London, November 7
Britain’s intelligence chiefs used their first ever joint public appearance to complain that documents by former US intelligence operative Edward Snowden had put secret operations at risk and were being “lapped up” by Al-Qaida.

In an unprecedented evidence session before Parliament that local media likened to a scene from a James Bond film, the heads of Britain's three main intelligence agencies said Snowden’s disclosures about the mass surveillance they undertake had prompted them to consider being more open about what they do.

But they said parts of their work had to remain secret for national security reasons and that the data leaks, which detailed Britain’s close cooperation with the US National Security Agency (NSA), had caused huge damage.

“The leaks from Snowden have been very damaging. They’ve put our operations at risk," John Sawers, the head of MI6, Britain's foreign intelligence service, told Parliament. “It’s clear that our adversaries are rubbing their hands with glee, Al-Qaida is lapping it up.”

The robust nature of his comments underlined how angry intelligence chiefs are about Snowden and what they believe is the irresponsible way some newspapers published his information despite warnings not to do so.

The leaks have put intelligence chiefs under pressure to be more open about what they do and have prompted a debate about the balance between security and privacy which has led to calls for greater oversight of the agencies' work.

Iain Lobban, the director of GCHQ, Britain's electronic eavesdropping agency, told lawmakers that intelligence chiefs were “actively considering” whether more information should now be shared with the public as a result. Visibly emotional, he argued however that “certain methods” should remain secret and cited what he said were specific examples where the Snowden data leaks had harmed Britain's national security.

“We've seen terrorist groups in the Middle East, in Afghanistan and elsewhere in south Asia discussing the revelations in specific terms,” he said. “We have actually seen chat around specific terrorist groups who, even close to home, discuss how to avoid what they now perceive to be vulnerable communications methods, or how to select communications which they now perceive not to be exploitable.” — Reuters

Islamabad, November 7
Mullah Fazlullah, the militant commander who ordered the assassination of teenage activist Malala Yusufzai, was today named by the Pakistani Taliban as its new chief to replace Hakimullah Mehsud, killed in a US drone strike last week.

The outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan elected Fazlullah as its new chief, commander Asmatullah Shaheen was quoted as saying by Pakistani news channels. The move came almost a week after Mehsud was killed in the drone attack in North Waziristan on Friday.

Fazlullah, nicknamed “Mullah Radio” for his fiery sermons on an illegal FM station, led a parallel administration in the northwestern Swat Vally till the Pakistan Army sent troops into the region to flush out militants in early 2009.

He fled with hundreds of his fighters to Afghanistan, from where he ordered the attempt on the life of Malala Yusufzai.

Fazlullah came to prominence as a leader of the Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariah-e-Mohammadi and later became the head of the Taliban in Swat Valley, 160 km from Islamabad.

He led a brutal rule in the region during 2007-09 and was accused of personally ordering the killing of scores of people, including women. He often announced his fatwas and orders for executing people on his radio broadcasts. — PTI

New York, November 7
Democratic party nominee Raj Mukherji, a rising Indian-American figure on the political scene, has won the State Assembly polls in New Jersey, becoming one of the youngest to be elected to the house. Mukherji, 29, a first-time Democratic nominee for the 33rd Legislative District and former Jersey City Deputy Mayor, had won the primary election in June.

According to the Office of County Clerk, Hudson County, Mukherji got 18,586 votes and will represent the Legislative District, which covers Hoboken, Union City, Weehawken and parts of Jersey City.

He is the son of Indian American immigrants and has had a stellar rise in the political arena.

His father Asim Mukherji was an accountant who could not work because of health reasons and could not afford health coverage. This experience shaped Raj's interest in healthcare and inspired much of his subsequent advocacy in that field. — PTI

Opposition lawmakers in Pakistan have said the government should shoot down remotely-piloted aircraft, drones, if the United States continues to violate Pakistan’s sovereignty.

Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, Dr Shireen Mazari of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said “the government, as a last resort, should target drones, as we are capable of shooting down these pilot-less aircraft.”

“It’s a defining movement for the government to convey a louder message to the United States that drones are counterproductive and not acceptable to us,” she added.

Jamat-e-Islami MNA Tariqullah endorsed Dr Mazari’s views. “We should shoot down drones. We’re capable of doing this,” he said, recalling that a top military official once said the military had the capability to shoot down drones, if the government orders so.

However, lawmakers from all political parties advised the government to avoid confrontation with the US and pursue the proposed peace plan with the Taliban.

Meanwhile, the opposition continued its boycott of the Senate session for the third day on Thursday in protest against what it termed as manipulated figures of casualties presented by the government in the upper House of Parliament. 

London, November 7
Saudi Arabia has invested in Pakistani nuclear weapons projects and believes it could acquire atomic bombs "at will", the BBC reported today. Saudi Arabia's quest has often been set in the context of countering Iran's atomic programme though it is now possible that the Saudis might be able to deploy nuclear devices more quickly than Pakistan, said the report that quoted unnamed Pakistani officials and intelligence operatives.

“Earlier this year, a senior NATO decision maker told me that he had seen intelligence reporting that nuclear weapons made in Pakistan on behalf of S Arabia are now ready for delivery," said Mark Urban, diplomatic and defence editor of BBC. — PTI