heirs of police personnel killed in the line of duty.

The regular budget of health and education, the two traditionally priority areas, have been slightly increased with allocation of Rs 2.989 billion and Rs 3.942 billion respectively in the next fiscal year.

The next year Annual Development Programme (ADP) carries a total outlay of Rs 51.156 billion, which is almost 31 per cent higher than the development budget of the outgoing fiscal year.

Of the total ADP, Rs 32.546 billion would be spent on uplift schemes being executed through own resources, Rs 10.050 billion on federal projects, Rs 574 billion on population welfare programme, Rs 6.644 billion on foreign funded projects and Rs 1.341 billion would be spent on uplift schemes to be executed by the district and Tehsil governments.

Referring relief measures of the budget, the minister announced setting up a Provincial Employment Fund with an allocation of Rs 500 million. This fund, he said, would be utilized for lending soft loans to unemployed youth, particularly from the rural areas.

The main areas of lending would be small cottage industry, food processing industry, small scale trading, setting up of shops and hotels and procuring tractors and auto rickshaws.

Similarly, public sector serving and retired employees have been given 15 per cent raise in salary and pension with effect from July 1st, which is going to consume Rs 3.9 billion in the next fiscal year.

All the government servants from grade 1 to 16 have been exempted from paying professional tax with effect from July 1st, while ratio of Unattractive Area Allowance for government employees, serving in Chitral and Kohistan districts have been substantially increased in the next year budget.

Every displaced woman would be given Rs 10,000 on giving birth in government camps. Similarly, the provincial government will bear one year fee and boarding expenses of the displaced college and university students from restive Malakand region, the minister added.

Iranian-Americans say history is at hand

(CNN) -- Some Iranian-Americans, watching the post-election unrest in Iran, say the tug-of-war between the people and their hardline government has come to a head after three decades.

"I am absolutely convinced that what we are witnessing is a turning point in the history of the Islamic Republic," said Dr. Hamid Dabashi, professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University in New York City.

"Even if the Islamic Republic survives this crisis, it will no longer be as it used to be," added Dabashi.

The contentious election results between conservative incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and reformist challenger Mir Hossein Moussavi sent many Iranians protesting in the streets, while others celebrated Ahmadinejad's apparent victory.

Kaveh Afrasiabi, who has taught at Tehran University and Boston University and identifies himself as an independent, told CNN that Ahmadinejad's widespread support in rural areas and small towns was the reason for his win. In results announced hours after the polls closed, Ahmadinejad received more than 62 percent of the vote, a figure hotly disputed by Moussavi's supporters.

With the credibility of Friday's election under scrutiny, how the Islamic Republic of Iran overcomes it and reclaims its legitimacy in the eyes of some of its own citizens and the international community remains to be seen.

"There is good reason to believe that many if not most of the pro-Moussavi demonstrators are gladly taking an opportunity to safely protest something bigger: their enormous discontent with the entire system as it stands," said Shirin Sadeghi, a Middle East analyst for the Huffington Post.

The unstable political, social and economic climate has some scholars questioning the future of the Islamic Republic.

"They are either going to crack down severely or they are going to cave in -- it could go either way," Dabashi said of the conservatives who now dominate Iran's government.

Many Iranian-Americans say they see this as their opportunity for change.

"This is the best chance Iranians have to evolve to a better situation," said Dr. Ali Nayeri, a professor at the University of California at Irvine.

That chance has sparked an unprecedented wave of spontaneous demonstrations not only within Iran but also thousands of miles away from Tehran --- scenes unparalleled since the 1979 revolution.

"Thirty years ago we had the war with Iraq. Now we have an internal war with our president and the fundamentalists," said Reza Goharzad, a political analyst who worked with Moussavi when he was prime minister of Iran.

Goharzad, of Southern California, was among thousands of voters to cast an absentee ballot.

"This was the first time I voted in 30 years," said Goharzad.

The enthusiasm that drove record numbers of Iranian-Americans to the voting booths was overshadowed by disappointment when a shortage of ballots prevented hundreds from voting. In addition, the election results were announced before many of the voting booths in the U.S. had closed.

Alex Vatanka, senior Middle East analyst at IHS Jane's, a provider of defense and security information, said Iran's supreme ruler, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, may have miscalculated the mood of the country when he endorsed Ahmadinejad's victory before the country's election authority made the final call. Khamenei has since asked the authority, the Guardian Council, to recount some of the votes. But Moussavi is asking for fresh elections.

Goharzad, like many other voters, questions the legitimacy of the election. He wants to know where his vote went.

A student activist in Dallas, Texas, echoed that sentiment.

"The election volunteer at my voting location said that they had 500 ballots, which was not enough for the thousand or so people that turned out to vote," said the activist, who wanted to remain anonymous because he plans to visit Iran soon.

For the first time, Iranian-Americans say, the post-revolution generation has seen the power of their unity unfold in masses. They say this has given Iranians at home and abroad hope that reform could be within their reach, if the ruling mullahs are willing to allow it.

"We are seeing a rise of a new generation of Iranians who are not taking it anymore," said Dabashi.

"This is no longer just about this election, this is full-fledged civil disobedience," he added.

The divide within the Islamic Republic has pitted the reformists against the conservatives.

"The big difference between these protests and the student riots of 1999 and 2001 is that we are seeing senior caliber officials like Mir Hossein Moussavi, Mehdi Karrubi and Mohammad Khatami and Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani supporting the demonstrations," said Vatanka.

Karrubi is a former Parliament speaker. Khatami and Rafsanjani are former presidents.

Some experts say where Iran is headed actually has a lot to do with its past.

"Rafsanjani made no secret of his disdain for Ahmadinejad ahead of the election, and even back in 2005 when he lost the second round runoff to Ahmadinejad," said Sadeghi.

Rafsanjani is chairman of the Assembly of Experts and oversees the 86-member body, which is responsible for appointing the supreme leader and monitoring his performance.

Behind closed doors, Iran's political parties are caught in the middle of a power struggle between Supreme Leader Khamenei and Rafsanjani.

Rafsanjani's role as chairman of the assembly gives him the ability to influence that body's attitudes toward Khamenei, Vatanka said.

That could only add more fuel to the political fire and social unrest in the streets, analysts say.

Politics aside, at the end of the day, Iranian expatriates such as Mitra Gholami, who participated in the historic 1979 protests, feel a sense of deja vu.

Gholami, now an Atlanta resident, fled Iran with her three children 15 years ago. "I want people to have a normal life," said Gholami. "I want them to have freedom."

Bracing for New Protests, Iran Issues Media Warning

TEHRAN — Tehran braced for a possible third day of defiance by opposition supporters on Wednesday after Iran’s leaders failed to halt huge demonstrations against last week’s disputed election results.

Placed on the defensive by the biggest demonstrations since the Islamic revolution in 1979, the authorities on Tuesday offered a concession to the sustained rage here, saying they would allow a limited recount of the vote — an offer that was resoundingly rejected.

But there were signs on Wednesday that the authorities were preparing to deepen a crackdown on the way news about the protest is being spread. On Tuesday, the government revoked press credentials for foreign journalists and ordered journalists not to report from the streets.

And on Wednesday, The Associated Press reported, the powerful Revolutionary Guards went further, threatening restrictions on the digital online media that many Iranians use to communicate among themselves and to send news of their protests overseas.

In a first statement since last Friday’s vote, the Revolutionary Guards said Iranian Web site operators and bloggers must remove content deemed to “create tension” or face legal action, the A.P. said. Despite that warning, new amateur video surfaced outside of Iran on Wednesday, apparently showing a government militia rampaging through a dormitory area of Tehran University late Tuesday or early on Wednesday.

Reuters reported, meanwhile, that Mohammadreza Habibi, the senior prosecutor in the central province of Isfahan, had warned demonstrators that they could be executed under Islamic law.

“We warn the few elements controlled by foreigners who try to disrupt domestic security by inciting individuals to destroy and to commit arson that the Islamic penal code for such individuals waging war against God is execution,” Mr. Habibi said, according to the Fars news agency. It was not clear if his warning applied only to Isfahan or the country as a whole, Reuters said.

The developments came a day after supporters of the defeated opposition presidential candidate, Mir Hussein Moussavi, jammed into a line more than a mile long in Tehran. They marched mostly in silence, some carrying signs in English asking, “Where is my vote?”

The numbers of opposition protesters did not match those on Monday, when hundreds of thousands of Iranians joined the demonstrations, enraged that the conservative president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was declared the winner of Friday’s election with 63 percent of the votes.

Fear, many said, was a factor. Seven protesters were killed following the demonstrations on Monday. Gritty and uncensored images, some taken by cellphone cameras, were beamed around the world via various Web sites.

“Nothing will change if we don’t come,” said one protester, Madjid, 26, an employee of the Foreign Ministry who was afraid to give his family name. “We need to become a big force to achieve what we want.”

Worry over the future of Iran, a country crucially important for its oil, its proximity to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, its nuclear program and its ties to extremist groups, spilled over its borders.

In Washington, President Obama said that it would be counterproductive for the United States “to be seen as meddling” in the disputed presidential election. He dismissed criticism that he had failed to speak out forcefully enough about the growing unrest in Iran.

“I have deep concerns about the election,” Mr. Obama told reporters at the White House. “I think that the world has deep concerns about the election.”

In Vienna, Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the United Nations atomic energy watchdog, said in a BBC interview that he believed Iran wanted to develop nuclear weapons technology “to be recognized as a major power in the Middle East.”

As the confrontation inside Iran continued to build momentum on Tuesday, each side laid down more cards.

Reformers, with substantial popular support but without the power of the state, worked to gain religious backers, urging clerics to break with the government. “No one in his sane mind can accept these results,” a senior opposition cleric, Hassan-Ali Montazeri, said in a public letter posted on his Web site.

Supporters of Mr. Ahmadinejad — though apparently fewer than 10,000 of them — marched through Tehran’s streets proclaiming their candidate the election’s fair winner and chanting, “Rioters should be executed!”

In an intervention that suggested a growing concern over the scale of the protests, the nation’s supreme religious leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, took the unusual step of meeting with representatives of the four presidential candidates, urging national unity for the second time in recent days. He did not address the protesters’ demands for a new election.

The Guardian Council, the watchdog body that must certify the results, said it was willing to conduct a partial recount of the votes, the IRNA news agency reported. Ayatollah Khamenei, who had urged the council on Monday to examine the vote-rigging claims, said Tuesday that the candidates needed to resolve the issue through legal channels.

Mr. Moussavi’s representative, Ali Akbar Mohtashamipour, said a recount would not meet the demands of the protesters, Ghalamnews, a Web site linked to Mr. Moussavi, reported.

“We believe there has been fraud because our representatives were not allowed to supervise the elections, and we have evidence of many irregularities,” he was quoted as saying.

He gave an example: votes cast at some polling places, he said, exceeded the number of eligible voters in those areas. He also said the Guardian Council had not been impartial before the election because some of its members campaigned for Mr. Ahmadinejad.

Despite the crackdown on the news media, an extraordinary amount of information about the protests in Tehran and other cities has reached the outside world. On Tuesday, many Web sites posted a wrenching video that purported to show the death of a student in Isfahan in a shooting by pro-government militia members. Other videos showed bleeding and inert demonstrators from Tehran after the large protests on Monday.

In Tuesday’s demonstration here, a witness saw a member of the Basij militia loyal to Mr. Ahmadinejad opening fire on a group of people, hitting one person in the neck. Protesters attacked a group of the militia members and set one of their motorcycles on fire.

There were reports that at least two moderate politicians, Mohammad Ali Abtahi and Saeed Hajarian, as well as two other activists, were arrested on Tuesday. The government arrested more than 100 politicians and activists on Sunday. Some have been released.

The English-language Press TV wing of state-owned television said Behzad Nabavi, another reformist politician, had also been arrested. The detainees include politicians, intellectuals, activists and journalists, the A.P. reported.

In Paris, Soazig Dollet, a spokeswoman for Reporters Without Borders, a press freedom advocacy group, said at least 11 reporters had been arrested since the elections and the fate of 10 more was unclear since they may either be in hiding or under arrest.

On its Web site, the organization said Aldolfatah Soltani, a lawyer and human rights activist, had been detained along with “10 or so opposition activists, politicians and civil society figures” in Tehran and three other cities — Tabriz, Isfahan and Shiraz.

1st EU-Pakistan Summit To Focus On Trade Links, Anti-terrorism

BRUSSELS --The European Union and Pakistan hold their first summit Wednesday, with the fight against terrorism and deepening trade links topping the agenda, according to a draft text.

In a joint declaration prepared for the summit, the two agree to launch " strategic dialogue" on "development, education, science and technology, security, counter-terrorism, strengthening democracy, human rights and enhancing trade."

The E.U. which regularly stresses Pakistan's strategic importance in the region, is also set this week to hail Islamabad's efforts to tackle terrorism and recognise "the sacrifice which the Pakistani people and armed forces are making notably during ongoing operations in North West Frontier Province."

That is where their forces are believed to be on the brink of an all-out onslaught to crush the Taliban in the Swat valley.

In separate conclusions drawn up for an summit Thursday and Friday, E.U. leaders express confidence "a successful outcome would greatly strengthen the democratically elected government in achieving its political and development objectives."

At the landmark E.U.-Pakistan summit Wednesday, Europe is also set to offer more relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction assistance in the Swat valley, according to the draft text seen by AFP.

In a report published Tuesday, NGO Oxfam International criticised "Europe's feeble response to the humanitarian crisis in Pakistan," saying it was " hampering efforts to assist more than 2 million people who have fled the fighting."

At the summit Pakistani President Ali Zardari and his Czech counterpart Vaclav Klaus, whose country holds the rotating E.U. presidency, are also set to agree to boost bilateral trade ties. The ultimate goal is a free trade agreement.

In the meantime the E.U. will "explore" how Pakistan could benefit from aspects of the bloc's preferential tariff regime, which affords customs privileges in return for respecting certain principles in the areas of workers' rights and the environment, according to the draft text.

From Rah-e-Rast to Rah-e-Nijat : Army ready to enter South Waziristan

From Rah-e-Rast to Rah-e-Nijat : Army ready to enter South Waziristan

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Army has formally recieved marching orders against Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud and preparations for the first phase of a miltary operation in South Waziristan have already been completed, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj Gen Athar Abbas said on Tuesday.

”The government has taken a principled decision to launch a military operation against Baitullah and his network,” Abbas said. Abbas told a press conference – which he addressed alongside Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira – that 13 terrorists were killed and another three were apprehended in Malakand and Dir during the last 24 hours. Abbas also said Baitullah claimed the support of a 10,000-strong militia

Abbas said Peochar valley, a stronghold for the Taliban, had been secured completely and a link up from Chaprial to Peochar had been completed.

He said the civil administration and police had become fully functional in Shangla. Kaira said the government would provide the army all the resources it needed to successfully complete the operation against the Taliban. The minister did not rule out the possibility of weapons flowing into the Tribal Areas from Afghanistan.

Abbas said there were unconfirmed reports that Uzbek militant leader Tahir Yuldashev was injured in a Pakistan Air Force strike on Sunday in the Makeen area of South Waziristan. He gave no further details.

Rival groups rally in Tehran

Tens of thousands of opposition and pro-government demonstrators have held rallies in the Iranian capital, raising fears of possible clashes.Thousands of people gathered at a government-organised rally in Tehran's central Vali Asr square on Tuesday, while a similar-sized demonstration was held by opposition supporters in the city's north.
State television footage showed a crowd of thousands of flag-waving protesters at the pro-government rally, while the media was banned from filming the opposition protests.
"They are two completely different events," Al Jazeera's Teymoor Nabili, who watched both rallies, said.
"The Ahmadinejad rally in the south was a much more organised affair - they had built a little platform and there were speakers there."
He said by contrast the smaller, anti-government rally, taking place just six or seven kilometres away, was "almost completely silent".
"They're planning to start chanting at 10pm tonight [17:30 GMT]," he said.
Rival protests

Pro-government demonstrators have demanded the government crack down on the opposition, while their anti-government rivals have protested that their votes were "stolen" in the presidential election, which saw Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the incumbent, win a landslide victory over his rival Mir Hossein Mousavi.

Seven people were killed on the fringes of a massive opposition rally a day earlier.

Mossavi had urged his supporters to stay away from Tuesday's rally amid fears of further clashes.

In a message posted on his website, he asked his supporters to "exercise self-restraint".

Sadegh Zibakalam, an Iranian political analyst, said that the government had arranged its protest on Tuesday as a response to the anti-government movement.

"The government doesn't want to appear as being too soft - that's why they called this rally today and asked its supporters to come to the square where Mousavi's supporters had decided to gather," he told Al Jazeera.

"By arranging these crowds the government is making two points. It wants to demonstrate that it is firm in dealing with this crisis, [and] on the other hand they have been called [on] by the pro-government crowd to crack down.

"In a sense it is a justification for the seven people who were killed last night."

Possible recount

The rallies came just hours after Iran's powerful Guardian Council said it could order a partial vote recount if it found irregularities.

The legislative body has ruled out annulling the disputed poll, but the Council's move appears to be a first concession by authorities to the protest movement.

A spokesman for the Council, a constitutional watchdog formed by a 12-member group of clerics and Islamic law experts, said only that it was "ready to recount the disputed ballot boxes claimed by some candidates, in the presence of their representatives".

"It is possible that there may be some changes in the tally after the recount," Abbasali Kadkhodai, a Council spokesman said.

"Based on the law, the demand of those candidates for the cancellation of the vote, this cannot be considered," he told state television.

Media curbed

In Washington, Barack Obama, the US president, said he believed "people's voices should be heard and not suppressed" but also said that he did not want to be seen as "meddling" in Iranian internal affairs, given the history between the two countries.

Iran has grown increasingly sensitive to how the world views the heightened tensions and has subsequently restricted reporting by journalists working for foreign media.

Iranian state television said earlier that the "main agents" in post-election unrest had been arrested while carrying explosives and guns.

Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, Iran's intelligence minister, said his ministry was chasing two categories of people seeking to create instability in Iran, one of them backed from abroad.

Despite the upheaval in Iran, Ahmadinejad travelled to Russia for a meeting of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation, his first foreign trip since official results showed he had secured a second four-year term.

Owais stresses need for quality education

PESHAWAR: NWFP Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani Tuesday urged the heads of universities and other institutions to adopt policies and approaches for ensuring a minimum level of quality education.

He was presiding over a meeting of the vice-chancellors of all the public sector universities. Besides discussing several other issues, the meeting reviewed the existing procedures relating to grant of affiliation by universities to different subordinate institutions.

The governor said that huge resources were being spent on education and achievement of the desired standards of quality of knowledge was the best way to achieve the objective of their judicious utilisation.

The meeting also formed two committees comprising vice-chancellors of different universities to formulate necessary proposals within a week. The conference deliberated in detail on various aspects of the process of granting affiliations by universities to both public and private sector education institutions.