Suicide attack kills at least 34 near Pakistani army HQ in Rawalpindi

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At least 34 people were killed and many others injured in a suicide bomb attack on a busy commercial area close to the Pakistani Army’s headquarters in Rawalpindi yesterday. It was the second attack in the high-security zone within a month.

The bomber on a motorbike blew himself up outside a crowded bank a few hundred metres away from the scene of last month's attack.

Government employees lined up outside the National Bank branch to collect their salary were among the victims. Several offices, a part of a nearby hotel and a number of vehicles were destroyed.

Zahid Dar was driving through the main Mall Road. “There was huge blast and I was thrown off my motorbike,“ he said.“The street was strewn with dead bodies and broken glasses. Many of the dead were in the army uniform.”

Doctors at a district hospital said that the death toll could rise as many of the injured were in a critical state. Some of the bodies could not be identified. At least five women were among the victims.

No one has claimed responsibility but security officials suspect that the Taleban, who claimed responsibility for previous attacks, could be involved.

The attack came as the UN suspended long-term development work in two key areas along Pakistan's volatile border with Afghanistan in a blow to international efforts to counter the country's rising militancy.

The UN decision, which applies to Pakistan's tribal areas and North West Frontier Province, came after 11 of its staff were killed this year.

The UN will reduce the level of international staff in the country and confine its work to emergency, humanitarian relief and security operations, and also “any other essential operations as advised by the Secretary-General”, the organisation said.

The UN has been deeply involved in helping Pakistan to deal with refugee crises that have resulted from army offensives against militants in the north west. It assisted in relief camps set up to house some of the two million people displaced by an operation begun this spring in the Swat Valley.

It is also providing relief goods for those forced to leave South Waziristan because of an offensive last month against the Taleban and al-Qaeda strongholds in tribal areas. Militants have responded to the operations with a wave of attacks against security forces and civilians, including UN personnel.

In the deadliest attack in more than two years, more than 120 people were killed and scores more wounded last Wednesday when a car bomb was detonated in a crowded market in the northwest frontier city of Peshawar. The Taleban threatened more attacks if Pakistan did not stop military offensives in the tribal region.

A military spokesman said that the troops were engaged in a fierce battle in Kaniguram town, a Taleban stronghold where hundreds of Uzbek fighters were entrenched. Security forces have captured Kotkai, the birthplace of Hakimullah Mehsud, the chief of the Pakistani Taleban and hometown of Qari Hussain, another senior militant commander.

The latest attack in Rawalpindi came as Pakistani authorities announced a $50 million (£30.5 million) bounty on the heads of eight top militant commanders including Hakimullah, who is spearheading the battle in the tribal region.

"These people are definitely killers of humanity and deserve exemplary punishment," read the front-page advertisement, with photographs of Hakimullah and seven senior lieutenants in the national newspapers. "Help the government of Pakistan so that these people meet their nemesis."

Pakistan's credibility

If we go by the recent statement of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki Moon, the two most dangerous countries on this planet are Pakistan and Afghanistan. This statement of Moon is neither prejudiced, nor does he belong to any enemy country of Pakistan or Afghanistan rather this statement is the harsh reality of the world today. The question is that who is responsible for notoriety of these two neighbouring countries? This is clear that the decisions of the political bosses of these countries and the misleading statements of Pakistani leadership are behind the current scenario.

The relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan based Taliban is not new. Pakistan was the first country to recognize the Taliban government of Afghanistan, who captured power by ousting the democratic Najeeb government. Since then the Taliban has deepened its roots in Pakistan. The same Taliban is now eyeing power in Pakistan and therefore Pakistan Army has started operation ‘Rah-e-Nijaat’ against them. But the intentions of Tehrik-e-Taliban in Pakistan are not new.

A decade ago, these Talibans had pasted posters in all major cities of Pakistan in which their plans were clearly mentioned. Through these posters, they made it clear that they want to enforce Sharia’h law in Pakistan. Pakistan’s courts would give verdicts based on the holy Quran. Gold coins would be used as currency during the Taliban regime etc.

The question is that when a decade ago, the Taliban sympathizers were launching such campaigns, was the Pakistani administration asleep then? Was India directing this terrorist organization named Tehrik-e-Taliban a decade ago? Or the Pakistani administrators, according to their habit, were doing nothing while these enemies of humanity were prospering in Pakistan?

The entire world knows all these facts that how the former President of Pakistan, Gen. Zia-Ul-Haq encouraged the extremist and Jehadi ideology during his ten year regime. Since then the tradition of patronizing extremist Islamists by the Pakistani rulers has continued. This has today become an incurable disease that the Pakistan Army itself is finding a way out of this trap or in other words ‘Rah-e-Nijaat’ with them .

Ignoring all these facts, the Interior Minister of Pakistan, Rehman Malik recently shocked the entire world by saying that India is helping Taliban for creating disturbance in Pakistan. How much truth is there in his statement, he himself and the Pakistani people better know. What is conveyed by such misleading statement of Malik? Pakistan has previously too accused India for deteriorating situation in Baluchistan. And now a new misinformation campaign is launched by accusing India of supporting the Taliban. The world knows that Taliban, Tehrik-e-Taliban or any organization sympathizing with Taliban ideology see India as their enemy, and not friend. These organization uses to threaten India from time to time. In these circumstances, how can India ‘help’ these organizations? What the Pakistani Interior Minister wants to tell through such statement, while Pakistan has no such proof through which it can prove India’s involvement in destabilizing Pakistan by helping the Taliban.

On the contrary, there are thousands of evidences which can prove that the terrorists and extremists operated along with the Pakistan administration and the proofs which army and these inhuman organizations are created to created disturbance in India. Ajmal Aamir Kasaab, the only terrorist caught alive in 26/11 is the living example. Kasaab has repeatedly told in his confession how he was sent to Mumbai with the help of Pakistani administration. To clean itself from the Mumbai attacks, Pakistan is now adopting such cheap tactics of misleading statements. The fact is that, the Talibans, so called protectors of Islam, don’t even deserve to be called human beings. It doesn’t seem that there is any other administration than Pakistan, which had ever expressed sympathy with the cruel Talibans. The world still remembers that during the NATO attack on Afghanistan in the aftermath of 9/11, the Taliban spokesman used to address the world media from Pakistan and even he was arrested from Pakistan. Therefore it is not going to help Pakistan by accusing India. Other countries too can’t digest this. In fact, there is danger of Pakistan losing its own credibility by such absurd statements.

Obama urges Karzai to tackle corruption

In a congratulatory call to Hamid Karzai, who retains leadership of Afghanistan after a presidential run-off vote was scrapped on Monday, US President Barack Obama urged the Afghan leader to step up efforts to fight corruption in the war-torn nation.
US President Barack Obama congratulated Afghan leader Hamid Karzai on his re-election on Monday - but warned him to step up efforts to fight corruption.

The administration earlier said it recognised Hamid Karzai as the legitimate president of Afghanistan, despite a fraud-riddled election that saw millions of ballots favouring Karzai to be thrown out.

Speaking from the Oval Office, Obama told Karzai it was time to “write a new chapter based on improved governance” and to make “a much more serious effort to eradicate corruption.”

"He assured me that he understood the importance of this moment. But as I indicated to him, the proof is not going to be in words. It's going to be in deeds," Obama warned.

Karzai, installed as the Afghan leader after the US forces ousted Taliban Islamic militants in 2001, was on Monday declared the winner of August's presidential election, which was marred by widespread fraud and ballot-stuffing.

"Although the process was messy, I'm pleased to say that the final outcome was determined in accordance with Afghan law, which I think is very important not only for the international community that has so much invested in Afghan success, but most importantly is important for the Afghan people," Obama said.

Legitimacy questioned

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs faced repeated questions at a briefing on how Washington could work with Karzai when his legitimacy had been so widely questioned after the tainted August vote.

"President Karzai has been declared the winner,” Gibbs told reporters. “So obviously he is the legitimate leader of the country.”

Gibbs tried to put the best face on a situation that presents a potential headache for the Obama administration..

Afghan election officials on Monday scrapped a Nov. 7 run-off vote and declared Karzai president after the only other candidate, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, withdrew, citing doubts about the fairness of the process.

US officials had said previously they needed a credible partner in Afghanistan as Obama considers a request for up to 40,000 extra troops to halt a deteriorating security situation.

Gibbs said Obama would announce his new strategy "in the next few weeks."

The timing had never been dependent on the outcome of the election, he said, although administration officials had previously suggested it was a factor.

A senior administration official told Reuters that Obama was not likely to announce his new strategy before he embarks on a 10-day trip to Asia on Nov. 11.

Schools reopen with low attendance.

PESHAWAR: The educational institutions including schools of NWFP were reopened on Monday with tight security. These educational institutions remained closed for two weeks due to threats from terrorist elements to target the schools. All the educational institutions were closed country-wide after deadly suicide attack in Islamic International University, Islamabad on October 20. But unlike other provinces where educational institutions were reopened after a week, the NWFP government extended the closure of schools, colleges and universities for another week due to the security situation. Some private schools remained closed on Monday and are expected to reopen today. The attendance in almost all the schools remained low as parents did not send their children due to security concerns. The car parking inside and around the school buildings was prohibited. There are 27,000 schools, both government and private, in NWFP DCO Peshawar Sahibzada Anees told a private TV channel that police officials have been deployed at schools and private security guards will be hired. The administrations of schools have been directed to take extra security measures. The educationalist said they had issued a circular to all private schools to take precautionary measures, adding that the school gates would be locked soon after the school opening time in the morning and no one would be allowed to enter the schools.

Karzai Gets New Term as Afghan Runoff Is Scrapped

KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghan officials canceled a runoff presidential vote set for Saturday and declared President Hamid Karzai the winner on Monday, a day after his remaining challenger, , Abdullah Abdullah, withdrew.

The announcement capped a fraught election widely depicted as deeply flawed by corruption and voting irregularities.

Azizullah Ludin, the chairman of Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission, said the Constitution did not require a runoff and the second-round vote, set for Saturday, had been canceled after Mr. Abdullah’s announcement that he was dropping out.

Mr. Ludin said Mr. Karzai had won the majority of votes in the first round “and was the only candidate in the second round,” and so was “declared the elected president of Afghanistan.”

Among the commission’s reasons for canceling the vote, Mr. Ludin said at a news conference, was to spare Afghans the high costs and security risks of a fresh round of balloting. Those concerns reflected the difficulties of holding an election amid a growing Taliban insurgency.

But Mr. Karzai and the election commission had been under intense pressure from Afghanistan’s international backers, including the United States, to cancel the runoff, in part because of worries that the vote-rigging that marred the first round might be repeated.

While the international community and the United Nations congratulated Mr. Karzai and urged him to set about unifying the country, the way ahead was foggy at best. There has been talking of forming a unity government, but Mr. Abdullah said he would not participate.

Further, there is little popular support in Afghanistan for that option. For many Afghans a coalition government brings to mind the chaotic period in the 1990s when armed strongmen competed for turf in bloody battles that killed many civilians around the country and destroyed a swath of Kabul.

Officials from the United States and United Nations welcomed the decision and congratulated Mr. Karzai.

“We congratulate President Karzai on his victory in this historic election,” said a statement from the United States Embassy in Kabul, “and look forward to working with him, his new administration, the Afghan people and our partners in the international community to support Afghanistan’s progress towards institutional reforms, security and prosperity.”

The United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, who arrived in Kabul on Monday, said the election process had been “difficult,” and urged Mr. Karzai to form a government that would have the support of Afghanis and the international community.

“I welcome today’s decision by Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission to forego a run-off vote and to declare Hamid Karzai as the winner of the 2009 presidential elections,” Mr. Ban said in a statement. “I congratulate President Karzai.”

Since the first round of voting on Aug. 20., casualties have mounted among American and allied forces fighting the Taliban, while accounts of widespread vote-rigging to deliver Mr. Karzai’s victory have strengthened.

Earlier on Monday, Mr. Ban met both Mr. Karzai and Mr. Abdullah “to assure them and the Afghan people of the continuing support of the United Nations towards the development of the country and the humanitarian assistance that the U.N. provides to millions of Afghans every day,” a United Nations statement said.

He arrived days after three men dressed as Afghan police officers attacked a guesthouse in Kabul, killing eight people, five of them foreigners who worked for the United Nations. But Mr. Ban said his organization would not be deterred from working in Afghanistan.

In an emotional speech on Sunday to thousands of supporters here, Mr. Abdullah said he could not take part in a runoff that he believed would be at least as fraudulent as the tainted first round in August, in which almost a million ballots for Mr. Karzai were thrown out as fakes.

“I hoped there would be a better process,” he said. “But it is final. I will not participate in the Nov. 7 elections.”

Advisers to President Obama called Mr. Abdullah’s decision a personal choice that would not greatly affect American policy and was in line with the Afghan Constitution. They portrayed the election of Mr. Karzai as essentially settled, enabling Mr. Obama to move forward with deciding whether to send as many as 40,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, although an announcement probably remains at least three weeks away.

“Every poll that had been taken there suggested that he was likely to be defeated anyway, so we are going to deal with the government that is there,” David Axelrod, a senior adviser to Mr. Obama, said on “Face the Nation” on CBS.

Administration officials alluded to the criticisms bedeviling Mr. Karzai — focusing on corruption and ineffectiveness in fighting the intensifying Taliban insurgency — in their comments on Sunday. But they sought to focus on security questions rather than governance and political stability, emphasizing that the chief American goal now in Afghanistan was to make sure that Al Qaeda would not re-establish bases there.

“Obviously, there are issues we need to discuss, such as reducing the high level of corruption,” Mr. Axelrod said. “These are issues we’ll take up with President Karzai.”

Mr. Abdullah’s supporters, who traveled from all over the country to hear his decision in Kabul, were unanimous in calling Mr. Karzai an illegitimate leader.

The decision was clearly a hard one for Mr. Abdullah. He choked up at the moment of announcing it before his supporters and had to pause to drink water before speaking.

“It did not come easily,” he told the crowd, which had begun cheering at his announcement. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, traveling in Morocco, released a statement saying that while the Obama administration would support Mr. Karzai as president, she hoped Mr. Abdullah would “stay engaged in the national dialogue and work on behalf of the security and prosperity of the people of Afghanistan.”

Mr. Abdullah rejected any suggestion of joining Mr. Karzai’s government, and he clearly signaled that he was positioning himself as a future player in Afghan politics. In a news briefing later at his home, he said: “I did it with a lot of pain, but at the same time with a lot of hopes toward the future. Because this will not be the end of anything, this will be a new beginning.”

Twin suicide attack in Lahore kills policeman

LAHORE: Two suicide bombers blew themselves up at a police checkpoint near bus terminals at the entrance to the city of Lahore late Monday, killing one policeman and wounding 25 people, including seven policemen.

The bombers struck after dark at the Babu Sabu police checkpost on a link road to Pakistan’s intercity motorway that dissects the country from the northwestern city of Peshawar to the capital Islamabad and east to Lahore.

Both of the attackers were killed in the bombing as they reportedly blew themselves up while carrying out the attack.

‘A car was stopped at the check post and the two suicide bombers in the car exploded themselves. We have found legs and a head,’ city police chief Pervez Rathor told reporters at the scene.

According to Rescue 1122, at least 25 people have been injured in the attack. The injured are being taken to the Jinnah Hospital and the Services Hospital.

Proof of Indian involvement in Waziristan found: army

ISLAMABAD: The security forces have found substantial evidence of Indian involvement for assisting terrorists in South Waziristan Agency, Director General ISPR Major General Athar Abbas said.

‘Indian literature and weapons under the use of terrorists have been recovered from South Waziristan and more evidence is being gathered,’ he said addressing a joint media briefing on Operation Rah-e-Nijat here Monday.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira, Secretary Information Suhail Mansoor and Principal Information Officer Ch Rashid Ahmed were also present.

‘We have sent all the proofs of Indian involvement to the Foreign Office for their onward presentation at the appropriate forum,’ he said.

UN suspends development work in NWFP, tribal areas

ISLAMABAD: Citing security concerns, the UN suspended long-term development work in two key areas along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan on Monday, a blow to international efforts to counter the rising militancy.

The decision, which applies to Pakistan’s tribal areas and North West Frontier Province, comes amid a wave of recent attacks in the country that killed some 250 people last month. Eleven UN staff have been killed in attacks in Pakistan this year.

The UN will reduce the level of international staff in the country and confine its work to emergency, humanitarian relief, and security operations, and also ‘any other essential operations as advised by the secretary-general,’ the organization said in a statement.

UN spokeswoman Amena Kamaal told The Associated Press that the organisation is still determining which programs will be suspended and how many staffers will be withdrawn from the country. The staff that remains in the country will be assigned additional security, she said.

‘We have had 11 of our colleagues killed because of the security situation,’ said Kamaal.

‘All of the decisions are being made in light of that.’

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit said he would reserve comment until he had a chance to review the UN’s statement.

Huge blast hits Rawalpindi safe zone; 30 killed

RAWALPINDI: An explosion occurred on Rawalpindi’s busy Mall Road on Monday. At least 30 people were killed, while more than 45 were reportedly injured.

According to reports, a suicide bomber blew himself up in the vicinity of the busy Mall Road, in the high-security area of Rawalpindi Cantt. Major hotels, including the Pearl Continental, as well as other important government and army installations are located in the area where the blast occurred.

Monday's explosion left bodies on the ground outside the bank and in a nearby hotel parking lot, witness Zahid Dara said. The stricken area also lies close to the army's main headquarters.

‘I was nearby and rushed toward the parking area,’ Dara told a private television channel. ‘There were many people lying on the ground with bleeding wounds, and a motorcycle was on fire with one man under it.’

The attacker rode a motorbike to the scene, and the 30 people dead included military personnel, Rawalpindi police chief Rao Iqbal said. Some 45 others were wounded, he said.

‘The bodies were lying all over,’ said Ali Babar, a rescue official who was doing a refresher course at a nearby college and rushed to the scene to help. ‘This is a terrible thing. It is happening again and again.’

The intensity of the blast left numerous buildings in the area with shattered windows. Vehicles parked in the area were also damaged.

Rescue work was underway and the injured were being shifted to hospitals.

The government declared an emergency in hospitals across the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

Security forces also cordoned off the area, while military personnel also arrived at the site of the blast.

The attack comes amidst a deadly wave of terrorist attacks which have killed over 190 in the last month.

Single-candidate election pointless: UN

KABUL: As Afghan presidential challenger Abdullah Abdullah quit an election run-off on Sunday, the UN conceded it was “difficult to see” how an election could take place with just one candidate.

His voice faltering and his eyes welling with tears, Abdullah told hundreds of supporters, including white-bearded tribal elders, in a giant tent used for grand assemblies that he had reached the decision “in the interests of the nation”.

A spokesman for UN mission chief Kai Eide voiced doubts about the practicality of carrying on with the election.

“It’s difficult to see how you can have a run-off with only one candidate, UN spokesman Aleem Siddique told AFP.

Abdullah accused the government of not meeting his demands for a fair vote. The situation now leaves a cloud over the legitimacy of the next government.

Election officials said hours later that the November 7 vote would go ahead with both names on ballot papers, but with Karzai as the only candidate.

“Based on election laws and based on the constitution there should be a second round. The constitution is clear,” Daoud Ali Najafi, chief electoral officer of the government-appointed Independent Election Commission, told Reuters.

Abdullah, an eye doctor and Karzai’s urbane former foreign minister, appeared to rule out any immediate chance of a power-sharing deal with Karzai in return for withdrawing, but also told his supporters not to boycott the run-off. agencies

Afghan run-off should take place: Karzai spokesman

KABUL: Afghanistan's run-off election should still take place despite opposition candidate Abdullah Abdullah's withdrawal from the contest, a spokesman for President Hamid Karzai said Sunday."We believe that the election has to go on, the process must complete itself," Karzai's chief campaign spokesman Waheed Omar said in address to Hamid Karzai’s supporters."The people of Afghanistan have to be given the right to vote," he said.

Tehran set to lose status as Iran capital

It has witnessed some of Iran's most tumultuous events: the fall of the shah, the return of Ayatollah Khomeini and the transformation from pro-western monarchy to revolutionary Islamic republic.

Now Tehran's days as the Iranian capital appear numbered after a powerful state body approved a plan for a new principal city. The idea was proposed by the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and rubber-stamped by the expediency council.

Seismologists have warned that Tehran is liable to be struck by a catastrophic earthquake in the foreseeable future. It is not clear whether a new capital will be built from scratch or sited in an existing city.

Iran has had numerous capitals during its history, including Isfahan, Qazvin, Shiraz, Mashhad and Hamedan. Since the Qajar king Agha Mohammad Khan declared it capital in 1795, Tehran has become the country's political, social, economic and cultural centre.

Its infrastructure has been left creaking by rapid population growth that has seen it become home to 12 million people, up from 250,000 at the start of the 20th century.

A mass influx from the countryside under the last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, fed the social discontent unleashed by the 1979 Islamic revolution. The population has continued to spiral since then, with unregulated development creating a traffic-clogged and polluted urban sprawl.

Most recently, Tehran was the centre of mass street protests triggered by the disputed re-election of the president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which opponents insist was achieved through fraud.

Plans for a new capital were first drawn up 20 years ago, but officials only gave them serious consideration after the 2003 earthquake that devastated the south-eastern city of Bam and killed an estimated 40,000 people. Experts warn that Tehran sits on at least 100 faultlines – including one nearly 60 miles long – and that many of its buildings would not survive a major quake.

Professor Bahram Akasheh, a seismologist and dean of the faculty of basic sciences at Tehran Azad University, said the city had been chosen as capital "by mistake" and its north-eastern suburbs were vulnerable to an earthquake measuring eight on the Richter scale.

"I warned of this 40 to 50 years ago and if they had listened to me then, Tehran wouldn't have grown into a macro-city, but now control is lost over it. The city is growing bigger and bigger every day and so are the poor suburbs around it," he told the Guardian.

He said a new capital should be built between Qom – home to the country's clerical establishment – and Delijan, in Markazi province, an area that has not seen an earthquake in 2,000 years.

Who were the ‘Pakhtun elders’ who met Clinton?

PESHAWAR: The ‘Pakhtun elders’ who met US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Islamabad during her visit didn’t include anyone from conflict-hit South or North Waziristan and even Swat though it was reported that they came from these places.

In fact, a bearded man wearing a big turban like those worn by the Mahsud and Wazir tribesmen wasn’t a tribal elder and parliamentarian. He was seen in pictures in the company of Ms Clinton and newspapers reported he was a tribal elder. He turned out to be Faisal Awan, belonging to Dera Ismail Khan and executive director of a non-governmental organization called FIDA. This NGO has been given the task to register the people displaced from South Waziristan and arriving in Dera Ismail Khan and Tank following the military operation there.

A number of Mahsud tribesmen wondered as to who was this man wearing a turban that is usually worn by the Mahsuds. He looked unfamiliar and this made them to ask journalists and others about his identity.

The US embassy and its consulate in Peshawar had drawn up the list of invitees to this meeting of ‘Pakhtun elders’ with the Secretary of State. There was only one tribal parliamentarian in the group that twice met Ms Clinton, for an hour first and then for another half an hour later. He was Munir Orakzai, the MNA from Kurram Agency and also leader of the tribal parliamentary group in the parliament.

Another invitee from FATA was Dr Begum Jan, who runs an NGO. The other women in the list of ‘Pakhtun elders’ invited to meet Ms Clinton were NWFP social welfare minister Sitara Ayaz, who belongs to the ANP, a PPP lawmaker Shazia Tehmas, another NGO head Maryam Bibi who is founder of the Khwendo Kor organization, and Frontier Women University vice-chancellor Farhana Jehangir.

The politicians in the group were ANP NWFP president Senator Afrasiyab Khattak, PML-N provincial head and former chief minister Pir Sabir Shah and JUI-F lawmaker Mufti Kifayatullah.

Nauman Wazir, a Frontier industrial, and Dr Farooq, a former Jamaat-i-Islami member and writer and religious scholar, were also part of the group that exchanged views with Ms Clinton.It was learnt that Pir Sabir didn’t say much in the meeting and failed to attend the second part of the session. Munir Orakzai opposed US drone attacks and Mufti Kifayatullah argued that presence of American and Nato forces in Afghanistan and the region was the real cause of unrest. Afrasiyab Khattak echoes the ANP policies, which support the US and Nato military presence in Afghanistan and support tough army action against the militants in Pakistan’s tribal areas.

Dr Farooq stressed that the US must send the 40,000 extra troops demanded by its military commander to Afghanistan to stabilize the country and tackle the militants. Other participants mostly restricted themselves to their own fields such education, social welfare work, development activities and outside support for the NGOs.


Monday, November 02, 2009
By Bureau report
PESHAWAR: The ‘Pakhtun elders’ who met US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Islamabad during her visit didn’t include anyone from conflict-hit South or North Waziristan and even Swat though it was reported that they came from these places.

In fact, a bearded man wearing a big turban like those worn by the Mahsud and Wazir tribesmen wasn’t a tribal elder and parliamentarian. He was seen in pictures in the company of Ms Clinton and newspapers reported he was a tribal elder. He turned out to be Faisal Awan, belonging to Dera Ismail Khan and executive director of a non-governmental organization called FIDA. This NGO has been given the task to register the people displaced from South Waziristan and arriving in Dera Ismail Khan and Tank following the military operation there.

A number of Mahsud tribesmen wondered as to who was this man wearing a turban that is usually worn by the Mahsuds. He looked unfamiliar and this made them to ask journalists and others about his identity.

The US embassy and its consulate in Peshawar had drawn up the list of invitees to this meeting of ‘Pakhtun elders’ with the Secretary of State. There was only one tribal parliamentarian in the group that twice met Ms Clinton, for an hour first and then for another half an hour later. He was Munir Orakzai, the MNA from Kurram Agency and also leader of the tribal parliamentary group in the parliament.

Another invitee from FATA was Dr Begum Jan, who runs an NGO. The other women in the list of ‘Pakhtun elders’ invited to meet Ms Clinton were NWFP social welfare minister Sitara Ayaz, who belongs to the ANP, a PPP lawmaker Shazia Tehmas, another NGO head Maryam Bibi who is founder of the Khwendo Kor organization, and Frontier Women University vice-chancellor Farhana Jehangir.

The politicians in the group were ANP NWFP president Senator Afrasiyab Khattak, PML-N provincial head and former chief minister Pir Sabir Shah and JUI-F lawmaker Mufti Kifayatullah.

Nauman Wazir, a Frontier industrial, and Dr Farooq, a former Jamaat-i-Islami member and writer and religious scholar, were also part of the group that exchanged views with Ms Clinton.It was learnt that Pir Sabir didn’t say much in the meeting and failed to attend the second part of the session. Munir Orakzai opposed US drone attacks and Mufti Kifayatullah argued that presence of American and Nato forces in Afghanistan and the region was the real cause of unrest. Afrasiyab Khattak echoes the ANP policies, which support the US and Nato military presence in Afghanistan and support tough army action against the militants in Pakistan’s tribal areas.

Dr Farooq stressed that the US must send the 40,000 extra troops demanded by its military commander to Afghanistan to stabilize the country and tackle the militants. Other participants mostly restricted themselves to their own fields such education, social welfare work, development activities and outside support for the NGOs.

250,000 flee army offensive on the Afghan border

Up to 250,000 people have fled a tribal region on the Afghan border where the Pakistani army is in the third week of a major offensive against the Taliban, an official said Sunday.

The figure is higher than the 200,000 which the army reported had fled the conflict zone in South Waziristan last week.

Lieutenant General Nadeem Ahmad, chief of the government's Special Support Group, told reporters that between 244,000 and 250,000 people have migrated to the northwestern towns of Dera Ismail Khan and Tank, where they are staying with relatives, friends, host families or in rented houses.

South Waziristan is closed to reporters and aid workers.

A US-based rights group on Thursday urged Pakistan to ensure that sufficient supplies reach civilians trapped by the offensive, and warned of "catastrophe" without aid access.

Ahmad told AFP the army has allocated 405 tons of rations for the one or two percent of the population who stayed behind to look after their property.

Normally about 300,000 people live in the northern part of South Waziristan which the military seeks to clear of "terrorists".

The district is part of the lawless tribal belt where US officials say Al-Qaeda and their allies are plotting attacks on the West.

Around 30,000 troops are taking part in the offensive against an estimated 10,000-12,000 militants in the semi-autonomous region.

Pakistan's capital now resembles besieged city

ISLAMABAD — An onslaught of militant violence has transformed Pakistan's capital from a sleepy oasis to something of a city under siege, with its tree-lined streets barricaded, schools shuttered and jittery residents wondering when the next attack will come.
The fear shows how Taliban and al-Qaida-led insurgents based along the Afghan border have brought the war into Pakistan's political and diplomatic heart, something they hope will force the government to halt a new army offensive into their stronghold.
The unease has been heightened by the range of targets attacked despite a nationwide security clampdown. Suicide bombers hit the International Islamic University and a U.N. office in Islamabad; militants took officers hostage for 22 hours at army headquarters in the neighboring city of Rawalpindi; commando-style raids paralyzed the eastern city of Lahore; and bombs have ripped through markets in the northwest.
More than 300 people have been killed, most of them Pakistani civilians. And no one expects the attacks to end soon.
"The feeling is that things have degenerated terribly," said Javeed Akhtar, a corporate lawyer. "The university bombing (on Oct. 20) sent a chill through everyone. There is now a realization that targets are unrestricted. It is no holds barred."
Islamabad once was sheltered from the militant, separatist and gang violence that was a feature of life in other cities in Pakistan. Visitors were typically amazed at how quiet, well-ordered and wealthy it was compared with other South Asian cities.
That began changing in mid-2007, when the army besieged and then stormed the city's Red Mosque after militants inside refused to surrender. Gunshots and explosions rang out for days across the most exclusive suburbs, and around 100 people were killed.
The siege is now widely considered to be the starting point of the insurgency. Vowing vengeance, militants based in the lawless, tribally controlled region along the Afghan border began a vicious campaign against targets associated with the government, security forces and Western interests.
While Islamabad was occasionally hit, its 900,000 people and several thousand foreign residents still considered themselves largely untouched by the war. But just over a year ago, a truck bombing devastated the J.W. Marriott Hotel and showed the city was well and truly in the militant cross hairs.
"Every morning as we leave our houses we pray, and we ask our family members to pray that we get back safe and sound," said Mohammad Rahim, who runs an electronics business in the city center. "That is what every Pakistani does."
With many people choosing to stay at home, owners of restaurants and shops popular with foreigners and wealthy Pakistanis say their earnings have dropped by 50 percent in the two weeks since the start of the latest government offensive.
Many schools remain closed following the university attack, while principals try to secure them against possible future attacks. Workers are busy building thick concrete barriers to stop suicide car bombers.
Many parents have chosen to keep children at home even when their schools reopened.
"As soon as there is an explosion, things come to a standstill for a day or two, but life must go on," said Najmi Rizvi, the head of a preschool where attendance was down 50 percent. "We have to live in this situation," she said, as toddlers in Halloween costumes ran around the yard.
The city's foreigners are especially at risk, given popular anger at the U.S.-led war in neighboring Afghanistan and the government's close ties with Washington. Fears have risen further amid hostile media reporting of the major expansion of the U.S. embassy, and reports — denied by American officials — that members of the tarnished security company once called Blackwater are present in the city.
Islamabad's main diplomatic enclave, which is fenced off from the rest of the city, has become a neighborhood of fortresses, with compounds sealed off behind concentric rings of barbed wire, blast walls and heavy metal gates. Armed men — whether from government security forces or the small armies of private guards at each compound — are everywhere.
In the face of the attacks, the resolve of the country's politicians, army generals and people to take the fight to the militants in their border sanctuary of South Waziristan appears to be holding. But unqualified support for the offensive is complicated by the unpopularity of the government and a belief that the violence would stop if America pulled out of Afghanistan.
In more than a dozen interviews Thursday and Friday, conspiracy theories alleging the involvement of neighboring India or the United States in the attacks were frequently aired.
"We want to see a normal life, so for God's sake, listen to what the (militants) are saying. They are against American forces in Afghanistan," said Imran Ali, a 32-year-old carpet dealer. "What America is doing is illegal, and that is the root cause of all evils."

White House celebrates Halloween

First lady Michelle Obama (L) comforts a crying child with the promise of a cookie as she and U.S. President Barack Obama (C) greet local school children on Halloween at the White House in Washington October 31, 2009.

Pakistan Militants Blow Up Girls' School

Pakistani officials say militants have blown up a girls' school in the Khyber tribal region.Officials say several people were wounded in the blast.Al-Qaida and Taliban-linked militants who oppose the education of women have destroyed hundreds of girls' schools across the country.

Abdullah Withdraws From Afghan Presidential Run-Off

Abdullah Abdullah withdrew from Afghanistan’s Nov. 7 presidential run-off election against Hamid Karzai, saying a “free and fair” ballot wouldn’t have been possible.

He urged his supporters “not to take to the streets” or demonstrate in two Kabul press conferences today broadcast by international networks including CNN. The former Afghan foreign minister said he was “absolutely not” calling for a boycott of the run-off.

“The Afghan people deserve a better election” than the one that would have occurred, Abdullah said. He said the cost and potential violence connected with staging a second round were among his considerations in dropping out.

“I will pursue my efforts to bring reform and change to this country for the rest of my life,” said Abdullah, who was born in 1960. “I will do my best to institutionalize democracy in Afghanistan. Our commitment is much deeper than what happens today or tomorrow.”

The run-off election will proceed as scheduled, the election commission said today after Abdullah’s announcement, Agence France-Presse reported.

Abdullah said he had consulted in recent weeks with U.S. President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. John Kerry as well as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

‘Democratic Process’

He said he took his decision to quit the election after a meeting last week with Karzai, 51, when the president ruled out dismissing the head of the election commission or meeting other demands Abdullah said were required to improve the fairness of the second-round ballot.

The next step must be to bring the electoral process to a conclusion in a “legal and timely” manner, United Nations Special Representative, Kai Eide, said in an e-mailed statement.

U.K. Prime Minister Brown said in an e-mailed statement that he is “confident” that Afghanistan’s leaders will support “the remaining steps of the democratic process.

“We hope to see an Afghan government emerge that responds to the will of the people, that reaches out to all parts of Afghan society, and that is ready to take strong action to meet the challenges that Afghanistan faces,” Brown said.

A UN-backed partial recount of the initial Aug. 20 vote found more than 1 million ballots, most of them for Karzai, were suspect, putting his tally below the 50 percent needed to win and triggering the run-off.

Fraud Allegations

More than 200 of the 380 district election coordinators were fired for complicity in first-round fraud, and polling stations where irregularities occurred wouldn’t re-open, Aleem Siddique, a spokesman for the UN mission in Afghanistan said in a telephone interview on Oct. 21.

Most allegations of fraud in August came from violence- prone areas in the nation’s south and southeast, where Karzai’s political base is.

Allegations of voting fraud have complicated the Obama administration’s decision on whether to increase the number of troops in Afghanistan beyond the extra 21,000 the president approved earlier this year. About 68,000 troops are in Afghanistan today, the administration’s current goal, according to Pentagon data.

Abdullah today said there is “no doubt” that more U.S. and NATO forces are needed to suppress the Taliban and stabilize his nation, though more than soldiers will be required for that task, he added.

The UN said on Oct. 29 it was reviewing security in Afghanistan after Taliban militants raided a Kabul guesthouse and killed five UN workers a day before in a bid to disrupt the elections.

Taliban militants threatened more attacks in the country and “will not allow the second round to pass off peacefully,” spokesman, Qari Yousef Ahmadi told AFP. The militants will ensure that the elections are a “failure,” according to AFP.

Afghan vote in the balance, Abdullah may not run

KABUL - Afghan President Hamid Karzai's election rival, Abdullah Abdullah, will announce on Sunday whether he will take part in next week's disputed run-off vote, as Western diplomatic sources said he was leaning toward pulling out.
Abdullah canceled a planned trip to India on Saturday, just before a deadline he had given Karzai to sack Afghanistan's top election official was to expire.

Afghanistan has been racked by weeks of political uncertainty after widespread fraud marred the first round, with security a major concern after a resurgent Taliban vowed to disrupt the November 7 run-off.

With Afghanistan's political future hanging in the balance, U.S. President Barack Obama is also weighing whether to send thousands more troops to Afghanistan. Obama met U.S. military leaders in Washington on Friday as part of a strategy review.

A Western diplomatic source said Abdullah was leaning toward pulling out of the election but may be using the threat as a "negotiating ploy" with Karzai.

"We have heard that talks with Karzai have broken down and he (Abdullah) is leaning toward not taking part in the election but this could also be a negotiating ploy," said the diplomatic source, who spoke on condition of anonymity as the issue is sensitive. "It is not a done deal."

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Saturday any decision by Abdullah not to contest the run-off would not affect the vote's legitimacy.

Asked at a news conference in Jerusalem about reports that aides to Abdullah said he would not run, Clinton did not make clear if she was confirming he would not take part in the run-off, but said, "I think that it is his decision to make.

She added: "I do not think it affects the legitimacy. There have been other situations in our own country as well as around the world where in a run-off election one of the parties decides for whatever reason that they are not going to go on."

Abdullah's campaign team issued a short statement on Saturday saying the former foreign minister had called a loya jirga, or grand assembly of elders, for 9.30 a.m. on Sunday.

"Dr Abdullah Abdullah will a give speech about the election and he will announce his decision in the loya jirga tent," the statement said.

Abdullah's aides said earlier he had canceled the trip to India because of uncertainty over the election.

Diplomats said there were questions over whether Abdullah would use his news conference as a concession speech to incumbent Karzai or declare a boycott of the run-off.

Western officials have noted that Abdullah has not opened any campaign offices in Afghanistan since the run-off was called last week. Neither candidate has campaigned openly.

"The signs are there. (Abdullah's) not doing any campaigning. Everyone is looking at the two camps and willing them to do some form of accommodation that will avoid a run-off," one Western diplomat, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters.

Diplomats and analysts have said that, according to the constitution, it was possible the run-off might go ahead with Karzai as the only candidate if Abdullah pulls out. They fear that would have a serious impact on the government's legitimacy.

POWER-SHARING?

Talk of a possible power-sharing deal between Karzai and Abdullah has also grown as a possible solution to the deadlock.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul said it was a matter for Karzai and Abdullah to decide if they could come up with a constitutionally sound solution acceptable to Afghans.

Western diplomats have said privately Abdullah may have overplayed his hand with last week's ultimatum to Karzai, which included a demand to dismiss three ministers in a bid to avoid a repeat of the first-round fraud.

Karzai has already indicated he would not give in to Abdullah's demand. Abdullah has not said yet what he would do if the officials were not removed.

The run-off was triggered when a U.N.-led investigation found widespread fraud, mainly in favor of Karzai, had been committed during the August 20 first round.

The United States already has about 70,000 troops in Afghanistan and the decision to send more hinges on whether the Afghan government is seen by U.S. lawmakers and the public as a legitimate and viable partner.

Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, said Afghanistan faced a return to a "brutal tyranny" if the Taliban, al Qaeda and their militant Islamist allies were allowed to return to power. Bush was speaking at the leadership summit in New Delhi Abdullah had been due to attend.

Many commentators and Western diplomats believe Karzai will likely win the run-off, adding pressure on Abdullah to withdraw for the sake of stability.

It would also avoid the mobilization of thousands of foreign troops that would be needed to help secure polling stations after poor security and Taliban threats cut voter turnout in August.

The Taliban have called on Afghans to boycott the run-off and have vowed to disrupt the poll, their threat underlined on Wednesday by a suicide attack on a Kabul guest-house used by the United Nations in which five foreign U.N. staff were killed.

Bomb kills seven in Khyber Agency

PESHAWAR: A bomb killed seven Pakistani soldiers and wounded 11 others Saturday in the country’s northwestern tribal area, officials said.

‘Seven paramilitary soldiers were killed and 11 were wounded in the remote-control bomb attack,’ Shafirullah Khan, the top administrative official of Khyber tribal district, told AFP by telephone.

The Frontier Corps later issued a statement confirming that seven of its members had ‘embraced martyrdom’. It gave their names and said they died in an improvised explosive device blast.

Military and security officials in nearby Peshawar city said two vehicles carrying rations for Pakistani troops were destroyed in the blast.

It occurred about 15 kilometers west of Peshawar.

Khyber is on the main supply route through Pakistan to Afghanistan, where international forces are battling a Taliban insurgency.

The semi-autonomous northwest tribal belt has become a stronghold for hundreds of extremists who fled Afghanistan after a US-led invasion toppled the hardliner Islamic Taliban regime there in late 2001.

NWFP to be made Rs 110 billion payment, says PM

PESHAWAR : The federal government on Saturday accepted the onus of payment of Rs 110 billion to North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) to resolve the two decades old dispute between the province and the Water & Power Development Authority (Wapda) over payment of net profit on hydropower generation. The decision was announced by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani at a press briefing here at Governor House.

NWFP Governor Owais Ahmad Ghani and Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti flanked the Prime Minister, federal ministers Qamaruzzaman Kaira, Rehman Malik, Ghulam Ahmad Bilour, Najmuddin Khan and Hina Rabbani Khar. The Prime Minister said that after consultations with NWFP government, the federal government has agreed for payment of the principal amount outstanding against Wapda under the head of net-profit on hydropower generation.

The outstanding amount of Rs 110 billion would be paid in four instalments, he added. The Prime Minister said that initially an amount of Rs 10 billion would be released to the province with immediate effect while each installment of Rs 25 billion would be paid on the end of each quarter of the year.

He said that the decision was a milestone in the relations of the federal government as it was a longstanding demand of the provincial government. He said according to the decision both parties would withdraw their cases from the courts. During the government of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz an Arbitration Tribunal was constituted for the resolution of the dispute between NWFP and Wapda.

However, Wapda failed to honour the verdict of the tribunal and challenged it in a civil court of Islamabad, while the NWFP government moved Supreme Court. The Prime Minister also announced establishment of 'Martyre Trust' for the police personnel on the pattern of military.

The trust would be established in all four provinces and the federal government would provide the seed money to serve the families of those who lost lives in the line of duties. He said that the purpose of his visit to the province was to express solidarity with the people of Peshawar where terrorists killed innocent persons through a cowardly act of explosion. He expressed sorrow over the killing of women and children and came to share feelings with the victims.

He also condemned killing of seven security men in an explosion of a powerful bomb Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency, saying that militants neither have religion nor any faith, whose purpose is only weakening of the state. He appreciated the role of the law enforcement agencies which are sacrificing their lives for the future of the nation. Similarly, he also supported the general public who had extended support to the security forces in the battle.

The Prime Minister said that a meeting was also held to review law and order situation and strengthening of the security arrangements. He said that provision of security to the people is fundamental duty of the state. He linked the resolution of economic and other issues with bringing improvement in the law and order situation.

"Security and economic development are inter-related and both are pre-requisite for investment. We are competent and able to resolve the problems," said that the Prime Minister. He said that the government wanted capacity building of the law enforcement agencies, adding that a committee headed by him has been constituted in this regard.

He said that both civil and military leadership are united while the political leadership either they are inside the parliament or outside wanted elimination of the terrorism. "We have no other option as militants wanted the abolition of the system," he said.

The Prime Minister said that reconstruction of Malakand Division would be initiated, "as we are in contact with our friends in international community. The military action has completed now it is the turn for political, social and economic solutions". He said that they required provision of employment and bringing improvement in the economy of the people.

The PM was also briefed on matters relating to internally displaced persons (IDPs) who thanked the people of Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi, Charsadda and other districts for extending hospitality to their displaced brothers in Swat. He said that 80 percent displaced families have returned to their homes. Regarding military action in Waziristan, he said that the displaced people from FATA would also be rehabilitated.

He said that tribesmen are patriotic Pakistanis and have supported Qaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and today they are rendering sacrifices for stability and integrity of Pakistan. He said that foreign elements are polluting situation in FATA. He said that there would be no difference in the standard of treatment with the people of FATA and like IDPs of Malakand they would also be paid Rs 25000 on the return to their areas and Rs 5000 for their livelihood.

He announced that a committee comprising of NWFP Governor and Chief Minister, Interior Minister, Information Minister, Minister of State for Economic Division, and General Nadeem of the Special Support Group, has been constituted for FATA. The committee would supervise funding and would approve funds for the law enforcement agencies. The committee has been directed to prepare report within a period of 30 days.

Pakistan's hidden war

BBC.COM
In South Waziristan the enemy is not just the Taliban and al-Qaeda. It's also the terrain, and the militants know every inch.For centuries the treacherous peaks and remote valleys have been resistant to outsiders.During the era of the Raj, British troops had their own name for it - "Hell's Door Knocker."These days American officials regard it as one of the most dangerous places on earth.In this barren landscape the Pakistani army is now fighting a largely hidden war. We were given a rare glimpse of the battlefield, where 30,000 troops are trying to flush out an estimated 5,000 to 8,000 militants.The military gave us a guided tour of areas captured since the launch of operation "Path to Salvation" on 17 October.The terrain dictates the strategy - first troops have to take the high ground, then the valleys and ravines. We were taken to a series of strategic hilltops, which are now in army hands.Commanders spoke of fierce resistance from heavily armed militants.One of the first battles was against a stronghold of Uzbek fighters, in the district of Spin Jamaat. The Uzbeks have a reputation as ferocious warriors, and loyal al-Qaeda soldiers.
"They put up a very good fight," says General Khalid Rabbani, who lead the assault. "They defended every peak and every ridge, and they filled the area with mines and improvised explosive devices."
9/11 connection
He said his troops had killed 82 militants, but admitted that hundreds had probably escaped Spin Jamaat before the fighting began.In a mud compound in the village of Sherwangai, troops displayed some of the spoils of war.Alongside the heavy weapons and the hand grenades there were computers - and identity documents.One passport suggests a militant with links to the 9/11 hijackers may have been here at some point.We had a brief opportunity to examine the German passport, issued in the name of Said Bahaji.It was issued in August 2001 and showed an entry to Pakistan early the following month - days before the twin towers of the World Trade Center were attacked.Bahaji is believed to have lived in Hamburg for eight months with Mohammed Atta, the leader of the 9/11 hijackers.The appearance of the passport raises a lot of questions - not least is it genuine? For now that is unclear.
The discovery coincided with a visit by the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, in which she publicly questioned Pakistan's efforts to hunt down al-Qaeda.
One UK-based analyst said the timing was not an accident.
"I think it's convenient," says Dr. Sajjan Gohel of the Asia-Pacific Foundation, "especially given that Hilary Clinton seemed to criticise the government and the military for not doing enough to find al-Qaeda."
"The question is whether they allow more scrutiny of the passport, " Dr Gohel added.
The army says it is now being examined by Pakistani intelligence experts, and that this process will "take time".
During our visit the soundtrack of war was playing in the hills around Sherwangai - the dull crack and thump of mortars, punctuated by bursts of machinegun fire.
Commanders said troops are advancing steadily - if slowly - and the Taliban are apparently being pushed back.
But one senior officer warned that what looks like a retreat is actually a trap.
"Their main aim is to suck us deeper into forested areas and mountain passes, and cause maximum casualties among our incoming troops," he asserts.
He believes that the Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud has moved into dense forests near the border of North Waziristan, where he has cover from US drones.
The army admits Hakimullah is continuing to direct the resistance, and that his men are still on the move, on horses or mules - the traditional transport of South Waziristan.
'Fight to the finish'
Travelling in the area is like going back in time. "Any paved roads you see were built by the British," says one officer, "and that was a long time ago."
Since then there have been decades of neglect, the vacuum left by the state was filled by the militants.
Privately commanders admit that they will have to keep fighting this battle for years to come, if the government does not follow the offensive with a development plan.

For now Pakistanis wonder when the operation will deliver tangible results - like a reduction in the almost deadly attacks which claimed around 300 lives in the past month.

“ They put up a very good fight, [the militants] defended every peak and every ridge, and they filled the area with... improvised explosive devices ”
General Khalid Rabbani, Pakistan Army
With helicopter gunships circling overhead, the army's chief spokesman - Major General Athar Abbas - was reluctant to give a timescale.

But he maintains that robbing the Taliban of their stronghold will severely limit their ability to strike.

"The people will have to be patient and have confidence that the army will end this as soon as possible," he says.
Previously commanders have said the operation should be concluded in six to eight weeks, though troops would have to remain in the area long after that.
The army has been here before - with three previous offensives since 2004. They ended with peace deals not with victory.
"This time it will be a fight to the finish. We have strong public support," says Maj Gen Abbas.
What Pakistan does or fails to do here has implications beyond its own borders - for security in neighbouring Afghanistan and also in the West.
The peaks of South Waziristan cast a long shadow

PM chairs high-level meeting on NWFP's security situation

PESHAWAR : Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Saturday chaired a high-level meeting on the security and law and order situation in NWFP at the Governor House.

The prime minister who arrived here on a day-long visit, discussed matters relating to security in the province and directed the authorities to take effective measures to protect the life and property of masses.

The meeting was attended by Governor NWFP Owais Ahmad Ghani, Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, State Minister for Finance Hina Rabbani Khar, Federal Ministers Lal Muhammad Khan and Najmuddin Khan.

Fayyaz Toro, Special Secretary Home NWFP briefed the Prime Minister on the security situation in the province. Chief Secretary NWFP Javed Iqbal, IGP Malik Naveed and other high officials were also present in the briefing.

The meeting also discussed the status of displaced families due to military operation in South Waziristan.

Earlier, the meeting offered fateha for the departed souls of the Meena bazaar blast, and prayed for the early recovery of the injured.

Bilour asks govt to declare NWFP war-hit area

PESHAWAR: Condemning the bombing at Meena Bazaar, Federal Minister for Railways Ghulam Ahmed Bilour on Friday urged the government to declare NWFP, particularly its metropolis, as a war-hit area and exempt it from taxes.

Addressing a news conference, he expressed sympathy with the families of the victims. He was accompanied by his younger brother and NWFP Senior Minister Bashir Bilour. The federal minister said no religion allowed killing of innocent people. “It is unfortunate that Muslims are killing their own brethren in the name of jihad. Equally unfortunate is the fact that the blood of Pakhtuns is being shed on both sides of the Pak-Afghan border. The Taliban are Pakhtuns, who are killing their Pakhtun brothers in the terrorist incidents,” he said.

The federal minister said that though the NWFP government was taking measures for protection of citizens against terrorism, the people including him were not satisfied with the security arrangements. He urged the government to further strengthen the security system. He also asked the federal and provincial governments to provide optimum compensation to the blast victims.

The government should also compensate the material losses of the shopkeepers and common people so that they could reconstruct their houses and shops and restart their business, he added.

Bilour said the provincial government was unable to cope with the situation in its limited resources, and that he would take up the matter in the federal cabinet. He lauded the services of medical staff and volunteer work by public.

About the timeframe for the military operation against the militants, he remarked time limit is not given while fighting a war. About disaster management, he said the government was trying its best to provide the latest equipment to the civic bodies. The Civil Defence Department has been activated and Rescue 1122 Department is being set up to overcome disasters, he added.

Ignorant Taliban destroyed 473 schools in FATA, Malakand: Malik

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Friday said the Taliban torched 409 educational institutions in Malakand Division, and 64 in FATA. Calling the Taliban “professional killers and liars”, the minister said they were enemies of Islam and Pakistan and had nefarious designs to destabilise the country. Malik reiterated the government’s firm stance of uprooting the menace of extremism and terrorism from the country.

Afghan election talks break down

cnn.com
Kabul, Afghanistan -- Talks between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his election opponent, Abdullah Abdullah, have broken down, a Western source close to the Afghan leadership told CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Friday.
According to the source, Abdullah will likely announce this weekend that he will boycott the runoff presidential election slated for November 7, a runoff that had been scheduled after intense diplomatic arm twisting by the United States.
In a Thursday interview with Amanpour, former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad had predicted that the country would soon be governed under a power-sharing deal.
"I think there will be power-sharing," Khalilzad said. "Both want power-sharing. The difference is that Karzai wanted to be first declared the winner or win the election and then offer something from a position of strength, while Abdullah Abdullah wanted to go to a second round but have a power-sharing agreement without the vote."
But Khalilzad also said Abdullah "may not stay in the race."
"First, he doesn't have much money left," he said. "Second, I think that he thinks that, given the situation, he's likely to lose, and maybe he'll get less votes than he did in the first round, so that would be embarrassing."
In the United States, President Obama is considering whether to send more troops to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban insurgency there, as requested by the commander of troops there, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, or adopt some other strategy in the troubled nation.
Khalilzad said the outcome of the Afghan election negotiations is crucial to whatever decision the U.S. president takes.
"There are very few very capable Afghans, and they need to come together in a power-sharing arrangement," he said, "because whatever the decision is here in the United States, this will be one last chance to push for success in Afghanistan. And that cannot happen without the Afghan leaders doing their part."

Army stands with nation against terrorism: COAS

RAWALPINDI : The Chief Of Army Staff(COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has condemned the heinous attack in Meena Bazar Peshawar and has regretted the loss of precious lives.The COAS expressed his heartfelt condolences to the families of all innocent victims of Peshawar blast. He said that Army stands with the Nation in its resolve to defeat the forces of extremism and terrorism.

Clinton Ends Visit as the Focus of Pakistani Barbs

NewYorkTimes




ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — As Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton wrapped up a three-day visit here, she faced yet another round of skepticism and sharpened questions as Pakistani audiences vented their anger over American policies in the region.

An interview with several women who are prominent Pakistani television anchors, broadcast live, turned into a pointed, sometimes raucous back-and-forth, as her questioners cut each other off and shouted to be heard as they parried with Mrs. Clinton. They criticized American drone strikes in Pakistan, said the military presence was stirring unrest and expressed their doubts about whether the United States had a long-term commitment to Pakistan.

One of the women said that Pakistanis were experiencing “daily 9/11’s,” and an audience member asked Mrs. Clinton whether the drone strikes amounted to acts of terrorism.

Mrs. Clinton was also challenged in a meeting with Pakistani tribal residents who live near the border with Afghanistan, a focal point of the fight with Taliban insurgents.

“Your presence in the region is not good for peace,” one of the men in attendance told Mrs. Clinton, according to The Associated Press, “because it gives rise to frustration and irritation among the people of this region.”

Throughout the three days of her visit here, Mrs. Clinton would not comment on the drone attacks — a classified C.I.A. program — but said that the United States hoped to act as a partner with Pakistan on military and domestic issues.

Mrs. Clinton’s parade of meetings with television, radio and print journalists was an effort to improve public portrayals of the United States in Pakistan’s vibrant, influential, but sometimes rumor-driven press.

But a car bomb struck a market in the border city of Peshawar within hours of her arrival, killing more than 100 people; a United Nations guest house was attacked in Kabul, leaving 11 dead; and Mrs. Clinton has met with unremitting skepticism. All of that has underscored the precarious security situation and highlighted the diplomatic struggles facing the United States as it tries to rout terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan and support democracies in both.

A gathering on Thursday at Government College University in Lahore was particularly hostile. Rarely in her travels as secretary of state has Mrs. Clinton encountered an audience so uniformly suspicious and immune to her star power as the polite, but unsmiling, university students who challenged her there.

One after another, they lined up to grill Mrs. Clinton about what they see as the dysfunctional relationship between Pakistan and the United States. They described a litany of slights, betrayals and misunderstandings that add up to a national narrative of grievance, against which she did her best to push back.

Why did the United States abandon Pakistan after the Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan, they asked. Why did the Bush administration support the previous military government of Gen. Pervez Musharraf? What about reports in the Pakistani news media that American contractors illegally carried weapons in Islamabad? Even her fans have come armed with spears. A young woman, a medical student, thanked Mrs. Clinton for being an inspiration to women, then asked how the United States could justify ordering Predator strikes on targets in Pakistan without sharing intelligence with its military.

Mrs. Clinton said only, “The war that your government and your military are waging right now is an important one for the country.”

Women Mourn the Women Who are Targets

NEW YORK TIMES
Arshad Arbab/European Pressphoto Agency Women leave the site of the devastating blast in Peshawar, in Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), that killed more than 100 people on Wednesday.
Sarah Hassan, 22, changed her Facebook status to “Why is this happening to us??” hours after the massive car bombing that ripped through a crowded market frequented by female shoppers in the northwestern city of Peshawar on Wednesday.

Ms. Hassan is one of many Pakistanis asking that question, and the latest spasm of violence in Pakistan cities has prompted new concerns that militants have begun to specifically target women in their terror campaign.

Ms. Hassan, who works at an immigration consulting firm in the eastern city of Lahore, said she is hearing more and more stories of loss. A friend lost her sister and father in a terrorist attack in Peshawar on Oct. 16, she said. “I could not even call her. I could not get myself to console with her.”

“I am depressed and think about all these innocent people who are losing their lives almost every day,” she said. Another girl she knew became disabled after suffering injuries in the suicide attack that targeted a university in Islamabad.

Shabbir Hussein/European Pressphoto Agency Students of International Islamic University left their campus after twin suicide bomb attacks, in Islamabad on Oct. 20 that left six people dead. Many educational institutions across Pakistan were temporarily closed following the bombings.
But Ms. Hassan did not think that the attacks of late were specifically targeting women. “They are just randomly killing innocent people,” she said, referring to the militants.

The threat of terrorism now loomed large in the cities, having crept from the northwestern edges of the country.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s visit served to feed fears in Lahore on Thursday, Ms. Hassan said. “The whole day we feared hearing about a terrorist attack here. This is no life. Our lives are getting affected and why,” she asked.

“This cannot go on. It has to stop. We want to progress. We want to have careers, but it all seems impossible now,” she said referring to herself and her group of friends.

“Earlier, we used to discuss boys or movies and now we can’t socialize or go out. We cannot go out for shopping. Parents tell us to stay inside our homes. What if terrorists start attacking residential areas now?” she wondered.

And in recent weeks, she said she has noticed a big influx of people applying for immigration through the consultation firm. “People just want to get out as soon as they can,” she said.

Maria Wasti, a popular television actress based in the southern port city of Karachi, agreed that the feeling of insecurity cut across gender lines. “I am going to the airport a little later. It can be bombed and then some can say that passengers were targeted,” Ms. Wasti said Thursday evening. “We as a nation, as people, are being targeted.”

But she added that women were also often reprimanded in the society for not conforming to the conservative views of the religious right. “If you wear sleeves or wear jeans, some cleric can come forward and tell you are not following Islam properly.”

She felt there was a lot of confusion among the people on the issue of terrorism. “We do not know who our enemies are.”

The militants who are condemned now were not too long ago dubbed as “good” by the governments of the United States and Pakistan, she said.

Arshad Arbab/European Pressphoto AgencyWomen at the site of the Peshawar market bombing.
“Our government is fighting them because America is asking us to do so. It all has a very scripted feel. Just like the way we write dramas and then act knowing what will happen next,” she said. “It is like a circle.”

But for residents of Peshawar, the car bombing Wednesday was yet another grim reminder of how ordinary lives had become so vulnerable to so many new threats.

“Our hearts are bleeding,” said Shazia Aurangzeb, a member of the provincial parliament in Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP), representing the opposition political party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

Unlike Ms. Hassan and Ms. Wasti, she sensed that there was a significant connection between the recent blasts and women. “In our Pashtun culture, women are highly respected, but now they are being targeted.”

Ms. Aurangzeb’s feelings of grief were followed by anger.

And like many Pakistanis, her anger is directed at the United States as she blamed America for the woes that were afflicting the common people of her province.

“We are fighting an American war and killing our own people,” she said.

“9/11 was a security lapse of America itself. Why is America now punishing others?”

She would not be drawn into commenting on who she thought may have carried out the attacks in Peshawar and other parts of NWFP, but some Pakistanis have suggested that “We do not know who are the genuine stakeholders,” she said.

Pakistani officials have blamed Taliban for the Peshawar car bombing. Curiously, a Taliban spokesperson denied responsibility for the attack.

Ms. Aurangzeb said she was convinced that Pakistan was fighting an unnecessary war and consequently the situation in her native province was getting worse. “Only Muslims are getting killed every day.”

Peshawar Mourns Its Dead

Markets and businesses in Peshawar were closed on Friday the 30th as a sign of mourning. A car bomb ripped through a crowded market killing more than 106 people on Wednesday the 28th.Eyewitnesses said the scene on Wednesday was "like Doomsday"… as fire engulfed buildings and a mosque after the massive blast. Several buildings collapsed. Doctors say many of the wounded are still in critical condition and the death toll is likely to rise.Distraught relatives are also still looking for scores of missing people who were either shopping or working in the city at the time of the blast. Many more are mourning their dead.
"Three funerals took place at my house. The children who are orphaned, the women who have been widowed have no one to provide for them. We appeal to the government to help these poor people." The bomb went off in the busy Peepal Mandi market street.
Although nobody claimed responsibility, many believe Taliban militants are to blame… who are the target of an army offensive.
"We just cannot understand who is doing all this. The actions the government is taking are correct, so who are the people who are doing this? It can only be the work of an enemy country."
The attack came as security forces pressed ahead with their offensive to wrest control of the Taliban strongholds in South Waziristan on the Afghan border.

ITS PAKISTAN'S WAR TOO

latimes.com
Editorial
As a car-bomb attack in Peshawar tragically demonstrates, Pakistanis and the U.S. have a common enemy in Islamist extremists.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton set out for Pakistan this week on a charm offensive, hoping to curtail anti-Americanism by speaking directly with students and journalists not simply about fighting terrorism but about economic development and other issues of common interest. Then a car bomb tore though a crowded market in the northwestern city of Peshawar, slaughtering more than 100 men, women and children, instantly drawing attention back to the conflict.

More than anything Clinton can say, a series of assaults that have taken the lives of more than 500 civilians this year should serve to convince typical Pakistanis that this is not just a U.S. war. The United States and Pakistan have a common enemy in Islamist extremists, and the Pakistani state is fighting for its survival.

Militants around the world have cynically targeted marketplaces to weaken support for governments that fail to protect their people, even though killing innocents rarely wins over public opinion in the long run. That's a point the Obama administration also should note. More than 500 civilians have died in U.S. missile strikes against the Taliban by unmanned drone aircraft, Pakistani officials say, which may partly explain why polls show that a majority of Pakistanis regard the United States as an enemy.

The Peshawar bomb appears to be the work of the Pakistani Taliban, which is fighting not for its brethren in Afghanistan but to destabilize the government of President Asif Ali Zardari. Officials regard the bombing as retaliation for a 30,000-troop Pakistani military offensive in the Taliban stronghold of South Waziristan. Despite his many shortcomings, Zardari sounds as if he understands that he has no choice but to fight back. We hope that the often-ambivalent Pakistani army is convinced it must continue the offensive and ultimately defeat the Pakistani Taliban. Opposition leader Nawaz Sharif also should speak out against the bombing and help unify the country against radicals who want to control it.

The United States is aiding Pakistan's military with hundreds of millions of dollars worth of weapons, helicopters and surveillance equipment, and U.S. Special Forces soldiers are training Pakistani counterinsurgency troops. All of this is done under the radar, so to speak, to avoid a backlash against the United States. But while it's true that the Obama administration, like the Bush administration before it, is shoring up the nuclear-armed Pakistani government to protect U.S. interests and those of its allies, it's also time for Pakistanis to acknowledge that it's in their interest as well to keep extremists at bay. This is Pakistan's conflict too.

US not losing Afghan war, but Taliban has 'momentum': Clinton

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday that the United States was not losing the war in Afghanistan, but acknowledged 'the Taliban has momentum' in the eight-year-old conflict.Clinton's comments on the Taliban in an interview with ABC television repeated earlier statements from war commander General Stanley McChrystal and other top US officials.Her comments came hours ahead of President Barack Obama's talks with his top military chiefs, the latest in a string of strategy sessions at the White House as he weighs whether to send tens of thousands more US troops to Afghanistan."It's not going to be a repeat of the same, old approach. We're trying different things," Clinton said."When the president makes his decision, I think that will be evident."Obama has spent weeks deliberating over a request for 40,000 more troops by McChrystal, who warned in a dire assessment that the war could be lost without more boots on the ground."This is not an open-ended, never-ending commitment," Clinton warned on NBC television.Afghan President Hamid Karzai, once a darling of the West, has fallen out of favor with Washington since Obama took office. His legitimacy and credibility have also been at stake following a first round of elections in August riddled with fraud."There might have been too much emphasis on the central government and the idea that there could be some kind of nation-building that would transform Afghanistan overnight," Clinton told CNN. "Well, we don't accept that. We don't think that's going to happen. But what we do believe is that we have to work with the president and the cabinet and officials in Kabul and the officials at the local level, and that's going to be our approach."

Clinton leaves Pakistan with pointed question on al Qaeda

ISLAMABAD - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wound up a bridge-building visit to Pakistan on Friday leaving a pointed question ringing in her hosts' ears: Where are the al Qaeda leaders operating in your country?

While no Pakistani officials were immediately prepared to answer, ordinary citizens told Washington's top diplomat the country was living on a daily basis with the consequences of the September 11, 2001 attacks engineered by the militant Islamist group.

At a televised women's forum on Friday, Clinton was pressed on U.S. attitudes toward Pakistan, questioned about the use of robot drones to attack suspected militants, and reminded of the costs the country faces as it battles its own insurgency.

"We are fighting a war that was imposed on us. It is not our war, it is your war," television journalist Asma Shirazi told Clinton on the last day of her three-day visit to Pakistan.

"You had a 9-11. We are having daily 9-11s in Pakistan."

Pakistan's army is in the middle of a massive offensive against Taliban militants strongholds in South Waziristan that has prompted a spate of bloody revenge attacks on urban targets.

On Wednesday, when Clinton arrived, a car bomb in a market in the northwest city of Peshawar killed more than 100 people, mostly women and children, and wounded nearly 200.

The rough and rugged tribal territory separating Pakistan and Afghanistan is a stronghold for Taliban insurgents from both countries as well as a haven for al Qaeda operatives.

While most Pakistanis are against the extremists, many also believe they are fueled by Islamabad's links with Washington.

On Thursday Clinton expressed disbelief no-one in authority knew where al Qaeda leaders were hiding out -- a remark that may fuel much reaction once she leaves the country.

"I find it hard to believe that nobody in your government knows where they are and couldn't get them if they really wanted to," she told a group of newspaper editors during a meeting in Lahore.

Clinton's pointed remark was the first public gripe on a trip aimed at turning around a U.S.-Pakistan relationship under serious strain, but bound in the struggle against religious extremism.

Clinton's main message in Pakistan -- that the forces binding Pakistanis and Americans together are far stronger than those dividing them -- was constant, and she urged audiences to stand guard against extreme religious doctrine that seeks to impose its will on the population.

FRIENDS AND SCEPTICS

Many participating in Clinton's numerous public appearances in Pakistan have expressed appreciation for U.S. backing for the country and for Clinton's personal outreach.

But more frequently Clinton's "people to people" diplomacy -- with journalists, students and common people -- has been characterized by sharp disagreements and deep distrust.

That is a potentially worrying sign for officials in Washington hoping to reverse a steep rise in anti-U.S. sentiment in the increasingly fragile nuclear armed country.

Through it all, Clinton has proved unflappable, acknowledging the "trust deficit" created by past U.S. mistakes while firmly responding to charges the United States does not have Pakistan's best interests at heart.

Clinton, who professes deep personal affection for Pakistan and its people, was cautiously optimistic her visit may have changed a few hearts and minds among fearful Pakistanis although she said much more needed to be done to illustrate how the United States is helping the country.

"I'm going to try as hard as I can. But ultimately, we have to have actions between the two of us. Words are not enough," she said at the women's gathering.

As the Pakistan offensive in South Waziristan continued, officials in the port city of Karachi said they had arrested nearly 200 foreign nationals, mostly Afghans, in the past week in a security sweep.

"Most of these people have been arrested on charges of staying illegally in the country, but the main reason for this crackdown is to try and hunt militants hiding among these illegal refugees," said a senior police official, requesting anonymity.

Police have also arrested several members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangavi group in recent days, recovering hundreds of kilograms of explosives, suicide jackets and other weapons.

Officials said security forces have arrested 18 suspected militants, including foreigners, in the northern town of Chitral as well.

Secretary-General to Hold High-Level Staff Meeting on Threats to UN Security

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will convene a meeting of the organization's top officials on Friday to discuss the serious security challenges facing the organization in Afghanistan and other parts of the world. Mr. Ban appealed to the members of the Security Council for their support during an emergency session Thursday - a day after an attack on a U.N. guesthouse in Kabul killed five staffers. The U.N. Secretary-General said Friday's meeting will focus on the growing threat to the United Nations in places across the world where it operates.

"Increasingly, the U.N. is being targeted," said Ban Ki-moon. "In this case, precisely because of our support for the Afghan elections. Not counting peacekeepers, 27 U.N. civilian personnel have lost their lives to violence so far this year - more than half of them in Afghanistan and Pakistan." Mr. Ban cited the bravery of U.N. security personnel during Thursday's early morning raid of the guesthouse, in which gunmen shot at victims and then detonated grenades and suicide vests.

"For at least an hour, and perhaps more, they held off the attackers, fighting through the corridors of the building and from the rooftop, giving their colleagues time to escape," he said. "Without their heroism, there could have been more casualities, victims."

Mr. Ban told reporters that would also brief the General Assembly on Friday.
"I will ask for expedited action for our security mesures, so that we can meet the dramatically escalated threat to U.N. staff, now widely considered to be a 'soft target', as well as provide support for victims and their families," said Mr. Ban.

With the second-round of the Afghan presidential elections little more than a week away, Mr. Ban said the United Nations is considering a number of short-term measures to help facilitate its work, including consolidating its staff in Kabul and around the country.

"We are exploring the feasiblity of bringing in additional security units to guard U.N. facilities and will ask [the] international community to step up its support," said Ban Ki-moon.

He said he would consider all possiblities, including hiring private security contractors to protect U.N. staff.

The primary responsiblity for U.N. security resides with the host country. Mr. Ban said that Afghan President Hamid Karzai called him earlier Thursday and assured him of tightened security support for the U.N. mission.

For its part, the Security Council reiterated its strong condemnation of the attack and its Taliban perpetrators. The council said it looks forward to the secretary-general's detailed proposal for improving U.N. security measures.

Death toll from Peshawar blast rises to 117

PESHAWAR: The death toll in Wednesday’s bomb blast in the city’s Meena Bazaar rose to 117 on Thursday evening and rescue workers believed that some bodies were still in the debris of the collapsed buildings.A spokesman for the Edhi Foundation told Dawn that he himself had counted 117 bodies. He said that 14 madressah students were still trapped in a mosque destroyed by the blast and only one of the bodies had been retrieved so far.

Afghan president condemns terrorist attack in Pakistan

KABUL-- Afghan president Hamid Karzai has strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Peshawar of Pakistan that left over 90 people dead and injured more than 200 others on Wednesday, a statement released by his office said."Such attacks which mostly claim civilians' live expose the threat of terrorism to the region and requires collective struggle to overcome the menace," the statement received Thursday added.In the statement, the Afghan president also expressed sympathy with the families of the victims.Also on the same day on Wednesday, Kabul came under Taliban attacks as the insurgents stormed a UN guest house killing six international staff of the world body and fired two rockets on the city that left no casualties.