Two Westerners kidnapped in Pakistan held by Taliban

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Two Western aid workers kidnapped in Pakistan in January are being held by the Pakistan Taliban near the border with Afghanistan, a senior militant commander told Reuters on Saturday.  

Gunmen stormed a house in Multan in southern Punjab province on Jan. 19 and drove away with two foreigners — one an Italian citizen and the other believed to be a German.  

“The two NGO (non-governmental organization) workers who were kidnapped in Multan nearly a month ago are in our custody near the border. We haven’t made any demands yet,” a senior commander of the Pakistan Taliban said.  

“They are in good health.”  

A Punjab provincial police chief said last month the foreigners were being held for ransom.   

Criminal gangs often target foreign aid workers in Pakistan in hope of securing large ransoms for their release. Pakistani officials say militant groups such as the Taliban are also involved in kidnappings.       

The senior commander said the Westerners were being held by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, an umbrella group of Pakistani militant factions formed in 2007 which is also allied with the Afghan Taliban and al Qaeda.  

In January, a Kenyan aid worker and his Pakistani driver went missing in southern Sindh province. A British doctor with the International Committee of the Red Cross was kidnapped by gunmen from the southwestern city of Quetta on Jan. 5.  

Last year, American aid worker Warren Weinstein was kidnapped from the central Pakistani city of Lahore. Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for Weinstein’s abduction in December.  

In July, a Swiss couple was kidnapped from the southwestern Baluchistan province by the Pakistani Taliban.  

Such kidnappings in Pakistan put off long-term investors. Foreign direct investment in Pakistan fell 37 percent to $531.2 million in the second half of 2011 from $839.6 million in the final six months of 2010. AGENCIES

England win makes Pakistan a cricket power: Misbah

DUBAI: Winning captain Misbah-ul Haq said his team’s 3-0 routing of world number one England sends a strong message to the cricketing world — Pakistan is a power and should be ignored no more.

Misbah’s men won the third and final Test by 71 runs on the fourth day at Dubai Stadium here on Monday to seal the first-ever series whitewash in all Pakistan-England Tests.

And that, Misbah believed, will go a long way in further establishing Pakistan, which has not lost a series since August 2010, as a global power.

“We showed the world again that we are a power in the cricketing world,” said Misbah, 37. “Now, it’s time to give importance to the Pakistan team again.”

Misbah said Pakistan had emerged from various problems surrounding the team, notably the spot-fixing scandal on their tour of England in 2010 which ended in lengthy bans on Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer.

“That was a big ask for a team, you can say we just came out of such problems and I think the way the team came out and the way the team is progressing, it’s a wonderful thing,” said Misbah, who took over in October 2010.

Since then Pakistan have won nine of their 15 Tests, lost one and drew five.

“Everybody has to look out for Pakistan cricket because everbody was just ignoring our cricket, our team and lot of things were said about the team. Our performance should be recognised and Pakistan cricket should be recognised.

“We didn’t get the edge in international fixtures and now we must be given an edge in the international scheduling,” said Misbah.

Misbah demanded the return of international cricket to Pakistan, suspended in the wake of terrorists’ attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in March 2009.

“You can’t keep away a nation from international cricket after this performance. The whole world, the ICC, the playing nations should think about it and revive our international cricket.

“How long we can play like this? We go home for four days and then we play our home series outside (the country).

“It’s almost one year now that I haven’t stayed at home for not more than a month, it’s a difficult thing for cricketers.”

Misbah said nobody expected the 3-0 win.

“We were expecting that England would have problems here because of the slowness of the wickets. Our bowlers really bowled well on these wickets, but we were not expecting these sort of results to come.”

England captain Andrew Strauss admitted that batting had let down his side.

“We didn’t bat well in all three Tests, to be honest with ourselves. If you keep getting out for 140 or 150 then you are not going to win many Test matches,” said Strauss, lamenting the first Test defeat here by 10 wickets.

Pakistan won the second by 72 runs in Abu Dhabi.

“There are obviously some regrets from the batsmen about the way we played their spinners, more regrets particularly I think how we played in the first Test because that set the tone for the rest of the series.”

Strauss praised Pakistan, especially their spinners Saeed Ajmal who took 24 wickets in the series and Abdul Rehman who finished with 18.

“You need to give Pakistan huge amount of credit because their two spinners were very impressive and made life difficult for ourselves and when we did get in front of them in Tests they were able to wrest the initiative back in their favour,” said Strauss.

Strauss denied his team ever took Pakistan lightly.

“We never underestimated Pakistan, they have played lot of good cricket in the last 12-18 months, we knew that their spinners were good enough and they played outstandingly, they are well led and very tight and cohesive unit and that’s important for a side to play consistently.” AGENCIES

No Israel decision on Iran attack: Obama

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama said he did not think Israel had made a decision on whether to launch a pre-emptive strike on Iran’s nuclear installations, a threat that has rattled the region.

Obama — seeking to reassure Americans over the danger posed by Tehran’s suspect nuclear program, and any negative side-effects for the United States — said Washington was working “in lockstep” with Israel to bring Iran to heel.

“I don’t think Israel has made a decision” to strike Iranian facilities, Obama said in a pre-Super Bowl interview with NBC.

When asked if Washington would be consulted first should Israel move ahead with those plans, he said he could not go into specifics but added that the two allies had “closer intelligence and military consultations” than ever before.

“My number one priority continues to be the security of the United States. But also, the security of Israel. And we’re going to make sure that we work in lockstep, as we proceed to try to solve this — hopefully diplomatically.”

Obama said the Islamic republic was “feeling the pinch” of ever tougher sanctions imposed by the international community, and dismissed concerns that Tehran could retaliate by striking US soil, saying such a strike was unlikely.

“I’ve been very clear — we’re going to do everything we can to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and creating a nuclear arms race in a volatile region,” he said.

“We have mobilized the international community, in a way that is unprecedented. They are feeling the pinch. They are feeling the pressure,” he said.

Iran maintains that its nuclear program is for strictly peaceful purposes.

On whether Tehran could possibly strike US targets, Obama said: “We don’t see any evidence they have those intentions or capabilities.”

He added: “Again, our goal is to resolve this diplomatically. That would be preferable. We’re not going to take options off the table, though.”

Last week, a Washington Post opinion column said US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta believes there is a “strong likelihood” that Israel will strike Iran’s nuclear installations this spring.

When asked about the newspaper’s article by reporters traveling with him to a NATO meeting in Brussels, Panetta brushed it aside.

“I’m not going to comment on that. (…) Israel indicated they’re considering this (a strike), we’ve indicated our concerns,” he said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman was due in Washington on Monday, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit the United States in early March, though a meeting between Netanyahu and Obama was not yet confirmed.

In the interview with NBC, Obama cautioned that “any kind of additional military activity inside the Gulf is disruptive. And has a big effect on us. It can affect oil prices.” AGENCIES

Pakistan suspects militants behind foreigners’ kidnap

MULTAN: Pakistan police on Tuesday accused militants over the kidnapping of a German aid worker and his Italian colleague, snatched at gunpoint five days ago.

The two aid workers were dragged from the home they rented in Pakistan’s central shrine city of Multan late Thursday, bringing to six the number of Westerners kidnapped in Pakistan since July.

“The kidnappers have made no contact so far,” Azhar Akram, the head of the police investigation team told AFP from Multan.

Masked gunmen snatched the two aid workers, but left behind a guard and a Western woman also staying at the house.

“It could be a simple case of kidnapping for ransom, an extremist group may be involved or may be linked to some personal issue,” he added.

The German and Italian had been working for a year to help rehabilitate villagers affected by devastating floods in 2010.

Another member of the police team confirmed that suspicion was falling on Islamist extremists.

“The gunmen are believed to have taken them to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province or some tribal town” in the lawless region on Afghan border,” he told AFP on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

On Sunday, a Kenyan aid worker also went missing with his Pakistani driver. Police fear the pair have also been kidnapped.

Earlier this month, gunmen kidnapped a British man working for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Pakistan’s insurgency-hit southwestern province of Baluchistan.

Last August, an American development director, Warren Weinstein, 70, was snatched from his home in Lahore and in July a Swiss couple were kidnapped while driving through Baluchistan.

The Taliban claim to have the Swiss. Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri claims to be holding Weinstein, but the terror group has released no proof. AGENCIES

Arab monitoring head says violence dipped in Syria

CAIRO: The general who headed the Arab monitoring mission in Syria said on Monday that violence had dipped after the observers arrived, contradicting accounts by Syrian activists who have said the killing has continued unabated.

Sudanese General Mohammed al-Dabi was speaking a day after Arab League foreign ministers proposed that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad hand power to a deputy and set up a new unity government, after earlier efforts failed to end bloodshed.

“After the arrival of the mission, the intensity of violence began to decrease,” Dabi told a news conference at the Cairo-based Arab League, echoing a line other League officials have taken.

“Our job was to check what is going on the ground and not investigate it,” he said.

Syrian activists have been critical of the mission saying it has simply bought time for Assad without ending the violent 10-month crackdown on protests.

Dabi’s own appointment has also been criticized because of the Sudanese government’s rights record in Darfur and other areas of Sudan where there has been unrest.

“I assure that the heavy military equipment has been withdrawn from all cities…,” Dabi said.

Despite criticism over the monitors’ failure to end the bloodshed, the Arab ministers agreed to extend the mission, expand it and boost its technical and logistical support.

The extension was, however, overshadowed by Saudi Arabia’s decision to withdraw its own monitors and urge the international community to exert “all possible pressure” on Damascus.

“The mission’s role is monitoring and is not stopping the killing or stopping the destruction or otherwise,” Dabi said, adding that the monitoring mission was sent to check whether Syria was adhering to an Arab peace plan.

That plan included calling for withdrawing the military from residential areas, releasing detainees, giving free access to the media and opening dialogue with the opposition.

“On releasing detainees, statements we got were based on general reports from opposition sources saying 12,000 have been detained or so but when we audited them we found that those reports lacked solid information and could not be verified,” Dabi said.

Hundreds of Syrians have been reported killed since the unarmed observers began their work. At least three monitors have told Reuters of deep civilian suffering and complained that the Syrian government has shown no will to end the crackdown.

Countering those who have said the mission has been buying time for the Syrian government, Dabi said:

“I stressed (to Arab ministers) the necessity of bringing forward the peace process so that the national dialogue would take place simultaneously with the monitoring mission’s work.” AGENCIES

Two Westerners kidnapped in Multan: officials

MULTAN: Two Western foreign aid workers were kidnapped by gunmen in the central Pakistani city of Multan on Thursday, local officials said.

Multan City Police Officer Amir Zulfiqar said one of the foreigners who had been abducted was Italian while the other was believed to be German.

“Three armed men entered the house and kidnapped two foreign nationals,” Zulfiqar told reporters outside the house where they were kidnapped.

“So far we have not established a motive but it is too early to say. We are continuing investigations to try to see what happened.”

The Italian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that an Italian citizen was kidnapped in Multan, in the southern part of the Punjab province.

German embassy officials in Islamabad were not immediately available for comment.

Criminal gangs often target foreign aid workers in Pakistan in hope of securing large ransoms for their release. Pakistani officials say militant groups such as the Taliban are also involved in kidnappings.

Such incidents have put off long-term investors. Foreign direct investment fell 37 percent to $531.2 million in the second half of 2011 from $839.6 million in the final six months of 2010.

Gunmen kidnapped a British doctor, working with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in the southwestern city of Quetta on January 5.

American aid worker Warren Weinstein was kidnapped from the central Pakistani city of Lahore in August last year. Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for Weinstein’s abduction in December.

In July, a Swiss couple was kidnapped from the southwestern Baluchistan province by the Pakistani Taliban. AGENCIES

Toronto International Film Festival Winners

TrendPK.com: And this year’s 2011 winners of the Toronto International Film Festival are:

Cadillac People’s Choice Awards
As voted by Festival attendees:

Cadillac People’s Choice Award
Nadine Labaki for Where Do We Go Now?

Cadillac People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award
Gareth Evans for The Raid

Cadillac People’s Choice Documentary Award
Jon Shenk for The Island President

Canadian Awards
As voted by the Canadian Film Jury

City of Toronto Award for Best Canadian Feature
Philppe Falardeau for Monsieur Lazhar

Skyy Vodka Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film Nathan Morlando for Edwin Boyd

Award for Best Canadian Short Film
Ian Harnarine for Doubles With Slight Pepper

The International Film Critics’ Awards

The International Federation of Film Critics Awards Prize Discovery
Axel Petersén for Avalon

The International Federation of Film Critics Awards Prize Special Presentation
Gianni Amelio for The First Man

Prague calling for Shah Rukh’s Ra. One

Shah Rukh Khan is all set to make Ra.One bigger than the best. While it is a known fact that he wanted his superhero film to compete with the best in the international arena, he is sticking to his vision by putting it all into real action as well. Recently he finished the background score of the film in none less than Prague, the Mecca of music when it comes to creating a grand sound, to lend huge cinematic experience.

Confirms a source, “Shah Rukh was sure that if he was competing with the likes of Spiderman, Batman and other superhero flicks, he had to get the music right by all means. He discussed this with his director Anubhav Sinha along with composers Vishal & Shekhar and Prague was finalised. The composer duo has been familiar with the music setting there. They in fact upped the ante further and brought together a 200 piece orchestra for the background score of the film.”

Those who have had a sneak peak at the rough cut of the film along with a very international sounding background score are vouching for it already. Though there have been instances of Indian filmmakers heading to Prague for the finalising the musical score, even the technicians out there have been going gaga over the final results of Ra.One and are claiming that this is the best ever that they have created for a long time.

“This isn’t all as, post Prague, the music also travelled to London for additional effects”, the source continues, “It was going to be a very expensive process since Prague by itself was quite costly. Shah Rukh’s only query was whether these effects would really make a difference when heard in theatres. When he was informed that it would indeed be the case and Ra.One would find itself standing firmly on an international map due to an accentuated musical appeal, he didn’t blink an eyelid and gave a go-ahead in five minutes flat.”

Though songs from the film have already made it to the telly starting with ‘Chammak Challo‘, it would be still some time before the background score is heard. However, a glimpse of that would be included into the music CDs of Ra.One which are hitting the stands later this month.

When contacted, Vishal Dadlani (of Vishal-Shekhar duo) confirmed the news, “Yes, we have taken the music to Prague and London. Both Shah Rukh and Anubhav wanted a particular sound and we have managed to bring it alive for Ra.One.”

Disappearances in Pakistan rose after 9/11: Amnesty International

Amnesty International has called on Pakistan s government to end what it calls the growing practice of disappearances enforced by the state.

In an August 29 petition on its website, the human rights group alleged the disappearances have increased dramatically since Pakistan joined the American war on militancy after the
Sept. 11, 2001 airliner attacks on the United States.

Those detained – including activists, journalists and students – are sometimes found dead, with signs of torture. Thousands may have fallen victim to the practice, Amnesty said.

“The Prime Minister of Pakistan who controls the security agencies needs to urgently step in to address this human rights situation,” Amnesty said on its website.

Pakistan s army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said: “There has been no military operation conducted in Baluchistan since 2008. There is infighting going on between various militant groups, and they are kidnapping and killing each other”.

Militants assail NATO base in Afghanistan

The bomber detonated his explosives outside the gate of a base in Qalat, the capital of Zabul province, said Salim Ahsas, the southern regional head of the Afghan police. The gunmen then started shoot toward the base. One was killed, another was captured and the third escaped, Ahsas said.

No one else was killed, he said. The Interior Ministry said in a statement that three civilians were wounded one woman and two children.
The attack occurred on the same day that a government health worker and his driver were killed in a roadside bomb blast in the north.

Dr. Ahmad Jawed Karim and his driver hit an explosive as they were driving in Takhar province s Dahana Sangi district, the health ministry said in a statement.

In the south meanwhile, two international service members were killed one in an insurgent attack and the other in a bomb blast.
NATO forces said the service members died Sunday but did not provide further detail.

NATO typically waits for national authorities to identify their dead and provide details of fatal incidents.

The latest military death makes 78 international troops killed so far this month.

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