W O R L D

Swat Operation
Pak political parties back army
The army got crucial support for its operation in Swat from the nation's top leadership at an in-camera briefing, setting aside serious reservations about various aspects of the offensive and apparent ineptness to anticipate an all-time high human exodus from the conflict area that is continuing unabated.
A Pakistani girl leaves her home to watch soldiers patrol her village in Mardan district, some 200 km northwest of Islamabad, on Saturday. — AFP

Troops to remain on border
Islamabad, May 16
There would be no thinning of troops on the border with India, the Pakistani Army chief says, cautioning President Asif Ali Zardari - and the US - that decisions on deployments ought to be collectively taken by this country's political and military leadership. "The military leadership (has) told the national political leadership that there was no chance of moving the armed forces from Pakistan’s border with India for their deployment at the western borders,” The News said on Saturday.

Preet Bharara nominated as US attorney
Washington, May 16
US President Barack Obama has nominated Preet Bharara, a Punjab born Indian-American lawyer, to become the US attorney for Southern District of New York. Bharara, 40, has advised the New York Democrat Senator Charles Schumer on legal matters and played a key role in the congressional investigation of the Bush administration’s firing of eight US attorneys, according to a White House announcement made yesterday.

LTTE defeated, says Rajapaksa
President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday declared final defeat of the LTTE by the Sri Lankan armed forces. “I will be going back to a country that has been totally freed from the barbaric acts of the LTTE,” he said.

B’desh arrests 2 former intelligence chiefs
Two former Bangladesh intelligence chiefs were arrested on Saturday over their alleged role to help United Liberation Front of Assam (Ulfa) smuggle ten truck-loads of arms to Northeast India.

Swat Operation
Pak political parties back army
Afzal Khan writes from Islamabad

The army got crucial support for its operation in Swat from the nation's top leadership at an in-camera briefing, setting aside serious reservations about various aspects of the offensive and apparent ineptness to anticipate an all-time high human exodus from the conflict area that is continuing unabated.

Army chief Gen Ashfaq Kayani, flanked by top figures in security agencies and military commanders, briefed the parliamentary leaders whose parties have representation in the National Assembly thus excluding two bitter critics of the operation, Imran Khan of Tehriuke Insaf and Qazi Hussain Ahmed of Jamaat Islami. Both parties boycotted the February 18 poll last year. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, however, has invited them in the All-Party Conference (APC) he has convened on Monday to further galvanise political support.

"This was an occasion to show solidarity with the troops who are fighting extremists and taking casualties," one participant told this correspondent adding, "We thought the army should get all the public support it needs to successfully achieve all the objectives of the present campaign."

General Kayani assured political leaders that the army would like to finish off the operation as early as possible. He explained reasons why the political leadership could not be taken into confidence at the time the operation was launched. The politicians said they realised the gravity of the situation and the challenges confronting the nation because of increasing extremism and militancy.

Among those present included Nawaz Sharif, chief of his faction of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), Maulana Fazlur Rehman (Jamiat Ulema Islam), Dr Farooq Sattar (Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Aftab Sherpao (PPP-S), Shahbaz Sharif, chief minister Punjab, governor and chief minister North West Frontier Provicne (NWFP), Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Raza Rabbani, chairman of parliamentary committee on security and others.

The leaders underscored the need for a concerted effort to cope with the humanitarian crisis resulting from exodus of more than a million people from the Swat region since the launch of the operation early this month. 

Troops to remain on border

Islamabad, May 16
There would be no thinning of troops on the border with India, the Pakistani Army chief says, cautioning President Asif Ali Zardari - and the US - that decisions on deployments ought to be collectively taken by this country's political and military leadership. "The military leadership (has) told the national political leadership that there was no chance of moving the armed forces from Pakistan’s border with India for their deployment at the western borders,” The News said on Saturday.

The army chief, Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, made the affirmation on Friday during a five-hour in-camera briefing to the national leadership on the military operation being conducted against the Taliban in three districts of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP). The response came on a query of former premier Nawaz Sharif on the situation on the border with India.

"The military leadership told the political leadership that the US had asked for the deployment of forces at the Afghanistan border by moving them from the Indian border and was even ready to give guarantees that India would not make any misadventure against Pakistan," The News said. "Pakistan rejected the proposal and made it clear that on the issue of national security, it did not trust any kind of international guarantees," it added.

This was reiterated on Saturday in a statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) that began by saying: "Lately a lot of comments from various quarters are coming on the level of Low Intensity Conflict (LIC) training of Pakistani troops and about their shifting from the eastern borders."

"The chief of army staff... reaffirmed that strategic decisions regarding where, when and how many troops are deployed in each operation or sector is always a Pakistani decision based on objective analysis and our full understanding of threat spectrum," the statement added. — IANS 

Preet Bharara nominated as US attorney

Washington, May 16
US President Barack Obama has nominated Preet Bharara, a Punjab born Indian-American lawyer, to become the US attorney for Southern District of New York.

Bharara, 40, has advised the New York Democrat Senator Charles Schumer on legal matters and played a key role in the congressional investigation of the Bush administration’s firing of eight US attorneys, according to a White House announcement made yesterday. “These men and women have distinguished themselves as fair, tenacious and respected attorneys throughout their careers in both public and private service,” Obama said of Bharara and five others named yesterday.

“They will serve their country with distinction as US attorneys and it is my honour to nominate them for these esteemed positions,” he said. Born in Punjab, Bharara immigrated to the US with his parents in 1970 and became a US citizen 10 years later. Raised in Monmouth County, New Jersey, he graduated from Harvard University in 1990 and from Columbia Law School in 1993.

Bharara was named 2007 South Asian Lawyer of the Year by the North American South Asian Bar Association. — IANS

LTTE defeated, says Rajapaksa
Chandani Kirinde writes from Colombo

B’desh arrests 2 former intelligence chiefs
Ashfaq Wares Khan writes from Dhaka

Two former Bangladesh intelligence chiefs were arrested on Saturday over their alleged role to help United Liberation Front of Assam (Ulfa) smuggle ten truck-loads of arms to Northeast India.

Brigadier General Abdur Rahim (retd) and Major General Rezakul Haider Chowdhury (retd), former heads of National Security Intelligence (NSI), were put under house arrest Saturday morning, according to Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officials.

The two were allegedly involved in the attempt to smuggle ten truck-loads of arms, which were recovered in Chittagong in 2004. Rahim was the then NSI director general while Rezakul was in charge of counter-intelligence for the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI).

Rahim was brought out of retired and appointed to the top NSI post by the erstwhile BNP-led coalition government. Rezakul succeeded Rahim but was removed immediately after the army intervention on Jan 11, 2007. Rezakul was also sent into retirement from the army. The police seized ten trucks loaded with arms at the secured jetty of Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Ltd on the midnight of Apr 1, 2004.