Peshawar, August 4
A teenage Taliban suicide bomber targeted the chief of a Pakistani paramilitary force here today near the headquarters of the organisation, killing him and two others and injuring at least 10 more. The attacker detonated his explosive vest near the car of Frontier Constabulary Commandant Sifwat Ghayur in Sadar area of Peshawar. Ghayur, his driver and a guard were killed instantly in the attack, which took place close to the paramilitary force’s headquarters.

At least four of the 10 people injured were in serious condition, doctors treating them at the Lady Reading Hospital said.

The bomber struck just as Ghayur’s car drove out of the Frontier Constabulary headquarters.

Dramatic footage aired on a TV news channel showed the bomber coolly walking up to Ghayur’s car, which had stopped at a traffic light, and detonating his explosives.

A bright flash was followed by a thick cloud of smoke that billowed into the sky. The blast was heard over a large distance.

Three cars and a scooter were damaged by the explosion, which also blew out the windows of nearby buildings.

The blast, for which Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility, also sparked a fire at a nearby petrol pump.

Witnesses said they had seen the head of the suspected bomber, described as a teenager, lying at the site of the blast.

Senior Minister Bashir Bilour, a leader of the Awami National Party that rules Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, said the terrorists had targeted a brave police officer.

Ghayur, the brother-in-law of former Interior Minister and PPP-Sherpao party chief Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, was known for personally leading operations against the Taliban and other militant groups.

He had earlier served as the police chief of Peshawar when the city was repeatedly targeted by the Taliban in a string of car bombings and suicide attacks. — PTI

From Satyagraha to wall graffiti… the journey of silent protest continues.

The eight-metre high and over 700 km-long security wall built by Israel to “secure” itself from the West Bank is now the world’s largest canvas of protest graffiti.

The wall, bigger and longer than the Berlin Wall began to be constructed in 2002 and was completed this year. It roughly demarcates Israel from the West Bank but is “not the border” insist Israeli officials.

The wall was declared illegal by the International Court of Justice in 2004 and was ordered to be dismantled. However, the wall was not brought down and since then international protest is expressed in the form of a strikingly colourful graffiti of messages and slogans in English and Arabic on the West Bank side of the wall.

At places this graffiti runs for kilometers with one message merging into another. Symbols of protest, pictures, flowers, figures, birds, quotes from world leaders are splayed across the wall sending out silent signals of disapproval.

“The border between Israel and West Bank is 325 km but the wall runs for over 700 km. More than 80 per cent of the wall has been built on the Palestinian side which has led to the annexation of 9 per cent of the West Bank area into Israel,” says Xavier Abu Eid, communication advisor to the Palestine Liberation Organisation.

The Israeli authorities on the other hand insist that the wall has been constructed to keep away the suicide bombers. “The security wall is mainly a fence and is concrete only near the urban areas. We agree that the wall is a source of inconvenience to people. But we had no option but to build the wall when suicide bombers were walking into our cities and shopping areas and blowing themselves up. The wall has led to a marked fall in such incidents,” said a senior official of the Israeli government.

The Palestinians also rue the fact those whose livelihood was directly affected due to the construction of the land have not been compensated despite the order of the International Court of Justice. “At many places large tracts of fertile land and vital water resources have gone to the Israeli side because of the construction of this wall. Thousands are unable to access their land and factories and have been rendered unemployed,” he adds.

Israeli officials, however, state that those who own land on the other side of the wall are allowed daily access through the checkpoints. “Hundreds of Palestinians cross over to the Israeli side every day for various purposes,” stated the official.

“People from across the world come to paint this wall. It was decided to keep the wall painted with slogans of protest and hope till it is brought down. Those who painted these messages want to be a part of the moment when it will be brought down,” says Abu Eid.

In this battle of “two rights” the protest graffiti’s message is loud and clear. “Non-violence is the key to peace,” says a message on the wall attributing it to Mahatma Gandhi.

Tehran, August 4
A conservative Iranian website said President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad escaped an assassination attempt after a handmade grenade exploded near his convoy today, but Tehran state TV denied the report.

Other media reported an explosion in the area but gave conflicting accounts about the cause. Some said it was a firecracker.

The website, khabaronline.ir, said the grenade detonated near Ahmadinejad’s convoy as he was on his way to address a crowd in the western Iranian town of Hamedan but did not harm him.

The president later gave his speech as planned, and it was broadcast live on state television. He made no mention of the attack in his remarks, focusing instead on the country’s disputed nuclear programme.

He struck a hard line against Western demands that Iran halt its nuclear activities. The US and its allies accuse Iran of trying to develop atomic weapons, but Tehran insists its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes.

“It will be one of your big mistakes if you think you, resorting to lies and hue and cry, are able to achieve something and we will give you any concession,” Ahmadinejad told the crowd at the Hamedan stadium.

One person was arrested in connection with the attack, the website report said. — AP

Riyadh, August 4 
Saudi Arabia’s telecommunication regulator said that it has ordered a suspension of BlackBerry services starting on Friday, as the manufacturer of the devices — Research in Motion (RIM) — has failed to meet its demands. It said that it has asked the kingdom’s three providers to suspend BlackBerry services starting on Friday after it had given them a grace period to get RIM to “meet the regulatory demands”. — AFP