Some armed men today kidnapped Afghanistan’s ambassador-designate to Pakistan Abdul Khaliq Farahi near Peshawar after gunning down his driver, reports received here said.

Farahi was ambushed near his private residence in Peshawar’s suburban locality Hyatabad by the group travelling in a Pajero van. When driver Khalid did not stop the car, they sprayed bullets killing Khalid, dragged the envoy out of the car and sped away toward the adjacent Khyber Agency bordering Afghanistan.

Abdul Khaleq had acted as consul-general in Peshawar for a long time and was only recently designated as ambassador in Islamabad. The police said he was usually provided heavy security, but this time he was driving in a private car and was without any guard. He had lived in Peshawar for long and was a very friendly and familiar figure in the city.

No group or organisation has claimed responsibility but the police believed some militants might have kidnapped the envoy to pressurise the government to accept their demands.

Former Pakistani ambassador to Afghanistan, Rustam Shah, expressed his shock over the lapse in providing security to the Afghan diplomat despite a spate of terrorist acts, including Saturday’s blast in Islamabad and recent attack on the American consulate in Peshawar. 

Islamabad, September 22
Pakistani security forces today arrested three men allegedly responsible for the biggest-ever bombing incident in the strife-torn country’s history on the Marriott Hotel here which killed 53 people, including the Czech Ambassador and two US marines.

Scrambling all its resources to track down militants responsible for the devastating attack on Saturday night that also injured 266 others, security forces arrested three men during an operation from Kharian city of Punjab province.

Among those arrested was Qari Muhammad Ali, imam of the main Jamia mosque in Kharian, Dawn News channel reported. There was also no official word on the arrests and no further details were available.

The security forces have launched a massive manhunt in the capital as well as adjoining provinces to trace militant cells responsible for the suicide bombing.

Investigators are looking into the possibilities that the bombers constructed a 600-kg bomb in a safe house in Islamabad itself, as transporting such a heavy bomb load could not pass the numerous checks on the highway leading to the capital.

Rescue workers today said they had completed their search in most parts of the five-storey, 290-room hotel. — PTI

The Marriott Hotel that was targeted by suicide bomber for the deadly blast, was originally selected as venue for the Iftar-dinner reception hosted by the speaker of the National Assembly on the fateful day of September 20, adviser on interior Rehman Malik disclosed on Monday.

“President Asif Zardari suggested shifting the venue to the Prime Minister House at the last minute that saved almost the entire civil and military leadership of the country that attended the reception”, Malik said.

Talking to reporters at Islamabad airport, Malik said the terrorists apparently had information about the reception in Marriott Hotel and targeted it for the blast. The advisor saw off the departure of a Czech special plane carrying the body of the Czech ambassador Ivo Zdarek who died in the blast.

Malik rejected suggestions of a serious security lapse but acknowledged that rescue operations were lacking. He also conceded that there is no disaster management cell in the capital or the four provinces, a fact that was badly felt during the relief efforts after the blast.

Ambassador Zdarek was also a victim of this lapse. He was in a room on the fourth floor of the hotel when it caught fire after the blast. Video footage by a private TV channel show the ambassador and a lady companion shouting for help from the window of the room. The firefighters and civil defence workers did not have proper equipment or stairs to reach the floor. Several people jumped from various floors, though few could survive from among those who were in the upper storeys.

Malik insisted that the success of the suicide bomber in driving his explosive-laden heavy truck through city roads into the heavily guarded “red zone” did not reflect any security lapse. He said it was apparently carrying bricks and was allowed to reach the hotel where construction work is underway. However, he promised more stringent security checks in future.

The interior advisor clarified press reports quoting him as naming Al-Qaida or Taliban being responsible for the attack. He said investigations were still continuing and he could not identify any group or organisation until some concrete evidence was received.

Malik said security arrangements in the capital were being beefed up by recruiting about 10,000 security staff in about six months. Besides cameras and scanners are being installed in the entire city, including the entry points, to check dubious movements.

Islamabad, September 22
Pakistani troops fired on two US helicopters that intruded into Pakistani airspace last night, forcing them to turn back to Afghanistan, a senior Pakistani security official said today. It was the second such incident in a week, and reflected frayed relations with the United States over Pakistan’s failure to act more forcibly against Islamist fighters in the tribal lands bordering Afghanistan.

The number of missile attacks by the US drone aircraft in the remote tribal areas has multiplied in recent weeks.

The helicopters violated the border in the area of Lowara Mandi, 40 km west of Miranshah, the main town in the North Waziristan tribal region, at around 9 pm local time yesterday, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.

There was no official confirmation. “We don’t have any information on border violation by the American helicopters,” Major Murad Khan, a military spokesman, said.

Residents said drones had been flying overnight and early today over Miranshah but did not attack.

“It is really so scary, we just can’t sleep when you hear them flying,” said Zia-ur-Rehman, a resident of Hamzoni village near Miranshah. — Reuters

Los Angeles, September 22
Two period dramas set 200 years apart in American history — "Mad Men" and "John Adams" — claimed a place in the Emmy record books on Sunday as US television's highest honours were presented at a ceremony rife with political undertones.

"Mad Men," the critically acclaimed new AMC series set in New York's advertising industry at the cusp of the 1960s social revolution, became the first show from a cable network other than HBO to win the Emmy for best drama.

Emmy voters also repeated history by crowning a parody of the TV industry itself, "30 Rock," as best comedy series for a second straight year, while another NBC workplace satire, "The Office," was snubbed for a third year in a row.

The difference this year was that "30 Rock" also brought its two stars, Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin, along for the ride. Fey was named best actress in a comedy as the harried head writer of a TV variety show, a role loosely based on her experience on "Saturday Night Live." Baldwin won the prize as best comedy actor for playing her venal, egotistical boss. Fey, the show's creator and producer, also won for best writing on a comedy series.

On the drama side, five-time Oscar nominee Glenn Close was named best actress, as widely expected, for portraying a ruthless trial lawyer on the new FX legal series "Damages."

But in the night's biggest upset, the Emmy for best actor in a drama went to Bryan Cranston for starring on another new cable TV show, AMC's "Breaking Bad," as a terminally ill high school teacher who cooks crystal methamphetamine.

Cranston, who previously played the dad on the long-running Fox family sitcom "Malcolm in the Middle," noted the disparity between his Emmy honour and the small viewership of his show — something many Emmy winners this year had in common. — Reuters

BRIEFLY

George Michael says sorry for drugs
LONDON: British pop star George Michael (45) has apologised to his fans for “screwing up again” after being cautioned for possession of drugs in London.He was arrested on Friday around Hampstead Heath in north London, taken to a police station and given a caution for possessing class A and class C drugs, the police said. — AFP

1 killed in ETA car bombing
MADRID: One person was killed on Monday, when a suspected ETA car bomb exploded outside a military academy in the town of Santona in Spain’s northern Cantabria region, the Spanish officials said. — AFP