Buner, April 22
Taliban militants from Swat took control of Buner on Tuesday and started patrolling bazaars, villages and towns in the district.

The militants, who had sneaked into Gokand valley of Buner on April 4, were reported to have been on a looting spree for the past five days.

They have robbed government and NGO offices of vehicles, computers, printers, generators, edible oil containers, and food and nutrition packets.

Sources said that leading political figures, businessmen, NGO officials and Khawaneen, who had played a role in setting up a Lashkar (force) to stop the Taliban from entering Buner, had been forced to move to other areas.

The Taliban have extended their control to almost all tehsils of the district and law-enforcement personnel remained confined to police stations and camps.

Equipped with advanced weapons, the Taliban were reported to be advancing towards border areas of Swabi, Malakand and Mardan, the hometown of NWFP Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti.

According to reports reaching here, the militants have set up checkposts and camp bases in Kangar Gali village, along the Malakand border; Naway Dhand village, along the Mardan border; and Tootalai village, along the Swabi border.

The sources said officials of the FC camp in Jorh had asked people to vacate their homes in view of threats of an attack.

The militants have started digging trenches and setting up bunkers on heights in strategic towns of Gadezi, Salarzai, Osherai and other tehsils.

After occupying the Buner district and setting up their headquarters in the bungalow of businessman Syed Ahmed Khan (alias Fateh Khan) in Sultanwas, the militants started patrolling the streets and roads with no signs of law-enforcement personnel.

Led by Fateh Mohammad, the militants were asking local people, particularly youngsters, to join them in their campaign to enforce Sharia.

They have established checkposts on roads and are searching all passing vehicles.

They have virtually established their writ in Buner region, once a stronghold of the Awami National Party.

Another armed group snatched an ambulance, a pick-up provided by Gavi for EPI cell, a Suzuki Ravi from a health centre in Swari.

Taliban’s mentor Sufi Mohammad attacked democracy, parliament, the constitution and superior courts described them as un-Islamic in a speech in Mangora on Sunday.

Armed Taliban have seized control of Buner adjacent to Swat and declared their intension to enforce Shariah in entire Pakistan and the world.

Sharif had, however, said that his party would offer support from outside to the
government. — PTI

The first ever summit between the three countries after Obama’s inauguration as US President would be held on May 6-7, the same dates on which the second trilateral meetings was scheduled, diplomatic sources told. — PTI

Washington, April 22
US President Barack Obama has asserted that his administration would continue to push for direct diplomacy with Iran despite the recent hate rhetoric coming from its President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

“There is no doubt that the kind of rhetoric you saw from Ahmadinejad is not
helpful; in fact, it is harmful not just with respect to the possibility of US-Iranian
relations, but I think it actually undermines Iranians’ position in the world as a
whole,” Obama said in response to a question at a White House joint press
conference with the King Abdullah of Jordan.

Obama was asked about Ahmadinejad’s outburst and racial comments against Israel at the UN’s recent anti-race conference in Geneva.

The speech had resulted in immediate walk-out by delegates from a number of European countries. The US had not participated in the conference.

“We weren’t at the conference and what you saw was a whole host of other countries walking out and that language being condoned by people who may be more sympathetic to the long-term aspirations of the Iranian people. So I think it actually hurts Iran’s position in the world,” Obama said.

At the same time, Obama said: “We are going to continue to take an approach that tough, direct diplomacy has to be pursued without taking a whole host of other options off the table.” — PTI

Washington, April 22
The US will create a new military command to coordinate the defence of Pentagon computer networks and improve offensive capabilities in cyberwarfare, the Wall Street Journal has reported.

The initiative will reshape the military’s efforts to protect its networks from attacks by hackers, especially those from countries such as China and Russia, the influential daily said citing unnamed “current and former officials familiar with the plans”.

The command would be unveiled in a few weeks, it said citing Pentagon officials.

The move comes amid growing evidence that sophisticated cyber spies are attacking the US electric grid and key defence programmes.

The Journal Tuesday reported that hackers breached the Pentagon’s biggest weapons programme, the $300 billion Joint Strike Fighter, and stole data.

A White House team reviewing cyber security policy has sent a draft of recommendations to the President for approval, including the creation of a top White House cyber policy official, the Journal said.

President Barack Obama was expected to announce contours of his new approach later this month, it said citing “former officials familiar with the plans”. — IANS

After receiving pressure from the national and international arena, the Unified CPN (Maoist)-led government that was supposed to take bold steps on Wednesday failed to take a decision on fate of army chief Rookmangud Katawal.

The Maoists also failed to garner consents from the coalition partners — the
CPN-UML and Madheshi People’s Rights Forum and Sadbhavana Party — on the
course of the action.

“Since national and international concern has increased, it should not be decided in haste. The decision should be taken only after studying the clarification forwarded by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) seriously,” said UCPN-M leader CP Gajurel after a meeting held at the residence of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal in Baluwatar.

“Different power centres have pressurised us not to take any action against the COAS, we will take a matured decision, assessing the situation”, he informed.

Gajurel informed that the meeting also decided to mobilise people across the country to expose the people’s view on the Katawal issue.

“Rallies and meetings are being held from yesterday and we will continue it until the issue reaches a conclusion,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Maoists have taken the suggestions given by President Ram Baran Yadav to the government on the Katawal issue as against ‘people’s supremacy’ and spirit of the Interim Constitution.

A serious rift has also been erupted with the ruling CPN-UML and Madhesi People’s Rights Forum on whether to support the Maoists or not.

Madrid, April 22
Giving a major boost to their trade ties, India and Spain today signed three key agreements in the fields of tourism, agriculture and renewable energy, paving the way for Spanish technology transfer and investments.

The agreements were inked in the presence of President Pratibha Patil and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodrigeuz Zapatero after the two leaders held wide-ranging talks here.

India is keen to acquire renewable energy technology, especially in the wind and solar energy sectors, from Spain, which is considered the world leader in the fields. The world’s biggest photovoltaic solar cell-based plant is located in Spain.

Leading Indian wind power company Sulzon is already present in Spain and is seeking the Spanish assistance in the field.

In the tourism sector, Spain, which is the world’s number two destination after France for visitors, India will be seeking assistance of the European country in improving its tourism infrastructure, officials said.

In the field of agriculture, India is keen to get food processing technology from Spain to utilise the surplus food items produced by it. — PTI

She later sang for Radio Pakistan and PTV and also lent her voice to a number of films and won nationwide admiration.

London, April 22
The police said today it would bring no charges against any of the 12 men held in counter-terrorism raids earlier this month aimed to foil a suspected Al-Qaida plot.

The men, 11 Pakistanis and one Briton, were arrested around northwest England as part of an operation against what Prime Minister Gordon Brown called at the time a “very big terrorist plot”.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said all the suspects, aged between 22 and 38, had been released although 11 had been handed over to immigration officials and face deportation on national security grounds.

The police said prosecutors had advised there was insufficient evidence to justify holding the men any longer or bringing charges.

“As there are ongoing issues of matters of national security around this
investigation, it does limit what we are able to say,” said GMP Chief Constable
Peter Fahy, adding the inquiry had been “extremely complex”.

“We had a duty to act to protect the public and a subsequent duty to investigate what lay before us. We don’t take these decisions lightly and only carry out this kind of action if it is wholly justified.”

The raids had to be launched several hours ahead of schedule after a blunder by top counter-terrorism officer Bob Quick.

A document on the operation was photographed as Quick carried it into 10 Downing Street to brief Brown, putting it in the public domain and threatening the secrecy of the police raids. Quick resigned a day later.

The Spokesman for Muslim Council of Britain, Inayat Bunglawala said the decision to seek to deport the men following their release was “a very dishonourable way of proceeding”. — Reuters

BRIEFLY

Prince Charles to pen book
MELBOURNE: Prince Charles is set to pen a book on climate that will focus on the threat big business poses to the environment. Publisher HarperCollins said the Prince's book would talk about how humans have become dangerously disconnected from nature through their unstoppable pursuit of economic growth and technological progress. He will also be making a documentary due for release next year. — ANI

Fossil deposits
SYDNEY: In an analysis of fossil deposits in central India, geologists have found that complex life, in the form of multicellular organisms, existed on earth more than 400 million years earlier than previously thought. The discovery is important as it gives new insight into the earth's biosphere in the Palaeoprotorezoic era 1.6 billion years ago. — ANI

Pak official kidnapped
ISLAMABAD: A top civil official in a district adjoining Pakistan’s restive Swat valley and Bajaur tribal region is believed to have been kidnapped along with his driver and guard, the police said on Wednesday. Upper Dir District Coordination Officer Ateeq-ur-Rehman was believed to have been abducted along with the two other men while returning from a meeting on Tuesday, police officials said. — PTI