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Talks to end political logjam in Pakistan gain momentum
Taliban target spy agency in Afghanistan, 18 killed
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MH17 crash report to be out on Sept 9
Sikh man stabbed to death in Pakistan
Pak political crisis prompts Chinese Prez to delay visit
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Talks to end political logjam in Pakistan gain momentum
Islamabad, September 4 Talks between the two warring sides — the government and the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-I-Insaf (PTI) and cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri's Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) — were held late last night. Separate meetings took place overnight with the first one being held between the government committee and the PTI and the second between the PAT, the government and opposition parties' 'Jirga', a committee of opposition politicians led by Jamaat-i-Islami chief Sirajul Haq. Though the talks were inconclusive yet leaders from both sides said there were some positive outcomes from the talks. Rehman Malik, Pakistan Peoples Party leader and a member of the opposition 'Jirga', tweeted after the talks, "I had very long day. Deadlock between govt and IK/TUQ (Khan/Qadri) is over. They are now having dialogue which will be helpful in resolving the crises." After the meeting between the PAT, the government and opposition parties, Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said, "During the meeting, we have agreed to continue talks and resolve matter through dialogue. We have also decided not to comment on any development until we reach a decision, as it might affect the dialogue process." PTI leaders Asad Umar and Arif Alvi said nothing concrete came out of talks, but expressed hope that a positive outcome would soon be achieved. Haq called on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif here today and briefed him about the dialogue process with the PTI and the PAT. Khan, addressing his supporters last night, said, "Let me tell you what you have achieved so far. People, who were not ready to talk, are now ready to not only listen to our demands but also to set up an independent judicial commission." The only unaccepted demand remains the Prime Minister's resignation, he said. "If we had not come on to the streets, then the next election would have been far more fraudulent," the PTI chief said.
— PTI 2013 elections were free, fair, says US
Washington: Amid political crisis in Pakistan over alleged vote rigging in the last year's polls, the US has said that there was no change in its position that the 2013 general elections that brought Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to power were free and fair. "Nothing has changed in our view," State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters when asked if the US still views the last year's elections to be free and fair despite allegations levelled by Imran Khan.
— PTI
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Taliban target spy agency in Afghanistan, 18 killed
Ghazni, Afghanistan, September 4 More than 150 persons were wounded in the attack, the biggest in recent weeks, as Afghanistan's leadership grapples with a political crisis and a security vacuum as most foreign troops prepare to leave the country. Ghazni provincial governor Musa Khan Akbarzada said a group of 19 insurgents was involved in the simultaneous attacks on the local office of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) and a quick reaction team housed in the police building. The men armed with light machine guns drew up in trucks at a back gate of the NDS, the crack US-trained agency leading the fight against the insurgency, and the police building early on Thursday and exploded their bombs. "The bombs were so powerful that many civilians were wounded because of falling roofs and shattering of windows in
their homes," Akbarzada said. — Reuters
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Jihadists kidnap 50 in northern Iraq village
Kirkuk (Iraq), September 4 The militants of the Islamic State (IS) group had withdrawn from Tal Ali in the Kirkuk province yesterday, but returned in force today and abducted some 50 people, the sources said. It is not the first time that the IS has carried out mass kidnappings in Iraq, with the group abducting thousands of civilians as it overran minority-populated northern villages last month, according to human rights group Amnesty International. Amnesty has accused the IS of "systematic ethnic cleansing," including mass killings, of ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq. IS-led militants launched a lightning offensive in the north in June, sweeping through much of the Sunni Arab heartland north and west of Baghdad before turning on Christian and Yazidi areas.
— AFP IS banned in Israel
Jerusalem: Israel has banned terror group Islamic State by declaring it an “unauthorised organisation”, a day after the Jihadi outfit beheaded a second US journalist who also held Israeli citizenship.
— PTI
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Withdraw troops from Ukraine: NATO to Russia Newport, Wales, September 4 While Western leaders discussed tougher sanctions against Russia over continued fighting in eastern Ukraine, the Kremlin dangled the prospect of an imminent ceasefire in the five-month armed revolt by pro-Russian separatists. "We call on Russia to end its illegal and self-declared annexation of Crimea," Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen declared as the 28 NATO leaders met Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko at a resort near the Welsh city of Newport. "We call on Russia to pull back its troops from Ukraine and stop the flow of arms, fighters and funds to the separatists," Rasmussen said. "We call on Russia to step back from confrontation and take the path of peace." His statement set the tone for a two-day meeting marked by the most serious east-west standoff since the fall of the Berlin Wall 25 years ago and the collapse of the Soviet bloc, as well as alarm at territorial gains by Islamist insurgents in Iraq and Syria. Kiev, rebels back peace plan Poroshenko, whose forces have suffered a string of setbacks in the last week, told reporters he would order a ceasefire on Friday if an agreement on a peace plan to end the war in eastern Ukraine is signed at talks in Minsk. "The only thing we need now for peace and stability is just two main things: first, that Russia to withdraw their troops, and second, to close the border," he said. Alexander Zakharchenko, head of the main rebel Donetsk People's Republic, said in a statement his men would also order a ceasefire, from one hour later, provided that Kiev's representatives signed up to a peace plan at the Minsk meeting. The White House said Obama and the leaders of Germany, France, Britain and Italy agreed on the sidelines of the summit that Russia should face “increased costs” for its actions. French President Francois Hollande said tougher European Union sanctions, due to be adopted on Friday, would depend on events in the coming hours. The NATO leaders also discussed how to tackle Islamic State militants who have captured swathes of Iraq and Syria, in a new threat on the alliance's southeastern flank, and how to stabilise Afghanistan when NATO forces leave at the end of the year. Poroshenko's forces were battling to cling to the key port of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov, which is vital to Ukrainian steel exports. Explosions were heard close to the city, halfway between Crimea and Russia. The Ukrainian leader sought arms, training for his armed forces from his Western partners as well as political support against Russian President Vladimir Putin. Poroshenko's talk of reviving Ukraine's bid to join the US-led military alliance has reopened a rift within NATO. Obama said in Estonia on Wednesday that the door to membership would remain open to states that meet NATO standards and "can make meaningful contributions to allied security", but France and Germany remain opposed to admitting Kiev, fearing it would exacerbate tension with Moscow and could suck them into a war. — Reuters
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MH17 crash report to be out on Sept 9
Kuala Lumpur, September 4 The Dutch Safety Board (OVV) will issue the preliminary report on the investigation into the downing of MH17 on September 9. The preliminary report will be released on the OVV's website. “It was important to provide a guide for a more detailed investigation to find out the cause of the tragedy, which claimed the lives of all 298 passengers and crew on board the ill-fated plane," said Malaysia Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai. "There will only be one report that is from the investigation committee which we (Malaysia) are part of, no other reports will be issued, not from Malaysia or any other country that is involved," Liow was quoted as saying by the official Bernama News Agency. — PTI
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Sikh man stabbed to death in Pakistan
Peshawar, September 4 His son Gagan Singh told the police that he was at the family-owned cosmetics shop until 2 pm, when his father came and sent him home. When Gagan returned at 5 pm, he found the shop's shutters pulled halfway down and his father was missing. Gagan then went to the shop's adjacent warehouse, where he found his father's body. Gagan said his family did not have any known enemies and had been residents of Dagai, Mardan, for many years. The police have lodged an FIR and started investigation into the murder. Last month, two men opened fire on three members of the Sikh community in Shabab Markat of Peshawar.
— PTI
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Pak political crisis prompts Chinese Prez to delay visit
Chinese President Xi Jinping's trip to Pakistan has been postponed due to current political turmoil. The visit due in the third week of this month as part of the Chinese President's South Asia trip that also covered India and Sri Lanka was called off after a Chinese advance security team did not give clearance, most Pakistani private channels reported citing sources. There was no immediate official confirmation or denial, though the Foreign Office spokesman told reporters in the morning that speculations of cancellation of visit were not correct. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif reacted sharply, placing the blame on protesters led by Imran Khan and Tahir-ul-Qadri who have paralysed life in Islamabad. "They have succeeded in their nefarious agenda," the CM said. Xi's security delegation was in Islamabad on Wednesday to review the security situation in light of the protests and was not satisfied with the arrangement. Instead, it was suggested that he should visit Lahore instead of Islamabad; however, his security team did not give clearance for that either. Xi's visit was seen as crucial for Pakistan, during which a number of economic and defence deals worth billions of dollars in Chinese investment were expected to be signed between the two countries. Last month, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa also cancelled his visit to Pakistan in the wake of the country's political situation.
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