Rights group raps impunity for Pakistan’s spies

ISLAMABAD: US-based Human Rights Watch on Tuesday condemned the impunity of Pakistan’s intelligence services and again called on the government to punish the killers of a prominent local journalist.

A government commission set up to investigate the murder of Saleem Shahzad, who wrote about links between Al-Qaeda and rogue elements in the military, wrapped up its work this month, saying it had failed to find his killers.

Shahzad vanished days after US troops found and killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan last May, and his body was later found.

The journalist told HRW he had been threatened by intelligence agents.

Brad Adams, Asia director at HRW, said the failure to get to the bottom of what happened “illustrates the ability of the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) to remain beyond the reach of Pakistan?s criminal justice system.”

The rights organisation urged the Pakistani government to “redouble efforts to find the killers of the journalist Saleem Shahzad, following the failure of the judicial inquiry commission to identify those responsible”.

Adams said ISI abuses “will only stop if it is subject to the rule of law, civilian oversight, and public accountability.

“It is the government?s duty to insist on such accountability and the military?s duty to submit to it. The ISI needs to stop acting as a state within a state,” he added.

Pakistan remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists, with at least 10 killed in 2011, according to HRW.

The ISI denies allegations that it was involved in Shahzad’s murder. AGENCIES

Lawyers demanded recovery of abducted colleague

The Balochistan Bar Association (BBA) staged a demonstration outside the Quetta Press Club against the failure of the government to recover the abducted lawyers.

BBA President Baz Muhammad Kakar said that despite the constant assurance of the government the lawyers, Agha Zahir Shah and Muneer Mehrwani, could not be recovered. He said the lawyer fraternity was deeply concerned about situation.

He said that the BBA would observe a symbolic boycott of courts and would continue their protest until the recovery of the abducted lawyers.

Car bomb targets Iranian pilgrims in Iraq holy city

BAGHDAD: A car bomb killed five people and wounded 28 after targeting Iranian pilgrims in Iraq’s holy Shi’ite city of Kerbala on Monday, a provincial official said.

“It was a car bomb. There were Iranian pilgrims in the area.

They were targeted,” said Mohammed al Moussawi, head of the Kerbala provincial council.

Political tensions in Iraq have been stoked by the failure of its leaders to agree on a new government eight months after an inconclusive election. AGENCIES

India’s nuclear-capable Prithvi missile fails test

NEW DELHI: India’s nuclear-capable Prithvi-II ballistic missile failed to take off during a military test run Friday due to a technical problem, news reports said.

‘A snag either in the main missile or the sub-system,’ was responsible, the PTI news agency quoted defence sources as saying.

There was some noise and smoke during the attempted blast-off, the sources said. The cause of the failure was being investigated, they added.

Officials of the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur off the Orissa coast in eastern India were not available for comment.

The Prithvi-II has a range of 350 kilometres and is capable of carrying a payload of 500 kilograms.

The surface-to-surface missile is already deployed with the armed forces. Friday’s trial was part of a training exercise.

Four user trials at the same test range over the past year

Religious leaders criticize terror attacks

Staff Report

KARACHI: Renowned religious cleric, Mufti Naeem, says that a third hand is involved in the recent wave of terrorist attacks in the country.

He dispelled the impression that there is any dispute between Shias and Sunnis in the country. “Miscreants are trying to give the recent attacks on mourning processions in Karachi, Lahore and Quetta sectarian color. It is condemnable and is failure of the government,” he said.

Mufti Naeem appealed to all religious leaders to come out and hold a rally against the menace of terrorism in the country.

“This is not sectarian violence. Shias and Sunnis are brothers. This is the failure of the government and intelligence agencies,” said Allama Abbas Kumaili.

Speaking to SAMAA on the phone, he said the government and its intelligence agencies know where these terrorists are hiding.

“It is a

PM refutes Clinton claim about Osama

ISLAMABAD: Rebuffing US Secretary of State Hillary Clintons claim, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani denied Tuesday the presence of Al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Ladin and Afghan militants supremo Mullah Omar in Pakistan, ARY NEWS reports.

See the rest here:
PM refutes Clinton claim about Osama

Spain debates plan to ban burqas in public

MADRID: Spain’s Parliament is to debate a proposal that could lead to a ban on women in public spaces wearing the Islamic veil that reveals only their eyes, but the ruling Socialist Party has vowed to vote against the plan.

Go here to see the original: 
Spain debates plan to ban burqas in public

Lindsay Lohan lawyer quits on eve of jail term

LOS ANGELES: Lindsay Lohan was due to surrender for jail on Tuesday but her lawyer was reported to have quit the case just hours before her court appearance.

Read the rest here:
Lindsay Lohan lawyer quits on eve of jail term

Hashmi shifted to Lahore

MULTAN: PML-N senior vice president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi was shifted to Lahore for treatment after the noted politician suffered brain haemorrhage here on Tuesday.

Original post: 
Hashmi shifted to Lahore

Kurdish rebels kill seven Turkish soldiers

ISTANBUL: Kurdish rebels killed six Turkish soldiers and wounded 15 in an overnight raid Tuesday on a military outpost along the border with Iraq, indicating the resiliency of their low-level insurgency and the failure of efforts to reach a peace accord.

Read more: 
Kurdish rebels kill seven Turkish soldiers

Next Page »