PESHAWAR: The provincial capital has become one of the most dangerous cities in the world to live in due to regular suicide attacks that have killed hundreds of innocent people in recent weeks.
The latest attack killed at least 11 people outside sessions courts here Monday.
Talking to BBC, dwellers of the city were of the view that those who have been living in the provincial metropolis for past many years are reluctant to leave the city despite uncertain security situation.
"Those who are financially strong enough are migrating from here. I am staying because I have to. I am unmarried and depend on my brothers.
I worry about the violence," said Rehana Saman.
"Once, on a Friday, I was walking to the bus stop on my own. I heard the noise of a blast and that sound was terrible. I almost fell down and was scared. I went home and asked my brother to accompany me to the bus stop. While we were waiting for the bus, we heard news that there was another blast so we had to go back home. Now, I avoid going out. We cannot plan to visit our relatives because there are so many uncertainties all around us," she maintained.
The residents said the recent spate of terrorism has completely changed life in the city where people avoid visiting bazaars owing to fear of suicide attacks.
"We have all changed our way of life in the city. Everyone is trying to avoid going to the bazaars. After every blast, we have to inform our relatives that we are safe and sound," said Majeed, a local trader.
Even some of the locals who witnessed blasts with their own eyes said that they have been finding it hard to come out of the trauma caused after seeing horrific scenes at the site of the incidents.
"It is a risky type of life in the city. I have witnessed many blasts and the scenes of blood and charred bodies still haunt me", said Muhammad Arif Afridi, a local student.
Once, I was studying in my room at about midday. I heard a huge blast. I went to the spot where the security forces had cordoned off the whole area. I looked around and there were many casualties there. After that, I went to the hospital to donate blood, he added.
Every person living in the city is psychologically in depression.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
No Talks with Terrorists.......Bilour
PESHAWAR: NWFP Senior Minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour on Tuesday ruled out talks with terrorists and militants and said the government is committed to establishing durable peace in the province’s restive areas.
Talking to reporters the ANP leader said there was no question of holding talks with the terrorists.
He said the ANP government after coming into power had brokered an agreement with the sole objective to establish peace in Swat. However, the militants did not reciprocate the goodwill gesture, he added.
Bilour said involvement of foreign hands in terror incidents could not be ruled out.
He said that Pakistani nation and government were united against terrorism, adding that, negotiations can only be possible if militants lay down their arms and accept the government’s writ.
Talking to reporters the ANP leader said there was no question of holding talks with the terrorists.
He said the ANP government after coming into power had brokered an agreement with the sole objective to establish peace in Swat. However, the militants did not reciprocate the goodwill gesture, he added.
Bilour said involvement of foreign hands in terror incidents could not be ruled out.
He said that Pakistani nation and government were united against terrorism, adding that, negotiations can only be possible if militants lay down their arms and accept the government’s writ.
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates in Kabul to meet with Karzai
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates flew into Kabul on Tuesday for talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and commanders about Washington's new strategy to send 30,000 extra troops to fight the Taliban.
His arrival marks the first official visit by the US administration since President Barack Obama last week announced he would raise to 100,000 the US deployment in Afghanistan to counter a rising Taliban insurgency.
The Pentagon has announced the first wave of 1,500 extra US Marines will begin arriving in southern Afghanistan next week as the top military officer said they had a short window to seize back the initiative from the Taliban.
"We want to talk with President Karzai and (defence) Minister Wardak about the president's decision and the implementation of that decision, how we will use our troops and the additional troops from our allies in partnership with the Afghan national security forces," Gates told journalists on the plane.
The Pentagon chief said he would also raise the issue of stepping up the training and retention of Afghanistan's fledgling army and police, a cornerstone of Obama's strategy which hopes to bring a quick end to the war.
In an interview with CNN, Karzai said Afghans wanted to be in charge of security "sooner, rather than later" but said it would take two years to train Afghan forces to the point where they can lead operations in many areas.
Gates said he was seeking to reassure Kabul of the United States' long-term commitment, despite Obama's plan to start drawing down US troops in July 2011, which has raised concerns in Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan.
"Another major message will be the importance of a long-term relationship between the United States, ISAF (the NATO-run multinational force based in the country) and Afghanistan," he told reporters.
With Karzai poised to unveil his cabinet after a fraud-tainted re-election, under Western pressure to crack down on graft, Gates emphasised "the importance for us of capable, honest ministers in areas that are critical for our success, such as defence and interior".
He said both the current defence minister and Interior Minister Hanif Atmar "are very capable people".
Gates will also hold talks with top US and NATO commanders, but not the overall commander on the ground, US General Stanley McChrystal, who is due to testify before Congress in Washington later Tuesday.
With military commanders Gates is due to discuss the logistical challenges facing the influx of reinforcements after signing deployment orders for the first wave of 17,000 more US troops that will arrive early next year.
"It's going to require a lot of efforts," Gates told reporters.
He will also meet US troops to "tell them we're in this to win".
Speaking to young Marines preparing to head off to war, Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the clock was ticking and that US-led forces had to break the momentum of the Islamist insurgents.
"We've got about 18 to 24 months," Mullen told a gathering of Marines at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
Gates' visit to Kabul comes four days after more than 1,000 US Marines, British troops and Afghan forces launched a major offensive in the southern province of Helmand, a Taliban heartland and primary opium-growing area.
Most of the first wave of extra US troops will be going to Helmand and neighbouring province Kandahar, the spiritual capital of the Taliban and the scene of the worst fighting eight years after the 2001 US-led invasion ousted the Taliban.
Soaring violence has made this year the deadliest since the Taliban fell from power, killing record numbers of civilians, Afghan and foreign troops.
His arrival marks the first official visit by the US administration since President Barack Obama last week announced he would raise to 100,000 the US deployment in Afghanistan to counter a rising Taliban insurgency.
The Pentagon has announced the first wave of 1,500 extra US Marines will begin arriving in southern Afghanistan next week as the top military officer said they had a short window to seize back the initiative from the Taliban.
"We want to talk with President Karzai and (defence) Minister Wardak about the president's decision and the implementation of that decision, how we will use our troops and the additional troops from our allies in partnership with the Afghan national security forces," Gates told journalists on the plane.
The Pentagon chief said he would also raise the issue of stepping up the training and retention of Afghanistan's fledgling army and police, a cornerstone of Obama's strategy which hopes to bring a quick end to the war.
In an interview with CNN, Karzai said Afghans wanted to be in charge of security "sooner, rather than later" but said it would take two years to train Afghan forces to the point where they can lead operations in many areas.
Gates said he was seeking to reassure Kabul of the United States' long-term commitment, despite Obama's plan to start drawing down US troops in July 2011, which has raised concerns in Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan.
"Another major message will be the importance of a long-term relationship between the United States, ISAF (the NATO-run multinational force based in the country) and Afghanistan," he told reporters.
With Karzai poised to unveil his cabinet after a fraud-tainted re-election, under Western pressure to crack down on graft, Gates emphasised "the importance for us of capable, honest ministers in areas that are critical for our success, such as defence and interior".
He said both the current defence minister and Interior Minister Hanif Atmar "are very capable people".
Gates will also hold talks with top US and NATO commanders, but not the overall commander on the ground, US General Stanley McChrystal, who is due to testify before Congress in Washington later Tuesday.
With military commanders Gates is due to discuss the logistical challenges facing the influx of reinforcements after signing deployment orders for the first wave of 17,000 more US troops that will arrive early next year.
"It's going to require a lot of efforts," Gates told reporters.
He will also meet US troops to "tell them we're in this to win".
Speaking to young Marines preparing to head off to war, Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the clock was ticking and that US-led forces had to break the momentum of the Islamist insurgents.
"We've got about 18 to 24 months," Mullen told a gathering of Marines at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
Gates' visit to Kabul comes four days after more than 1,000 US Marines, British troops and Afghan forces launched a major offensive in the southern province of Helmand, a Taliban heartland and primary opium-growing area.
Most of the first wave of extra US troops will be going to Helmand and neighbouring province Kandahar, the spiritual capital of the Taliban and the scene of the worst fighting eight years after the 2001 US-led invasion ousted the Taliban.
Soaring violence has made this year the deadliest since the Taliban fell from power, killing record numbers of civilians, Afghan and foreign troops.
Bomb blast in Multan leaves 12 dead
MULTAN: A bomb explosion at a security check post in Multan Tuesday killed at least 12 people and injured 18 others.
The explosion took place at the security post in the Qasim Bela area of Multan cantonment and damaged several buildings.
‘We have recovered 12 dead bodies and more than 18 injured. Most of the dead are civilians,’ said emergency services official doctor Kaleemullah, who was at the site of the blast.
‘There were also some security men among the dead. This building belongs to the army. It's badly damaged.’
Multan's police chief Saood Aziz told AFP the explosives appeared to have been planted in a small pick-up truck, but it was not immediately clear if it was a suicide attack, while the exact target was also unknown.
Multan is in Punjab province, which is still reeling from twin bomb blasts in its capital Lahore on Monday that killed at least 49 people and wounded 150 more at a busy market in the centre of the city.
This is also the first time Multan has been hit during a surge of violence that began in October and has already killed more than 400 people.
The explosion took place at the security post in the Qasim Bela area of Multan cantonment and damaged several buildings.
‘We have recovered 12 dead bodies and more than 18 injured. Most of the dead are civilians,’ said emergency services official doctor Kaleemullah, who was at the site of the blast.
‘There were also some security men among the dead. This building belongs to the army. It's badly damaged.’
Multan's police chief Saood Aziz told AFP the explosives appeared to have been planted in a small pick-up truck, but it was not immediately clear if it was a suicide attack, while the exact target was also unknown.
Multan is in Punjab province, which is still reeling from twin bomb blasts in its capital Lahore on Monday that killed at least 49 people and wounded 150 more at a busy market in the centre of the city.
This is also the first time Multan has been hit during a surge of violence that began in October and has already killed more than 400 people.
Pakistan Told to Ratchet Up Fight Against the Taliban
NEWYORKTIMES
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is turning up the pressure on Pakistan to fight the Taliban inside its borders, warning that if it does not act more aggressively the United States will use considerably more force on the Pakistani side of the border to shut down Taliban attacks on American forces in Afghanistan, American and Pakistani officials said.
The blunt message was delivered in a tense encounter in Pakistan last month, before President Obama announced his new war strategy, when Gen. James L. Jones, Mr. Obama’s national security adviser, and John O. Brennan, the White House counterterrorism chief, met with the heads of Pakistan’s military and its intelligence service.
United States officials said the message did not amount to an ultimatum, but rather it was intended to prod a reluctant Pakistani military to go after Taliban insurgents in Pakistan who are directing attacks in Afghanistan.
For their part the Pakistanis interpreted the message as a fairly bald warning that unless Pakistan moved quickly to act against two Taliban groups they have so far refused to attack, the United States was prepared to take unilateral action to expand Predator drone attacks beyond the tribal areas and, if needed, to resume raids by Special Operations forces into the country against Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders.
A senior administration official, asked about the encounter, declined to go into details but added quickly, “I think they read our intentions accurately.”
A Pakistani official who has been briefed on the meetings said, “Jones’s message was if that Pakistani help wasn’t forthcoming, the United States would have to do it themselves.”
American commanders said earlier this year that they were considering expanding drone strikes in Pakistan’s lawless tribal areas, but General Jones’s comments marked the first time that the United States bluntly told Pakistan it would have to choose between leading attacks against the insurgents inside the country’s borders or stepping aside to let the Americans do it.
The recent security demands followed an offer of a broader strategic relationship and expanded intelligence sharing and nonmilitary economic aid from the United States. Pakistan’s politically weakened president, Asif Ali Zardari, replied in writing to a two-page letter that General Jones delivered from Mr. Obama. But Mr. Zardari gave no indication of how Pakistan would respond to the incentives, which were linked to the demands for greatly stepped-up counterterrorism actions.
“We’ve offered them a strategic choice,” one administration official said, describing the private communications. “And we’ve heard back almost nothing.” Another administration official said, “Our patience is wearing thin.”
Asked Monday about the exchange, Tommy Vietor, a White House spokesman, said, “We have no comment on private diplomatic correspondence. As the president has said repeatedly, we will continue to partner with Pakistan and the international community to enhance the military, governance and economic capacity of Afghanistan and Pakistan.”
The implicit threat of not only ratcheting up the drone strikes but also launching more covert American ground raids would mark a substantial escalation of the administration’s counterterrorism campaign.
American Special Operations forces attacked Qaeda militants in a Pakistani village near the border with Afghanistan in early September 2008, in the first publicly acknowledged case of United States forces conducting a ground raid on Pakistani soil.
But the raid caused a political furor in Pakistan, with the country’s top generals condemning the attack, and the United States backed off what had been a planned series of such strikes.
During his intensive review of Pakistan and Afghanistan strategy, officials say, Mr. Obama concluded that no amount of additional troops in Afghanistan would succeed in their new mission if the Taliban could retreat over the Pakistani border to regroup and resupply. But the administration has said little about the Pakistani part of the strategy.
“We concluded early on that whatever you do with Pakistan, you don’t want to talk about it much,” a senior presidential aide said last week. “All it does is get backs up in Islamabad.”
During his speech at West Point last week, Mr. Obama said that “our success in Afghanistan is inextricably linked to our partnership with Pakistan.” But for the rest of the speech he referred to the country in the past tense, talking about how “there have been those in Pakistan who’ve argued that the struggle against extremism is not their fight, and that Pakistan is better off doing little or seeking accommodation with those who use violence.”
He never quite said how his administration views the Pakistanis today, and two officials said that Mr. Obama used that construction in an effort not to alienate the current government or the army, led by Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.
Even before Mr. Obama announced his decision last week, the White House had approved an expansion of the C.I.A.’s drone program in Pakistan’s lawless tribal areas. A missile strike from what was said to be a United States drone in the tribal areas killed at least three people early Tuesday, according to Pakistani intelligence officials, The Associated Press reported.
Pakistani officials, wary of civilian casualties and the appearance of further infringement of national sovereignty, are still in discussions with American officials over whether to allow the C.I.A. to expand its missile strikes into Baluchistan for the first time — a politically delicate move because it is outside the tribal areas. American commanders say this is necessary because Mullah Omar, the Taliban leader who ran Afghanistan before the 2001 invasion, and other Taliban leaders are hiding in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan Province.
Pakistani officials also voice concern that if the Pakistani Army were to aggressively attack the two groups that most concern the United States — the Afghan Taliban leaders and the Haqqani network based in North Waziristan — the militants would respond with waves of retaliatory bombings, further undermining the weak civilian government.
Publicly, senior American officials and commanders take note of that concern. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived in Pakistan in late October with offers of a strategic partnership. But General Jones followed Mrs. Clinton two weeks later carrying more sticks than carrots, American officials said.
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is turning up the pressure on Pakistan to fight the Taliban inside its borders, warning that if it does not act more aggressively the United States will use considerably more force on the Pakistani side of the border to shut down Taliban attacks on American forces in Afghanistan, American and Pakistani officials said.
The blunt message was delivered in a tense encounter in Pakistan last month, before President Obama announced his new war strategy, when Gen. James L. Jones, Mr. Obama’s national security adviser, and John O. Brennan, the White House counterterrorism chief, met with the heads of Pakistan’s military and its intelligence service.
United States officials said the message did not amount to an ultimatum, but rather it was intended to prod a reluctant Pakistani military to go after Taliban insurgents in Pakistan who are directing attacks in Afghanistan.
For their part the Pakistanis interpreted the message as a fairly bald warning that unless Pakistan moved quickly to act against two Taliban groups they have so far refused to attack, the United States was prepared to take unilateral action to expand Predator drone attacks beyond the tribal areas and, if needed, to resume raids by Special Operations forces into the country against Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders.
A senior administration official, asked about the encounter, declined to go into details but added quickly, “I think they read our intentions accurately.”
A Pakistani official who has been briefed on the meetings said, “Jones’s message was if that Pakistani help wasn’t forthcoming, the United States would have to do it themselves.”
American commanders said earlier this year that they were considering expanding drone strikes in Pakistan’s lawless tribal areas, but General Jones’s comments marked the first time that the United States bluntly told Pakistan it would have to choose between leading attacks against the insurgents inside the country’s borders or stepping aside to let the Americans do it.
The recent security demands followed an offer of a broader strategic relationship and expanded intelligence sharing and nonmilitary economic aid from the United States. Pakistan’s politically weakened president, Asif Ali Zardari, replied in writing to a two-page letter that General Jones delivered from Mr. Obama. But Mr. Zardari gave no indication of how Pakistan would respond to the incentives, which were linked to the demands for greatly stepped-up counterterrorism actions.
“We’ve offered them a strategic choice,” one administration official said, describing the private communications. “And we’ve heard back almost nothing.” Another administration official said, “Our patience is wearing thin.”
Asked Monday about the exchange, Tommy Vietor, a White House spokesman, said, “We have no comment on private diplomatic correspondence. As the president has said repeatedly, we will continue to partner with Pakistan and the international community to enhance the military, governance and economic capacity of Afghanistan and Pakistan.”
The implicit threat of not only ratcheting up the drone strikes but also launching more covert American ground raids would mark a substantial escalation of the administration’s counterterrorism campaign.
American Special Operations forces attacked Qaeda militants in a Pakistani village near the border with Afghanistan in early September 2008, in the first publicly acknowledged case of United States forces conducting a ground raid on Pakistani soil.
But the raid caused a political furor in Pakistan, with the country’s top generals condemning the attack, and the United States backed off what had been a planned series of such strikes.
During his intensive review of Pakistan and Afghanistan strategy, officials say, Mr. Obama concluded that no amount of additional troops in Afghanistan would succeed in their new mission if the Taliban could retreat over the Pakistani border to regroup and resupply. But the administration has said little about the Pakistani part of the strategy.
“We concluded early on that whatever you do with Pakistan, you don’t want to talk about it much,” a senior presidential aide said last week. “All it does is get backs up in Islamabad.”
During his speech at West Point last week, Mr. Obama said that “our success in Afghanistan is inextricably linked to our partnership with Pakistan.” But for the rest of the speech he referred to the country in the past tense, talking about how “there have been those in Pakistan who’ve argued that the struggle against extremism is not their fight, and that Pakistan is better off doing little or seeking accommodation with those who use violence.”
He never quite said how his administration views the Pakistanis today, and two officials said that Mr. Obama used that construction in an effort not to alienate the current government or the army, led by Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.
Even before Mr. Obama announced his decision last week, the White House had approved an expansion of the C.I.A.’s drone program in Pakistan’s lawless tribal areas. A missile strike from what was said to be a United States drone in the tribal areas killed at least three people early Tuesday, according to Pakistani intelligence officials, The Associated Press reported.
Pakistani officials, wary of civilian casualties and the appearance of further infringement of national sovereignty, are still in discussions with American officials over whether to allow the C.I.A. to expand its missile strikes into Baluchistan for the first time — a politically delicate move because it is outside the tribal areas. American commanders say this is necessary because Mullah Omar, the Taliban leader who ran Afghanistan before the 2001 invasion, and other Taliban leaders are hiding in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan Province.
Pakistani officials also voice concern that if the Pakistani Army were to aggressively attack the two groups that most concern the United States — the Afghan Taliban leaders and the Haqqani network based in North Waziristan — the militants would respond with waves of retaliatory bombings, further undermining the weak civilian government.
Publicly, senior American officials and commanders take note of that concern. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived in Pakistan in late October with offers of a strategic partnership. But General Jones followed Mrs. Clinton two weeks later carrying more sticks than carrots, American officials said.
Pakistan Told to Ratchet Up Fight Against the Taliban
NEWYORKTIMES
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is turning up the pressure on Pakistan to fight the Taliban inside its borders, warning that if it does not act more aggressively the United States will use considerably more force on the Pakistani side of the border to shut down Taliban attacks on American forces in Afghanistan, American and Pakistani officials said.
The blunt message was delivered in a tense encounter in Pakistan last month, before President Obama announced his new war strategy, when Gen. James L. Jones, Mr. Obama’s national security adviser, and John O. Brennan, the White House counterterrorism chief, met with the heads of Pakistan’s military and its intelligence service.
United States officials said the message did not amount to an ultimatum, but rather it was intended to prod a reluctant Pakistani military to go after Taliban insurgents in Pakistan who are directing attacks in Afghanistan.
For their part the Pakistanis interpreted the message as a fairly bald warning that unless Pakistan moved quickly to act against two Taliban groups they have so far refused to attack, the United States was prepared to take unilateral action to expand Predator drone attacks beyond the tribal areas and, if needed, to resume raids by Special Operations forces into the country against Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders.
A senior administration official, asked about the encounter, declined to go into details but added quickly, “I think they read our intentions accurately.”
A Pakistani official who has been briefed on the meetings said, “Jones’s message was if that Pakistani help wasn’t forthcoming, the United States would have to do it themselves.”
American commanders said earlier this year that they were considering expanding drone strikes in Pakistan’s lawless tribal areas, but General Jones’s comments marked the first time that the United States bluntly told Pakistan it would have to choose between leading attacks against the insurgents inside the country’s borders or stepping aside to let the Americans do it.
The recent security demands followed an offer of a broader strategic relationship and expanded intelligence sharing and nonmilitary economic aid from the United States. Pakistan’s politically weakened president, Asif Ali Zardari, replied in writing to a two-page letter that General Jones delivered from Mr. Obama. But Mr. Zardari gave no indication of how Pakistan would respond to the incentives, which were linked to the demands for greatly stepped-up counterterrorism actions.
“We’ve offered them a strategic choice,” one administration official said, describing the private communications. “And we’ve heard back almost nothing.” Another administration official said, “Our patience is wearing thin.”
Asked Monday about the exchange, Tommy Vietor, a White House spokesman, said, “We have no comment on private diplomatic correspondence. As the president has said repeatedly, we will continue to partner with Pakistan and the international community to enhance the military, governance and economic capacity of Afghanistan and Pakistan.”
The implicit threat of not only ratcheting up the drone strikes but also launching more covert American ground raids would mark a substantial escalation of the administration’s counterterrorism campaign.
American Special Operations forces attacked Qaeda militants in a Pakistani village near the border with Afghanistan in early September 2008, in the first publicly acknowledged case of United States forces conducting a ground raid on Pakistani soil.
But the raid caused a political furor in Pakistan, with the country’s top generals condemning the attack, and the United States backed off what had been a planned series of such strikes.
During his intensive review of Pakistan and Afghanistan strategy, officials say, Mr. Obama concluded that no amount of additional troops in Afghanistan would succeed in their new mission if the Taliban could retreat over the Pakistani border to regroup and resupply. But the administration has said little about the Pakistani part of the strategy.
“We concluded early on that whatever you do with Pakistan, you don’t want to talk about it much,” a senior presidential aide said last week. “All it does is get backs up in Islamabad.”
During his speech at West Point last week, Mr. Obama said that “our success in Afghanistan is inextricably linked to our partnership with Pakistan.” But for the rest of the speech he referred to the country in the past tense, talking about how “there have been those in Pakistan who’ve argued that the struggle against extremism is not their fight, and that Pakistan is better off doing little or seeking accommodation with those who use violence.”
He never quite said how his administration views the Pakistanis today, and two officials said that Mr. Obama used that construction in an effort not to alienate the current government or the army, led by Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.
Even before Mr. Obama announced his decision last week, the White House had approved an expansion of the C.I.A.’s drone program in Pakistan’s lawless tribal areas. A missile strike from what was said to be a United States drone in the tribal areas killed at least three people early Tuesday, according to Pakistani intelligence officials, The Associated Press reported.
Pakistani officials, wary of civilian casualties and the appearance of further infringement of national sovereignty, are still in discussions with American officials over whether to allow the C.I.A. to expand its missile strikes into Baluchistan for the first time — a politically delicate move because it is outside the tribal areas. American commanders say this is necessary because Mullah Omar, the Taliban leader who ran Afghanistan before the 2001 invasion, and other Taliban leaders are hiding in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan Province.
Pakistani officials also voice concern that if the Pakistani Army were to aggressively attack the two groups that most concern the United States — the Afghan Taliban leaders and the Haqqani network based in North Waziristan — the militants would respond with waves of retaliatory bombings, further undermining the weak civilian government.
Publicly, senior American officials and commanders take note of that concern. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived in Pakistan in late October with offers of a strategic partnership. But General Jones followed Mrs. Clinton two weeks later carrying more sticks than carrots, American officials said.
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is turning up the pressure on Pakistan to fight the Taliban inside its borders, warning that if it does not act more aggressively the United States will use considerably more force on the Pakistani side of the border to shut down Taliban attacks on American forces in Afghanistan, American and Pakistani officials said.
The blunt message was delivered in a tense encounter in Pakistan last month, before President Obama announced his new war strategy, when Gen. James L. Jones, Mr. Obama’s national security adviser, and John O. Brennan, the White House counterterrorism chief, met with the heads of Pakistan’s military and its intelligence service.
United States officials said the message did not amount to an ultimatum, but rather it was intended to prod a reluctant Pakistani military to go after Taliban insurgents in Pakistan who are directing attacks in Afghanistan.
For their part the Pakistanis interpreted the message as a fairly bald warning that unless Pakistan moved quickly to act against two Taliban groups they have so far refused to attack, the United States was prepared to take unilateral action to expand Predator drone attacks beyond the tribal areas and, if needed, to resume raids by Special Operations forces into the country against Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders.
A senior administration official, asked about the encounter, declined to go into details but added quickly, “I think they read our intentions accurately.”
A Pakistani official who has been briefed on the meetings said, “Jones’s message was if that Pakistani help wasn’t forthcoming, the United States would have to do it themselves.”
American commanders said earlier this year that they were considering expanding drone strikes in Pakistan’s lawless tribal areas, but General Jones’s comments marked the first time that the United States bluntly told Pakistan it would have to choose between leading attacks against the insurgents inside the country’s borders or stepping aside to let the Americans do it.
The recent security demands followed an offer of a broader strategic relationship and expanded intelligence sharing and nonmilitary economic aid from the United States. Pakistan’s politically weakened president, Asif Ali Zardari, replied in writing to a two-page letter that General Jones delivered from Mr. Obama. But Mr. Zardari gave no indication of how Pakistan would respond to the incentives, which were linked to the demands for greatly stepped-up counterterrorism actions.
“We’ve offered them a strategic choice,” one administration official said, describing the private communications. “And we’ve heard back almost nothing.” Another administration official said, “Our patience is wearing thin.”
Asked Monday about the exchange, Tommy Vietor, a White House spokesman, said, “We have no comment on private diplomatic correspondence. As the president has said repeatedly, we will continue to partner with Pakistan and the international community to enhance the military, governance and economic capacity of Afghanistan and Pakistan.”
The implicit threat of not only ratcheting up the drone strikes but also launching more covert American ground raids would mark a substantial escalation of the administration’s counterterrorism campaign.
American Special Operations forces attacked Qaeda militants in a Pakistani village near the border with Afghanistan in early September 2008, in the first publicly acknowledged case of United States forces conducting a ground raid on Pakistani soil.
But the raid caused a political furor in Pakistan, with the country’s top generals condemning the attack, and the United States backed off what had been a planned series of such strikes.
During his intensive review of Pakistan and Afghanistan strategy, officials say, Mr. Obama concluded that no amount of additional troops in Afghanistan would succeed in their new mission if the Taliban could retreat over the Pakistani border to regroup and resupply. But the administration has said little about the Pakistani part of the strategy.
“We concluded early on that whatever you do with Pakistan, you don’t want to talk about it much,” a senior presidential aide said last week. “All it does is get backs up in Islamabad.”
During his speech at West Point last week, Mr. Obama said that “our success in Afghanistan is inextricably linked to our partnership with Pakistan.” But for the rest of the speech he referred to the country in the past tense, talking about how “there have been those in Pakistan who’ve argued that the struggle against extremism is not their fight, and that Pakistan is better off doing little or seeking accommodation with those who use violence.”
He never quite said how his administration views the Pakistanis today, and two officials said that Mr. Obama used that construction in an effort not to alienate the current government or the army, led by Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.
Even before Mr. Obama announced his decision last week, the White House had approved an expansion of the C.I.A.’s drone program in Pakistan’s lawless tribal areas. A missile strike from what was said to be a United States drone in the tribal areas killed at least three people early Tuesday, according to Pakistani intelligence officials, The Associated Press reported.
Pakistani officials, wary of civilian casualties and the appearance of further infringement of national sovereignty, are still in discussions with American officials over whether to allow the C.I.A. to expand its missile strikes into Baluchistan for the first time — a politically delicate move because it is outside the tribal areas. American commanders say this is necessary because Mullah Omar, the Taliban leader who ran Afghanistan before the 2001 invasion, and other Taliban leaders are hiding in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan Province.
Pakistani officials also voice concern that if the Pakistani Army were to aggressively attack the two groups that most concern the United States — the Afghan Taliban leaders and the Haqqani network based in North Waziristan — the militants would respond with waves of retaliatory bombings, further undermining the weak civilian government.
Publicly, senior American officials and commanders take note of that concern. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived in Pakistan in late October with offers of a strategic partnership. But General Jones followed Mrs. Clinton two weeks later carrying more sticks than carrots, American officials said.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Europe turns on US and China over weak emission targets
The European Union has rejected the new carbon emission targets tabled by the United States and China and said they were much too weak to prevent catastrophic climate change.
The dispute between the three main players at the Copenhagen climate change summit overshadowed the first day of negotiations and dashed hopes that a deal on emissions was imminent.
The EU called on President Obama to announce a more ambitious target next week, when he arrives in Copenhagen for the last day of the conference on December 18.
But the US insisted that the provisional offer made 10 days ago by Mr Obama was “remarkable” and in line with what scientists had recommended.
Mr Obama has proposed to cut its emissions by 4 per cent on 1990 levels by 2020, although he has said this is subject to getting the approval of Congress. The EU has made a legally binding commitment to cut its emissions by 20 per cent over the same period. It has also said it would increase the cut to 30 per cent if other countries committed to “comparable action”.
Washington tonight attempted to demonstrate that it was serious about fighting climate change by formally announcing that green house gases were a danger to American health and paving the way for new regulations to control them. This would technically allow Mr Obama to override Congress and impose carbon cuts but, in practice, he is more likely to use the prospect of regulations as a bargaining chip to persuade enough senators to pass a Bill enforcing the 4 per cent target.
Andreas Carlgren, Sweden’s environment minister and the EU’s main negotiator under the rotating presidency, said the targets proposed by the US and China were too low to qualify as comparable action and therefore the EU would not strengthen its 20 per cent target.
“If you analyse the bids they are not going to deliver the emissions reductions that would be keeping the Earth’s temperature [increase] below 2C. The US and China cover half the world’s emissions so it will be absolutely decisive what they deliver.
“It would be astonishing if President Obama arrived here next week and just delivered what was in last week’s press release. I would rather expect the US President will deliver something further.”
Mr Carlgren also dismissed China’s offer to reduce its emissions per unit of GDP by 40-45 per cent by 2020. He said the target would result in a huge increase in emissions because of China’s predicted 8 per cent annual economic growth.
Mr Carlgren dismissed the recommendation from Lord Stern of Brentford that the EU should take the lead at the summit by making an unconditional commitment to cut its emissions by 30 per cent by 2020.
“The EU wants to go to 30 per cent but other parties must also deliver and it mostly depends on the US and China.
“We must keep the pressure until the end . We have said 30 per cent as a lever to put pressure on other parties.
“If we were to weaken that pressure by already delivering we would lose that endgame and we would risk having an agreement of too low an ambition level."
Jonathan Pershing, the US chief negotiator at Copenhagen, tried to downplay America’s contribution to climate change.
He said: “The US is responsible for one fifth of emissions which means four fifths come from the rest of the world.” He suggested that the US was making up for its weak short term target by offering an 80 per cent reduction in emissions by 2050. Most other countries argue that promising reductions in 40 years time is a political fudge and no substitute for firm action in the next decade.
But Mr Pershing hinted that Mr Obama might be willing to offer more short-term action, possibly in the form of a substantial contribution to a global fund to help poor countries adapt to climate change.
“The president has put a remarkable number on the table. What we need to now do is see how these negotiations proceed and we look forward to his coming and engaging in the discussion.”
Karzai poised to name new Government line-up
www.timesonline.co.uk
President Karzai is expected to name a new Cabinet today after weeks of pressure from Western capitals linking future support to reform of the Afghan Government.
Mr Karzai has been pondering the new line-up of his Government since he was declared the winner of the widely discredited presidential elections in August. In his inauguration speech last month he promised to end the country’s “culture of impunity”.
Afghan government sources and Western diplomats have both told The Times that the new Cabinet is expected to retain those ministers regarded as competent and non-corrupt by the West. However, Afghan government sources said that changes to the final line-up were still being formulated last night ahead of this morning’s expected announcement.
“There is a lot uncertainty, a lot of deal making,” said one senior Afghan official, who declined to be identified. “There will certainly be a lot of technocrats in the final list, there will also be some middlemen for warlords. It will not be a perfect cabinet but it will be acceptable to Brussels.”
One senior Western diplomat told The Times that the final list was expected to be “fairly responsible” and to retain the handful of ministers who had won Western backing for competence and relative incorruptibility in the last administration.
Among those expected to appear in the final list are the respected current Finance Minister Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal, former Interior Minister Ali Jalali and Agriculture Minister Asif Rahimi.
Another name widely tipped is Gul Agha Sherzai, the energetic governor of Nangahar province who is known as “The Bulldozer”. His warlord past has not prevented him winning popularity with US officials.
Traditionally all Afghan Cabinets are a balancing act of the country’s competing ethnicities and interest groups.
Mr Karzai caused deep gloom in the international community before the elections when he named two prominent warlords, Karim Khalili and Marshal Mohammad Fahim, as his running mates. Both are accused of war crimes by human rights groups. He was also widely reported to have made a number of deals with different ethnic warlords, in exchange for promised votes.
The most notorious figures, such as General Rashid Dostum and Mohammad Mohaqeq, do not appear to be in the running for a Cabinet post. However, Mr Karzai is known to have met the Northern Alliance warlord Doctor Burhanuddin Rabbani in the past week and there are persistent claims that he has demanded a Cabinet position for his son.
The Afghan parliament yesterday demanded that it be allowed to exercise its Constitutional right under to refuse any member of the cabinet. In the past some ministers were able to take up their posts even though they were barred by parliamentary vote.
In the first sign of a discernible crackdown on corruption the Mayor of Kabul, Mir Abdul Ahad Sahebi, was sentenced to four years of imprisonment on charges relating to the misappropriation of £9,800 of public money. The sum is small change compared to the millions suspected to have been embezzled by government officials.
President Karzai is expected to name a new Cabinet today after weeks of pressure from Western capitals linking future support to reform of the Afghan Government.
Mr Karzai has been pondering the new line-up of his Government since he was declared the winner of the widely discredited presidential elections in August. In his inauguration speech last month he promised to end the country’s “culture of impunity”.
Afghan government sources and Western diplomats have both told The Times that the new Cabinet is expected to retain those ministers regarded as competent and non-corrupt by the West. However, Afghan government sources said that changes to the final line-up were still being formulated last night ahead of this morning’s expected announcement.
“There is a lot uncertainty, a lot of deal making,” said one senior Afghan official, who declined to be identified. “There will certainly be a lot of technocrats in the final list, there will also be some middlemen for warlords. It will not be a perfect cabinet but it will be acceptable to Brussels.”
One senior Western diplomat told The Times that the final list was expected to be “fairly responsible” and to retain the handful of ministers who had won Western backing for competence and relative incorruptibility in the last administration.
Among those expected to appear in the final list are the respected current Finance Minister Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal, former Interior Minister Ali Jalali and Agriculture Minister Asif Rahimi.
Another name widely tipped is Gul Agha Sherzai, the energetic governor of Nangahar province who is known as “The Bulldozer”. His warlord past has not prevented him winning popularity with US officials.
Traditionally all Afghan Cabinets are a balancing act of the country’s competing ethnicities and interest groups.
Mr Karzai caused deep gloom in the international community before the elections when he named two prominent warlords, Karim Khalili and Marshal Mohammad Fahim, as his running mates. Both are accused of war crimes by human rights groups. He was also widely reported to have made a number of deals with different ethnic warlords, in exchange for promised votes.
The most notorious figures, such as General Rashid Dostum and Mohammad Mohaqeq, do not appear to be in the running for a Cabinet post. However, Mr Karzai is known to have met the Northern Alliance warlord Doctor Burhanuddin Rabbani in the past week and there are persistent claims that he has demanded a Cabinet position for his son.
The Afghan parliament yesterday demanded that it be allowed to exercise its Constitutional right under to refuse any member of the cabinet. In the past some ministers were able to take up their posts even though they were barred by parliamentary vote.
In the first sign of a discernible crackdown on corruption the Mayor of Kabul, Mir Abdul Ahad Sahebi, was sentenced to four years of imprisonment on charges relating to the misappropriation of £9,800 of public money. The sum is small change compared to the millions suspected to have been embezzled by government officials.
'Corrupt' Mayor of Kabul sentenced
A court has sentenced the Afghan capital's Mayor, Mir Abdul Ahad Sahebi,to four years in jail for corruption and ordered him to return £9,800 of public money which it said he had "wasted" in awarding a contract without following proper procedures.It is the first serious corruption conviction since Hamid Karzai's re-election. Mr Sahebi, who has denied the charges, was not in court and his whereabouts are unknown.
NFC: Punjab still opposes war subvention to NWFP
PESHAWAR: Punjab is not willing to concede to the NWFP demand of even 2.5 per cent subvention from the federal divisible pool as compensation for its suffering from acts of terrorism and militancy in the 7th award of the National Finance Commission (NFC).
The sources told The News that the NWFP has given up its earlier claim of 10 per cent from the divisible pool for the “war on terror” being fought on its soil and has brought down its demand to only 2.5 per cent as “war on terror” subvention. They claimed that at the Karachi meeting of the NFC all other federating units, including finance minister of the Punjab, agreed to the NWFP demand, but technical member of the Punjab, former secretary finance Mirza Abdul Ghafoor, opposed it and told the meeting that he would consult his “elders” on the issue.
The sources privy to the NFC meetings also said that the federal government had shown willingness to pay one per cent of the total divisible pool to the NWFP as “war on terror” subvention, but the Frontier has yet to accept it.
When contacted, the acting central president of Awami National Party (ANP) and provincial member on the NFC, Haji Mohammad Adeel conceded difficulties in getting “war on terror” subvention and said that the province’s team had girded up to pursue the matter vigorously at the Lahore meeting being held on the December 9-10.
He said the NWFP was in a state of war and it had suffered hundreds of billions rupees losses in the ongoing militancy and subsequent operations, besides the loss of hundreds of precious lives, but it was now being promised only one per cent of the total divisible pool as war subvention. It is just a few billions rupees, which are not even sufficient for the compensations to the heirs of the victims of the militancy, he added.
He hoped that the Lahore meeting would prove to be a fresh start for the NWFP and other provinces, including Punjab, would feel the pain the NWFP had been going through. Haji Adeel said that presently Punjab was getting 80 per cent of the divisible pool on account of population and “we hope the Punjab would agree to 70-75 per cent weightage for the population in order to contain other provinces’ demands such as backwardness, area, etc.” He said the rest 25-30 per cent of the provincial share would be divided on the basis of poverty, backwardness and Human Development Index (HDI), areas and revenue collection.
About the pre-NFC demands of the province, he said they have already brought the “go-slow” on the matter into the notice of President Zardari and asked him to act on the demands of the NWFP the federal government has acknowledged earlier. He said that in their last week meeting with the president they urged Zardari to issue presidential order for the payment of Rs100 billion of the net hydel power profit arrears.
“We also asked the federal government to form a technical committee for determining the modus operandi for the payment of the remaining Rs180 billion of the net hydel power profit,” Muhammad Adeel said.
The ANP leader said the president assured them that the committee would meet soon after the Lahore meeting of the NFC to take up the matter. He said they also reminded the president of the federal government’s pledge to withdraw all cases and urged him to direct the Wapda to take back all the cases it instituted against the net hydel power profit payment in the courts.
Torkham border closed
PESHAWAR: Pakistan on Monday closed Torkham border crossing in Khyber Agency for the people entering from Afghanistan without valid documents.
The border was closed on orders of the government amidst growing insurgency-related incidents in the country, especially in Peshawar city. It was believed that mostly Afghan nationals, living illegally or entering Pakistan without passports and visas, were allegedly involved in the rising incidents of terrorism, which claimed the lives of hundreds of innocent people so far.
A huge number of people mostly Afghans with no valid immigration documents were seen waiting on the Afghanistan side of the border to enter Pakistan. This busy border crossing had also been closed for several times in the past but was reopened after talks between the Afghan and Pakistan governments.
The move would increase the problems of two million Afghan refugees living in Pakistan. Unlike the Pakistanis, majority of the Afghans frequently cross into Pakistan without valid documents to meet their near and dear ones.
Afghan Womens’ plight getting worse
Womens’ plight getting worse
KABUL (Agencies): A leading rights group Monday accused the Afghan government of failing to protect women from endemic violence such as rape and murder and from discrimination, warning that their plight risks getting worse. The US-based Human Rights Watch urged world powers to stay focused on women’s rights in Afghanistan as President Barack Obama deploys an extra 30,000 US troops as part of a revamped strategy to fight the resurgent Taliban. “Eight years after the fall of the Taliban, women and girls suffer high levels of violence and discrimination, and have poor access to justice and education,” HRW said in a 96-page report. “The Afghan government has also failed to bring killers of prominent women in public life to justice, creating an environment of impunity for those who target women,” it said. Banned from public life under the iron-fisted Taliban regime from 1996 until the 2001 US-led invasion, women still struggle for their rights in the impoverished, deeply conservative and war-torn country. HRW said gains made since 2001 in areas such as education, work and freedom of movement are under serious threat as the Taliban insurgency gains ground and fundamentalist factions in government strengthen. “The situation for Afghan women and girls is dire and could deteriorate,” said Rachel Reid, Afghanistan researcher at HRW. The rights group highlighted a catalogue of abuse of women — death threats and intimidation, murders of several high-profile figures, gang rape and young girls being forced into marriage. But it said the attitude of the courts or police was often hostile towards women, with the government failing to prosecute the perpetrators of attacks. In addition, it said, “studies suggest that more than half the women and girls in detention are being held for ‘moral crimes’, such as adultery or running away from home”.
11 die as blast rocks Peshawar
PESHAWAR: After a comparative calm 20 days the provincial metropolis once again became the target of barbaric act of terrorists when a suicide bomber blew himself up in front of the main gate of Sessions Courts killing at least 11 people and injuring 45 others here on Monday. Two policemen are among the dead. The bomber disembarked from an auto rickshaw in front of the main gate of Sessions Courts. But as he walked towards the court building the on-duty policeman told him to remove his shawl. After his refusal the cop opened fire at him. Upon this the bomber pulled the trigger of his explosive-filled jacket killing the innocents. Two policemen who embraced martyrdom in the incident were identified as Roohullah (ASI) and Nasir (constable). The auto rickshaw (C-7848), which was used by the suicide bomber as a transport, was completely destroyed while three vehicles PRD-3959, PRM 6987 and PRW 87 were also destroyed after catching fire soon after the blast. The Sessions Courts are located at a short distance from a MPAs' Hostel, the provincial Home Department, Peshawar Museum and Governor's House. The police found parts of suicide vest, nut bolts, and bearings from the site of blast. The police also found the head of the suicide bomber while parts of his flesh were scattered. According to Bomb Disposal Squad officials about six to seven kilograms of explosive along with ball bearings were used in the blast. The injured were taken to the Lady Reading Hospital while fire brigade was also called to extinguish the fire. Peshawar has been on receiving end from the militants for almost three months as the rebels try to avenge military operation going on against them in different parts of the NWFP province and in tribal areas. No one has accepted the responsibility of the blast till the filing of the report. This was the second time a court complex in Peshawar was targeted by a suicide bomber. On Nov 19, a suicide attacker had struck the Judicial Complex, killing 19 people and injuring 50 others. An eye witness Ali Akbar who was at the filling station on the opposite side of the courts said he saw a bearded man wearing a shawl who reached the courts in an auto rickshaw and approached the gate of the Sessions Courts. An employee of the filling station said the blast was so huge that he lost his hearing power for almost 20 minutes due to the bang of the explosion.
46 people killed in separate Pakistan bombings
A bombing at a market in Lahore kills at least 36 and injure more than 100; many of the victims are women and children. In Peshawar, a suicide bomber kills 10 people outside a courthouse.
Two near-simultaneous bomb blasts tore through a crowded market in the eastern city of Lahore today, killing at least 36 people and injuring more than 100.
Police said many of the dead were women and children.
Earlier in the day, a suicide bomber killed 10 people outside a courthouse in the northwest city of Peshawar.
Pakistan has been hit with a wave of terrorist strikes as its army tries to clamp down on Islamist militants in the nation's tribal areas along the Afghan border. While many of those attacks have been directed at Pakistani armed forces, police and intelligence agencies, insurgents at times have targeted crowded markets in the country's largest cities.
The attack in Lahore occurred at 8:45 p.m. at the Moon Market, a popular bazaar that was packed with shoppers. Police say one of the bombs was detonated by remote control; they were investigating whether the second was a suicide bomb.
The blasts took place about 30 seconds apart. The first occurred at the back of the market and sent throngs of shoppers running toward the front, police said. As the crowd reached storefronts and stalls at the front end, a second blast occurred there.
The explosions gutted rows of shops, many of which sold clothes and shoes and were frequented by women with children in tow. Television images from the scene showed flames shooting skyward as fighters struggled for hours to put out the blaze.
Lahore, Pakistan's second-largest city and cultural capital, has been the site of several large-scale acts of terrorism in the last couple of years, including a trio of highly coordinated, commando-style October attacks on police buildings that resulted in 14 deaths. In May, a team of militants shot their way through the main gate of a complex that housed a police building and intelligence agency office in Lahore and detonated a van filled with explosives, killing 27 people and injuring 250.In today's attack in Peshawar, the suicide bomber tried to rush into the courthouse but was met by security guards outside, where he detonated his explosives. At least 45 people were wounded in the attack.Peshawar, a city of nearly 3 million people situated on the edge of Pakistan's largely ungoverned tribal areas, has borne the brunt of the violence inflicted by militants in recent weeks. The death toll from the wave of attacks in and around Peshawar since early October has reached at least 257.
Two near-simultaneous bomb blasts tore through a crowded market in the eastern city of Lahore today, killing at least 36 people and injuring more than 100.
Police said many of the dead were women and children.
Earlier in the day, a suicide bomber killed 10 people outside a courthouse in the northwest city of Peshawar.
Pakistan has been hit with a wave of terrorist strikes as its army tries to clamp down on Islamist militants in the nation's tribal areas along the Afghan border. While many of those attacks have been directed at Pakistani armed forces, police and intelligence agencies, insurgents at times have targeted crowded markets in the country's largest cities.
The attack in Lahore occurred at 8:45 p.m. at the Moon Market, a popular bazaar that was packed with shoppers. Police say one of the bombs was detonated by remote control; they were investigating whether the second was a suicide bomb.
The blasts took place about 30 seconds apart. The first occurred at the back of the market and sent throngs of shoppers running toward the front, police said. As the crowd reached storefronts and stalls at the front end, a second blast occurred there.
The explosions gutted rows of shops, many of which sold clothes and shoes and were frequented by women with children in tow. Television images from the scene showed flames shooting skyward as fighters struggled for hours to put out the blaze.
Lahore, Pakistan's second-largest city and cultural capital, has been the site of several large-scale acts of terrorism in the last couple of years, including a trio of highly coordinated, commando-style October attacks on police buildings that resulted in 14 deaths. In May, a team of militants shot their way through the main gate of a complex that housed a police building and intelligence agency office in Lahore and detonated a van filled with explosives, killing 27 people and injuring 250.In today's attack in Peshawar, the suicide bomber tried to rush into the courthouse but was met by security guards outside, where he detonated his explosives. At least 45 people were wounded in the attack.Peshawar, a city of nearly 3 million people situated on the edge of Pakistan's largely ungoverned tribal areas, has borne the brunt of the violence inflicted by militants in recent weeks. The death toll from the wave of attacks in and around Peshawar since early October has reached at least 257.
At least 33 dead as twin bombs hit Lahore
We have recovered 33 dead bodies and have shifted 95 injured to different hospitals,' doctor Rizwan Naseer, director general of the city rescue service, told AFP.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but cultural hub Lahore has frequently been targeted by Taliban militants waging a two-and-a-half year insurgency that has killed more than 2,600 people in Pakistan.
The two fierce explosions struck about 30 metres (yards) apart and set shops and buildings ablaze at the popular Moon Market.
'There were two blasts with an interval of about 30 seconds. One was in front of a bank and one was in front of a police station,' said city police official Shafiq Ahmad.
Pakistan TV stations showed footage of buildings in flames as rescue workers rushed to the chaotic scene and firemen struggled to put out the blaze.
Vehicles and shops were badly damaged in the Moon Market area in the centre of the city of nearly eight million people.
Earlier Monday, 10 people were killed when a suicide bomber struck outside a court in the northwestern city Peshawar, which has borne the brunt of Taliban attacks avenging military offensives against them across the region.
Lahore has also been in the crosshairs of the insurgents, with five militant strikes this year killing more than 70 people in a city known for its universities, buzzing theatre scene and art galleries.
It is the capital of Punjab, Pakistan's most populous province, with many of the nation's senior military figures hailing from the area.
Blast near MPA hostel Peshawar, ten dead
PESHAWAR : At least ten persons were dead and several others injured in blast near the MPA Hostel Peshawar on Monday, Aaj News reported.
According to details it was a suicide attack that ripped through the congested road leading to Peshawar cantonment which also housed important offices including Sessions Court, Peshawar Museum and Home department, etc.
The police and ambulances rushed to the site of the blast to carry out rescue operation. Emergency has been declared in the Lady Reading Hospital. The police cordoned off the area.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Terrorism changes Peshawar landscape
PESHAWAR: The never-ending series of bomb attacks has not only disrupted the normal life in the provincial capital, but also changed the city to a heavily barricaded fortress, with walls, check-posts, sand bags and barbed wires. Every now and then rumours of attack force the authorities to block the entry to certain areas, panicking the distressed residents.
On Friday Saddar bazaar was sealed following reports of terrorist attacks in the area, while previously the entry of vehicles had been banned to the famed Qissa Khawni Bazaar on such reports. The street is closed for entry of vehicles with barbed wires at its entry point from Khyber Bazaar in front of Khan Raziq Shaheed Police Station and also from Mohammad Ali Jauhar Road and Misgaran Bazaar on its eastern end.
The narrow lane of Kabari Bazaar, a scene of bomb attack earlier in May this year, has also blocked with steel barriers to check the entry of motorcycles. A similar situation could be seen in the Koochi Bazaar, which starts at the end of Mohammad Ali Jauhar and runs through Meena Bazaar, Shaheen Bazaar and other narrow streets of the city.
In addition, the roped-off portions of the roads in every nook and coroner of the city and its bazaars have also deprived the city of its traditional openness and hospitality.
Following the recent deadly attacks several such blockades have emerged in the Cantonment area, which has been the prime target of terrorists.
Check-posts were set up near Khyber House on Bara Road and on the Mall in front of Peshawar Club and also State Life Building, which has been protected with sandbags on all its sides in addition to a checkpoint on the Mall. A road linking the Mall and Bara Road near Stadium Chowk has been closed and a wall constructed following the deadly attacks.
While on Warsak Road Fata Secretariat is one of such fortified structures, which has been fortified with sand bags and barriers, in addition to barriers and checkpoints on this route.
A similar situation could be seen in front of MPA Hostel on Sher Shah Suri Road near central jail, where a picket is being constructed at the gate, while at some distance barricades have been placed on the main road to protect the newly constructed office of the Governor House.
Similarly, vehicles entry to Liaqat Bazaar and adjacent markets has been restricted with steel bars and chains. Every bomb blast and terrorist attack not only blights a certain part of the city, but also adds to the blighting of the city’s landscape with new barriers, walls, diversions, sand bags and barbed wires. However, there has been no end to this misery, as terrorism again starts to bleed the city after a brief lull and this has become a fait accompli with no possible end in sight for around three million citizens of this city.
On Friday Saddar bazaar was sealed following reports of terrorist attacks in the area, while previously the entry of vehicles had been banned to the famed Qissa Khawni Bazaar on such reports. The street is closed for entry of vehicles with barbed wires at its entry point from Khyber Bazaar in front of Khan Raziq Shaheed Police Station and also from Mohammad Ali Jauhar Road and Misgaran Bazaar on its eastern end.
The narrow lane of Kabari Bazaar, a scene of bomb attack earlier in May this year, has also blocked with steel barriers to check the entry of motorcycles. A similar situation could be seen in the Koochi Bazaar, which starts at the end of Mohammad Ali Jauhar and runs through Meena Bazaar, Shaheen Bazaar and other narrow streets of the city.
In addition, the roped-off portions of the roads in every nook and coroner of the city and its bazaars have also deprived the city of its traditional openness and hospitality.
Following the recent deadly attacks several such blockades have emerged in the Cantonment area, which has been the prime target of terrorists.
Check-posts were set up near Khyber House on Bara Road and on the Mall in front of Peshawar Club and also State Life Building, which has been protected with sandbags on all its sides in addition to a checkpoint on the Mall. A road linking the Mall and Bara Road near Stadium Chowk has been closed and a wall constructed following the deadly attacks.
While on Warsak Road Fata Secretariat is one of such fortified structures, which has been fortified with sand bags and barriers, in addition to barriers and checkpoints on this route.
A similar situation could be seen in front of MPA Hostel on Sher Shah Suri Road near central jail, where a picket is being constructed at the gate, while at some distance barricades have been placed on the main road to protect the newly constructed office of the Governor House.
Similarly, vehicles entry to Liaqat Bazaar and adjacent markets has been restricted with steel bars and chains. Every bomb blast and terrorist attack not only blights a certain part of the city, but also adds to the blighting of the city’s landscape with new barriers, walls, diversions, sand bags and barbed wires. However, there has been no end to this misery, as terrorism again starts to bleed the city after a brief lull and this has become a fait accompli with no possible end in sight for around three million citizens of this city.
Swine flu suspect flees from Peshawar hospital
PESHAWAR: There is a fear of swine flu outbreak in the province, as a suspected swine flu patient has fled from Hayatabad Medical Complex.
Hospital sources told Daily Times on Sunday that Haji Aamir, a resident of Mardan district, fled from the hospital along with his family members in the wee hours of Saturday. He was under observation for swine flu. The NWFP government’s health monitoring cell at Peshawar Airport had referred Haji Aamir, 38, to Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) after showing symptoms of swine flu on return from Haj. He was kept in an isolation ward.
The hospital sources said that the doctors had also sent his blood samples to the National Institute of Health Islamabad. Health Department Executive District Officer (EDO) and in charge of monitoring cell at the airport Dr Abdul Waheed Burki said that the HMC administration was responsible for the escape of the suspected swine flu patient. HMC Medical Superintendent (MS) Dr Adil Marjan said that the family members of the suspected swine flu patient had taken him by force. He said the security staff resisted their attempt but of no avail. In the past two months at least six cases of swine flu have been detected in the provincial capital, doctors said. According to Aftab Durrani, HMC Medical Superintendent, the total number of H1N1 cases in NWFP has risen to six, including three staffers of the HMC. On November 7, an Afghan woman Latifa Bibi, 40, from Herat province of Afghanistan had died due to the virus, while one more Afghan patient of swine flu patient is under treatment at the hospital.
Doctors said there were no vaccines available at any of the major hospitals across the province. According to World Health Organisation (WHO), pandemic (H1N1) 2009 is a new influenza virus that was never circulated among humans before. After outbreak in North America early in 2009, the virus spread rapidly around the world. Pandemic influenza is transmitted like seasonal influenza but people have virtually no immunity to it.
Hospital sources told Daily Times on Sunday that Haji Aamir, a resident of Mardan district, fled from the hospital along with his family members in the wee hours of Saturday. He was under observation for swine flu. The NWFP government’s health monitoring cell at Peshawar Airport had referred Haji Aamir, 38, to Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) after showing symptoms of swine flu on return from Haj. He was kept in an isolation ward.
The hospital sources said that the doctors had also sent his blood samples to the National Institute of Health Islamabad. Health Department Executive District Officer (EDO) and in charge of monitoring cell at the airport Dr Abdul Waheed Burki said that the HMC administration was responsible for the escape of the suspected swine flu patient. HMC Medical Superintendent (MS) Dr Adil Marjan said that the family members of the suspected swine flu patient had taken him by force. He said the security staff resisted their attempt but of no avail. In the past two months at least six cases of swine flu have been detected in the provincial capital, doctors said. According to Aftab Durrani, HMC Medical Superintendent, the total number of H1N1 cases in NWFP has risen to six, including three staffers of the HMC. On November 7, an Afghan woman Latifa Bibi, 40, from Herat province of Afghanistan had died due to the virus, while one more Afghan patient of swine flu patient is under treatment at the hospital.
Doctors said there were no vaccines available at any of the major hospitals across the province. According to World Health Organisation (WHO), pandemic (H1N1) 2009 is a new influenza virus that was never circulated among humans before. After outbreak in North America early in 2009, the virus spread rapidly around the world. Pandemic influenza is transmitted like seasonal influenza but people have virtually no immunity to it.
Pashto names of Bara operations create drama, and doubts, too
TheNews
PESHAWAR: The dramatic Pashto names of operations in Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency have drawn a lot of discussion and debate in civil society circles and intelligentsia.
The first operation against the militants and outlawed groups was launched in the Bara on June 28, 2008 with the codename ‘Sirat-e-Mustaqeem’ (The Righteous Path). It was started by Frontier Corps (FC) and the interior ministry officials claimed that objectives of the operation were achieved.
The second military offensive in Bara was started in December 2008 with the codename ‘Daraghlam’ (Here I Come!). This operation could not achieve much and was stopped before taking it to its logical conclusion.
The defiant Mangal Bagh, a militant leader of banned outfit Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) and his group continued their activities after end to the operation.
Another military offensive began on September 1, 2009 with a theatrical Pashto codename ‘Bya Daraghlam’ (Here I Come Again!). It was as if the troops had to come again to finish the unfinished task in Bara. Critics dismissed both comings of the FC under the codenames ‘Daraghlam’ and ‘Bya Daraghlam’ as half-hearted and incomplete.
Surprisingly enough, the fourth and recently launched operation on November 24, 2009 has a very interesting codename ‘Khwakh Ba De Shum’ which is a Pashto expression meaning ‘I Will teach you a lesson’ or ‘I will fix you!’
The sequence of names more looks like Pashto movie names and definitely trigger a smile on people’s faces when mentioned. While operation Rah-e-Rast in Swat and operation Rah-e-Nijat in South Waziristan are very explicit in their meaning with clear intention despite being in Urdu, the names in Bara operations appear non-serious and in a way a mockery of such a serious cause and plan.
The names show that those who name these operations are unaware of the Pakhtun culture or non-serious about their nomenclature. Or they fully understand it but are fond of giving theatrical names to the military action. Most people think that our military is strong enough to control this handful of militants in Bara but the operation has not been totally successful so far, which has raised serious questions.
Talking to The News, Dr Said Alam Mehsud, leader of Paktunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), said the codenames of the military operations seemed like Pashto movies’ names showing the non-seriousness of the planners. “All the operations are a mere drama and the security forces never targeted militants and whenever they hit their homes and hideouts in Khyber Agency that was also with an understanding and there were reports that they were also compensated for the losses,” he said.
He said that a total 19 military operations were carried out but none of them was credible and no tangible achievement made during these adventures.Muhammad Tahir, an educationist, said the codename of military offensive in Bara signifies that the operation was a low priority area for the rulers and the power that be. He further said Bara was an area taht could be very well controlled by a willing army despite Tirah valley depth, but so far no close aide to Mangal Bagh was killed or arrested while the militant leader himself was still at large.
When contacted, Major Fazal, public relations officer of Frontier Corps (FC), said the codenames in itself had a very clear message for the militants. He added that the recent codename of the operation “Khwakh ba de Sham” had a meaning of “ I will fix you” which was a very vivid message to the outlaws.
About progress in the operation, the FC spokesman said the security forces were fast achieving targets by clearing the militancy-hit areas, destroying their hideouts and strongholds. The militants have been dislocated, he claimed. The officer was of the opinion that military operations were not person-specific merely. “We are more concerned about restoring supply routes, protecting civilian population and dismantling the command and control of the militants.
PESHAWAR: The dramatic Pashto names of operations in Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency have drawn a lot of discussion and debate in civil society circles and intelligentsia.
The first operation against the militants and outlawed groups was launched in the Bara on June 28, 2008 with the codename ‘Sirat-e-Mustaqeem’ (The Righteous Path). It was started by Frontier Corps (FC) and the interior ministry officials claimed that objectives of the operation were achieved.
The second military offensive in Bara was started in December 2008 with the codename ‘Daraghlam’ (Here I Come!). This operation could not achieve much and was stopped before taking it to its logical conclusion.
The defiant Mangal Bagh, a militant leader of banned outfit Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) and his group continued their activities after end to the operation.
Another military offensive began on September 1, 2009 with a theatrical Pashto codename ‘Bya Daraghlam’ (Here I Come Again!). It was as if the troops had to come again to finish the unfinished task in Bara. Critics dismissed both comings of the FC under the codenames ‘Daraghlam’ and ‘Bya Daraghlam’ as half-hearted and incomplete.
Surprisingly enough, the fourth and recently launched operation on November 24, 2009 has a very interesting codename ‘Khwakh Ba De Shum’ which is a Pashto expression meaning ‘I Will teach you a lesson’ or ‘I will fix you!’
The sequence of names more looks like Pashto movie names and definitely trigger a smile on people’s faces when mentioned. While operation Rah-e-Rast in Swat and operation Rah-e-Nijat in South Waziristan are very explicit in their meaning with clear intention despite being in Urdu, the names in Bara operations appear non-serious and in a way a mockery of such a serious cause and plan.
The names show that those who name these operations are unaware of the Pakhtun culture or non-serious about their nomenclature. Or they fully understand it but are fond of giving theatrical names to the military action. Most people think that our military is strong enough to control this handful of militants in Bara but the operation has not been totally successful so far, which has raised serious questions.
Talking to The News, Dr Said Alam Mehsud, leader of Paktunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), said the codenames of the military operations seemed like Pashto movies’ names showing the non-seriousness of the planners. “All the operations are a mere drama and the security forces never targeted militants and whenever they hit their homes and hideouts in Khyber Agency that was also with an understanding and there were reports that they were also compensated for the losses,” he said.
He said that a total 19 military operations were carried out but none of them was credible and no tangible achievement made during these adventures.Muhammad Tahir, an educationist, said the codename of military offensive in Bara signifies that the operation was a low priority area for the rulers and the power that be. He further said Bara was an area taht could be very well controlled by a willing army despite Tirah valley depth, but so far no close aide to Mangal Bagh was killed or arrested while the militant leader himself was still at large.
When contacted, Major Fazal, public relations officer of Frontier Corps (FC), said the codenames in itself had a very clear message for the militants. He added that the recent codename of the operation “Khwakh ba de Sham” had a meaning of “ I will fix you” which was a very vivid message to the outlaws.
About progress in the operation, the FC spokesman said the security forces were fast achieving targets by clearing the militancy-hit areas, destroying their hideouts and strongholds. The militants have been dislocated, he claimed. The officer was of the opinion that military operations were not person-specific merely. “We are more concerned about restoring supply routes, protecting civilian population and dismantling the command and control of the militants.
Gojra report proposes amending blasphemy laws
FAISALABAD: An inquiry report on riots in Gojra in August – which killed several people – proposes amendments to the blasphemy laws.
An inquiry tribunal – headed by Lahore High Court Judge Iqbal Hameedur Rehman and tasked with looking into the tragedy that killed seven people – also warned the government on Sunday that “the Gojra tragedy must be taken seriously and the needful [should] be done on war-footing without further loss of time”.
The violent protests in Gojra triggered ethnic tensions and resulted in the displacement of 96 Christian families.
The inquiry tribunal notes in the report that the country is already facing grave challenges in the form of terrorism and militancy – which, in addition to destroying the economy, have “disfigured our national image all over the world ... we cannot afford any other menace, [such as] sectarian disputes”. It says efforts to control such unrest must begin immediately.
The 258-page report recommends action “without any discrimination against those responsible for commission and omission”.
The report also proposes amendments to Pakistan Penal Code sections 295, 295-A, 295-B, 295-C, 296, 297, 298, 298-A, 298-B, 298-C, anti-blasphemy laws, relevant provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code and the Police Order 2002.
It recommends that federal intelligence agencies be mandated to provide “first-hand information at the divisional level”. It also calls for the capacity building of the Special Branch, the establishment of a special force for the protection and protocol of VIPs and other vulnerable persons, the exclusion of district nazims in issues related to law and order, the establishment of intelligence and crime prevention branches, rules for effective utilisation of police in terms of Article 112 of Police Order 2002, the constitution of a district religious dispute resolution board, and categorisation of districts on the basis of sensitivity.
The tribunal reached the conclusion that the riots were a result of the “inability of law-enforcement agencies to assess the gravity of the situation, inadequate precautionary and preventive measures taken by law-enforcement agencies, a lukewarm stance by the Toba Tek Singh DPO, the failure of intelligence agencies in providing prompt and correct information, a defective security plan, the irresponsible behaviour of the administration, the complete failure of police while discharging their duties, the non-enforcement of Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, omissions to take steps under sections 107 and 151 of the CrPC, the lack of a decision to invoke the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) 1960 – which amounts to letting the miscreants loose to wreak havoc during the course of the riots – and several other factors”.
An inquiry tribunal – headed by Lahore High Court Judge Iqbal Hameedur Rehman and tasked with looking into the tragedy that killed seven people – also warned the government on Sunday that “the Gojra tragedy must be taken seriously and the needful [should] be done on war-footing without further loss of time”.
The violent protests in Gojra triggered ethnic tensions and resulted in the displacement of 96 Christian families.
The inquiry tribunal notes in the report that the country is already facing grave challenges in the form of terrorism and militancy – which, in addition to destroying the economy, have “disfigured our national image all over the world ... we cannot afford any other menace, [such as] sectarian disputes”. It says efforts to control such unrest must begin immediately.
The 258-page report recommends action “without any discrimination against those responsible for commission and omission”.
The report also proposes amendments to Pakistan Penal Code sections 295, 295-A, 295-B, 295-C, 296, 297, 298, 298-A, 298-B, 298-C, anti-blasphemy laws, relevant provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code and the Police Order 2002.
It recommends that federal intelligence agencies be mandated to provide “first-hand information at the divisional level”. It also calls for the capacity building of the Special Branch, the establishment of a special force for the protection and protocol of VIPs and other vulnerable persons, the exclusion of district nazims in issues related to law and order, the establishment of intelligence and crime prevention branches, rules for effective utilisation of police in terms of Article 112 of Police Order 2002, the constitution of a district religious dispute resolution board, and categorisation of districts on the basis of sensitivity.
The tribunal reached the conclusion that the riots were a result of the “inability of law-enforcement agencies to assess the gravity of the situation, inadequate precautionary and preventive measures taken by law-enforcement agencies, a lukewarm stance by the Toba Tek Singh DPO, the failure of intelligence agencies in providing prompt and correct information, a defective security plan, the irresponsible behaviour of the administration, the complete failure of police while discharging their duties, the non-enforcement of Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, omissions to take steps under sections 107 and 151 of the CrPC, the lack of a decision to invoke the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) 1960 – which amounts to letting the miscreants loose to wreak havoc during the course of the riots – and several other factors”.
Melting Himalayan glaciers threaten major drought
KATHMANDU: More than a billion people in Asia depend on Himalayan glaciers for water, but experts say they are melting at an alarming rate, threatening to bring drought to large swathes of the continent.
Glaciers in the Himalayas provide headwaters for Asia’s nine largest rivers, lifelines for the 1.3 billion people who live downstream.
But temperatures in the region have increased by between 0.15 and 0.6 degrees Celsius each decade for the last 30 years, dramatically accelerating the rate at which glaciers are shrinking. “Scientists predict that most glaciers will be gone in 40 years as a result of climate change,” said Prashant Singh, leader of environmental group WWF’s Climate for Life campaign.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations body regarded as the world’s top authority on climate change, has warned Himalayan glaciers could “disappear altogether by 2035” and experts say the effects of global warming are already being felt in the region.
Experts say the resulting water shortages could hit the economic development of China and India.
Helpless: But research on the impact of global warming on the rugged and inaccessible Himalayas remains sparse, with the IPCC describing the region as a “blank spot” due to a lack of scientific data.
Karzai: U.S. must have patience if Afghanistan not ready
Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Sunday the United States and its allies must have patience if his country is not ready to assume control of its own security by July 2011, when U.S. troops would begin leaving under President Obama's plan.
Karzai spoke to CNN's "Amanpour" program, in what was believed to be his first Western television interview since Obama's announcement last week that he will deploy an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan. Obama also said the U.S. forces would begin withdrawing from Afghanistan in July 2011.
The date was not "an exit announcement," but instead a goal for Afghan forces to be able to start assuming security control from U.S.-led allied forces, Karzai said in the interview.
"We will try our best as the Afghan people to do it the soonest possible," Karzai said. "But the international community must have also the patience with us and the realization of the realities in Afghanistan. If it takes longer, then they must be with us."
Karzai also offered his own timeline goal, saying Afghanistan wants to be able to assume security control in some parts of the country in two years, and to lead security for the entire country by the end of his five-year term, which just started after his recent re-election.
"We as Afghans will try our very best to reach that goal, and we hope our allies will back us to reach that goal," Karzai said.
Later Sunday, Obama's national security adviser, retired Marine Gen. Jim Jones, told CNN's "State of the Union" that the July 2011 date was "not a cliff" for U.S. withdrawal, but instead the start of a gradual slope for turning over security responsibility to Afghanistan.
Obama "has also said that we're not leaving Afghanistan," Jones noted, adding: "We are here to make sure that Afghanistan succeeds."
To prepare his country, Karzai said, he would do all he can to root out corruption and improve governance. He has fired corrupt officials already, he said, adding he is prepared to act against anyone proven to be breaking the law.
However, he warned against other nations using the corruption as a political tool in making decisions about Afghanistan. And he said the United States and its allies also must halt practices that contribute to corruption from outside the country or create what he called "parallel" governance issues.
The main objective for Afghanistan and its allies is to defeat terrorism and return peace to the nation, neighboring Pakistan and the region, Karzai said. That means training Afghan security forces, rebuilding the economy and other nation-building efforts, he said.
"I have fired people and I will be firing people," Karzai said. He seemed to laugh when he was played a video clip of White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs saying the United States would bypass corrupt government officials if necessary.
"Afghanistan is a sovereign country, it has a sovereign government, it's not an occupied country," Karzai said, adding that a foreign power can't undermine or go around the government to deal with whomever it chooses.
Top priorities on a "long list" of reforms include improving the rule of law, improving the judiciary, reducing bureaucracy that forces people to visit dozens of offices to get licenses, and other steps to make the government more transparent and simpler, Karzai said.
He also said the country welcomed Taliban supporters who had no ties to al Qaeda or other terrorist networks.
Eradicating terrorist networks and helping Karzai's government defeat the Taliban insurgency are main goals of the U.S.-led mission.
Approximately 1,000 U.S. Marines are expected to deploy this month as the first wave of the new deployment, military officials say. The Army may not deploy the first soldiers until at least March.
Testifying before a congressional committee last week, Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said a "significant" number of troops will arrive in the spring and summer, with the final troops moving to Afghanistan by late summer or early fall.
Meanwhile, the White House said Obama would meet with Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, and Karl Eikenberry, the U.S. ambassador in Kabul, on Monday. Both are expected to testify before Congress this week.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Friday that Britain, Italy, Poland, Slovakia and non-NATO member Georgia are among at least 25 countries offering to send a total of 7,000 additional troops.
At present, there are 68,000 U.S. troops operating under both NATO and U.S. commands in Afghanistan, and around 42,000 non-U.S. forces under NATO.
Karzai spoke to CNN's "Amanpour" program, in what was believed to be his first Western television interview since Obama's announcement last week that he will deploy an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan. Obama also said the U.S. forces would begin withdrawing from Afghanistan in July 2011.
The date was not "an exit announcement," but instead a goal for Afghan forces to be able to start assuming security control from U.S.-led allied forces, Karzai said in the interview.
"We will try our best as the Afghan people to do it the soonest possible," Karzai said. "But the international community must have also the patience with us and the realization of the realities in Afghanistan. If it takes longer, then they must be with us."
Karzai also offered his own timeline goal, saying Afghanistan wants to be able to assume security control in some parts of the country in two years, and to lead security for the entire country by the end of his five-year term, which just started after his recent re-election.
"We as Afghans will try our very best to reach that goal, and we hope our allies will back us to reach that goal," Karzai said.
Later Sunday, Obama's national security adviser, retired Marine Gen. Jim Jones, told CNN's "State of the Union" that the July 2011 date was "not a cliff" for U.S. withdrawal, but instead the start of a gradual slope for turning over security responsibility to Afghanistan.
Obama "has also said that we're not leaving Afghanistan," Jones noted, adding: "We are here to make sure that Afghanistan succeeds."
To prepare his country, Karzai said, he would do all he can to root out corruption and improve governance. He has fired corrupt officials already, he said, adding he is prepared to act against anyone proven to be breaking the law.
However, he warned against other nations using the corruption as a political tool in making decisions about Afghanistan. And he said the United States and its allies also must halt practices that contribute to corruption from outside the country or create what he called "parallel" governance issues.
The main objective for Afghanistan and its allies is to defeat terrorism and return peace to the nation, neighboring Pakistan and the region, Karzai said. That means training Afghan security forces, rebuilding the economy and other nation-building efforts, he said.
"I have fired people and I will be firing people," Karzai said. He seemed to laugh when he was played a video clip of White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs saying the United States would bypass corrupt government officials if necessary.
"Afghanistan is a sovereign country, it has a sovereign government, it's not an occupied country," Karzai said, adding that a foreign power can't undermine or go around the government to deal with whomever it chooses.
Top priorities on a "long list" of reforms include improving the rule of law, improving the judiciary, reducing bureaucracy that forces people to visit dozens of offices to get licenses, and other steps to make the government more transparent and simpler, Karzai said.
He also said the country welcomed Taliban supporters who had no ties to al Qaeda or other terrorist networks.
Eradicating terrorist networks and helping Karzai's government defeat the Taliban insurgency are main goals of the U.S.-led mission.
Approximately 1,000 U.S. Marines are expected to deploy this month as the first wave of the new deployment, military officials say. The Army may not deploy the first soldiers until at least March.
Testifying before a congressional committee last week, Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said a "significant" number of troops will arrive in the spring and summer, with the final troops moving to Afghanistan by late summer or early fall.
Meanwhile, the White House said Obama would meet with Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, and Karl Eikenberry, the U.S. ambassador in Kabul, on Monday. Both are expected to testify before Congress this week.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Friday that Britain, Italy, Poland, Slovakia and non-NATO member Georgia are among at least 25 countries offering to send a total of 7,000 additional troops.
At present, there are 68,000 U.S. troops operating under both NATO and U.S. commands in Afghanistan, and around 42,000 non-U.S. forces under NATO.
Pakistan now putting pressure on Taliban
WASHINGTON — Pakistan has acknowledged a growing threat from within its borders and is changing its attitude toward fighting terrorists, U.S. officials say.
"The Taliban in Pakistan have been attacking Pakistani civilians, Pakistani government officials, military officials, trying to destabilize the government of Pakistan," said Defense Secretary Robert Gates, joined on three Sunday talk shows by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Pakistani police have been on high alert since a bombing-grenade attack on a Rawalpindi mosque left 37 people dead, including several senior army officers. On Sunday, police commandos killed one militant and arrested five others in a raid near Peshawar, the gateway city to the Taliban-controlled areas of Pakistan. The detained are suspected of involvement in recent bombings and other attacks not only in Peshawar but in Islamabad and its sister city of Rawalpindi, a Pakistani official said.
"They are bringing pressure to bear on the Taliban in Pakistan, and particularly those that are attacking the Pakistani government," Gates said. "Any pressure on the Taliban, whether it's in Pakistan or in Afghanistan is helpful to us because al-Qaida is working with both of them."
Clinton said the change in Pakistan's view has come as its leaders have seen terrorist groups join forces and threaten Pakistan's sovereignty.
"There is a syndicate of terrorism with al-Qaida at the head of it. So, we're doing everything we can to support them in what is a really life-or-death struggle," she said.
Gates said the Taliban's "revival in the safe havens in western Pakistan is a lesson to al-Qaida that they can come back, if they are provided the kind of safe haven that the Taliban were."
Mullah Omar, the Taliban leader, is believed to be hiding in Quetta, one of those safe havens in a part of Pakistan that is largely ungoverned by the Pakistani government.
"That's one of the problems they have," said Clinton. "They ceded territory that they're now trying to get back."
An underlying concern is the security of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal. Gates said that he is satisfied that Pakistan's nuclear weapons are secure.
"The U.S. has been working with Pakistan to keep their supply safe," Gates said.
Clinton and Gates appeared on ABC's "This Week," CBS' "Face the Nation" and NBC's "Meet the Press." The interviews were taped Saturday and the networks provided transcripts in advance of the shows' broadcast.
"The Taliban in Pakistan have been attacking Pakistani civilians, Pakistani government officials, military officials, trying to destabilize the government of Pakistan," said Defense Secretary Robert Gates, joined on three Sunday talk shows by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Pakistani police have been on high alert since a bombing-grenade attack on a Rawalpindi mosque left 37 people dead, including several senior army officers. On Sunday, police commandos killed one militant and arrested five others in a raid near Peshawar, the gateway city to the Taliban-controlled areas of Pakistan. The detained are suspected of involvement in recent bombings and other attacks not only in Peshawar but in Islamabad and its sister city of Rawalpindi, a Pakistani official said.
"They are bringing pressure to bear on the Taliban in Pakistan, and particularly those that are attacking the Pakistani government," Gates said. "Any pressure on the Taliban, whether it's in Pakistan or in Afghanistan is helpful to us because al-Qaida is working with both of them."
Clinton said the change in Pakistan's view has come as its leaders have seen terrorist groups join forces and threaten Pakistan's sovereignty.
"There is a syndicate of terrorism with al-Qaida at the head of it. So, we're doing everything we can to support them in what is a really life-or-death struggle," she said.
Gates said the Taliban's "revival in the safe havens in western Pakistan is a lesson to al-Qaida that they can come back, if they are provided the kind of safe haven that the Taliban were."
Mullah Omar, the Taliban leader, is believed to be hiding in Quetta, one of those safe havens in a part of Pakistan that is largely ungoverned by the Pakistani government.
"That's one of the problems they have," said Clinton. "They ceded territory that they're now trying to get back."
An underlying concern is the security of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal. Gates said that he is satisfied that Pakistan's nuclear weapons are secure.
"The U.S. has been working with Pakistan to keep their supply safe," Gates said.
Clinton and Gates appeared on ABC's "This Week," CBS' "Face the Nation" and NBC's "Meet the Press." The interviews were taped Saturday and the networks provided transcripts in advance of the shows' broadcast.
U.S. Believes Pakistan Nuclear Arms Are Secure: Gates
NewYorkTimes
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has helped Pakistan improve security arrangements for its nuclear arms and is "comfortable" the weapons are secure, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in an interview aired on Sunday.
The Pakistani government has come under repeated attack from Taliban extremists, most recently on Friday when two suicide bombers eluded security and blew themselves up in a mosque in Rawalpindi, home to the country's military establishment, killing some 40 people.
The attack raised concerns about how the bombers penetrated what should have been one of the country's most secure areas. In light of the blasts, Gates faced questions about the security of Pakistan's nuclear arms.
"We are comfortable with the security of their weapons," he told CBS's "Face the Nation" program.
Asked how he could be sure, given reports the United States does not know where all the arms are located, Gates would only say that based on the information available, U.S. officials were comfortable with their safety.
"We have a good relationship with them. We've actually given them assistance in improving some of their security arrangements over the past number of years. This is not a new relationship. And I think just based on the information available to us that gives us the comfort," he said.
Pakistan, which has not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, conducted several nuclear tests in 1998. The country is estimated to have at least 60 nuclear warheads, possibly stored in component form, according to a U.S. Congressional Research Service report in October.
Concern about nuclear safety in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington prompted former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to have the country's nuclear arsenal moved to six secret locations, the report said, citing press reports.
Proliferation is a concern with Pakistan. The father of the country's nuclear program, A.Q. Khan, was involved in supplying North Korea, Iran and Libya with materials related to uranium enrichment, the report said, and al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden reportedly has tried to make contact with the network.
Kurdish boy who 'died' in Halabja gas attack is reunited with his mother
www.timesonline.co.uk/
For two decades, Fatima Hama Saleh thought that all her children had died in a gas attack carried out by Saddam Hussein against the Kurdish town of Halabja — the worst atrocity of the former Iraqi dictator’s rule.
But now she has been reunited with her son, Ali Pour, at a dramatic meeting after DNA tests confirmed that the young man, now aged 21, was the infant she became separated from when chemical weapons rained down on the Kurdish market town in 1988.
“I’m in a dream,” said Mr Pour, as he embraced and comforted his weeping mother. She replied: “I wonder if it is a dream or a gift from God.”
Mother and son were talking to each other through an interpreter because Mr Pour speaks only his adopted tongue farsi and not his native Kurdish or Iraq’s official language, Arabic.
Mrs Saleh revealed his birth name, Zimnaku Mohammed Saleh, and recalled the day Halabja was attacked, including the panic the family felt when their home was enveloped by a deadly cocktail of mustard gas and the nerve agents Tabun, Sarin and VX.
“We didn’t know where to go,” Mrs Saleh said. “Zimnaku, the four-month-old, was on my lap and suddenly my older son screamed saying: ‘Mother, I feel like I’m burning’. I tried to help him and my other sons, too. But it was in vain. I saw them dying in front of me. I collapsed and the next thing I remember is lying in a hospital bed in Tehran.”
Mr Pour’s adoptive uncle explained what happened next. “The baby Ali survived for three days,” said Habib Hamid Pour. He was found by the Iranian military, which moved into Halabja after the attack, and took him to Iran along with other survivors.
Eventually he was placed with a family in the eastern Iranian city of Mashhad and was raised as an Iranian.
“My adopted mother was nice,” said Mr Pour, dressed in traditional Kurdish clothing of baggy pants, tunic and scarf tucked into his belt. “When I entered primary school at age 6, she told me I am from the Kurdish people of Halabja. She said I should return some day to meet my relatives.”
Four months ago, his adoptive mother was killed in a car accident. “I felt lonely and I felt a strange feeling calling me to return to the arms of my relatives,” he said. “I decided to go back.”
He contacted Iranian officials who kept records on the Halabja survivors brought to Iran. They contacted the Halabja government, which said six families were missing a boy who would now be Mr Pour’s age. A judge ordered a DNA test to be carried out by a medical lab in Jordan.
The massacre in Halabja on March 16, 1988, was part of Saddam’s Anfal Campaign that killed up to 200,000 Kurds. Three-quarters of the 5,000 killed in Halabja were women and children, making it the worst gas attack carried out against civilians.
Four of Mrs Saleh’s five children died in the attack as well as her husband, Mr Pour’s father. After the reunion, she said: “I will not die in sorrow and grief, after all the miseries I have experienced.”
She had learnt from a television report that a surviving child was looking for his family and applied to do the DNA test. At the meeting of the six participating families, shouts of joy eventually broke the silence that had greeted the announcement.
Mrs Saleh stood up and then fell to her seat as she took in what had been said. “Thank you God! You brought back my son Zimnaku,” she cried. “It’s like my whole family has come back to life — my son has returned.”
Clinton seeks to reassure Pakistanis on ties
WASHINGTON: Renewing US commitment to a long-term relationship with Pakistan, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the Obama Administration has requested a significant increase in economic development assistance for the country, a key partner in curbing violent extremism in the region.
‘We are committed to Pakistan’s security, stability, and sovereignty for the long term,’ said Clinton.
She said President Obama’s strategy, announced this week, reflects the American nation’s commitment to building a broad partnership with the Pakistani people.
This partnership, she remarked, is based on common values and a shared commitment to democratic rule, robust economic development, safety and security of all Pakistanis and the defeat of militants and terrorists who, she claimed, hide along the country’s western border.
‘We’ve already begun to implement elements of President Obama’s strategy. We have requested a significant increase in economic development assistance, including through the landmark Kerry-Lugar-Berman legislation,’ Clinton said in a message to the Pakistani people.
The chief American diplomat said the US looks forward to strengthening and continuing the partnership not only between the governments, but between the Pakistani and American people in the months and years to come.
‘We are launching initiatives to help strengthen Pakistan’s infrastructure, especially in energy and water, which is what the Pakistani people have told us you need, so you can have the resources you require in your homes, schools, and businesses.’
President Obama’s strategy is the product of broad consultation, including with many of the partners in Pakistan, Clinton said.
‘We join the people of Pakistan in our deep concern about the threat posed by al-Qaida and its extremist allies. We condemn the violence that has been inflicted on innocent Pakistani people in recent months with bombings and other brutal assaults targeting civilians, your military, and other important aspects of your country and society,’ said Clinton.
The United States and Nato forces, numbering around 100,000 are trying to contain Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan, eight years after September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States which led to the US invasion of Afghanistan. Nato allies have also pledged to increase their troops presence in Afghanistan by 7,000 after the American announcement of 30,000 additional troops.
The US and its Nato allies depend on Pakistan not only for transportation of supplies for their mission in landlocked Afghanistan but also to curb militant activity along the porous Pak-Afghan border.
Meanwhile, Pakistan, which has launched major anti-militant operations in its north-western areas, is confronting a wave of retaliatory bombings and is concerned about any spill-over effect of fighting in the Afghan provinces bordering its tribal areas.
Pakistan remains host to the largest population of refugees in the world, with over two million Afghans still living on its soil.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
EDITORIAL: Rawalpindi attack
DAWN.COM
After a brief lull in the attacks against the state and the security apparatus, the violence has picked up again.
Yesterday’s devastating fidayeen-cum-suicide attack on a high-security Rawalpindi mosque frequented by military officers is a sign that while the counter-insurgency operation in South Waziristan may have notched up some military successes, the fight against militancy is far from being won.
Several points need to be made. First, the security forces must launch an enquiry into what appears to be a breakdown in security measures.
That half a dozen militants reportedly entered the premises of the mosque around the Friday afternoon prayer time is inexcusable.
It is not just that there has been a terrible loss of life as a result, but also the fact that the militants execute such operations as much for the psychological impact as the physical toll.
Senior army officers and their relatives being killed in a high-security area sends a terrible signal: nobody anywhere is safe. Fear of that kind can be fatal to long-term success against the militants.
Second, the outside world needs to recognise that Pakistan is locked in a bloody fight against militants and therefore the ‘do more’ refrain needs to be tamped down.
In these columns, we have repeatedly warned the security establishment here that any ‘good Taliban/bad Taliban’ distinction needs to be dropped for the long-term security of the country.
But the outside world must acknowledge the limitations of a sub-optimal state fighting a hydra-headed enemy.
Putting pressure on Pakistan to fight X group of militants when it is already struggling to defeat Y can risk losing the war against both X and Y.
Third, the US needs to think very carefully about the impending expansion of its drone operations inside Pakistan, as reported in The New York Times yesterday.
The potential benefits of Pak-US collaboration on the drone programme to take out militants in Fata causing trouble for both sides are real.
But so are the dangers of the US squeezing Pakistan to accept a rapid escalation in the strikes and expanding the target area from South and North Waziristan to other parts of Fata, and perhaps even Balochistan.
A public and/or political backlash against expanded strikes could create further instability in the country.
And American pressure on the drone programme could affect military cooperation in other areas, further complicating counter-insurgency operations in the two countries.
Frustration and unhappiness in both the American and Pakistani camps should not overshadow a basic reality: the two sides need one another if they are to defeat the militants.
‘Acts of cowardice will not deter our anti-terror resolve’
RAWALPINDI: Funeral prayers for high-ranking officers, including Major-General Bilal Omar, who died in yesterday's Parade Land mosque attack, were held at the Chaklala garrison on Saturday.
Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani attended the funeral prayers.
General Kayani said acts of cowardice will not dent the resolve of the armed forces and the nation to fight against terrorism.
Meanwhile, funeral prayers for three of the victims of yesterday's mosque attack were held at the Racecourse ground in Rawalpindi.
Security was tightened in and around the ground with the military police, Punjab police and Rangers performing the task. Meanwhile, special traffic arrangements were made at the funeral services held in the Westridge-I area of Rawalpindi.
Relatives of the victims as well as high-ranking officers from the armed forces attended the services.
The Peshawar Road area was also put on high alert and cordoned off as intelligence personnel and the military police conducted investigations into yesterday's attacks.
Accidental blast in Peshawar causes casualties
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At least three people are reported to have been killed in an explosion in the Pakistani city of Peshawar.
Officials initially said the blast, near a KFC restaurant, was caused by a bomb, but later reports suggested it was an accidental explosion.
Local TV showed black smoke rising from a building and burning cars.
The explosion came a day after 35 people were killed in a militant attack on a mosque near the Pakistani army's headquarters in Rawalpindi.
Investigators quoted by the Associated Press said they found no trace of explosives at the scene of the Peshawar blast.
Several people were seen clinging to windows in one building that was on fire, shouting for help.
Police Chief Liaquat Ali Khan told AP it was an accidental explosion that went off in a shop with paint stored inside, although the exact cause remains unclear.
Peshawar has been a frequent target for militant attacks, and initial reports suggested it may have been another such incident.
Soon after the explosion the region's information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain, had suggested the explosion was caused by a car bomb, detonated remotely.
Friday, December 4, 2009
NATO and Afghan forces launch Helmand offensive
AFP - More than 1,000 British, Afghan and US troops launched a fresh offensive in a key battleground of southern Afghanistan on Friday, after President Barack Obama unveiled a new strategy to end the war.
NATO said the offensive was designed to crush insurgents around a major town in Helmand in order to allow development to begin and civilians to return -- key elements of Obama's decision to deploy 30,000 new US troops to Afghanistan.
Many of the new forces are heading south, where Helmand is the heartland of Afghanistan's massive opium production and a stronghold for the eight-year Taliban insurgency seeking to overthrow the Western-backed government.
The extra US soldiers, coupled with at least 7,000 more pledged by NATO allies, will boost to over 150,000 the number of troops serving in the US-led coalition and the NATO-run International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
"More than 1,000 ISAF personnel partnered with Afghan national security forces began a long-planned operation in northern Helmand province to clear insurgent forces from a key area," the military said.
Around 900 US Marines and sailors, British troops and more than 150 Afghan soldiers and police were taking part in Operation Khareh Cobra, or "Cobra's Anger" in the valley of Now Zad, it added.
"So far, four Taliban dead bodies were left behind on the battlefield. But enemy casualties could be higher," Helmand governor spokesman Daud Ahmadi told AFP, adding that scores of mines and a cache of explosives were seized.
Yusuf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, confirmed the militia was fighting back and claimed that the insurgents had inflicted losses on the soldiers.
The operation was launched as NATO nations in Brussels pledged at least 7,000 troops to back the new drive against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.
Eight years after driving the Taliban out of power, more than 40 nations are launching a new effort to end the increasingly unpopular war, which has this year claimed record numbers of Western military casualties.
Around 300 US and 99 British troops have died in Afghanistan so far this year, compared to 295 foreign military deaths for all of 2008.
"This is a crucial test for NATO, which has been the greatest and most successful military alliance in history," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned NATO and its partners in Brussels.
"At least 25 countries will send more forces to the mission in 2010," said NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
More pledges are expected, some after a conference on Afghanistan in London on January 28, he told reporters. Washington welcomed the "hefty" contribution.
Helmand produces about 50 percent of the world's opium. Its largely unguarded southern border with Pakistan is both a route for the illicit drug trade and for a steady supply of Taliban recruits and supplies.
"Now Zad was once Helmand's second-largest city, but is now empty due to years of fighting," ISAF said.
Insurgents have heavily mined the area. A goal of the operation is to provide enough security for the Afghan government and aid groups to begin clearing mines and improvised explosive devices, enabling citizens to return.
Friday's operation is smaller than that launched in July by 4,000 US Marines in Helmand, where British troops have struggled for years to rein in an increasingly virulent Taliban insurgency.
The Washington Post has reported that the United States will deploy up to 9,000 Marines to Helmand -- doubling the US presence in the province -- as part of a US strategy designed to start bringing troops home from 2011.
On Friday, suspected Taliban fired at least one rocket into western Afghanistan's biggest airport, disrupting flights but causing no casualties, a sign the insurgency is spreading into once peaceful parts of the country.
People flee as army steps up operation in Orakzai
KOHAT: Exodus of people from the Orakzai Agency is gaining momentum as the military intensified air and ground assaults on hideouts of militants.
Security forces have entered upper and lower Orakzai from Shahu Khel in the Hangu district and Chappri Feroze Khel on the border with the Khyber Agency, respectively. Inaccessible parts are being regularly pounded by jets, gunship helicopters and artillery fire for 10 days.
Hundreds of displaced families who did not possess registration cards faced problems and remained stranded at different checkposts in Hangu and Kohat. These families were reportedly harassed at the Ustarzai police station located on the Hangu highway in Kohat and were sent back to Hangu with instructions to bring registration cards.
The government has established registration camps for the displaced people in Hangu, but has not made any arrangements to educate the tribesmen about the procedure. Most of the people are illiterate and unable to understand the compulsion of registration cards as they used to move freely in the region in the past.
They complained that the government should have dropped leaflets through helicopters and made announcements in mosques to tell them about the registration procedure.
Fazal Amin, the head of a displaced family from the Dabori area of upper Orakzai which was not being allowed to enter Kohat by police in Ustarzai, said they had left their home to take shelter with their relatives in Kohat and were not terrorists. He complained that the attitude of police and the civil administration had multiplied their woes.
Transporters also fleeced the people by raising the fare to Kohat by Rs100 and by Rs150 to Peshawar.
The displaced people demanded that the government should set up registration camps on Sumari and Ustarzai routes.
Contrary to the claims of the political administration of the Orakzai Agency that 1,100 families had left the tribal area, independent sources told Dawn at least 10,000 families had shifted to other areas since the start of the military operation 10 days ago.
The district administration has set up a small camp at the Government High School, Mohammad Khawaja, where only eight families have been registered, who are being provided with food items, except for sugar.
Security forces have entered upper and lower Orakzai from Shahu Khel in the Hangu district and Chappri Feroze Khel on the border with the Khyber Agency, respectively. Inaccessible parts are being regularly pounded by jets, gunship helicopters and artillery fire for 10 days.
Hundreds of displaced families who did not possess registration cards faced problems and remained stranded at different checkposts in Hangu and Kohat. These families were reportedly harassed at the Ustarzai police station located on the Hangu highway in Kohat and were sent back to Hangu with instructions to bring registration cards.
The government has established registration camps for the displaced people in Hangu, but has not made any arrangements to educate the tribesmen about the procedure. Most of the people are illiterate and unable to understand the compulsion of registration cards as they used to move freely in the region in the past.
They complained that the government should have dropped leaflets through helicopters and made announcements in mosques to tell them about the registration procedure.
Fazal Amin, the head of a displaced family from the Dabori area of upper Orakzai which was not being allowed to enter Kohat by police in Ustarzai, said they had left their home to take shelter with their relatives in Kohat and were not terrorists. He complained that the attitude of police and the civil administration had multiplied their woes.
Transporters also fleeced the people by raising the fare to Kohat by Rs100 and by Rs150 to Peshawar.
The displaced people demanded that the government should set up registration camps on Sumari and Ustarzai routes.
Contrary to the claims of the political administration of the Orakzai Agency that 1,100 families had left the tribal area, independent sources told Dawn at least 10,000 families had shifted to other areas since the start of the military operation 10 days ago.
The district administration has set up a small camp at the Government High School, Mohammad Khawaja, where only eight families have been registered, who are being provided with food items, except for sugar.
US condemns mosque attack in Pakistan
WASHINGTON: The United States condemned Friday's deadly attack on a mosque in Pakistan, saying it highlights the need for Washington to support Islamabad in fighting a "common" enemy.
"These attacks highlight the vicious and inhuman nature of this enemy whose true target is the democratically elected government of Pakistan and the security of all Pakistanis," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters.
The "awful attacks" underscore the "need for us to support the government of Pakistan as they fight this... common enemy and this common challenge that we have," he added. "We will continue to support them as... they fight this terrible scourge."
Kelly expressed sympathy for the attack's victims, as well as for the friends and family of those killed. He said the State Department had no information of any Americans hurt in the attack.
Suicide bombers stormed a mosque frequented by army officers in Pakistan's garrison city of Rawalpindi, leaving 40 people dead in an onslaught of gunfire, grenades and explosions.
Four militants launched the attack, opening fire, tossing grenades and then detonating suicide vests in a crowd gathered for Friday prayers in the city adjoining the capital Islamabad, witnesses and officials said.
Rawalpindi is home to the military's headquarters and is a frequent target of Taliban insurgents, who have staged a wave of fierce attacks in recent months to avenge military offensives against them across the northwest, along the border with Afghanistan.
President Barack Obama's administration is seeking to win firmer backing from Islamabad in fighting extremism by pledging to sharply step up support for Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation wary of US actions.
Peshawar: Security beefed up in provincial capital
PESHAWAR: Due to unsatisfactory law and order situation here, the stringent security measures have been taken in the Provincial capital on Friday and extra contingents of police were deployed at various sensitive areas and outside mosques besides sealing city and cantonment areas to avert any possibility of mishap. People offered Friday prayers amid tight security and the police allowed the Nimazees (worshippers) to enter the mosques after thorough body search. The police had secret information on Friday about the possibility of terror incident in the Provincial capital. All the roads leading to Saddar Bazaar were blocked whereas Bara Road, Mall Road, FC Plaza roads were sealed besides banning the entry of vehicles on all roads leading to cantonment area. Similarly, car parking was not allowed outside mosques in order to ensure safety of the worshippers. Moreover, apart from checking vehicles the security personnel were also conducting body search of people on foot that panicked the commoners. The fear and panic returned to the capital city after a break of few days and most of the markets and bazaars remained closed whereas people confined themselves inside their houses. Security put on high alert in City after Thursday’s blast in Regi area and intelligence reports regarding terror incident during Friday prayers. On the special directives, additional contingents of security forces have been deployed at sensitive points in the city. Strict directives have been issued for night patrolling and checking of suspects. It is reported that numbers of roads have been closed for traffic, whereas more contingents of police have been deputed for ensuring the security of the building. The police have declared many areas of the provincial metropolis as most sensitive and they were put in ‘High Alert or Red Zone’ where security was further tightened. It is also reported that once again threats received to educational institutions of the City and local administration directed such institutions to enhance security steps and ensure protection to the students. The Afghan migrants are also being closely monitored as per the latest development in this respect, sources said.
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