Muttahida condemns all types of terrorism: Altaf
KARACHI: The Muttahida
chief Altaf Hussain has said that his party condemns all
sorts of terrorism and killings of innocent people
whether it is in the USA or any other part of the world.
He was addressing a
meeting of Central Coordination Committee at Nine Zero,
over the telephone from London on Wednesday. The members
of the coordination committee present in London,
including convenor Dr Imran Farooq, also attended the
meeting. Whereas three deputy convenors, Aftab Ahmed
Sheikh, Nasreen Jalil and Sheikh Liaquat Hussain were
present at Nine Zero.
Altaf said that
Muttahida condemned the terrorist attacks of September 11
and offered unconditional support and cooperation to the
international community and the USA in the fight against
terrorism. He said if the international community and the
USA wishes to apprehend certain terrorists and their
patrons, they could do it, however, they should be very
careful in their military operations so that innocent
people and civilians should not be harmed. Altaf
reiterated that his party was strongly against the
killings of innocent people whether committed by the
terrorists or by any government or country.
SBTE chairman shot dead, PN man killed
KARACHI: Syed Hassan
Zaidi, chairman of Sindh Board of Technical Education
(SBTE), Karachi, was shot dead at the doorstep of his
residence on Wednesday.
Two out of four
unidentified gunmen on two motorcycles pumped four
bullets into 65-year-old Zaidi outside his house, A-963,
Block H, North Nazimabad, on his return from office in
Gulshan-e-Iqbal.
His driver, Saleemuddin,
became suspicious when four gunmen neared his car and
jumped out of it to rush towards the residence, leaving
behind the aged chairman, who was sitting on the rear
seat of the vehicle.
As soon as Zaidi stepped
out of the car, the gunmen fired four shots and he died
on the spot. "The assailants fled from the scene as
terrified neighbours looked on helplessly," a
witness told a senior police officer. His body was later
shifted to the morgue of the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital,
where the medico-legal officers conducted the
post-mortem. On Tuesday, Gul Imam Shah, principal of
Government Mono-Technical College, Orangi Township, was
gunned down, by unidentified people outside the
institute.
KILLED: Zafar, 36, an
employee of Pakistan Navy, was shot dead by two men who
barged into his residence B/75 at Labour Square in SITE
police limits and opened fire on him. They fled leaving
him injured. His relatives took him to Abbasi Shaheed
Hospital, however, he died the way. According to police
the murder was the result of an old enmity.
Haji Syed Mumtaz Ali,
owner of RT Jewellery Shop, received bullet wounds when
unidentified people riding a motorcycle opened fire on
him in North Nazimabad police limits, while he was going
home in his vehicle.
CRACKER BLASTS: A
cracker was thrown on the main gate of Christ Church in
Risala police limits, however, it did not result in any
loss.
Eyewitnesses said two
people riding a motorcycle threw some explosive device at
the main gate of Christ Church at Nishtar Road which went
off with a bang. Police and Bomb Disposal Squad rushed to
the site on information. The Bomb Disposal Squad chief
said it was a cracker.
Four held for killing key figures
KARACHI, Oct 10: The Anti-Terrorist Wing of the police has arrested four members of a gang involved in the killing of important religious leaders and seized a Kalashnikov, and three pistols with 46 rounds and a motorcycle from them.
According to the police, the suspects confessed before the court that they were involved in the murder of important religious leaders, including Maulana Syed Ali Hasnain Naqvi, Pesh Imam of an Imambargah in North Nazimabad; Capt Altaf Hussain, divisional engineer of Pak Capital Telephone Exchange; Syed Zafar Hussain Zaidi, director of Laboratories, Ministry of Defence; Dr Raza Mehdi and Dr Ishrat Hussain.
The arrested men were identified as Mufti Muhammed Shahid Hanif, Muhammed Talha Hussain alias Noman, Khalil Ahmed alias Hasan Jan and Hyder Ali.-APP
APMSO, IJT activists clash at KU
KARACHI: Two political
groups of students, All Pakistan Mohajir Students'
Organisation (APMSO) and Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba (IJT),
clashed at the University of Karachi on Wednesday,
sources said.
According to sources,
the IJT was conducting a Mushai'ra near the Arts Lobby in
connection with the ongoing students' week. At the same
time the APMSO organised a students mela and a ghazal
programme at the Arts Lobby.
They said loud music was
being played during the mela and students were dancing in
a mixed gathering. The music annoyed the IJT activists
and they tried to stop the ghazal programme. As a result
the activists of the two groups clashed using sticks and
stones.
The IJT activists
reportedly damaged some of the musical instruments and in
retaliation activists of the APMSO injured at least three
IJT workers. However, the Rangers, administrative
officers and teachers intervened and brought the charged
environment under control.
While talking to The
News, the campus security advisor, Dr Kamran Chishti said
that situation was completely under control. He said that
Rangers had not detained any of the activists and so far
no party had approached the police to report the matter.
He said the programmes
of the students' week for rest of the three days would
continue according to the schedule. Meanwhile, the IJT
has announced to boycott the last three days of the
students' week in protest against holding of a musical
programme and also against the torture of some activists.
Major fire at Customs House
KARACHI, Oct 10: A major fire at the Customs House caused extensive to the office record on Wednesday. A fire brigade spokesman said the fire which started from the 9th floor of the 11-story building gutted the 10th and the 11th floor, destroying the rebate claim record.
Several people who got stranded on the 11th floor were rescued by the fire fighters by using snorkel. Six fire tenders took part in the operation. The cause of fire could not be immediately ascertained by the fire department.
Similarly, the extent of the damage to the property also remained unclear, spokesman added. A Customs department spokesman said fire started from the stair-case of the building, which subsequently spread to the upper floors. However, the computer department of the Custom House remained safe from the fire, spokesman added.
Army gets new CGS
ISLAMABAD: Two
newly-promoted Lieutenant Generals -- Shahid Aziz and
Syed Arif Hassan -- were appointed on all important
positions of Chief of General Staff (CGS) and Corps
Commander Rawalpindi respectively on Wednesday.
The appointments marked
the next phase of the reshuffle started by President
Musharraf by promoting Gen Aziz and Gen Yousaf. Lt-Gen
Shahid Aziz was appointed CGS, as the slot became vacant
when Lt-Gen Mohammad Yousaf Khan was promoted as a 4-star
General and appointed Vice Chief of Army Staff.
Until recently, Lt-Gen
Shahid Aziz was GOC Murree looking after the Line of
Control and the entire area, as he was sent there after
he served in the General Headquarters as Director-General
Military Operations (DGMO). Aziz was also author of the
Army Monitoring System and is known as a quiet but
relentless worker.
Lt-Gen Syed Arif Hassan,
until recently Vice Chief of General Staff and incharge
of SAF Games, has replaced Lt-Gen Jamshed Gulzar as
Commander 10-Corps, who was brought in last year after
Lt-Gen Mahmood was sent to ISI as its chief.
Lt-Gen Hassan, a
soft-spoken soldier, was incharge of the security
arrangements put in place for a day-long visit of US
President Bill Clinton on March 25, 2000. His successor
has not yet been named.
Lt-Gen Jamshed Gulzar,
according to an official announcement, was appointed
Adjutant General (AG), the post that fell vacant last
Sunday when Lt-Gen Ali Jan Aurakzai was appointed
Commander 11-Corps. Maj-Gen Khalid Ahmed Kidwai, Director
General Strategic Planing and Development, was promoted
as 3-star General and continue to work on the present
appointment. Maj-Gen Faiz Gillani, who was working in the
ISI, was also promoted to the rank of 3-star general and
appointed Commander 30-Corps.
Similarly, another
newly-promoted 3-star General, Zarrar Azim, until
recently Director-General Pakistan Rangers (Punjab), was
appointed Commander 4-Corps, following Lt-Gen Aziz Khan's
promotion to the rank of General and his appointment as
Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.
Attack targets Muslim world, says Gul
LAHORE, Oct 10: The attack on Afghanistan is targeted against the entire Muslim world, particularly Pakistan and its nuclear installations, former ISI chief Lt-Gen Hameed Gul (retired) said here on Wednesday.
Addressing members of the Lahore High Court Bar Association, he said the Sept 11 raids in the United States were a Zionist conspiracy aimed at fabricating a pretext for a long-prepared, all-out operation to invade and occupy a strategic Muslim territory to serve as a base for subjugating the Muslim world. The US establishment, dominated by Zionists, did not even wait for a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Conference to discuss the problem and try to find a solution.
Jihad has, therefore, become obligatory on all Muslims, wherever they are, Mr Gul told a responsive gathering of lawyers. When some participants inquired about their practical contribution to Jihad, LHCBA Secretary Rana Mshshood Ahmad Khan said the matter would come up before the general body on Thursday when it would take up a resolution condemning the US action.
The Quaid-i-Azam, the general said, regarded Afghanistan as a fraternal state. Pakistan never faced a threat from its western neighbour. The Durand Line has never served as an effective international border as members of the same tribes and fraternity inhabit both the sides. He wondered how the president of Pakistan could predict a short campaign when the attackers themselves were talking about a long drawn war.
In support of his conspiracy theory, the general said at least the second and third airliners that crashed into the WTC and the Pentagon could have been intercepted by US planes. The US establishment befooled the Americans and got a huge amount sanctioned for its war effort. Innocent civilians are being mercilessly killed in reprisal raids by a superpower which claims to be a champion of human rights. The open-ended operation is also aimed at checking China's economic growth, he added.
US sets 'copter strikes from Pakistan
WASHINGTON: The next
phase of attacks will have a focus on helicopter strikes,
the US troops stationed in Uzbekistan and transit bases
in Pakistan, the Pentagon officials said.
Confirming reports
published in The News, the officials said that the
helicopter squads were already in the region for a
possible attack. They indicated that they were preparing
to launch risky raids into Afghanistan, using low-flying
army helicopter gunship to find and attack forces allied
with Osama bin Laden's terrorist network and the Taliban.
Though the officials are
shy to name Pakistani bases, leaks in the press are
constantly mentioning this fact. Reports suggest
specially equipped Black Hawk helicopters are also being
deployed to strengthen the attack power of the US fleet.
The helicopters will be able to strike at pockets of
forces after the air and missile strikes have made more
progress at wearing the Taliban's air defences and other
major military targets down.
The focus will be on
using special commando forces as the Pentagon is not
considering a regular ground invasion at this stage. The
timing of helicopter attacks is not clear. But after the
death of four UN workers the need for bringing in attack
helicopter is being increasingly felt. However, there are
some concerns as the helicopters will entail some risk if
they swooped low.
The Black Hawk
helicopters, operated by army special forces units, are
equipped with better night vision and target equipment,
measures to protect them from ground fire and the ability
to refuel in the mid-air. They have been used in the past
in some of the military's most challenging operations,
especially since the Persian Gulf War. They would fit
into
Rumsfeld's pronouncement
of launching round-the-clock attacks. It is not clear if
the potential bases from which the forces will operate
will be in Balochistan, as the officials declined to
discuss these details. But the Pentagon has already
ordered the aircraft-carrier Kitty Hawk to move to the
region for a most likely base for special operations
troops.
There are reports of
these helicopters stopping for refuelling in Pakistan.
The Army helicopters can fly several hundred miles after
refuelling, still their missions would be dangerous and
targets in the north of Afghanistan practically
inaccessible.
There are nearly 1,000
US troops in Uzbekistan. President Islam Karimov of
Uzbekistan had ruled out allowing special operations
forces to strike from Uzbek territory -- at least in
public. But the American experts suggest the agreement
maybe elastic enough to allow them to mount operations to
search for bin Laden from Uzbekistan. The biggest worry
for these attacks is the leftover Stinger missiles.
US planes land at Jacobabad: Four airfields cleared for operation
JACOBABAD, Oct 10: American military aircraft and helicopters have started using heavily-guarded Jacobabad airport as the US-led coalition's strikes against Afghanistan entered fourth day on Wednesday.
Witnesses said at least ten US military aircraft and three helicopters were seen parked at the airport. They also saw dozens of American military personnel there. According to witnesses, two or three battalions of the Pakistan Army moved in from Pano Aqil cantonment, and were performing surveillance duty around the airport.
No one is allowed to get through the surroundings of the airport, while many army personnel have taken positions on rooftops in the vicinity of the airport. Security has also been beefed up in the city, as Jacobabad is an important airport of Sindh which has been allowed to be used by the US planes due to its geographical situation for carrying out strikes against Afghan cities located in the north.
The development has caused panic and concern among the residents of Jacobabad and the adjoining areas, where tribal customs reign supreme. Residents are having the feel of the unseen war due to the presence of US planes in their area and the accompanying enhanced security measures taken by the authorities.
Tension is writ on their faces as they feel that these planes are being used in airstrikes on Afghanistan, a country they have empathy with. Jacobabad is predominantly a tribal area and there is a large following of Jamiat Ulema Islam, which is strongly opposed to US policies vis-a-vis Afghanistan.
However, official circles, including senior army officers are tight-lipped and not prepared to say anything on this development. Meanwhile, it is learnt that the army has taken over control of Dera Ghazi Khan, Panjgur, Pasni, and Gwadar airports and regular commercial flights from these airfields have been suspended to facilitate clear flight path for the coalition aircraft.
The traffic between Chaman and Quetta train section has also been suspended by the Railways for security purposes. Foreign military cargo planes were seen arriving at a remote airport on Wednesday amid reports the United States was establishing a logistical presence in Pakistan as it escalates airstrikes against Afghanistan, reports AFP.
Witnesses told AFP they had seen what they believed to be US cargo planes and helicopters landing at two remote airports. "We saw two cargo aircraft and some black helicopters at the airport," said Waqar Qureshi, a resident of a village near Jacobabad airport. Civil Aviation Authority Deputy Director General Air Vice Marshall Arshad Rashid denied having any knowledge of the presence of the US planes at the airport.
"Jacobabad is among the few airports in Pakistan which offers 'joint airfields' to both military and commercial flights. If some planes landed at the airport, only air headquarters could confirm it," he said. Witnesses also said they had seen unidentified foreign military aircraft at the airport in Pasni, near the naval base of Gwadar.
Officials at Jacobabad said the Pakistan army had significantly boosted its presence in the city in recent days, with checkpoints set up on the roads leading to the airport. "The army has been deployed and many pickets have been set up for security," Naib Nazim Mir Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani said. So far the government officials have dismissed reports that any foreign troops are in the country.
"These reports are baseless," foreign ministry spokesman Aziz Khan told reporters at a press briefing in Islamabad on Wednesday. But military sources said Pakistan's offer of logistical support did not rule out the use of Pakistani airfields, for operations such as search and rescue within Afghanistan or for emergency landings.
"They should have started landing by now," one military source said, although he did not confirm that US planes were using Pakistani airports. Senior military spokesman Rashid Qureshi told AFP he was "not sure" whether US forces were using Jacobabad. "We cannot disclose the practicals of our logistic support to the United States. Do not expect us to reveal that," he said. "There is no truth in any report that any operation or offensive would be launched against Afghanistan from Pakistan," he said.
FO DENIAL: The government on Wednesday denied media reports that it has put two airports at the disposal of the United States and allied forces for use in their war against terrorism. Foreign Ministry spokesman Aziz Ahmed Khan dismissed the reports as "baseless", though one report quoted an unidentified official as saying that Jacobabad and Pasni airports would be used as recovery stations but not for launching attacks on Afghanistan.
Afghanistan operation not to be short: Bush
WASHINGTON, Oct 10: President George Bush has refused to publicly endorse Gen Pervez Musharraf's belief that the US-led bombing campaign in Afghanistan will be a short one. At his news conference on Monday, Gen Musharraf had said he was hoping
-"and I have got definite assurances - that this (Afghan) operation will be short".
Asked for a comment on this when he came out after talks with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder on Tuesday afternoon, President Bush replied, rather testily: "I don't know who told the Pakistan president that. Generally, you know, we don't talk about military plans."
President Bush added that one way to shorten the campaign in Afghanistan was for Osama bin Laden and his leadership "to be turned over so they can be brought to justice". A New York Times report on Wednesday interpreted this as revealing the first sign of tension in the US-Pakistan relationship since Islamabad pledged its support to the US.
Six Pakistanis on American list of 241 suspects
ISLAMABAD, Oct 10: The US authorities have issued a "watch-list" of 241 persons, including six Pakistanis suspected to be involved in the Sept 11 suicide attacks in the United States, and asked the government to arrest them, an official source said on Wednesday.
The "watch-list" contains the names of 241 persons belonging to different countries, including Germany, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yaman, Tunis, Kuwait, Morocco, Zambia, Jordan, Lebanon, France, Bangladesh, Algeria, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Syria, India and the UAE, the source said. One German national has been identified in the watch-list while it included the Indian, French and United Arab Emirates nationals also.
The US authorities have asked the Pakistan government to trace the six person identified and extradite them to America as they are suspected to be involved in the terror blitz, the source said. The names of six persons are: Mohammad Naveed, Mohammad Manzer, Ashaq, Hussain, Nasrullah and M. Zia. Instructions have been issued to the immigration authorities at the airports to take the six into custody, should they be spotted.
The immigration authorities have been ordered to stop and take into custody any of the six Pakistanis wanted by the US government, the source said and added that no more particulars of the six were given to the immigration authorities.