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Pak bureaucrat feted top ultras before crackdown
‘More US troops, more infiltration’
Bangladesh Arms Case |
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No probe into rights violation, says Lanka
Indian Canadian shot dead in ‘gang war’
Nepal Maoists declare fresh struggle
Activists raise slogans calling for the immediate release of detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a protest outside the Myanmar
embassy in Bangkok on Sunday. — AP
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Pak bureaucrat feted top ultras before crackdown Islamabad, May 31 Taliban commanders Faqir Mohammed, Muslim Khan, Sirajuddin, Mahmood Khan and dozens of armed fighters were hosted by the former commissioner of Malakand division, Syed Muhammad Javed, in his official residence on April 12.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani called in the army to launch operations against Taliban earlier this month and Javed was subsequently removed from his post for his perceived sympathy for the militants. Gilani also ordered an inquiry into allegations that Javed facilitated the execution of four army commandos by Taliban. Javed hosted the Taliban commanders at his official residence located a few hundred metres from the army garrison in Mingora, the main city in Swat, the Dawn reported today. The only notable local Taliban commander who did not attend the gathering was Maulana Fazlullah, the report said. Faqir Mohammed, who arrived at Javed's residence with a large entourage, is one of the top leaders of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and has been spearheading the campaign against Pakistani forces in the Bajaur tribal region. Pakistani security agencies consider Faqir Mohammed more dangerous than local Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud because of his close links with al-Qaeda. "The presence of Pakistan's most wanted militant leader at the Commissioner House that evening, when the fighting still raged in Bajaur, was intriguing, to say the least. The widespread public cynicism about the action against militants was not without any basis," the report said. The Taliban commanders present at the gathering are said to be responsible for the killing of hundreds of soldiers and civilians. Javed hosted the gathering just after brokering a truce in Buner district between the Taliban and a local 'lashkar' or tribal militia. The accord virtually disarmed the lashkar and handed over control of Buner to the Taliban. Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan, who now carries a reward of four million rupees on his head, was received by top government officials when he arrived at Javed's residence. Earlier on April 12, he showed the Dawn newspaper's reporter a "list of people whose execution orders were to be issued". Among them was a woman whose husband had allegedly served in the US Army. "We are looking for her and she will soon come under the knife," Muslim Khan said. — PTI
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‘More US troops, more infiltration’
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has expressed concerns over the proposed surge in US troops in Afghanistan, saying it would increase Taliban infiltration into Pakistan.
Reiterating Pakistan’s resolve not to let its soil be used for terrorist activities, the Prime Minister said he had informed US officials that an increase in the number of US military personnel in Afghanistan would force militants to move into Pakistan. Talking to reporters here Gilani said the US authorities had promised greater interaction on the issue and enhanced intelligence-sharing.
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Bangladesh Arms Case
Dhaka, May 31 Ex-chief of Bangladesh’s National Security Intelligence (NSI), retired Brigadier General Abdur Rahim and another official told interrogators and court that Dubai-based ARY business group and Pakistan’s ISI were involved in the case, a media report said today. According to statements of Rahim and ex-NSI director retired Wing Commander Shahabuddin Ahmed, the ARY group and Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka financed the consignment of weapons destined to ULFA hideouts in Assam with ISI assistance, the Daily Star said quoting unnamed officials. “He (Shahabuddin) carefully used his power (as an NSI official) to meet the detective officers of the foreign embassy and exchange information. He developed good relations with ISI official Brigadier Mogisuddin and Col Shahed Mahmud working in the Pakistan High Commission (in Dhaka),” the Star said, quoting Rahim as telling the investigators. Rahim said the ARY group, that enjoys the support of the ISI, financed the consignment of 10 truck arms and ammunitions while some officials of the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka were main patrons of the ULFA. Ahmed told interrogators that he let his residence be used for a meeting between a visiting ARY team, ULFA leader Paresh Barua and Pakistan High Commission officials. The arrested NSI officials allegedly played a key role alongside some police officials in the planned transportation of the 10 truckloads of weapons from Bangladesh’s southeastern port city of Chittagong to Assam but law enforcement agencies seized the arms in 2004 on their arrival. — PTI
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‘Big Ben’ turns 150
London, May 31 Big Ben is commonly used to describe a combination of the Clock Tower, Great Bell and Great Clock. It came into existence after the Great Fire at Britain’s houses of parliament in Westminster in 1834. The replacement design featured the clock, which started keeping time on 31 May, 1859. Even today, Big Ben’s timing is kept perfect with 19th century . Clock-maker Paul Roberson said: “The clock is 150 years old and still weight-driven; so it’s weights that are driving the clock. So, after three days, we have to come up here three times a week, (on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays) and wind them back up again.” The famous chimes of Big Ben are based on a piece of music by Handel and each hour a large hammer drops on a 13 ton bell. —
PTI
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No probe into rights violation, says Lanka Colombo, May 31 Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona said the reported deaths of civilians in the last phase of the military offensive was an “unverified figure”. “It is a figment of imagination of the people who do not have the magnanimity to acknowledge that Sri Lanka has eliminated the LTTE on its own,” he said. In an apparent reference to Western nations, who are at the forefront seeking probe into human rights violations in Sri Lanka, Kohona said: “They have not conducted any investigation in their (own) invasions in order to counter terrorism. The question of probe does not arise.” Amnesty International had yesterday called for an independent probe after reports in a British newspaper citing confidential UN reports that said over 20,000 civilians were killed in shelling by the army. Britain, France and Norway have also demanded investigations into rights violations in the country. Meanwhile, Media Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said the international groups calling for investigation had “ulterior motives”. “Those who give various civilian casualty figures and call for these probes must have ulterior motives,” Abeywardena said here. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said the primary concern of troops was to safeguard civilians, many of whom had experienced multiple displacements over years. Accusing the LTTE of forcibly conscripting children to be used as cannon fodder, Bogollogama said: “Many of them (civilians) had lost one or more of their family members”. He said Sri Lanka would go down in history “as a classic example” of a nation that successfully defeated terrorism, “while upholding the cherished values of democracy and human rights that have been deeply ingrained in the psyche of her people,” the Foreign Ministry said. The meeting was attended by 18 other nations in the Asian region, as well as the US, Russia, UK, France, Germany, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. — PTI
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Indian Canadian shot dead in ‘gang war’
Vancouver, May 31 Dragging himself to the emergency room of the hospital, he told the doctors that he had been shot. After initial treatment, he was shifted to the Royal Columbian Hospital near here. But Nagra succumbed to his gun shots. The police said court records confirmed that Nagra was a street drug dealer with a criminal record dating back to his teen years. He was jailed in 1999 for carrying burglary tools. He had also been charged with possessing illegal firearms and assault threats. As investigations are on, the police is still to confirm whether the murder was the result of the drug gang
warhere.— IANS
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Nepal Maoists declare fresh struggle
Annoyed with Speaker Subash Nembang’s decision to refuse their resolution proposal against the move of Nepal President Ram Baran Yadav to retain the sacked chief of army staff, the Unified CPN (Maoist) on Sunday announced fresh protests in and outside the parliament from Wednesday. Just a day after the Speaker refused to take up their proposal, a meeting of the Maoist central secretariat held at party headquarters in Kathmandu also dubbed the Speaker’s as “unfortunate” event that prevented people’s rights to debate on the resolution in parliament. Maoists spokesperson Dinanath Sharma said: “He (Nembang) is chairman of all 601 CA members; but he acted as per one special party’s direction. Even he could not escape from breaching the law and constitution like others.” In accordance with the party’s decision, the Maoists lawmakers boycotted the Legislature-Parliament session on Sunday. Immediately after the Speaker started the session, Maoists Chief Whip Post Bahadur Bogati said his party would continue to boycott the session unless their demands were addressed. According to Sharma, the Maoists will picket the district administration offices across the country for two hours on Wednesday and halt the regular works at almost 4,000 VDC's in the country until the second week of June. In order to intensify their nationwide protest, the meeting has formed a committee led by a senior Maoists leader Mohan Baidya that would finalise other protest programs. The Maoists have set a precondition saying they could join the CPN-UML-led government provided that the President’s move be corrected.
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Singapore, May 31 “It is no doubt that Suu Kyi has committed a cover-up of the truth by her failure to report an illegal immigrant to the authorities concerned,” Major General Aye Myint, Myanmar’s deputy defence minister, told a security forum in Singapore. “Thus there was no option but to open legal proceedings in accordance with the law,” he said. “She permitted him to stay.... She communicated, provided him food and shelter,” Aye Myint said. Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel peace laureate, is facing up to five years’ detention on charges relating to the surprise visit of an eccentric American to her lakeside prison home in early May. In his speech to regional security officials and experts, the general said the case against Aung San Suu Kyi was an internal matter for Myanmar to resolve without foreign intervention. “Countries should refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of Myanmar that will affect peace and security of the region,” sid Aye Myint. — AFP
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