DAWN/The News International, KARACHI 20 November 2008, Thursday, 19 Ziqaad 1429
www.karachipage.com (click on underlined key-words/dates to get more details)
‘No evidence of Talibanisation in Karachi’
ST-MQM talks stalled
Stalls torched as vendors misbehave with ladies
Muggings turn brazen, show no sign of abating
115 kiln workers freed (more)
Hari leader’s daughter slams father’s arrest (more)
Blasts rock Quetta, Khuzdar (more)
Indian High Commissioner meets Nawaz (more)
Ex-SSG chief gunned down in Islamabad (more)
Over 8,000 teachers don’t turn up in Mansehra schools (more)
US drone attack kills four in Bannu (more)
12 more militants killed in Bajaur (more)
5 militants among 9 killed in Swat (more)
Rocket fired in Kohat (more)
2 more tribal elders escape Taliban custody (more)
PAF to acquire 36 combat aircraft from China: PAF chief (more)
‘No evidence of Talibanisation in Karachi’

KARACHI, Nov 19: Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfikar Mirza has said that so far no proof of Talibanisation has been found in the documents provided by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement leadership in a recently held meeting in London.

Addressing a press conference accompanied by Sindh Education Minister Pir Mazharul Haq and Law Minister Ayaz Soomro in the Sindh Assembly building on Wednesday, he said the recent meeting with MQM chief Altaf Hussain in London was held on the desire of the latter who wanted to share his fears of Talibanisation in Sindh, particularly Karachi.

The home minister said that the meeting with Mr Hussain was held in a cordial atmosphere.

A file containing news clippings and a few papers prepared by the MQM as proof of the presence of the Taliban were provided to them, he said.

“We are studying this document. I have also sent it to the agencies concerned for investigation but so far there is nothing to worry about.”

People should not be afraid or confused about the Taliban issue as still we could not find any evidence of their presence in this city, the minister said.

“However, we have continued studying this file to ascertain if it can lead us to find the Taliban in Sindh,” he said, adding that any solid proof of their presence in Karachi would be welcomed.

He made it clear that religious seminaries would be taken on board for confirmation if any information indicated the presence of the Taliban in the city.

The minister stressed that people should understand the difference between Islamisation and Talibanisation. “We encourage Islamisation but we are against Talibanisation by nature and religion,” he said, adding that Islam is against terrorism and hatred as it teaches peace and love.

While referring to the closure of girls’ schools and blowing of movies theatres and hairdressers’ shops in the northern parts of the country, Pir Mazharul Haq said that there was no indication that such acts could be undertaken in Sindh.

About the meeting with Mr Hussain, the minister said that the top PPP leadership directed them to go to London on the MQM chief’s desire.

He said: “Such meetings help in building an effective working relationship.”

The ministers also rejected rumours about the change of the chief minister in Sindh, saying that the seasoned politician who was also the provincial president of the PPP enjoyed full confidence of the coalition partners besides that of the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional.

Regarding the merger of the criminal prosecution and law departments, Sindh Law Minister Ayaz Soomro said the criminal prosecution department remained part of the law department until recent years. It was during the Musharraf government that it was made a separate department, he added.

He said: “The chief minister, the senior minister and I sat together and decided to merge the criminal prosecution into the law department to cut on expenditures.”

ST-MQM talks stalled

The continued violence in the city delivered a blow to the proposed talks between the Sunni Tehreek (ST) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) even before they started.

Both parties were eager to start a dialogue to bring a stop to violence in the city, but the ST leaders have claimed that a conspiracy has been hatched to sabotage the much-awaited negotiations.

Altaf Hussain had issued directives to the MQM Rabita Committee to hold negotiations with the ST - the latter showed its willingness and a board of Ulema also held detailed meetings with the leaders of both MQM and ST in private. The outcome of the meetings was to be announced hours after MQM chief’s statement. However, ST workers were gunned down soon after, claimed party chief Sarwar Ejaz Qadri.

Qadri has already pointed out that it is not only the responsibility of the ST and MQM to ensure peace in the city, but also of intelligence agencies, other political parties and religious organisations.

The talks, which were to be held this week, have been delayed and a new date for the meeting will be announced after consultation between MQM and ST, informed Mufti Muneerb-Ur-Rehman, who played a mediatory role along with other Ulema of the city.

Rehman said that he held separate meetings with the MQM and ST at different places, which he termed positive, as both wanted peace to be maintained in the city and for those involved in creating a law and order situation to be dealt with with an iron hand.

Rehman has left for Islamabad and will be back in the last week of the month and may hold another round of talks with both parties - the recommendations of which would be disclosed after hammering out a complete understanding between the two, which would be acceptable to the government as well.

Both the parties, he said, had expressed concern over the wide use of weapons and wanted the government to play its role in minimizing tension in the city.

Stalls torched as vendors misbehave with ladies

An argument over the purchase of cloth between ladies and vendor assumed a violent turn when unidentified persons torched stalls in Wednesday Bazaar in Jauharabad police limits.

According to the eyewitnesses as per routine a Wednesday Bazaar was set up in Sangam Ground in the Jauharabad police limits. It was about noon when an argument took place between a vendor of cloth pieces at the Bazaar and some ladies.

The vendor reportedly misbehaved with the ladies and they went and complained to some youngsters of the area. Subsequently, some 15 to 20 youngsters armed with sticks arrived at the scene and started beating up the vendors. Later, they set the stalls on fire. Fire tenders reached the spot and after battling the fire for three or four hours succeeded in extinguishing it.

The police said that it was just a dispute and nothing else and no FIR of the incident was lodged at the police station, saying that they had just recorded the incident into their daily dairy.

In a separate case, two smoke shells created panic among the residents of Nazimabad who thought that it was some kind of bomb planted under vendors stall.

Inspector Munir of Bomb Disposal Squad, Sindh Police, said that the incident was reported in Nazimabad No 2, and the two shells recovered did not contain any explosive materials. They just contained phosphorous which is usually used for creating a scare, as it only emits smoke.

The shells are six to seven inches long, having detonator and safety pin just like a hand grenade, but do not contain any explosive except for phosphorus to emit smoke. A case was reported at the police station.

Muggings turn brazen, show no sign of abating

“Your mobile phone is ringing,” commented a passerby to Ashan Ali.

When Ali, 28, reached for his pocket to check if it was, the stranger grabbed his shirt and displayed a handgun, demanding the mobile phone and every other valuable on Ali’s person. Ali did not resist, and handed over everything he had.

“He pulled out the weapon from his waist,” recalled Ali. “I do not think he was alone.”

Such incidents have been common for a few years, but are now rising in number. This particular mugging took place in the early evening at a bus stop in Nazimabad, but no one in the vicinity suspected anything was out of order.

Many others have also reported, or complained of, being robbed of their valuables in public places. The manner in which Ali was mugged is part of a growing trend. Victims have asserted that usually, the mugger stages a friendly approach towards them before showing a weapon and demanding all valuables.

In most cases, passersby are not even aware that a crime is taking place. The perpetrator of the crime usually remains calm and like Ali, the victim is usually unable to call for help.

In the past month, the largest number of street crimes was reported from Korangi. In addition, a number of casualties also resulted when the victim attempted to resist being mugged. In connection with the crimes, several teenagers have been arrested for possessing illegal arms and looted items.

One particular victim gave reasons for the rise in such crimes.

“The unmarked supplies of illegal weapons and unannounced load-shedding, combined with street lights that do not work, have laid the grounds for street criminals, who rule dark suburbs.”

Regular commuters on both the Khan and Naiz Coach illustrated yet another method involved in the snatching of mobile phones.

“Often, a group of youngsters board the coaches from Old Numaish or Gurumandir, and proceed to rob many of the passengers before getting off at the next stop.”

In the face of such lawlessness, a large number of people living in the city have expressed concern about the effectiveness of law enforcement agencies, and denounced their failure to discover the reason for the involvement of such a large

number of youths in such incidents.

“Police target innocent citizens only, just to earn money,” alleged a citizen, a view many others are in agreement with. “Bandits roam around the city on motorcycles, and the police have no control over them. Local police have failed to get rid of street crimes and have no power to overcome the law and order situation.”

115 kiln workers freed

HYDERABAD, Nov 19: Two additional district judges ordered release of 115 kiln workers when they were produced by Tandojam police under court orders issued on separate applications filed by kiln workers.

Kiln workers Bachayo, Moula Arbab and Wahid Bux who had filed separate applications with the additional district judge-III, seeking release of 37, 14 and 52 kiln workers, said that the workers had been detained in different areas by Daraz Khan, Khairullah and Haji Shahzad, respectively.

The applicants were represented by Shahzado Saleem advocate. Tandojam police produced the kiln workers in court which allowed them to go wherever they wanted to. The applicants said that they had fled the kilns and filed pleas for release of their relatives and family members.

Under a separate application filed by Gul Odh against Zaeeb Khan seeking release of 12 kiln workers, police produced another clutch of workers in court which again ordered their release.

The police official who produced them in court said that the kiln workers were filing false applications to avoid clearing loan obtained from kiln owners.

He said they contacted each other when the court ordered to recover them and then they gathered at a certain place before police arrived there.

 Hari leader’s daughter slams father’s arrest

KHAIRPUR, Nov 19: The activists of Sindh Hari Committee and Communist Party observed token hunger strike outside the press club here on Wednesday. They were led by Sanam Lashari, the daughter of arrested leader of Sindh Hari Committee and Communist Party, Comrade Ameer Bux Lashari.

Ms Sanam told journalists that her father was struggling for the rights of peasants for the last thirty years but, she regretted, that police raided his house and arrested him by falsely claiming to have recovered a Kalashnikov.

She appealed the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) to help her in this matter and demanded a judicial inquiry into the matter.

 Blasts rock Quetta, Khuzdar

QUETTA, Nov 19: Militants fired at least five rockets at the Police Training College here before attacking its front gate with automatic weapons on Wednesday while a man was injured in a blast near the city’s main railway station.

A bridge on the Quetta-Karachi highway was damaged by a powerful blast near Khuzdar and a security official’s house was attacked with a hand-grenade in Hub.

A man identifying himself as Beebargh Baloch said the defunct Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) was behind the Quetta blast and the attack in Hub.

Sources said that one rocket had hit the police college’s playground while others landed in an open area, causing no damage.

They said that rockets were fired by men on mountains near the college, which is located in the suburban Sariab area. Police guards fired back on the militants.

 Indian High Commissioner meets Nawaz

LAHORE: Indian High Commissioner Satia Barata Paal on Wednesday called on Pakistan Muslim League (N) Chief Muhammad Nawaz Sharif at his residence at Raiwind on Wednesday. On this occasion, the Indian high commissioner conveyed to Nawaz Sharif the goodwill message of Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. He expressed the pleasure over formation of a democratic government in Pakistan, which, he hoped, would strengthen the democratic institutions in the country. He stressed the need for enhancing vital developmental projects and taking other initiatives to further cement bilateral relations. Sharif emphasized on the solution of Kashmir issue in order to bridge the gulf between both neighbouring countries.

Ex-SSG chief gunned down in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Major General (retd) Ameer Faisal Alvi, former head of Special Services Group (SSG), was gunned down in PWD Colony in Sector O-9 of the federal capital along with his driver as he left his house for office on Wednesday morning. Some sources termed the assassination revenge for the operation in the tribal areas where the officer commanded his SSG unit till 2006. Colonel Raza, a family friend of General Alvi, told The News that the former general had been receiving threatening calls from the Taliban for the last three months and the terrorists had even inscribed a death message on the outer wall of his house a few days back.

The sensitive intelligence agency denied the point of view that it could be revenge killing for the Lal Masjid operation saying the general retired in 2006, before the Lal Masjid operation. However, they said that the motive behind the killing of former SSG chief was not immediately clear. “General Alvi commanded the Special Services Group in its covert operations against militants in the tribal regions,” the sources admitted.

“General Alvi commanded the operation in the tribal areas against Taliban for the release of Chinese engineers in 2006 before his retirement,” the sources added. “The militants linked to Taliban and al-Qaeda have targeted top army leaders and security officials, but it was unclear whether they were involved in today’s incident,” a senior police officer said.

At about 9.30am, two bike-riding youths, escorting a black Pajero jeep carrying three gunmen, intercepted the general’s car as it slowed down at a speed-breaker in front of Tradex Mega Mall (a departmental store) and opened indiscriminate firing from both sides, eyewitnesses said. They said they saw three young men — a bike rider and two others in the jeep — pumping bullets into the body of General Alvi and his driver without fear. They completed their task within 30 seconds and fled the scene towards the Islamabad Highway after making sure the victims were dead, they added. The witnesses said that the former SSG chief was seen fallen on the rear seat of the car while the driver was lying face down on the steering wheel.

The terrorists escaped taking advantage of the poor security at the PWD Housing Society as the incident occurred just half a kilometre from the main gate of the society where private security guards were deployed.

Top military and police officers rushed to the scene with heavy contingents of army and police cordoning off the area. Major General (R) Ameer Faisal Alvi (49 PMA Long Course) joined the Malaysian telecom company ‘Red Tone Communications’ as chief executive of LDI (long distance interactivity) after his retirement from the Pakistan Army. The head office of the multinational company is situated in G-11/3.

The preliminary post mortem report disclosed that the former SSG chief received 8 bullets in different parts of his upper body, the PIMS sources said adding three bullets pierced through his scull rupturing his brain, two in his neck and three in chest while Tanvir (driver) received seven bullets - one in his temple and 6 in the chest.

The investigating agencies recovered 13 bullets from the car, the intelligence agency sources told this correspondent adding 9 MM pistols were used in the attack. “More than three pistols were used in the attack,” the sources said.

Colonel Raza, a close friend of General Alvi, while talking to this correspondent said that Ameer Faisal Alvi joined the Pakistan Army on the special permission of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, as Alvi had Kenyan nationality because his father was settled in Kenya. ZA Bhutto awarded him Pakistani nationality on his request, Raza said. “It was a planned target killing,” he said.

Maj Gen Alvi has left behind two daughters and a wife to mourn his death. Both his daughters are settled in America while he was living in Phase-II of Behria Town with his wife, Raza said. The body of General Alvi has been kept in the mortuary of CMH after post-mortem while Tanvir’s cadaver was shifted to his ancestral village Sahar Bagla in Murree for burial. Alvi’s daughters will reach Pakistan Thursday morning.

Namaz-e-Janaza of General Alvi will be offered in the Army Race Course Ground in Rawalpindi at 3.00pm tomorrow (Friday).

Agencies add: President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday condemned the killing of Maj Gen (R) Amir Faisal Alvi, former chief of Special Services Group in a firing incident.

In a message, President Zardari deplored the tragic incident and expressed deep sorrow over the demise of the retired SSG general. He prayed to Allah Almighty to rest the departed soul in peace and grant courage to the bereaved family to bear the loss with equanimity.

 Over 8,000 teachers don’t turn up in Mansehra schools

MANSEHRA, Nov 19: Minister for Food Shujah Salim Khan has termed absenteeism a main reason behind what he called the mess in the education department in the district, saying more than half of teachers have been receiving salaries without performing their duties.

“The government spends over Rs1 billion annually on salaries and other expenses of the district, but absenteeism has marred performance of government schools and that’s why most of students fail board examinations,” he said at the golden jubilee ceremony of the Degree Collage here on Wednesday.

The minister said 8,000 of 14,000 male and female teachers had remained absent from their duties for many years, but had been receiving salaries every month, adding: “Such culture will not be tolerated in future and teachers who are found absent from duty will be dealt with strictly under the laws because we want progress in fields like education and health.”

 US drone attack kills four in Bannu

BANNU/PESHAWAR: Four people were killed and five others sustained injuries when the US drones targeted a house in Janikhel area of Bannu district in the wee hours of Wednesday. The attack marked the first-ever US missile strike in the settled areas of the country.

Of those killed in the attack on the house of a local, Paran, in Zindi Alikhel area of Janikhel Union Council, is stated to be Abdullah Azam al-Saudi, a senior member of the al-Qaeda network. The report, however, could not be confirmed from official sources.

If the reports of the death of Abdullah Azam al-Saudi in the missile attack prove to be correct, he would be the second high-profile al-Qaeda operative killed in the US missile strikes inside the Pakistani territory.

Bannu District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Alam Shinwari told The News from his office in the southern district that the missile hit the house of a local in Janikhel around 3:45 am, killing four persons and injuring five others.

The owner of the house, he added, was among those wounded in the attack. Janikhel had become a de facto tribal area for the past several months after militants spilled over there from the North and South Waziristan agencies as well as from the Bannu Frontier Region. The area had almost become a ‘no-go area’ for the police.

According to some reports, three among those killed in the attack were foreigners, including two Uzbeks and a Saudi national. Some of those wounded were also said to be foreigners but their names could not be ascertained.

Reacting strongly to the US attack in Bannu, the MPA hailing from Janikhel, Adnan Wazir, announced to submit an adjournment motion in the legislature against the air strike. “No one among those killed in the attack was a foreigner nor were they terrorists. Innocent locals were killed in the attack, which is a violation of the borders of the country,” Adnan Wazir said.

 12 more militants killed in Bajaur

KHAR: Twelve more militants were killed and several others injured when security forces targeted their suspected hideouts in different areas of the troubled Bajaur Agency on Wednesday.

Sources told The News that the security forces, with artillery and gunship helicopters, pounded the suspected hideouts of militants in Damadola, Saparay and Shinkot areas of Mamond Tehsil and Charmang, Zorbandar and Sagi areas of Nawagai subdivision Khar headquarters and Torghundai camp .

As a result, 12 militants were killed and several others injured, while a number of militants’ hideouts and positions were completely destroyed. On the other hand, two more elders of Mamond tribal Lashkar escaped from the militants’ captivity and reached Khar on Wednesday.

It may be mentioned here that militants had kidnapped seven elders of the Mamond tribal Lashkar from Inayat Kellay of the Khar Tehsil after a fierce gunbattle. Three of them had escaped, including acting head of Mamond Lashkar Malik Bakht Munir, and reached Khar on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Mamond and Salarzai tribes announced full support to the ongoing military operation to flush out the militants from the area and establish the writ of the government in the agency. They demanded of the government to continue the military operation till its logical end and complete elimination of the militants and miscreants from the area.

It was reported that the government’s writ had been established in most of the areas and personnel of the Bajaur Levies had started patrolling in the restive agency. Political Tehsildars Israr Khan and Adalat Khan have established security checkpoints in a number of sensitive and strategic places and deployed large contingents of Bajaur Levies there. The political administration also launched a crackdown on the Afghan refugees and arrested seven persons from various parts of Khar. They were shifted to the Khar Jail.

 5 militants among 9 killed in Swat

MINGORA: Nine persons, including five militants, were killed and dozens of others sustained injuries in the ongoing military operation in restive Swat Valley on Wednesday. Sources said gunship helicopters shelled hideouts of the militants, killing five of them and injuring several others.

Separately, two women were killed and five other persons injured when mortar shells fired by the security forces landed at a house of one Manzaray in Kass area of Khwazakhela tehsil. It was also reported that two persons were killed and as many injured when a mortar shell hit a house in Kabal tehsil. The dead were identified as Inam and his son Khaista, while one of the injured was identified as Amirzeb, while the identity of another injured could not be ascertained. In another incident, militants blew up a government primary school in Bara Bandai area of Kabal Tehsil.

 Rocket fired in Kohat

KOHAT: A rocket fired by the militants landed in the ground of KGO Army Fitness Club on Wednesday. Sources said 107 multi-barrel rocket fired by the militants from Germa side landed in the club ground. However, it caused no casualty. The bomb disposal squad rushed to the spot.

 2 more tribal elders escape Taliban custody

KHAR, Nov 19: Two more kidnapped tribal elders managed to escape from Taliban’s custody in Damadola while six militants were killed by security forces in different areas of restive Bajaur tribal region on Wednesday.

Official sources said that two more tribal elders, who were kidnapped by Maulana Faqir Mohammad’s men and shifted to undisclosed location in Damadola on Monday, reached Khar safely. They are staying with the political authorities as guests along with their other colleagues including Malak Munir Khan, acting chief of Mamond lashkar.

They said that the injured tribal chief Malak Ismail Khan, along with another Mamond tribal elder and two servants, was still in Taliban’s custody.

The elders were picked up from the fortress-like home of Malak Ismail Khan in Inayat Kalley by a group of Taliban after a violent clash, which left seven persons killed on Monday.

Damadola was a stronghold of Taliban and a large number of Chechen, Uzbek, Sudanese, Tajik and Afghan militants were hiding there, the fleeing tribal elders said.

Sources said that relatives and well-wishers of tribal chief Ismail Khan had sent a delegation of tribal elders to hold talks with Taliban leadership in Damadola for his release but Taliban demanded three days to reach any decision.

The delegation, sources said, was told that a Taliban commander was killed by Ismail Khan’s men in the exchange of fire but the delegation rejected the accusation, saying that Taliban commander was killed in the clash before Mamond tribal elders took refuge in his house.

The delegation told Taliban leadership that Malak Ismail Khan had provided shelter to tribal elders on humanitarian grounds and tribal traditions.

Taliban, however, assured them that the tribal chief would be released after three days.

The relatives were of the view that to ensure safe recovery of the tribal chieftain, a jirga of elders of key tribes of Bajaur region would be sent to Maulana Faqir Muhammad in Damadola for talks after three days.

The killing of two key Mamond elders in Sunday clash with Taliban and kidnapping of their leaders has been hampering the lashkar activities against militants for the last four days.

However, the volunteers of Barozai tribal lashkar were carrying their activities in their area and manning different checkposts to keep check on militant movement, sources said, adding that militants had stopped their activities and had gone under ground. —Correspondent

 PAF to acquire 36 combat aircraft from China: PAF chief

ISLAMABAD: Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmad on Wednesday said 36 high-tech combat aircraft (CF-20) would be inducted into the PAF fleet by 2010.

“The 21st Century — fifth generation — aircraft are of Chinese origin and would provide an extra punch to the air force,” he said while answering questions after a briefing to the visiting participants of the National Media Workshop being organised by the National Defence University at the Air Headquarters.

He said that modalities were being discussed to acquire two squadrons of the aircraft for the PAF. He said the FC-20 aircraft had been selected after hectic and lengthy deliberations besides considering a long list of the similar category aircraft of various origins. The engine of the aircraft would be manufactured by Russia with the most modern reverse technology, he said.

The air chief said the first squadron of the indigenously developed fighter aircraft — JF-17 (Thunder) — would be inducted into the PAF fleet in the first quarter of 2009, enhancing agility of the air force and increasing its reach beyond 350 nautical miles.

He said after laborious efforts, the PAF had also acquired night-war capability, due to which the country’s defence had been made further impregnable. “This capability has brought the PAF among a few air forces around the globe, which have the ability to carry out war operations during night times.

“This capability had become imperative to be achieved, especially in the prevailing global and regional situations,” the PAF chief said. He said the roll-out of the first batch of the F-16 (C&D) aircraft for Pakistan would be held in the USA in January next, where he himself would be present to witness the auspicious occasion.

The US would supply an improved version of the F-16 aircraft to be inducted into the PAF by 2010. In the surveillance field, he said, a Swedish company would supply three SAAB surveillance aircraft to the PAF by September next year, while contract for acquiring four AWACS systems from China had already been signed.

He said despite economic constraints, all the important programmes of the PAF were being run uninterrupted with the aim to make it a real force to meet the challenges.Air Chief Marshal Tanvir said the UAV technology was achieved earlier and drones were being manufactured indigenously. Earlier, the participants were given a detailed briefing by the vice chief of the air staff. Senior officers of the PAF and the National Defence University were also present.

YESTERDAY'S NEWS
Woman among four gunned down
Extortionists prowl Lyari
Families hand over eight children to Edhi
No Talibanisation in Karachi: Bilour
PML-N minister accuses Punjab governor of ‘immoral activities’ (more)
Army disclosure adds new twist to JUI-F land scam (more)
US, Pakistan launch joint operation along Afghan border (more)
15 militants, soldier killed in Swat (more)
5 militants killed in Shabqadar (more)
Dera CD shop owners forced to pack up (more)
ANP leader shot dead in Bannu (more)
Quake threat to Karachi exposes cracks in system (more)

TODAY'S NEWS, BUT 10 YEARS OLD

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