W O R L D

Top Pak diplomat knew Headley, Rana: FBI
Washington, October 30
Pakistan’s Consul General in Chicago personally knew both David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana, nabbed by the FBI for planning major terror attack in India at the behest of LeT, the US authorities have claimed.

Court declares Mush proclaimed offender
Directs police to confiscate his assets if he doesn’t cooperate
Islamabad, October 30
A court in northwest Pakistan today directed the police to declare former President Pervez Musharraf a “proclaimed offender” and confiscate his property if he failed to cooperate with the probe into the whereabouts of a man allegedly detained by security agencies during his tenure.

India favours lifting of US embargo on Cuba
United Nations, October 30
India looks forward to “full lifting” of sanctions against Cuba as the five-decade-old US embargo on the country has adversely affected several aspects of its development, senior Congress leader Girija Vyas has said.

In this photo provided by European Space Agency, the European rocket Ariane V is seen as it lifts off, in Kourou, French Guiana, on Thursday. Arianespace launched a rocket carrying two satellites that will provide direct TV broadcasts to Europe, Asia and Africa. — AP/PTI

Indian American gets key post
Washington, October 30
Indian-American Suresh Kumar, who served as a special adviser to the Clinton foundation and was a news anchor in India from 1970 to 1985, has been appointed to a key administration post by President Barack Obama.Kumar, known for his expertise of public-private partnership, has been nominated by Obama as Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Director General of the United States and Foreign Commercial Service in the US Department of Commerce, the White House said.

US cannot dictate solutions to India, Pak: Clinton 
Islamabad, October 30
United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has questioned Pakistan's commitment to hunt the top Al-Qaida leadership hiding inside the country and accused it of failing to track them down. “The Al-Qaida has had safe haven in Pakistan since 2002. I find it hard to believe that nobody in your government knows where they are and couldn't get them if they really wanted to,” Clinton said in Lahore yesterday.

 

Top Pak diplomat knew Headley, Rana: FBI

Washington, October 30
Pakistan’s Consul General in Chicago personally knew both David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana, nabbed by the FBI for planning major terror attack in India at the behest of LeT, the US authorities have claimed.

The FBI in its revised chargesheet filed before a Chicago court said the Consul General of Pakistan in Chicago personally knows both Rana and Headley alias ‘Daood Gilani’, as all three of them are from the same high school.

According to the website of the Pakistan Embassy here, Dr Aman Rashid is the Consul General in Chicago.

“On or about September 25, 2009, Rana spoke via telephone with the Consul General at the Pakistani Consulate in Chicago in an effort to obtain a five-year visa for Headley to travel to Pakistan. It is clear from the email that the Consul General knows Rana and Headley personally as all three attended the same high school,” the FBI claimed.

However, the affidavit, a copy of which has been obtained by PTI, does not say anything if the Consul General was aware or had any inclination of the terrorist connection of Rana and Headley.

Rana, 48, and Headley, 49, are not only residents of Chicago, but were product of the same military school.

American national Headley, whose assistance was sought by Lashkar-e-Toiba in planning a major terror attack in India, was helped by his Pakistani-Canadian friend Rana to obtain a visa for Pakistan so that he can travel to NWFP for training and meeting the LeT leaders. The chargesheet also indicates that the LeT was planning to use Headley for a major terrorist attack in India.

The transcripts of the taped conversations, both email and telephone, reveals that the LeT was planning to use Headley for attack on a mysterious Indian actor ‘Rahul’ which Indian intelligence agencies say could be a code message.

Headley stated that he intended to travel to Pakistan in early October to meet an unidentified LeT Individual ‘B’ and (Ilyas) Kashmiri, the FBI told the court.

The affidavit says the Consul General knows Headley by a different name - Daood Gilani.

In seeking a visa for Headley, Rana stated that he wished to obtain the visa for a white American named “Headley” who did not have any Pakistani background at all.

“When the Consul General suggested that Rana send his friend to the consulate, Rana explained that he had sent his friend elsewhere to take care of some unspecified business so that someone else would visit the Consulate,” the FBI says.

“It is clear from the foregoing conversation that Rana was attempting to deceive the Consul General into granting a visa for Headley without the Consul General knowing for whom the visa would be issued,” the FBI told the court.

Rana told the FBI that he was aware of the fact that Headley had been affiliated with LeT, he had received training from them and he had met Kashmiri, leader of Harkat-ul-Jihad-Islami.

Rana also said he knew that Headley communicated with LeT Individual ‘B’ and ‘A’.

In Rana’s chargesheet, the FBI named two LeT leaders, whose names have not been identified and are referred to as LeT Member ‘A’ and LeT Member 'B'. The FBI said the identity of both the LeT leaders are known to the government. — PTI

Court declares Mush proclaimed offender
Directs police to confiscate his assets if he doesn’t cooperate

Islamabad, October 30
A court in northwest Pakistan today directed the police to declare former President Pervez Musharraf a “proclaimed offender” and confiscate his property if he failed to cooperate with the probe into the whereabouts of a man allegedly detained by security agencies during his tenure.

The district and sessions court in Abbottabad in the North West Frontier Province issued the order in response to a petition filed by the family of the “missing” man.

In the petition, the family had accused Musharraf of having a role in the abduction of the man.

Mohammad Iqbal, the lawyer for the complainants, said he was satisfied with the court’s decision directing police to declare Musharraf a “proclaimed offender” and confiscate his property if he failed to cooperate with the probe into the case.

He said the petition was filed in March under provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code and Article 6 of the Constitution, which relates to the trial of the President on charges of treason.

“Now the police have got the order from the court. If they will not proceed, the judge will take action against the police,” Iqbal told a TV news channel. The police had been investigating the matter for the past six to seven months and had accepted that they could not arrest Musharraf and others named in the complaint, Iqbal said.

Musharraf, who has been living outside Pakistan since mid-April, recently concluded a lecture tour of the US. — PTI 

India favours lifting of US embargo on Cuba

United Nations, October 30
India looks forward to “full lifting” of sanctions against Cuba as the five-decade-old US embargo on the country has adversely affected several aspects of its development, senior Congress leader Girija Vyas has said.

“I would like to reiterate India's opposition to unilateral measures by the countries that impinge on the sovereignty of another country, including attempts, to extend the application of a country's laws extra-territorially to other sovereign nations,” Vyas, a Lok Sabha MP, told the UN General Assembly yesterday.

“We share the views expressed by the international community in its opposition to the extra-territorial aspect of the embargo,” she said, adding “we look forward to the full lifting of sanctions and embargo against Cuba.” The senior Congress leader, who is here on an official visit, stressed that continued sanctions had taken its toll on several social and economic activities of the Cuban citizens.

“The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean has stated that the embargo adversely affects the standard of living of Cuban citizens,” she said.

The health sector has been one of the affected sectors on account of enhanced cost and restrictions on equipment and technologies, noted Vyas, also Chairperson of the National Commission for Women.

However, India has said it is encouraged by the steps announced by the current US administration earlier this year to reduce restrictions on travel and remittances to Cuba by Cuban-Americans and on the US telecommunications services. — PTI

Indian American gets key post

Washington, October 30
Indian-American Suresh Kumar, who served as a special adviser to the Clinton foundation and was a news anchor in India from 1970 to 1985, has been appointed to a key administration post by President Barack Obama.

Kumar, known for his expertise of public-private partnership, has been nominated by Obama as Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Director General of the United States and Foreign Commercial Service in the US Department of Commerce, the White House said. — PTI

US cannot dictate solutions to India, Pak: Clinton

Islamabad, October 30
United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has questioned Pakistan's commitment to hunt the top Al-Qaida leadership hiding inside the country and accused it of failing to track them down.

“The Al-Qaida has had safe haven in Pakistan since 2002. I find it hard to believe that nobody in your government knows where they are and couldn't get them if they really wanted to,” Clinton said in Lahore yesterday.

“Maybe they're not gettable. As far as we know, they are in Pakistan,” she said in unusually blunt remarks to Pakistan that is aimed at mending fences and improving strained ties.

Clinton's comments - made when a journalist asked why the war on terror has focused so much on Pakistan - reflected concerns expressed by senior American diplomats, including Ambassador Anne Patterson.

She alluded to the role of Pakistan's powerful ISI agency, which has been accused of secretly supporting the militant groups.

In a remark that appeared aimed at the ISI, she said, “If we are going to have a mature partnership where we work together there are issues that, not just the US, but others have with your government and with your military security establishment.”

American diplomats have said they believe the Al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden is alive and based in Pakistan's tribal belt.

They have urged the Pakistan government to take action against the “Quetta shura” or senior leaders of the Taliban based in the suburbs of the capital of the southwestern Balochistan province.

Clinton told Pakistan that it had little choice but to take aggressive approach to the Taliban and other extremist groups.

With the Pakistan army pushing deeper into country's lawless region in South Waziristan, long suspected by the US officials to be safe haven for world's most wanted terrorist Osama Bin Laden and the country reeling from Wednesday's devastating bomb blast which killed 118, Clinton said.

She has repeatedly said she is in Pakistan to “turn the page” in the US-Pakistan relationship. — PTI