Chaos prevails as protesters, police clash in Iranian capital

Wounded protesters seek treatment at embassies, rights group says
Iran's system "going to the slaughterhouse," Moussavi's Facebook page says
Hospitals say 19 killed; unconfirmed reports put toll as high as 150
Police use water cannon and batons on crowds of demonstrators.







TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Thousands of defiant protesters swept again Saturday into the streets of the Iranian capital, where they clashed with police armed with batons, tear gas and water cannons.
A stream of videos posted on social networking Web sites depicted scenes of chaos -- the sound of gunshots and helicopters whirring overhead and graphic images of wounded men and women being carried away.

Unconfirmed reports put the death toll as high as 150 on the seventh day of post-election protests. Sources at one Tehran hospital confirmed 19 deaths Saturday.

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said numerous protesters who had been beaten and injured by security forces were arrested and detained when they sought medical treatment in hospitals. It said fear of arrest had reportedly driven injured protesters, some in serious condition, to seek care at foreign embassies.

One woman, Shahnaz, said riot police used batons and water hoses to keep her and about 300 other people from reaching Revolution Square in central Tehran. She said she saw helicopters hovering and then she saw tear gas.

Shahnaz is being identified only by her first name for safety reasons.

Verifiable information was hard to come by. The Ministry of Culture on Saturday banned international media from reporting on the demonstrations unless they receive permission from Iranian authorities. A freelance journalist said it was "very dangerous" to take pictures.
At midnight, a stretch of a main avenue near Revolution Square was littered with rocks, street signs and burned tires and trash, witnesses said. Windows were shattered and hundreds of uniformed riot police lined the streets.

In wealthy neighborhoods, reports surfaced late Saturday of raids by the Basiji militia, a paramilitary security force loyal to the government.

The demonstrations unfolded as opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi reportedly declared he was ready for "martyrdom."

That was the message posted on Moussavi's page on Facebook, the social networking Web site that has proved to be a key source of information in the absence of international media coverage.

The message urged Moussavi's supporters to "protest" and "not go to work."

The authenticity of the information could not immediately be established, but its posting coincided with growing unrest by demonstrators, who complain that hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's election victory was rigged.

The protests were held in open defiance of warnings issued Friday by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the country's Security Council. Those authorities had said that protest organizers -- specifically Moussavi -- would be held accountable if the protests led to bloodshed.
Moussavi seemed to be encouraging demonstrators to continue their protests with messages posted on his page on Facebook, the social networking Web site that has proven to be a key source of information in the absence of international media coverage.

"Today you are the media," said one message. "It is your duty to report and keep the hope alive."

Iran's ruling system is "going to the slaughterhouse," a post on the site said.

The post, attributed to Moussavi, reasserted his call for a new election to be overseen by an independent council.

Earlier in the day, Moussavi declared on Facebook that he was ready for "martyrdom." That message urged his supporters to "protest" and "not go to work."

CNN could not determine the authenticity of the messages.

One video showed a woman trying to protect a man being beaten and kicked by protesters near a motorcycle in flames.

Another showed that the unrest had spread beyond the capital -- police clad in riot gear dispersing a crowd at a university in the southern city of Shiraz, beating screaming women with their batons.

Witnesses in Tehran said crowd members were chanting "Death to Khamenei!" and "I will kill whoever killed my brother!" The latter phrase dates to Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution that brought Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to power.

The chants from rooftops of "Allahu Akbar" (God is great) grew longer and louder.

In a story posted Saturday on the Web site of the government-run Press TV, Iran's deputy police commander said 400 police personnel had been wounded since the opposition rallies began last weekend.

"Families of those killed or injured in the events since June 12 have filed 2,000 complaints so far," acting Police Chief Brigadier Gen. Ahmad-Reza Radan told Iran's Fars news agency.

Radan said 10,000 complaints had been filed by people asserting that their daily lives had been disrupted, adding, "They have called on the police to deal with rallies firmly."

Demonstrators gathered in major cities in France, the United States and Germany to condemn the crackdown. Watch demonstrators in New York demand change »

In Washington, President Obama urged the Iranian government to stop the violence.

"The Iranian government must understand that the world is watching," Obama said in a written statement. "We call on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people."

"If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect the dignity of its own people and govern through consent, not coercion," the statement said.

On Saturday night, the Iranian state-run news agency IRINN said an attacker had been killed earlier in the day outside Tehran at the entrance to the mausoleum that holds the body of Ayatollah Khomeini. The agency said the man "carrying the bomb" was killed, and there were no other casualties.

Press TV was reporting that the bomber was the sole fatality, and that three other people were wounded at the shrine to Khomeini, the father of the Islamic Revolution that swept the shah of Iran from power in 1979. Khomeini is regarded as the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

With international journalists restricted from covering events in the capital, Iranians were again using cell phones and social networking sites to get news out. CNN was told that many protesters removed the SIM card, or memory chip, from their cell phones to prevent the government from tracing their calls.

Witnesses reported that cell phone service was cut off in the area after 5:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, the Iranian government said Saturday it is ready to randomly recount up to 10 percent of "ballot boxes." The government agency that oversees elections, the Guardian Council, said it had received more than 600 complaints of irregularities from the three candidates.

Help us or we'll grow opium, say Afghan villagers

TALBOZANG, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Fifty-year-old Abdul Wadud walked for two hours across Afghanistan's remote northern mountains to hear a police commander give yet more promises of aid for those who turn their backs on growing opium.

Wadud does not grow drugs. But if no money comes soon, he will.

"The government told us several times they would help us and they didn't," he said, crouching barefoot on the ground in traditional Afghan loose shirt and trousers and explaining he feeds a family of 15 on occasional work as a day laborer.

"If the government or the aid organizations don't help us -- yes we will have to start growing opium," he said.

"If they build us schools and roads we promise never to grow opium."

Wadud and around 30 other village elders from the area had gathered on a hillside deep inside the Hindu Kush mountains, to attend a "shura," or meeting, organized by provincial authorities to dissuade the men from growing the drug.

Their Badakhshan province in remote northern Afghanistan has been a showcase for government efforts to battle the drugs trade, which accounts for nearly all the world's heroin.

Until 2006 Badakhshan was one of the main opium growing areas in Afghanistan, producing the country's second biggest crop.

But last year its output fell by 95 percent, to a mere 200 hectares under cultivation, close to being declared 'poppy free' by the United Nations, which credited government information campaigns and eradication programs for the success there.

The United Nations has warned, however, that last year's improvement may not hold without more aid for poor farmers.

"Badakhshan may bounce back to opium cultivation if the government fails to deliver promises made to farmers for alternative development activities," the U.N. drugs agency said in its opium survey report last August.

"DISGRACE"

Sayed Musqin Wafaqish, a police commander sent in from Kabul to head counter-narcotic efforts in the area, told the bearded men seated on rolled-out plastic carpets that the aid is coming, as long as they do not revert to growing opium.

"We know you are poor and because you are poor you want to grow poppy," he said. "It is bad for Afghanistan. It is a disgrace. It gives a bad name for Afghanistan because we are growing poppy. I promise you in the near future you will get some help. Your village is on the top of the list."

Despite a marginal drop in production, Afghanistan last year still produced more than 90 percent of the world's opium, a thick paste from poppies which is processed to make heroin. But the overall numbers hide wide variations from province to province.

As a result of improvements in areas under government control in recent years, most of the production is now concentrated in southern provinces such as Helmand, in areas partly or wholly controlled by Taliban militants.

Fighters use the trade to fund their insurgency, and it also breeds corrosive government corruption. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said this year Afghanistan was in danger of becoming a failed "narco-state."

The government and its Western backers say the drop in production in northern provinces under their grip, like Badakhshan, is a sign they can fight drugs in areas they control.

Afghan and Western anti-narcotics officials tout "alternative development" projects such as providing wheat seeds to farmers. But locals at the shura say they have yet to see the benefits.

Sayed Amir, 60, an elder from the village of Talbozang, shook his head when asked if he has received any government help.

"No, no, no. Never," he said. "The government promised us seeds but we never received them."

Officials in the peaceful north say they have received far less international aid than in the violent south, where donors spend money to win over hearts and minds from insurgents.

"We hear in radio broadcasts that the international community is helping our country. Where is the help?" said Sayed Ayub, head of Talbozang's development council, as U.S. military and State Department officials who traveled to the shura looked on.

"We are ready for any cooperation with the government. If the government asks us not to grow poppy, they should help us."

43 militants killed during last 24 hours: DG ISPR

RAWALPINDI :Director General ISPR Major Ather Abbas said during last 24 hours, 43 terrorists were killed and six were apprehended, while six soldiers including an officer embraced Shahadat; 17 soldiers including a Junior Commissioned Officer were injured in Malakand and South Waziristan Agency.

Swat security forces successfully secured Kotlai, Chungai, Zara Khela and commenced operation towards Dagai. During exchange of fire with terrorists, 1 Security Forces personnel was injured.

Terrorists ambushed security forces vehicle at road Udigram- Akhun Kalle, resultantly three soldiers embraced Shahadat and seven soldiers were injured.

Security forces commenced clearance operation from Malakand to Thana. one soldier embraced shahadat during exchange of fire with terrorists.

Security forces carried out search operation around Peochar, during exchange of fire with terrorists, three terrorists including brother of local terrorists commander Yousaf were apprehended.

Security forces cleared villages Babu, Shakardarra, while three terrorists were apprehended.

Clearance operation by security forces progressing well at Sakhara, Kharakai, Wanai and Lilbant.

In Dir Local elders Jirgas held a meeting with security forces on security situation of the area and expressed their support for the Government and security forces.

Security forces cleared area around in Bajaur village Asghar.

Security forces party was ambushed at Hilal Khel, during heavy exchange of fire with terrorists, an officer Major Afzal and one soldier embraced shahadat and six soldiers were injured.

In South Waziristan Agency terrorists had blocked the road between Tanai to Sarwaki. Road opening and road clearance operations are being conducted from Tanai to Sarwaki. 32 terrorists were killed in Sarwaki in retaliatory fire by Security Forces.

Meanwhile, all the roads in Mingora city and Takhtaband by pass have been repaired for two way traffic by army engineers. Damage was caused to roads by terrorists. Malakand Mingora road has also been repaired.

Sui Gas repair work in city and surrounding villages has been completed except Kabbal and Rahimabad.

Peshawar security put on red alert

PESHAWAR: The security in Peshawar has been put on high alert in the face of unsatisfactory law and order situation in the provincial capital on Saturday while the suspected vehicles and persons are being strictly checked, Geo news reported.

According to police sources, all the entrances and exists of city, in a bid to step up security measures, are being strictly monitored.

The Peshawar Problem

www.foreignpolicy.com
Working on the International Crisis Group's recent report on Pakistan's internally displaced persons, our team met with Western officials at the Pearl Continental Hotel in Peshawar. Had it not been for my trip to Washington to speak with U.S. officials about their Af-Pak strategy, there is a good chance that I would have been there last Tuesday, June 9, when terrorists blasted a hole through the building, killing more than a dozen people.
The attackers had a sophisticated, carefully orchestrated strategy. They gunned down the civilian police guarding the hotel's perimeter, which enabled them to drive past the cement barriers and overtake the private guards within the hotel. Once inside, they blew themselves up and much of the hotel with them. It looked just like the attack on the Marriott in Islamabad last September, just like the Taj Mahal Palace and the Oberoi Trident hotels in Mumbai last November, and just like the attack on the Serena Hotel in Kabul in January 2008, which I witnessed from my hotel room there.

The similarities are no coincidence. All the targets have been luxury hotels frequented by foreigners. Every attack has taken advantage of weaknesses in the local infrastructure. Nor was the timing of the attack on the Pearl Continental an accident. Employees from the United Nations, the World Food Program, and numerous aid organizations were staying there. Many of them were charged with helping the 3 million people who have been displaced in the last month alone. These now internally displaced people (IDPs) fled on just a few hours notice -- before a military offensive meant to "flush out" the terrorists in the North-west Frontier Province's Malakand district unleashed heavy artillery, helicopter gunships, and jetfighters against their homes and crops. They left without possessions, and these usually mountain dwellers arrived unprepared for the scorching plains climate. The attack on the Pearl Continental forced international agencies to withdraw their international staff from Peshawar, disrupting assistance to the hundreds of thousands now living in government-run camps.

The IDP situation matters for more than its very real status as a humanitarian crisis. Between 80 and 90 percent of the IDPs are not in the camps; they are bunking with overstretched relatives and friends who receive no outside aid whatsoever. If the international community responds to their needs, these IDPs could present a potentially powerful constituency of civil opposition to extremism. They fled their homes because they reject the militants' worldview. If and when peace returns, they, as a resident living in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas told Crisis Group, will be the robust civil society that is so badly needed in the conflict zones.

If Pakistan and its international partners don't meet the needs of those taking refuge, the jihadists will. For a taste of what could happen, just take the October 2008 earthquake in Quetta. To this day, jihadi organizations are winning support by posing as relief groups, offering food, shelter, education, and salvation in one fell swoop. For many IDPs, these services will be their only option. It is not surprising that the terrorists have been so effective in Pakistan.

There are other vulnerabilities that militants exploit here, too. Aid and assistance is one; policing is even more important. Local police forces in the area of the attacks were and remain completely ill-equipped to contend with insurgents. They lack training, barriers, vehicles, modern weapons, and even guns. The underfunded police could do far more with all of these missing resources in hand. As proof, police forces have more frequently intervened and prevented more deadly attacks than their well-funded Army colleagues. If they were trained in counterinsurgency tactics and evidence collection, police could rightly treat and try militants as criminals. Today, the country's criminal prosecution rate stands at only 10 percent.

If the Peshawar attacks teach us anything, it is that, while the foot soldiers may be local militants, the brains behind the terrorist attacks are not. In 2009, there have been more terrorist attacks and more suicide bombings in Pakistan than in Iraq. For the masterminds behind the brutal violence, Pakistan is just the latest frontier in a global campaign.

Their broader goal is clear: terrorize and demoralize the public and the security agencies, and prevent vital services from reaching those who need it most. Al Qaeda and the Taliban's foothold on the tribal belt enables them to do just that. When the state fails to provide the services that civilians desperately need, the jihadists fill the void. The way that Pakistan, the United States, and other partners approach relief for the latest victims will determine what will emerge from the rubble: a strong civil society that stands in opposition to extremism, or a population beaten into compliance with the very forces tearing their country apart.

Reporters Escape Taliban Captors

Washington Post

NEW YORK, June 20 -- A New York Times reporter kidnapped by the Taliban and held for seven months in the rugged mountainous region along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border escaped Friday, along with a local Afghan reporter, by climbing over a wall and finding a nearby Pakistani army base, according to the newspaper, U.S. officials and the journalist's family.

David Rohde, 41, was taken captive Nov. 10 along with local reporter Tahir Ludin, 35, and their driver while Rohde was researching a book on Afghanistan. News organizations, including The Washington Post, did not report on the abduction at the request of the Times and Rohde's relatives, who feared that publication of the news could endanger the lives of the captives.

Rohde was kidnapped after he, Ludin and their driver, Assadullah Mangal, 24, set out by car for a prearranged interview with a local Taliban commander. Rohde, described by friends and colleagues as a brave but cautious reporter who always measured risks before traveling, told colleagues at the Times' Kabul bureau that he expected to be fine. But as a precaution, he left instructions on whom to call if he did not return.

The reporter, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner, was beginning work on a book about the history of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. He had been held captive in 1995 in Bosnian Serb territory while reporting for the Christian Science Monitor on mass killings at the height of the Bosnian war.

Rohde was apparently planning to journey to the eastern province of Logar to meet with a top commander linked to the insurgent network controlled by Jalaluddin Haqqani and his son, Sirajuddin Haqqani. The Haqqani network, believed to control large swaths of eastern Afghanistan, has emerged in recent years as a powerful antagonist to U.S. efforts to stabilize that country and root out insurgent havens in the lawless tribal areas of Pakistan. The Haqqani network is suspected of launching a number of spectacular attacks in recent years, including a deadly suicide bombing of the Indian Embassy in Kabul that killed more than 50 people in July 2008.

Ludin, the local reporter, has worked with several Western news organizations and arranged other high-level meetings with Taliban commanders for journalists over the years, and he arranged the meeting at Rohde's request.

The Times reported on its Web site Saturday that at the time of their escape, Rohde, Ludin and Mangal were being held in the North Waziristan region of Pakistan. The paper said it was unclear why the driver did not escape with the others. The Times initially reported that Mangal opted to stay behind.

The Times said Rohde and Ludin escaped by climbing over a wall of the compound where they were being held. They walked until they came upon a Pakistani soldier, near Miran Shah, the main town of North Waziristan. The soldier escorted them to a nearby Pakistani military base.

Senior U.S. and Pakistani officials with knowledge of the case, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of diplomatic and security concerns, have confirmed that the abductors initially demanded a multimillion-dollar ransom and the release of several insurgent commanders in exchange for Rohde's safe return. State Department officials at U.S. embassies in Islamabad and Kabul have been aware of the kidnapping for months.

According to sources, the FBI worked closely with the Times in Afghanistan to negotiate his release. There were intermittent communications with the kidnappers, who also provided several "proof of life" videos confirming Rohde was alive. But sources said the family insisted on using private security consultants to resolve the case, and it was those consultants who insisted on an absolute news blackout.

Bill Keller, executive editor of the Times, and Rohde's family declined to discuss details of the efforts to free the captives except to say that no ransom was paid and no Taliban or other prisoners were released. "Kidnapping, tragically, is a flourishing industry in much of the world," Keller said. "As other victims have told us, discussing your strategy just offers guidance for future kidnappers."

A senior Pakistani official said that "Pakistan released no Taliban prisoners" and that "no concessions were made to the kidnappers."

Rohde's family issued a statement saying: "It is hard to describe the enormous relief we felt at hearing the news of David and Tahir's escape and learning they were safe. Every day during these past seven months, we have hoped and prayed for this moment. During this time, we received the generous support of many people at The Times, in the media, in the U.S. State and Defense Departments and other parts of our government as well as the governments of Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere."

In Maine, Rohde's father, Harvey Rohde, said by telephone that he had not yet heard from his son and that he had no information other than what he read on newspaper Web sites. "We're obviously delighted," he said.

At the White House, press secretary Robert Gibbs said in a statement: "We are very pleased to see that David Rohde is now safe and returning home. This marks the end of a long and difficult ordeal for David's family, friends, and co-workers." Gibbs added that the FBI had been "the lead agency on his case." Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said she was "pleased and greatly relieved" at Rohde's release.

Law enforcement officials said the long and complex case involved FBI agents in Kabul and Pakistan; the bureau's field office in Boston, which made the initial contact with Rohde's family in Maine; and eventually the FBI's New York field office, which has experience in counterterrorism cases, kidnapping and the Taliban.

The officials said hostage negotiators and behavioral scientists from the bureau's Critical Incident Response Group in Quantico, Va., worked with Rohde's family and the Times. New York-based agents traveled to Pakistan and worked leads for many months. Some had worked on the 2006 kidnapping of Christian Science Monitor reporter Jill Carroll in Iraq.

A senior Pakistani official and a Western journalist, both of whom had knowledge of Rohde's kidnapping and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Rohde and the other captives were moved constantly between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and to several locations in the North Waziristan area. North Waziristan is a remote tribal region along the border that is a longtime haven for an array of allied Islamist insurgents including Pakistani Taliban, Afghan Taliban and al-Qaeda members from other countries.

There was some concern among those looking for Rohde that increased military pressure and intensified U.S. drone attacks -- begun under President George W. Bush and continued by the Obama administration -- had forced his captors to move him around. The American military, as well as other U.S. government officials, were actively looking for Rohde, but reporters who were aware of the case said there had been few updates lately. "His case went cold. We hadn't heard anything about him," the reporter said.

Rohde set out for Logar province by car only days after another Western journalist -- kidnapped four weeks earlier -- had been released. Canadian journalist Mellissa Fung was working on a story about Afghanistan's growing population of displaced people for the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. when she was abducted near a refugee camp at the edge of western Kabul by Taliban gunmen in October. She was apparently held in chains in a cave in neighboring Wardak province for about four weeks before her release was negotiated.

Some Canadian media reported that a ransom was paid, but the Canadian government and the CBC denied it.

Fung's kidnapping, like Rohde's, was kept secret by news organizations at the request of the CBC.

Sources in Afghanistan told a Washington Post correspondent Saturday that tribal elders and other leaders in Logar worked over a long period to negotiate Rohde's release and that this may have helped keep him alive. Law enforcement officials reportedly told his family and co-workers that the longer Rohde was alive, the less likely he was to be killed.

At one point, people familiar with the case said, Rohde refused an offer to be released because it did not include Ludin.

Kidnapping of journalists and aid workers has become a major industry in Afghanistan and Iraq, with Westerners increasingly taken for ransom rather than for political reasons. Local residents have been angered by what they see as a double standard in resolving the cases. When an Italian journalist was kidnapped two years ago in Afghanistan, a public outcry followed when the reporter was released after ransom was paid, but his Afghan interpreter was killed.

Rohde is known by his colleagues as an intrepid reporter willing to work in some of the world's most dangerous places, and he has won numerous awards for his war coverage. He won a Pulitzer Prize while with the Christian Science Monitor for his coverage of the Srebrenica massacre in 1995 and was part of another Pulitzer-winning New York Times team this year for work in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Before joining the Monitor, Rohde was a freelance journalist in the Middle East and the Baltic States. He wrote a book based on his war reporting in Bosnia. But colleagues said he was no "cowboy," the term journalists use for colleagues who take careless risks. He was described as a cautious risk-taker who carefully calculated whether the story warranted the danger involved.

Rohde worked on the Times' Metro staff until the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, when he joined the team of reporters dispatched to cover the war in Afghanistan. He grew deeply interested in the country and the region and later became the newspaper's South Asia co-bureau chief.

Rohde, a 1990 Brown University graduate, married Kristen Mulvihill in September in Maine. They honeymooned in the Asian subcontinent, until Rohde returned to Afghanistan to begin researching his book.

"We've been married nine months," Mulvihill told the Times. "And seven of those, David has been in captivity."

Pakistan says it's wrapping up Swat campaign

CHUPRIAL, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan could wrap up the main phase of its anti-Taliban offensive in the Swat Valley within 10 days, a senior commander said Saturday, as the military confirmed the first kills in a new operation in the nearby tribal zone.
Pakistan is shifting the focus in its fight against militancy from the northwestern Swat Valley where troops have been pushing Taliban fighters back for almost two months to a new and much tougher battleground in the Afghan border region.
Washington supports both operations, and sees them as a measure of nuclear-armed Pakistan's resolve to take on a growing insurgency after years of failed military campaigns and faltering peace deals. The battle in the tribal region could also help the war in Afghanistan because the area has been used by militants to launch cross-border attacks on U.S. and other troops.
Maj. Gen. Sajjad Ghani, the commander of some 20,000 troops in the northern part of Swat where the area's top Taliban leader was based, told The Associated Press that some of the final strongholds were being cleared and that "high intensity" operations would end in a week to 10 days.
But stragglers could be expected to keep launching attacks on troops "for some time," he said.
"This area is the center of gravity for the terrorists," Ghani said, standing on a ridge overlooking the Piochar Valley where the Taliban leader in Swat, Maulana Fazlullah, once made his base.
"As of now, there are only pockets of resistance left. The terrorists are on the run. Command and control is in disarray. They are unable to organize an integrated response" to the army, he said.
The battle zone is strictly controlled, making it almost impossible to verify the military's description of events. Ghani spoke during a trip by a small group of journalists who were flown into the remote area by the army.
The military says it has made steady progress against the militants in Swat and surrounding districts since launching the operation in late April. Roads and some towns in the southern parts of the valley have been secured and some of more than 2 million residents displaced by the fighting will be allowed to return starting late this month, officials said.
In nearby South Waziristan, shelling and bombing of suspected militant targets has been stepped up and ground troops have been moving into position in the past week since the government announced the military would go after Pakistan's Taliban commander, Baitullah Mehsud.
South Waziristan is Mehsud's tribal stronghold, a chunk of the remote and rugged mountainous region along Pakistan's northwestern border with Afghanistan where heavily-armed tribesmen hold sway and al-Qaida and Taliban leaders are believed to be hiding.
Although the army has not announced a formal start of full-scale operations in South Waziristan, officials said troops are already occupying strategic positions. Jet fighters flattened two abandoned militant-linked seminaries and a training facility Friday — a further sign the operation was ramping up.
Two intelligence and army officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media, said there was heavy fighting Saturday in the villages of Barwand and Madijan and about 50 militants were killed — the first confirmed militant casualties of the offensive in South Waziristan.
A military statement said 37 extremists died when troops retaliated after they tried to block the main South Waziristan road near the town of Sarwaki. There was no way to reconcile the differing death tolls due to restrictions on media access to the region.
Refugees would go first to Mingora, Swat's main city, where natural gas supplies and more than 500 phone lines have been hooked up, the military said. Residents would be allowed to go home in "phases," as power and civic facilities are restored, said Fazal Karim Khattak, a senior local government official.
Refugees staying in camps south of Swat worried about what they will find when they get home.
"Of course I am happy, but I don't know whether our home is safe or it has been destroyed," said Khadija Bibi, 45, a mother of four who left her home in Kanjua near Mingora in May.
Ghani said 95 percent of the 3,860-square mile (10,000-square kilometer) area under his control has been cleared of militants and most resistance now is coming in Biha, a short valley that backs into snow-covered mountains that are limiting the Taliban's efforts to flee.
He said about 400 militants have been killed in the area during the six weeks of fighting, but that many top commanders have managed to escape, including Fazlullah, and some were possibly headed toward havens in Afghanistan or South Waziristan.
Overall, the army says it has killed nearly 1,500 militants since April in Swat.
In Bajur, another trouble spot on the border with Afghanistan, the army shelled militant hide-outs and killed seven insurgents including a local commander, Gul Zarein, government official Jamil Khan said. The military declared victory over extremists there in February, but violence has flared again.

Dialogue with terrorists no more an option: Gillani

Peshawar: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani said on Friday that there is no space for dialogue with the militants at this time when decisive battle has been launched against them to wipe them out so they would never challenge writ of the government.
"Dialogue at the time when army and security forces have been engaged in decisive gunbattle against the militants will be disastrous therefore there will be no dialogue with those who have challenged writ of the government. They will be followed everywhere.
Security agencies have effectively targeted the militants strongholds therefore they are now attacking in cities."
Gillani told media on his first visit to Peshawar to meet with elected leadership of ANP and PPP and apprise himself about the overall security situation of the province and Fata.
The premier said government had used the option of dialogue but the militant gave a negative response and challenged writ of the government in other places as result of the dialogue offer from government side for resolving issues through negotiations. "We did not consider military action as a solution but there was no other way with the government therefore per force army has been called out to fight the militants and clear the areas they occupied," Gillani replied to a question.
Improving law and order in the trouble-hit parts was prime responsibility of the government therefore capacity building of the police, Frontier Corps and other security agencies will start as soon the operation ends in Malakand division, the prime minister informed.
"NWFP government will be provided 24 billion in four phases to purchase latest security equipment for police, levies, and FC to further build their capacity to fight against terrorism. In the first phase Rs6 billion will be provided to improve law and order and provide the people relief," the prime minister informed, adding that people of NWFP must be praised for their courage against terrorism and hospitality they offered to the IDPs.
When asked when the government was going to target Baitullah Mehsud, chief of the defunct TTP, prime minister said forces will follow every militant causing threat to the nation's security and challenging writ of the government.
"We are not willing to start military operation everywhere but still we will not spare those who will challenge writ of the government," PM said.
When asked is there any timetable for the completion of military operation in Malakand division, Gillani said government was willing to end the operation as soon as possible and start rehabilitation and reconstruction process in the war-damaged areas of Malakand however no clear-cut deadline could be given in this regard.
Prime minister ruled out the possibility of the return of internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) during this month, saying that it was not possible that the affected people will return in June. Government, he said, was well aware of the feelings of IDPs therefore they will be rehabilitated once the operation will completed. "We have reserved an amount of Rs50 billion for the IDPs irrespective of the pledges of international donors. It is our responsibility and we will fulfil it," he maintained.
Prime minister announced formation of Trust for the martyred journalists families and promised to release Rs2 million for the trust so the families of the martyred journalists could be compensated and they are provided some relief.
"I pay tribute to the army, police, FC and journalists who rendered sacrifices for the sake of the nation," Gillani remarked.
Replying to a question regarding the meeting of National Finance Commission (NFC), PM assured that soon NFC will be called and the issue of Net Hydel Profit will be resolved in the meeting. On this occasion Prime Minister also announced Rs1.5 million grants for the Peshawar Press Club.
Earlier Gillani was briefed about the law order situation in NWFP and Fata and he was informed about the steps taken for the relief of IDPs. He was also briefed about the reconstruction and rehabilitation strategy to be adopted following the operation. Chief Minister Amir Haider Hotti, Governor Awais Ahmad Ghani and other members of the policymaking committee on Malakand also took part the briefing.

Balochistan’s ghost schools

Dawn Editorial
Balochistan’s education minister has disclosed that there are approximately 3,500 ghost schools in the province. This means that nearly 25 per cent of educational institutions for children exist only on paper.

While the existence of ghost schools has been a national phenomenon for several years now, it is nevertheless distressing that the province which needs schools the most should not have been spared either. With a literacy rate of only 42 per cent — female literacy is barely 22 per cent — the Baloch badly need schools to educate their children. Being the largest province territorially Balochistan can make schooling accessible to all its children only if the number of educational institutions is relatively large, with preferably at least one school in every village. On the contrary, the picture that has emerged from the minister’s statement is a bleak one of inadequate schools, many of which lack basic facilities such as boundary walls, roofs, toilets, etc. The crisis is compounded by the corruption that enables large sums of money to be drained away from the education department for schools that exist only on paper.

The provincial education minister has done well to order ‘missing’ teachers to report to the education department, though unsurprisingly most of them have not responded. It doesn’t have to be emphasised, but they must be dismissed from service after the due process of law has been observed. What is more important is that a strictly independent mechanism should be instituted to inspect schools and ensure that they function normally.

It is obvious that the education department has failed in its duty to see to this and it is futile to expect it to ensure that ghost schools are eliminated. Its functionaries are hand in glove with errant teachers who are offered protection by those whose job it is to keep an eye on them. Wouldn’t it be more effective if an independent system were in place with non-bureaucrats acting as a check at different levels? Meanwhile, the stakeholders, that is the parents of children who need schools, should be encouraged to approach offices that should be easily accessible to register their complaints.

Thirty-two militants killed in South Waziristan: military

CHUPRIAL: Pakistani troops backed by jet fighters and artillery have killed thirty-two militants in a fresh offensive in Mehsud areas of Waziristan, a military statement said Saturday.

They were the first known militant casualties in South Waziristan — stronghold of Pakistan Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud — since the military started pounding the area with artillery about a week ago

Although the army has not announced a formal start of full-scale operations in this tribal region, officials said troops are already occupying strategic positions in the region.

Jet fighters flattened two abandoned militant-linked seminaries and a training facility Friday in a clear sign that the operation was ramping up.

Two intelligence and army officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media, said heavy fighting was under way in the villages of Barwand and Madijan.

A military statement said 32 extremists were killed when they tried to block the main South Waziristan road near the town of Sarwaki.

On Friday, columns of troops, backed by tanks, were seen heading from Wana to Madijan, a locality adjacent to the Mehsud territory. Southwestern parts of Waziristan are inhabited by the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe.

Helicopter gunships bombed Mehsud-dominated areas of Kund Serai, Wara and Serwekai. Two seminaries, a training camp and three houses occupied by militants were destroyed.

Troops fired rockets from the Tanai Fort and dug trenches on hilltops in Madijan and deployed artillery.

An official said troops would first secure the Jandola-Wana road passing through the Mehsud territory and then launch a full-fledged assault on Baitullah Mehsud and his supporters.

The road, which served as the main supply line for troops based in Wana, has been under Taliban’s control for three years.

NWFP Governor Awais Ahmad Ghani, who is representative of the president for Fata, announced last week that security forces had been ordered to launch a decisive action against Baitullah and his associates.

Grouping against Baitullah

Meanwhile, two anti-Baitullah commanders have intensified their activities in nearby Tank district and are raising lashkars for a final showdown.

Turkistan Bhittani and Qari Zainuddin Mehsud, who are reported to have won government’s backing after revolting against Baitullah, started recruiting volunteers in Tank and Jandola.

The government is supporting anti-Baitullah forces in the region to isolate the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan leader who carries a $5 million bounty announced by the US government.

According to local people, Turkistan Bhittani and Zainuddin have set up recruitment offices in Tank and a large number of people are joining them. ‘Each volunteer is being offered Rs5,000 to Rs8,000 per month and given an automatic rifle and ammunition,’ they added.

Banners praising slain militant commander Abdullah Mehsud and his successor Zainuddin have been put up in different areas of Tank. The armed volunteers are patrolling the streets in Tank and Jandola.

The sources said that Baitullah’s supporters had gone underground after the return of his rivals. According to them, the Taliban left Tank after four supporters of Baitullah Mehsud were shot dead last week. — Dawn Report/Agencies.

Mousavi rally in doubt after Iran leader warning

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Backers of beaten presidential candidate Mirhossein Mousavi will decide on Saturday whether to defy a stern warning by Iran's top authority and stage mass protests over a disputed election.

(Editors' note: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.)

Iran's top legislative body holds an extraordinary session on Saturday morning to which it has invited Mousavi and the two other candidates who lost against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the June 12 election, which Mousavi wants annulled.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei demanded an end to the rallies on Friday, issuing a strong warning to leaders of the street protests that they will be responsible for any bloodshed.

President Barack Obama condemned the violence carried out by security forces and believed Iranians should be free to protest, his spokesman said on Friday after Khamenei's speech, sharpening the White House's rhetoric over the post-election events.

Khamenei's words appeared to hint at a future crackdown by authorities on rallies. Khamenei said the election was fairly won by Ahmadinejad and not rigged, as Mousavi who wants the poll annulled has said.

Another defeated candidate, Mehdi Karoubi, called in an open letter to the Guardian Council legislative body for the election to be canceled.

There was no immediate word from Mousavi's supporters whether they would still go ahead with a planned demonstration in downtown Tehran at around 4 p.m. (7:30 a.m. EDT) on Saturday.

An ally of Mousavi said he was not calling on people to take to the streets again. "Mousavi has no plans to hold a rally tomorrow or the day after tomorrow," he told Reuters.

But his supporters may decide to show up anyway, as they did in their tens of thousands last Tuesday despite a call by Mousavi for them to stay home.

If they proceed in defiance of Khamenei's explicit warning, they risk a severe response from security forces, which have so far not tried to prevent Iran's most widespread street rallies since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

"If there is any bloodshed, leaders of the protests will be held directly responsible," the white-bearded cleric told huge crowds thronging Tehran University for Friday prayers.

State media have reported seven or eight people killed in unrest since the election outcome was published on June 13, prompting Mousavi's supporters to hold mass rallies in Tehran, with demonstrations reported in several Iranian cities.

Scores of reformists have been arrested and authorities have cracked down on foreign and domestic media.

In a sign of defiance, Mousavi backers took to Tehran rooftops after nightfall on Friday to shout Allahu Akbar (God is greatest), an echo of tactics in the 1979 Islamic revolution.

"SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY"

Khamenei called for calm in his country, a major oil exporter embroiled in dispute with major powers over its nuclear program which the West suspects could be used to make bombs. Tehran says its nuclear work is peaceful.

He also attacked what he called interference by foreign powers who had questioned the result of the election.

Britain said it had summoned the Iranian ambassador to complain about Khamenei's speech, in which he also called the British "the most treacherous" of Iran's enemies.

Asked about the call by Khamenei for street protests to end, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said on Friday: "He (Obama) believes that those who wish to have their voices heard should be able to do that without fear of violence."

"I think you're ... witnessing something extraordinary ... I'm not sure that anybody even a week ago or so would have expected to see the courageous images that we're seeing now."

Iran's national security council dismissed a complaint by Mousavi, in a letter to the Interior Ministry body earlier this week, about plainclothes men using weapons such as sticks and metal rods to attack protesters.

"Your national duty and responsibility would require that instead of raising charges against police or army forces ... to try to avoid such illegal gatherings and not support them," Fars News Agency quoted its secretary Abbas Mohtaj as saying.

"You are certainly aware that in the event of instigating or inviting such illegal gatherings the responsibility for the consequences would lie with you," he said.

Mousavi has demanded the annulment of the election result, which showed he won 34 percent of the votes to Ahmadinejad's tally of nearly 63 percent.

The Guardian Council is considering complaints by the three losing candidates, but has said only that it will recount some disputed ballot boxes.

It has invited Mousavi, Karoubi and conservative Mohsen Rezaie to an extraordinary session on Saturday to discuss their 646 complaints about the election.

"We are urging candidates to avoid any remarks which can disturb public opinion until the Guardian Council carries out its final investigation," council spokesman Abbasali Kadkhodai told the official IRNA news agency.

Hidden crisis haunts Pakistan fighting

RUSTUM, Pakistan (CNN) -- Piled high with food, Minhaj Bahdar rides a rented motorbike back to his family's temporary sanctuary away from the fighting between Pakistan's army and the Taliban.The little motorbike struggles under the weight of food -- 80 kilograms of wheat, 4kg of sugar, 1 kg of salt and 300 grams of tea. It sounds like a lot -- but it has to last the Bahdar family one month.Twenty-three of them live in two tiny rooms provided by a local villager. They don't have enough food. There is no running water. The family is part of a humanitarian crisis in Pakistan that aid groups say is going largely unnoticed-- hidden from view because they are not in a tent city aid camp."Up until now it's been a largely invisible crisis. Most of the displaced -- something like 90 percent of those two-and-a-half million (displaced) -- are staying with host families," Chris Webster, of the World Vision aid organization, told CNN.Some 2.5 million people have been forced to leave their homes, on the run from the Taliban and war. The largest movement of people in Pakistan since partition from India more than sixty years ago.Communities have been taking in those fleeing the fighting -- and the toll on them could soon show, Webster said."I've met people who sold their land, sold their cattle in order to provide for people they have never met before," he said. "They are impoverishing themselves to help these impoverished people. The potential for that is another wave of displacement and a deepening of the crisis."Barely one quarter of the pledged half billion in aid dollars has actually been given, Webster said. "The scale of the need is so vast across such a wide area that $10 or $50, whatever you can give, will make a huge difference."The Bahdars are at Rustum -- about three hours' drive from the capital Islamabad but still close to the former Taliban strongholds of Swat and Buner. Pakistan army convoys are on the road that leads to Swat on their way to battle the Taliban. Last week, an army convoy got into an eight-hour gun battle with the Taliban on that road.There appears to be more fighting in South Waziristan, and Webster expects another mass displacement of people - perhaps another half million people.At its distribution hub, World Vision is struggling to keep pace with the needs as it hands out food to 500 families a day.It was into this chaos that Minhaj Bahdar came hoping to get food for his family.It was his lucky day -- he had the right papers and was able to claim a month's ration of food for his family. Too heavy to carry far, he rented a motorbike to make the 10-minute trip home.Back at his house, everyone was waiting to help, but when the food was laid out it was clear: What was too much for the bike was too little for 23 people --- 16 adults and 7 children -- for a month.Minhaj Bahdar said they were barely an hour's drive from their old home but were too afraid to go back. He said he was angry with the Taliban and blamed them for being forced out.Their mud homes were falling down from shelling and it took them three days to get to Rustum."The whole population was fleeing from their homes and without anything," Bahdar's father said. "Indeed, we are in miserable condition but what can we do, except to bear it?"I asked Bahdar's five-year-old niece if she missed her home. "Of course," she said, and then asked if I would take her somewhere safe.It's heartbreaking, but so is their plight.

NATO to send up to 10,000 troops in Afghanistan: Scheffer

KABUL :The visiting NATO's Secretary General Jaap de Hope Scheffer HAS announced sending additional troops to Afghanistan ahead of the second presidential election after the fall of Taliban regime set for August 20 this year.

"We are bringing extra forces into Afghanistan for a protection role between 8,000 and 10,000, if you want to know the numbers of whom will come on temporary bases to Afghanistan," Scheffer said after meeting Afghan President Hamid Karzai in his Palace.

The outgoing NATO chief described Afghanistan's coming election as "very important" for both Afghans and the international community, saying the ISAF along with Afghan security forces would do its best to help Afghans have a transparent election in a peaceful environment.

During his last tour to Afghanistan as NATO Secretary General, Scheffer once again repeated the military alliance commitment towards the post-Taliban Afghanistan.

"We would be alongside Afghan people and we will support Afghan people," he stressed.

The NATO top diplomat also expressed concern over civilian casualties during military operations against anti-government militants, saying "we will do everything which is in our power to prevent loss of innocent life, loss of innocent civilian life."

He asserted that the international forces would do its best to minimize civilian casualties.

Repeated harming of non-combatants has raised anti-U.S. forces resentment in Afghanistan while President Karzai and Afghan citizens at large have repeatedly asked the international forces to protect civilian life as it would not serve the U.S.-led war on terror.

Peshawar airport reopens

ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR: The Peshawar airport has been reopened with the prime minister’s approval, Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar said on Thursday. Talking to a private TV channel, he said the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) had been directed to reopen the airport for flight operations. The airport had been closed for all air traffic on Wednesday due to the volatile law and order situation in the province and all Peshawar-bound flights were re-routed to Islamabad. Taliban had threatened to attack passenger planes, prompting officials to close the airport.

Militants bomb schools in Pakistan tribal area

KHAR, Pakistan — Militants blew up two boys' schools and a college in Bajaur tribal area in northwest Pakistan, an official said Friday, as an offensive against the Taliban rumbled on in nearby districts.
"Several locally-made bombs planted inside the school buildings went off late in the night," local government official Adalat Khan told AFP, adding that both schools were "completely demolished."
"They also bombed a boys' degree college in Mamond town."
Gul Rehman, a Bajaur education officer, said 44 schools had been bombed or set on fire in the past year in the district troubled by Taliban attacks.
Elsewhere in Bajaur on Friday, a roadside bomb exploded and wounded a tribal policeman while he was on patrol, an official said.
Bajaur lies just to the west of Dir and Swat districts, where the military is locked in a nearly two-month-long offensive against Taliban insurgents.
Militants in Swat have destroyed nearly 200 schools, mostly for girls, in the valley during a two-year campaign to enforce sharia law.
The army has said it is also poised to launch a fresh assault into the tribal areas along the Afghan border to track down the senior Taliban leadership.
Pakistan's northwestern tribal belt has become a stronghold for hundreds of extremists who fled Afghanistan after a US-led invasion toppled the hardline Taliban regime in late 2001.

Iran's supreme leader defends election

Iran's supreme leader passionately defended last week's presidential election process today, praising President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's election as a "definitive victory" and denying charges of vote-rigging. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said those who cause violence during protests would be held accountable.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, angrily warned opposition leaders Friday to stay off the streets and denied that the results of last week’s election were rigged. Mr Khamenei demanded an end to the demonstrations. "I want to tell everyone these things must finish. These street actions are being done to put pressure on leaders but we will not bow in front of them," he said.

Without naming the three losing candidates who have challenged the election results, he ordered them to "open their eyes" and see behind the demonstrations "the enemy hands working, the hungry wolves waiting in ambush".

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

www.timesonline.co.uk

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PML factions stage walkout over ‘Pakhtunkhwa’

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

U.S. Struggling for Right Response to Iran

Washington Post

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

www.timesonline.co.uk


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jolie, Pitt give $1 million for Pakistan refugees

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

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

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

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

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

Islamabad resembles battle zone

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

Jetliner lands safely after pilot dies

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




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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Iranian Opposition Urges Day of Mourning and Protest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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