W O R L D

Musharraf appears in court for treason trial, not indicted
Beleaguered former dictator Pervez Musharraf appeared for the first time today in a Pakistani special court conducting his treason trial but his indictment was put off till the judges decide his petition challenging their mandate. Instead, the special court issued a short order stating that Musharraf would face indictment upon his second appearance in court and that this would be soon.

Pakistani lawyer Ahmed Raza Kasuri, representing former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, makes a victory sign alongside supporters after a case hearing in Islamabad on Tuesday. AFP

Pak-linked terrorists top UK sanctions list
London, February 18
India's most wanted man Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar and Pakistan-linked terrorists and terror groups figure prominently in an updated list of financial sanctions imposed by the British government. Dawood Ibrahim features under his various aliases and with his last known address given as White House, near the Saudi Mosque in the Pakistani port city of Karachi.

Bloodbath: 49 die in Iraq blasts Hilla, February 18 Bombs exploded in predominantly Shi'ite Muslim districts of the Iraqi capital and in the southern city of Hilla on Tuesday, killing at least 49 persons, police and hospital sources said.   People gather at the site of a bomb attack in Baghdad's Karrada district on Tuesday. Reuters

4 killed, 64 hurt in Thai unrest Bangkok, February 18 Four persons, including a policeman, were shot dead and 64 others injured today as Thai police raided an opposition rally site to reclaim areas taken over by protesters seeking to overthrow Premier Yingluck Shinawatra. A policeman aims his weapon towards anti-government protesters during clashes in Bangkok on Tuesday. Reuters

Indian missions in UAE to hold open houses
Dubai, February 18
Indian missions in the UAE will now hold open houses on every working day to make their services more transparent and accessible to Indian nationals.

Pak militant Masood Azhar resurfaces
Islamabad, February 18
Maulana Masood Azhar, the Pakistani Islamic hardliner blamed for an attack on India's Parliament, has resurfaced after years in seclusion, setting off alarm bells in New Delhi.

Musharraf appears in court for treason trial, not indicted
Afzal Khan in Islamabad

Beleaguered former dictator Pervez Musharraf appeared for the first time today in a Pakistani special court conducting his treason trial but his indictment was put off till the judges decide his petition challenging their mandate.

Instead, the special court issued a short order stating that Musharraf would face indictment upon his second appearance in court and that this would be soon. The hearing was postponed till Wednesday.

Musharraf appeared in the special court, formed last year to try him on charges of high treason for imposing emergency in 2007, after skipping all previous hearings.

The court has held 22 hearings so far and Musharraf was in the courtroom for hardly 15 minutes today.

The three-judge court will announce on Friday it decision on petitions filed by Musharraf seeking his trial by a military court under the Army Act. If it decides that it has the mandate to hear the treason case, the special court will summon Musharraf again.

Musharraf was driven to the court, set up in Islamabad's heavily guarded "Red Zone", from a hospital in Rawalpindi in a long motorcade. Authorities put in place tight security, with over 1,200 security personnel deployed along his route.

His 17-vehicle cavalcade included a bulletproof car, pilot vehicles and an ambulance. Over 400 personnel were deployed in and around the court alone.

Since January 2, Musharraf has been admitted to the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology. He was taken to the hospital after developing heart problems while being driven to court.

"We have proved our respect for the courts today. We have been maintaining that Musharraf is neither shy nor afraid to appear before the court. We had said he will appear as and when required," Ahmed Raza Kasuri, a key member of Musharraf's legal team, told reporters outside the special court.

He said Musharraf came to the court "even though he was not well".

"We have argued that further proceedings should take place only after the court decides whether it is competent or an army court (to hear the treason case). You have to decide on the petitions filed against this court," Kasuri said.

"The court said it would proceed only once it decides. It will give it decision on Friday and if it decides it is competent, then it will summon Musharraf for another day," he said minutes after Musharraf left the court to head back to the military hospital.

The trial is being conducted at the National Library, which is within the Red Zone that houses important buildings like the Prime Minister's House, Parliament and Supreme Court and the Diplomatic Enclave.

(With inputs from PTI)

Treason charge

• Musharraf faces treason charges under Article 6 for suspending, subverting and abrogating the Constitution, imposing an emergency in the country in November 2007 and detaining judges of the superior courts
• This is the first time in Pakistan's 66-year history that a former military ruler is facing trial for treason. If convicted, 70-year-old Musharraf could face life imprisonment or the death penalty.

Pak-linked terrorists top UK sanctions list

London, February 18
India's most wanted man Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar and Pakistan-linked terrorists and terror groups figure prominently in an updated list of financial sanctions imposed by the British government.

Dawood Ibrahim features under his various aliases and with his last known address given as White House, near the Saudi Mosque in the Pakistani port city of Karachi.

The alleged mastermind of the 1993 serial bombings in Mumbai has been on a consolidated list of asset freeze targets designated by the United Nations, European Union and United Kingdom since November 2003.

"International arrest warrant issued by the Government of India. Also referred to as Hizrat," reads the latest document released by the Treasury Department.

Jaish-e-Mohammed or the Army of Mohammed, blamed for the 2001 attack on India's parliament, featured on the freeze list as a key outfit "based in Peshawar and Muzaffarabad, Pakistan".

It is linked with other banned groups like Harkat- ul-Mujahidin, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Al-Akhtar Trust International and Harkat-ul Jihad Islami.

Among the individuals on the banned list for years are Haji Muhammad Ashraf, described as chief of finance of the outlawed LeT, and India-born Mohammed Bahaziq, referred to as a Saudi Arabia-based leader of LeT, which carried out the 2008 attacks in Mumbai that killed 166 people.

"HM Treasury is responsible for the implementation and administration of international financial sanctions in effect in the UK, for domestic designations under the Terrorist Asset-Freezing Act 2010," the statement said.

Under the Terrorist Asset-Freezing Act 2010, the Treasury is required to publish a quarterly report to parliament on its operation of the UK's asset-freezing regime. — PTI

US ‘seeks’ prisoner swap deal with Taliban

Washington: The US has decided to resume talks with the Afghan Taliban but it would be confined to a deal over swapping five prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay for an American soldier believed to be held captive in Pakistan, a media report said on Tuesday. In an effort to free American captive Bowe Bergdahl before the bulk of US forces leave Afghanistan this year, the Obama administration has decided to try to resume talks with the Taliban and sweeten an offer to trade Taliban prisoners, The Washington Post reported citing officials.

Bloodbath: 49 die in Iraq blasts

Hilla, February 18
Bombs exploded in predominantly Shi'ite Muslim districts of the Iraqi capital and in the southern city of Hilla on Tuesday, killing at least 49 persons, police and hospital sources said.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for any of the attacks, but Shi'ites are often targeted by Sunni Islamist insurgents who have been regaining ground in Iraq over the past year and overran several towns in recent weeks.

The deadliest attacks on Tuesday occurred in and around the mainly Shi'ite city of Hilla, 100 km south of Baghdad, where 35 persons were killed in seven car bomb explosions inside the city itself and the nearby towns of Haswa, Mahaweel and Mussayab.

"I was sitting in my shop when suddenly a powerful blast smashed the front window," said Ali Mousa, whose mini-market was near the site of one bomb in central Hilla. "I went out to see what happened and saw bodies on the ground and wounded people bleeding and shouting for help".

At least 90 persons were wounded in the blasts, which Hilla police chief, Major General Abbas Abid blamed on groups linked to Al-Qaida. "Al-Qaida terrorist groups stand behind today's attacks in Hilla to confuse the security forces and cause high casualties among civilians," he said. "They are criminals and they never get enough of innocent blood". — Reuters

4 killed, 64 hurt in Thai unrest

Bangkok, February 18
Four persons, including a policeman, were shot dead and 64 others injured today as Thai police raided an opposition rally site to reclaim areas taken over by protesters seeking to overthrow Premier Yingluck Shinawatra.

Violence erupted as riot police tried to take back the protest site at Phan Fah Bridge hours after arresting 100 protesters in front of state-owned oil and gas company PTT Plc for violating a state of emergency declared in January.

Gunfire and explosions broke out after police began the operation called the "Peace for Bangkok Mission". The Erawan Emergency Medical Centre reported that three civilians and a policeman were killed and 64 others injured in the clashes at the Phan Fah bridge.

Department of Special Investigation chief Tarit Pendith said a policeman was shot in the head and 17 other policemen were injured during an operation to retake traffic space from protest sites on Rajdamnoen Road.

The officers were injured by M79 grenades and bullets even though they were using peaceful measures to retake the site, he said. A foreign journalist was also among the injured.

The Centre for Maintaining Peace and Order (CMPO) said it plans to retake Government House and Prime Minister's office, as the first target of its operation to reclaim five areas occupied by the People's Democratic Reform Committee protest movement.

Labour Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung, the CMPO director, said Yingluck had instructed him not to resort to violence.

The protesters backed by the main opposition Democrat Party have been rallying in Bangkok since November to try to oust Yingluck, whom they view as a proxy for her elder brother Thaksin Shinawatra, a former premier who was toppled in a military coup in 2006.

Meanwhile, Thailand's anti-graft panel today said that it was pressing charges against Yingluck for neglect of duty in connection with a controversial rice subsidy scheme.

The rice pledging scheme has cost the country dearly and upset farmers who have not been paid for rice they have sold to the government.

The National Anti-Corruption Commission said that Yingluck had ignored warnings that the flagship policy was fostering corruption and causing financial losses. — PTI

Indian missions in UAE to hold open houses

Dubai, February 18
Indian missions in the UAE will now hold open houses on every working day to make their services more transparent and accessible to Indian nationals.

The Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi and The Consulate General of India in Dubai have announced that they will hold 'Open House' at their premises, during which any member of the Indian community can interact with concerned officials without any prior appointment, a statement released here said.

The initiative is part of a slew of measures taken by the Embassy for the benefit of Indian nationals.

Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) has been set up to assist Indians in distress on a case-to-case basis, depending on the need and the financial condition of the individual.

Embassy has also established Indian Workers Resource Centre which runs a 24x7 toll-free multilingual information helpline. — PTI

Pak militant Masood Azhar resurfaces

Islamabad, February 18
Maulana Masood Azhar, the Pakistani Islamic hardliner blamed for an attack on India's Parliament, has resurfaced after years in seclusion, setting off alarm bells in New Delhi.

Twice since the end of December, authorities have issued an airport security alert, warning of an attempt by members of a Pakistan-based militant group called Jaish-e-Mohammad, or Army of Muhammad, to hijack a plane, with smaller airfields most at risk.

Officials have said the alerts followed reports of increased activity by Masood Azhar, the leader of the outlawed militant group. — Reuters