Arms seizure in Peshawar foils terror plot

TrendPK.com

PESHAWAR: Peshawar police claimed to have seized heavy cache of arms and ammunitions which, according to them, is a proven bid to foil a major terror plot in Punjab, reports TrendPK on Sunday.

Meanwhile, a suspect has also been arrested.

According to details, Chamkani police stopped a suspected vehicle during routine checking on Alqab Road, ending up recovering heavy amount of arms and ammunition hidden under the secret chambers of that vehicle.

Describing the amount of recovered arms, police sources said arms include six thousand bullets, several pistols and other ammunitions, being smuggled to Punjab to trigger terrorism at massive scale.

The vehicle has been taken under police custody while the suspect identified as Taj Gul has been taken under arrest, sources maintained. TrendPK

NATO route blockade leaves 4000 Pakistanis jobless

TrendPK.com

PESHAWAR: A two-month closure of NATO supply to Western troops in Afghanistan has left nearly 4000 Pakistanis jobless, TrendPK reports.

Pakistan had blocked the supply line in protest against NATO raid on Mohmand Agency check post which left 24 Pakistani soldiers dead two months back, straining Washington-Islamabad relations. 

Reports say at least 4000 labourers, previously making a living by working as a crew member for transporters, are now jobless after the closure of supplies for NATO troops from Karachi to Chaman border.

Thousands of containers loaded with NATO supplies have been dumped at Karachi port and hundreds of container vehicles have been returned from Pak-Afghan border.

According to government figures, Pakistan has suffered a loss of 68 billion dollars in the war on terror during the last decade, and received just 12 billion dollars under aid and coalition support fund accounts. TrendPK

1.2m homes destroyed, 4.5m acres flooded, 230 people dead

This has been estimated by the local officials and Western aid groups. More than 300,000 people have been moved to shelters. Some 800,000 families hit by last year s floods are still homeless. Aid groups have warned of a growing risk of fatal diseases.

Last year, the military took charge of rescue and relief efforts, along with aid groups. The army is active again in the latest disaster. But some Pakistanis are growing impatient with it as well. Juman and his extended family fled when water as high as 12 feet (3.6 metres) raged through their village. Home has been a thatched hut on a roadside for several weeks in another village called Mohammad Yusuf.

“We go to the army and we have been asking for food, but they beat us with sticks and told us to leave,” said Juman, who added he was turned away because the army camp was already overwhelmed. “They scared us away.” The military, which has ruled Pakistan for more than half of its history, is seen as the only institution that can handle crises in the nuclear-armed South Asian nation.

Pakistan s cash-strapped government already faces many challenges, from growing frustration over power cuts to a stubborn Taliban insurgency. Disillusionment with the state can drive young men to join militant groups waging a violent campaign to topple the U.S.-backed government. Some flood victims are turning to the Al Khidmat charity which is linked to the most influential Islamist party in Pakistan, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI).

JI is not believed to have ties with the Taliban or other banned groups. Nevertheless, its relief efforts in last year s floods and other natural disasters helped discredit the government because of its relative efficiency. At a camp consisting of rows of white tents, green and blue JI flags flutter. Organisers wearing bright orange vests and badges organise flood victims.
People have to drink rain water and wash clothes in it but there is some relief.

“When we arrived there wasn t a camp here. They set the camp up and gave us the tents,” said Shabira, 35, holding her baby. “Now we are getting food every day.” Pakistani leaders are facing pressure on the diplomatic front as well. Islamabad s ties with Washington have been heavily strained since a unilateral US raid killed Osama bin Laden in a Pakistani garrison town in May.

There were signs that ties were under repair when the allies recently spoke of counter-terrorism cooperation. But fresh tension has emerged. A US warning on militants based in Pakistan, blamed by Washington for this week s attack on the US Embassy in Kabul, works against counter-terrorism cooperation between the two allies, the Pakistan Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

It was referring to comments by US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta that Washington would do whatever it takes to defend American forces in Afghanistan from Pakistan-based militants Gilani may have wanted to meet senior American officials on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to try to patch up ties with Washington, the source of billions of dollars in aid.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar is expected to meet US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the United States on Sept. 18. She will be addressing the General Assembly in Gilani s place.

Mirza resigns and says Rehman hand in glove with killers

The former Sindh home minister, who has also resigned his party office, made the announcement at a news conference in Karachi. After recalling his personal affiliation with the Bhutto family and Asif Ali Zardari, placing hand on the holy Quran, Mirza said Rehman Malik is in connivance with killers. He claimed he has proofs to support his claim, and intended to hand over the evidence to COAS Gen Kayani, President Zardari and PM Gilani.

Mirza recalled one of the MQM leaders had said about him that a pimp would be acting as flamboyant as Mirza in the company of so many policemen. The ex-home minister said “now I have resigned as minister. I came here in official vehicle. Now I will go back in my private car. I will only keep the PPP flag. Now all such people see I, Mirza, is still as flamboyant”.

He said Karachi doesn t belong to MQM. “The MQM only has partial mandate given by people s free will. The rest is taken from voters through coercion. The poor people who sit in front of a telephone set and listen to speech from London, do that under pressure, to save trouble to the families who are usually threatened of consequences.”

The former home minister expressed regret for his once remarks derogatory to the Mohajir community. He said he passed those remarks under rush of blood, being angry. He said he didn t mean to say all that for the community, as “I know there are good and bad in every community, every society. Neither are all Indians bad nor all Pakistanis. The same is true for every community. Only a handful of bad people are responsible for turmoil.”

Mirza said pakistan has the biggest threat from no one else, but Interior Minister Rehman Malik. He said Rehman Malik connived with MQM s Governor and freed murderers and killers to oblige them  so that they carry on killing spree for vested interests. He said Rehman Malik had been befooling the party leadership by distorting facts and creating imaginary fear scenarios by invoking non-existing threats to the government. To back his point, Mirza said: “Let s suppose, if I free a murderer who had killed 36 people, wouldn t the obliged killer kill 360 for me.”

He said Rehman Malik is a flat-faced, 100% liar. “I have asked him many a time to cut lying intensity by at least 50%,” Mirza said in a lighter tone far between his otherwise tense talk.

He said: “I risked life, property, family, children, everything by calling spade a spade because I love Pakistan, because I see my own children s faces in every dead body of the innocent killed in the city.”

Mirza said once MQM chief Altaf Hussain wrote a letter to then UK PM Tony Blair, urging him to play a role to disband the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI). He claimed Altaf had written in the letter that the ISI would create many a Osama bin Laden if it were not disbanded. He said it is lamentable that the protector of the country s interests was conspired against in this manner.

The former home minister said MQM Kidmat-e-Khalq Foundation s ambulances were used in transporting arms and ammunitions and for throwing dead bodies in gunny bags in various localities to spread terror.

Mirza said  the MQM was running gangs of killers and extortionists (Bhatta Khors). He said some elements wrongly project me as extortionists, whereas I come from a wealthy, respectable family. He dared the media to expose if they know of his involvement in any corruption.

 

Ahmed Chanai was appointed Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) chief on calls and pressures from London. “I was pressured to appoint him as CPLC chief, but I only gave him a limited tenure of one year.” He later hgot involved in acting as a middleman and virtually selling police stations.

 

Mirza said Suteesh Anand, who was once kidnapped, was freed after “I had chipped in 5 million rupees to make 15 million rupees demanded in ransom. I did that because I feared God and I always thought that we got this government due to the grand sacrifice of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto”.

Mirza said journalist Wali Babar was also killed by MQM members. “Five murderers killed him. One of them is named Liaquat.”

While narrating a meeting with Altaf Hussain, Zulfiqar Mirza revealed under oath that Altaf had said the US had decided to dismember Pakistan and MQM supported it. Mirza also alleged that Altaf Hussain vowed not stop killing Pashtoons in this context.

Finance team briefs President Zardari on overall economic situation

Discussing futuristic concept of investment, President Asif Ali Zardari directed the Finance team to consider the feasibility of floating infrastructure bonds for raising equity for building infrastructure projects.

Chairing a meeting of finance team of the government at the Presidency, the President said that Pakistan needed to build massive infrastructure projects but it lacked financial resources for the purpose. It may therefore be advisable to raise equity through infrastructure bonds, he said. The infrastructure projects, the President said, would create economic and business activity in the country on one side and help generate employment opportunities on the other.

The meeting took stock of the overall financial and economic situation of the country and the various measures being undertaken to address the economic issues facing the country.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Federal Minister for Finance, Revenue & Economic Affairs, M. Salman Faruqui, Secretary General to the President, Yasin Anwar, Acting Governor, State Bank of Pakistan, Khalil Ahmad, Ambassador at Large, Dr. Waqar Masood Khan, Secretary Finance, Salman Siddique, Chairman, Federal Board of Revenue and Spokesperson to the President Farhatullah Babar.

Briefing the media about the meeting, Spokesperson to the President Farhatullah Babar said that a detailed briefing was given on the financial and economic situation, revenue collection measures, status of proposed currency swap agreements with Turkey and Sri Lanka, measures for increasing remittances through incentives to Pakistanis working abroad and documentation of economy.

The spokesperson said that the President directed the government’s finance team to prepare a workable plan in the shortest possible time by taking in to account all aspects of the proposal for raising equity through floating infrastructure bonds.

The President said that the early finalization of currency swap agreements with Turkey and Sri Lanka would further strengthen the mutual trade and economic ties of Pakistan with these countries and help reduce pressure on their foreign exchange reserves.

The President was briefed on the Pakistan Remittance Initiative (PRI) and the significant increase in the inflows of remittances as a result of the incentives policy.

The President urged for vigorous implementation of the incentive packages for expatriate Pakistani to curb the illegal flows of remittances and facilitate their flow through official channels.

The President also asked for encouraging overseas Pakistanis to fully avail from the government’s incentive package for expatriate Pakistanis to send home remittances through legal channels so as to maximize the inflow of capital.

Pakistani expats brace for rioters

There are one million Pakistanis living in England and a large number of them are running their own small and large businesses.

During the ongoing riots and looting in various cites of England, the rioters had also damaged the properties of Pakistani expats.

Pakistanis get united to defend their properties and formed groups which are carrying batons to resist the robbers.

Pakistani origin people say that they cannot watch destruction of their businesses which they had established after toiling hard.

They said that the police had also asked them to defend their properties.

They said that the rioters would have to face strong resistance, if they entered in their area.

Nuclear scientist says bomb saved Pakistan

ISLAMABD: The father of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb has vigorously defended the program as sparing his country the fate of Iraq or Libya, amid signs that Islamabad is ramping up its weapons capacities.

Writing in Newsweek magazine, Abdul Qadeer Khan said that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons had prevented war with historic rival India, which he accused of pursuing a “massive program” due to ambitions of superpower status.

“Don’t overlook the fact that no nuclear-capable country has been subjected to aggression or occupied, or had its borders redrawn. Had Iraq and Libya been nuclear powers, they wouldn’t have been destroyed in the way we have seen recently,” Khan said.

Khan also argued that Bangladesh would not have won independence in 1971 if Pakistan had nuclear weapons. India supported Bangladesh’s independence, which came after a nine-month struggle that was harshly put down by Pakistani forces.

Many Pakistanis regard Khan as a hero for building the Islamic world’s first nuclear bomb. India and Pakistan carried out nuclear tests in 1998.

He admitted in 2004 that he ran a nuclear black-market selling secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea. But Khan later retracted his remarks and in 2009 was freed from house arrest, although he was asked to keep a low profile.

Western powers in March launched a military campaign against Libya over concerns of violence against civilians. Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi agreed in 2003 to end his nuclear program and tried to reconcile with the West.

Pakistan has been increasingly worried about its nuclear program after US forces on May 2 managed to enter the country covertly to kill the world’s most wanted man, Osama bin Laden, who was living in the garrison city of Abbottabad.

Khan lashed out at Pakistanis who contend that the country, which suffers grinding poverty and receives billions of dollars in US assistance each year, cannot afford its nuclear program.

“The propaganda about spending exorbitant sums on the nuclear program circulated by ignorant, often foreign-paid, Pakistanis has no substance,” he wrote.

But Khan also said that Pakistan’s “incompetent and ignorant rulers” never devoted enough resources to development, which he argued should have been easier due to the protection ensure by nuclear weapons.

While Khan said he was not familiar with the latest developments in Pakistan’s nuclear program, Newsweek published a commercial satellite image that appeared to show expedited construction at the country’s Khushab nuclear site.

The Institute for Science and International Security, which assessed the image, said it showed “significant progress” on a fourth reactor. A frame of a building was now visible, which did not appear in a picture taken in January.

The Washington-based think-tank said that plutonium from the new reactors would allow a “dramatic increase” in production, potentially allowing Pakistan to double its annual production of nuclear weapons.

Pakistan is the sole country blocking talks in the Conference of Disarmament that would lead to an international agreement banning production of new nuclear bomb-making material.

Pakistan said that Senator John Kerry, on a mission to Islamabad to ease tensions in the wake of bin Laden’s killing, assured Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani that the United States had no designs on taking over the country’s nuclear arsenal.

“He said that he can write this with his blood, that we have no interest in Pakistan’s nuclear assets,” Gilani’s office said in a statement.

But the statement quoted Kerry as hoping that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons would be “well-protected and secure” under a “proper command and control system.”

U.S.-Pakistan Intel operations frozen as ties remain strained

ISLAMABAD: Joint U.S.-Pakistan intelligence operations have been halted since late January, a senior Pakistani intelligence officer said, reflecting strain in a relationship seen as crucial to combating militants and the war in Afghanistan.

American CIA contractor put on trial for murder

LAHORE: Pakistan on Friday put on trial an American CIA contractor charged with killing two Pakistanis despite U.S. demands for his release, complicating a case that is straining a relationship crucial to ending the war in Afghanistan.

Raymond Davis, a former U.S. special forces officer, says he acted in self-defence when he shot the men on a busy street in the eastern city of Lahore last month. He has been charged with
double-murder and faces possible execution. Washington says he has diplomatic immunity and must be repatriated.

The killings, and Davis’ recently revealed CIA-links, have inflamed anti-U.S. sentiment in Pakistan, where Washington’s already-uneasy alliance with the government is seen as hegemony
by many ordinary Pakistanis.

Conflicting accounts about the identity of the victims — Davis and a police report indicate they were armed robbers; Pakistani media and some officials portray them as innocent — have also given President Ali Asif Zardari’s unpopular government little choice but to go through the courts.

“He should be treated the same way he treated Pakistanis,” said Muzammil Mukhtar, a labourer in a factory near the jail. “We should not care about our relations with America. These have
never been good.”

Davis’ trial was held inside Kot Lakhpat jail, where he has been detained since Feb. 11 amid extremely tight security.

Protesters have burned effigies of Davis and U.S. flags since details of the killings became public, sparking concerns about his safety.

U.S. Consul General General Carmela A. Conroy attended the trial, but reporters and families of other prisoners were not allowed inside.

Nisar holds Govt responsible for killings of 3 citizens

Opposition leader Ch. Nisar Ali Khan on Wednesday held responsible the federal government for the killings of three Pakistanis in Lahore by Raymond Davis as it was issuing visas to everyone.

On point of objection in the National Assembly, he has said that Presidency, Foreign Office, ISI and Pakistani embassy in the US suggest for issuing visas to foreigners. Nisar said that a US diplomat indicated that federal government was ready to expatriate Davis but Punjab government wasnt ready to do this.

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