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Balochistan simmers over leaders’ murder
Pak media questions parliament call on Swat
Govt to act against Taliban if they don’t disarm
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‘Plot hatched abroad to kill Kasab’
26/11: Pak not to hand over fifth suspect to India
Suicide bomber kills 16 in NWFP
Lanka says no to Norway mediation
Dawood a big supporter of Al-Qaida: US lawmaker
Gandhi inspires Aussies to save land
US to set up ‘benchmarks’
Sikhs against turban ban in US army
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Balochistan simmers over leaders’ murder
Life in Balochistan almost return to normal but the seething rage over brutal murder of three leading Baloch nationalist politicians and mutilation of their bodies continues to poison atmosphere.
The government has announced a judicial probe while adviser on interior Rehman Malik told reporters in Quetta that a fact finding panel has been constituted under provincial police chief to submit initial report. Nationalist leaders, however, have dismissed these gestures while criticising President Asif Zardari’s statement absolving the secret agencies of any involvement. “We have our suspicion that the security agencies had kidnapped and then killed the nationalist leaders,” a top leader of the Baloch National Movement, Mir Hasil Bizenjo said, adding: “The President has pre-empted the probe and shut it from investigating the role of security agencies.” Adviser Rehman Malik told reporters that the government was determined to bring to book all those involved in the killing of three Baloch leaders and announced that the federal and Balochistan governments would each pay Rs 2.5 million reward to anyone providing information leading to the arrest of culprits. Addressing a news conference at the Governor House with provincial Chief Minister Aslam Raisani by his side, Malik said the killings had been gruesome and anti-state elements were involved in sabotaging the Balochistan peace process, urging the people to identify the black sheep in their ranks. He also added the killers were the enemies of the country and Balochistan. He said a fact-finding investigation team, headed by the Balochistan Inspector General of Police, was being constituted in addition to the inquiry tribunal to probe the killings. The director of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), representatives of the secret agencies and the Frontier Corps (FC), besides parliamentarians from Turbat would be made part of the team while the governor and the chief minister could also nominate more representatives. He said it was unfair to blame the secret agencies for the killing of Baloch leaders and urged the people to wait for the outcome of the probe team’s findings. He strongly condemned the target killing of Hazara people, Pashtuns and other settlers in the province during agitation over the murders. Rehman Malik said an in-camera briefing would be arranged for the Balochistan governor, the Chief Minister and parliamentarians soon on the recent violence and the kidnapping of UNHCR official John Solecki.
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Pak media questions parliament call on Swat
Islamabad, April 15 “Is the majority always right? Has it in this case acted wisely? Or has the herd instinct and fear overtaken the capacity to think rationally and sensibly” asked the editorial, headlined “Collective wisdom?” Lamenting that no one seemed ready to “call a spade a spade” and remove the “veneer of religion” from the accord, which has been “cleverly used by the Taliban to render it apparently sacrosanct”, the editorial said: “This is a familiar tactic used on many occasions particularly since the time of the late general Ziaul Haq.” Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday night approved the imposition of Shariah laws in Swat and six other districts in the Malakand division of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) in return for the Taliban militants who control much of the region laying down their arms. Pakistan’s National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, on Monday evening approved the controversial measure after a day-long debate at the end of which the Muttahida Quami Movement was the only one to show dissent by walking out. What, then, would the Shariah law achieve, the editorial asked. “Will it in any way help to tackle militancy or will it encourage the elements who promote it? In Swat recruitment by the militants has been stepped up. Boys who no longer have schools to go to, and are not permitted to play cricket or hear music, are being brought in to madrassas run by the men of (local Taliban commander) Maulana Fazalullah to wage ‘jihad’. “The reign of the extremists continues. Whose ends will this process serve? Where will it take us?” the editorial asked. Noting that the “overwhelming success” of the Swat militants “will encourage others to follow their lead”, the editorial added: “In the past the militants have extracted the maximum possible advantage from any concession granted to them.” This would lead to a situation where parliament, “as it attempts to legislate for a state spinning out of central control, may have to face up to the consequences of what its action has led to”, the editorial warned. “Who knows what impact this precedent will have in the future and how it will shape our destiny.”
— IANS
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Govt to act against Taliban if they don’t disarm
Islamabad, April 15 He told reporters after attending a meeting at the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) that it was incumbent upon people of the area to come forward and play their role in ensuring peace. He said the government's decision to implement the Nizam-e-Adl had foiled the designs of people trying to destabilise Pakistan. The Daily Times quoted Kaira as saying that the situation in Buner was normal and would continue to improve with time. He also said that the government was evolving a comprehensive plan to provide training to journalists. Earlier, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan spokesman Muslim Khan had said that their men would surrender arms only after they see Sharia enforced in Malakand division of the Sawt Valley, after TNSM chief Sufi Muhammad has asked them to lay down arms after President Asif Zardari approved the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation.
— ANI
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‘Plot hatched abroad to kill Kasab’
London, April 15 He told The Times in comments quoted today that the alleged plot was the reason additional security measures, such as a bomb-proof corridor, were built in the special courtroom where Kasab is being tried. The paper also quoted Rakesh Maria, the police officer in charge of the 26/11 probe, as saying the police had uncovered a plan, originating in Pakistan, to silence Kasab. But Maria said Kasab, an alleged member of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), knows a limited amount. “We have a limb, not the brain of the organisation behind the attack,” he told The Times. The paper said Kasab’s trial was nevertheless set to attract global attention. Christine Fair, a senior political scientist at the US think tank RAND Corporation, said: “He is the first LeT operative (caught during) an unquestionable terrorist outrage who is absolutely Pakistani. That he was caught alive - a weird thing for the LeT operative - puts Pakistan in a very difficult place.” — IANS
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26/11: Pak not to hand over fifth suspect to India
Islamabad, April 15 “There is no possibility of Shahid Jamil Riaz being handed over to India for investigation or questioning,” a diplomatic source said. Pakistan’s Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik had formally announced the arrest of Riaz during a news conference on Monday. While seeking more information from India on the November 26 attacks, Malik said Pakistan had arrested the Karachi-based Riaz for facilitating monetary transactions. However, sources said Riaz was arrested much earlier by Pakistani investigators. Documents presented in an anti-terror court in Rawalpindi indicated that he was arrested in Chakwal in Punjab province. Riaz’s name had first cropped up in Pakistan’s probe into the Mumbai attacks in February when officials had named him for facilitating money transfers in Europe on behalf of the terrorists involved in the Mumbai attacks.
— PTI
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Suicide bomber kills 16 in NWFP Islamabad, April 15 Policemen at the check post in Harichand village on the outskirts of Charsadda city, some 35 km north of NWFP’s capital Peshawar, tried to stop the truck when the suicide attacker detonated his explosives, district police chief Muhammad Riaz told reporters. 10 policemen deployed at the check post, including a station house officer, were killed in the blast. The rest of the dead were civilians while a Deputy Superintendent of Police was among the injured, officials said. No group claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred in an area that adjoins the restive Mohmand and Bajaur tribal regions and Malakand division, which includes the Swat valley. All these areas have a strong presence of the Taliban. Meanwhile, emergency was declared in the Charsadda hospital immediately after the blast.
— PTI
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Lanka says no to Norway mediation
The Lankan government on Monday stripped Norway of its role as a mediator between the government and the Tamil Tigers in the ongoing war in the island nation.
The government said it was no longer feasible for Norway to act as a facilitator in the engagement with Sri Lanka on the ongoing conflict after the Sri Lanka Embassy at Oslo came under attack on Sunday by supporters of the
LTTE. The Lankan government was already was under pressure to act against Norway which is widely perceived by many locals as being sympathetic and supportive of the Tamil Tigers. The government vehemently condemned the violent attack calling the attackers as hooligans belonging to the international terror network of the
LTTE. An official protest was lodged with the Norwegian Ambassador in Colombo on Monday and the government said it deeply regretted that the Norwegian government failed in discharging its obligations under international law, consequent to its sheer neglect in provisions of adequate security to the Sri Lanka Mission in Oslo. “The Norwegian government, being fully cognisant of the modus operandi of the LTTE and in constant contact with its international network as well as its leadership in the North of Sri Lanka, ought to have ensured the provision of adequate security to the diplomatic premises and agents of the Sri Lanka government on its soil,” a government statement said. Norway had played the role of mediator in the conflict since 2000 which culminated with the signing of a ceasefire agreement between the government and Tigers in 2002. The agreement has been abrogated ever since the present conflict began. It was unpopular among the majority in the country who felt it favoured the Tigers and accorded them equal status as the legitimate government in the country. Norway, too, has condemned the attack and vowed to bring the perpetrators of the attack to book. However this incident is likely to further strain the already tense diplomatic relations between the two countries.
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Dawood a big supporter of Al-Qaida: US lawmaker
“If you think about it, the godfather of godfathers, as he’s called, of Indian organised crime, Dawood Ibrahim, is linked to piracy in a big way,” Congressman Ed Royce said during a field hearing on piracy organised by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs in Los Angles. “Frankly he is a big supporter of Al-Qaida, and in the past, also the LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba),” Royce said and held him responsible for the series of Mumbai blasts The Republican lawmaker said at the hearing last week that “D-Company is the operation” run by Dawood now. “It’s (D-Company) now integrated into every part of the Indian filmmaking industry, from distribution to loan-sharking, and I guess a special irony here, for those of you who saw ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ is the fact that a lot was made of organised crime there and the way in which corruption has that insidious effect,” he said.
— PTI
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Gandhi inspires Aussies to save land
Deputy Lord Mayor of Sydney Marcelle Hoff was inspired by Gandhi’s principles to launch a campaign to save a former Water Police base-site for public parkland. “I truly, strongly believed in Mahatma Gandhi,” Hoff said after finally winning the fight for the site. She credits Gandhi with influencing her group’s approach “Search for the truth, respect your opponents and the end must justify the means”, were the principles they relied on, along with a dose of “psychological warfare”, the ‘Sydney Morning Herald’ report said. The 1.6 hectare site was all set to be sold via a 99-year lease to allow the construction of a 13-storey residential complex. It all started in June 2003 when she and friends first began organising a movement to save the park. It seemed they had little chance of saving it. Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority controlled the site and wanted it sold for the residential tower. The authority’s promise of a community consultation process was dismissed as a sham. “The consultation process consisted of an architectural design competition involving the construction of a privately owned multi-storey development - the community was never given the option of … public open space,” Hoff said. Her group wanted a park that would add another piece to the harbour foreshore walk and would not block the winter sun. Rallies, meetings, and a green ban imposed by the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union forced the authority to back down. The well-heeled city of Sydney paid Aus $11.8 million for the site. The designed park would include boardwalks, maritime remnants and platforms which emerge with falling tides.
— PTI
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US to set up ‘benchmarks’
Washington, April 15 “I think you would expect when the US taxpayer is providing money - assistance to a country, then we want to make sure that we’re not only getting our money’s worth but that certain things that we care about are dealt with,” State Department spokesman Robert Wood told reporters. “So we have said, we will provide and would like to provide $1.5 billion over a five-year period to Pakistan, but, clearly, we are going to establish benchmarks. We want to see certain standards and goals met,” Wood said. “That’s something you would expect that we would - we would be willing do,” Wood said in response to a question. The US-Pakistan relations have strained in recent times as Islamabad and Washington have differences over a number of issues, including US drone attacks in NWFP and India’s enhanced role in Afghanistan. Pakistan has also gone ahead to implement the peace deal with the Taliban in the Swat Valley against the wishes of the Obama administration.
— PTI
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Sikhs against turban ban in US army
Washington, April 15 Two Sikh military trainees who have been asked to remove their turbans and cut their hair to become eligible for active duty in the US army launched the campaign with a sit-in in front of the historic Marine Corps War Memorial near Pentagon here yesterday. Capt Kamaljit Singh Kalsi, a doctor, and Second-Lieutenant Tejdeep Singh Rattan, a dentist, who have just completed an army programme that pays for medical education in return for military service, were joined by a dozen Sikh leaders at the protest organised by the Sikh Coalition, a community organisation working for Sikh rights in the US.
— IANS
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Washington, April 15
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