DAWN/The News International, KARACHI 24 July 2008, Thursday, 18 Rajab 1429
www.karachipage.com (click on underlined key-words/dates to get more details)
Shahanshah laid to rest
3 killed for thrashing eve-teasing drug peddler
200 Hindu women looted at Jacobabad temple
Coalition leaders for dialogue in Fata
Operation in Hangu wound up (more)
Taliban commander nabbed in Quetta was former governor (more)
Osama happy with Sept 11 toll, war court told (more)
Shahanshah laid to rest

Khalid Shahanshah, chief security officer of PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, was laid to rest at the Azizabad graveyard on Wednesday.

The Namaz-e-Janaza of the deceased was offered in a ground near the Bilawal House and a large number of party workers, leaders and family members attended the funeral.

Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Secretary-General PPP Sindh, Nafees Siddiqi, provincial ministers including Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, Manzoor Wassan, Zahid Bhurgari, Waqar Mehdi, Faisal Abidi, Abu Bhai, Saeed Ghani, N.D. Khan, Salim Zia, Basharat Mirza, Amin Khatak and others attended the funeral prayer.

A spokesman of the Bilawal House said that after the incident the overall situation remained calm and party workers showed patience on the directives of Asif Zardari. He said that during the three-day mourning, all party activities would remain suspended including the birthday functions of Asif Zardari.

The spokesman said that some miscreants tried to close shops but party leaders and workers foiled the attempt and provided protection to traders and the business community.

The Soyum of the slain Shahanshah will be held on Friday at the Bilawal House after Zohr prayers.

Earlier, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah visited the residence of the late Shahanshah in Defence and offered condolence to the family members and announced a 1,000 square yard commercial plot as compensation for the family of the deceased.

The chief minister termed the murder a ‘great loss’ to the party and appreciated the struggle and sacrifices of the deceased. Shah said that he had proposed the name of Shahanshah as security in charge of the late Benazir Bhutto, as, according to him, she wanted a trusted man like the late Munawar Suharwardi for her security.

The chief minister said that the killers would be apprehended soon as a team has already been constituted by the home minister.

Meanwhile, terming the incident a target killing, provincial chief of the Awami National Party (ANP) Shahi Syed demanded of the government to arrest the culprits and expose them.

He said that a conspiracy was being hatched against the government and the murder of Shahanshah proved that such forces were still active in the bid to destroy peace in the city.

3 killed for thrashing eve-teasing drug peddler

A drug peddler, along with his six accomplices, shot dead three brothers inside their house, as the three had reportedly stopped the criminals from teasing girls in the area. A case was reported at the SITE police station and the police had not succeeded in nabbing the criminals till the filing of this report.

Omer Bahadur, 37, and his two brothers, Omer Farooq and Omar Siddiq, were shot dead, while the injured included Ms Zahida and Omar Mohammad.

Police said that the incident was reported inside the house of the deceased persons situated in Pathan Colony, Malang Hotel, Soonarwali Gali, and, in this regard, seven suspects were nominated by the deceased’s family of whom three were identified as Aqil, the main suspect, Rehmat, and Manan.

According to Mumtaz, cousin of the deceased persons, a party had been arranged by the deceased family for family members on Wednesday noon. During the party, some seven armed persons broke into the house and shot the three brothers dead, while Ms Zahida, their sister, and Omer Mohammad, their youngest brother, were injured as they came to the deceased’s rescue.

The killers managed to flee. Injured Omer Mohammad said that they were running a barber shop in the area and accused Aqeel, a drug peddler, apart from running his business with impunity and loitering in the area, also teased girls passing through the lane.

He added that, three days ago ,his elder brother Bahadur again saw Aqeel teasing girls and gave him a drubbing. Bahadur later took him to a gathering of elders of the area, where he was reprimanded and ordered not to tease girls again and not be seen in the area either.

On Wednesday morning, Aqeel again came in the area and this time he again pestered a girl who happened to be a cousin of the deceased brothers, and was coming over for the family gathering. Bahadur, Farooq and Siddiq saw him and gave him a severe beating and turned him out of the area.

Later, they close their shop at about 12.30 p.m. for the family gathering. During the gathering, Aqeel, along with his seven accomplices, broke into their house, and sprayed the three eldest brothers with bullets. Sister Zahida came to save them and was injured. The accused succeeded in making good their escape.

They were the residents of NWFP and deceased Omer Farooq was married and had five children. Siddiq was unmarried, while Farooq was married and had four children. —SBP

200 Hindu women looted at Jacobabad temple

JACOBABAD: Three unidentified bandits looted more than 200 Hindu women when they were worshiping at a temple here on Wednesday.

The bandits barged into the temple and made hostage on gunpoint around 200 Hindu women present there for the usual religious prayers. The robbers reportedly looted hundreds of thousands of rupees in cash and jewellery worth millions of rupees from the women. They also injured Kanta Bai and Shrimati Gunni on resistance. Later, they fled.

As the news reached the city, hundreds of enraged Hindu community members crowded the temple and shouted slogans against the police. DPO Jacobabad Saqib Ismail Memon reached the scene and tried to calm down the angry mob but in vain.

Later, the mob took out a rally under the leadership of Babu Mahesh Lakhani, former president of the Hindu Panchayat, Jacobabad, which marched on several roads of the city. They also blocked the National Highway, suspending the traffic for one hour.

Babu Mahesh, while addressing the rally, said the Hindu community was being harassed under a deep-rooted conspiracy. “Even our honour is at stake now,” the Hindu community leader said.

He said that it was the responsibility of the government to protect their honour, property and life. “But nobody is there to help us. Now we are being looted even at our temples and houses,” he added. He demanded of the government to arrest the bandits immediately or the protest would continue. Meanwhile, Home Minister, Sindh, Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, and IG Sindh Police Salahuddin Babar Khattak taking notice of the incident directed the DPO Jacobabad to arrest the bandits within 24 hours.

Coalition leaders for dialogue in Fata

ISLAMABAD: Leaders of the ruling coalition in their meeting here on Wednesday resolved to pursue dialogue rather than military operation in the militancy-hit Fata, saying force would be used only as the last resort.

The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, was attended by PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, ANP President Asfandyar Wali, NWFP Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani, NWFP Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti, Information Minister Sherry Rehman, Minister for Safron Najamuddin Khan, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior Rehman A Malik, COAS Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, ISI Director-General Lt-Gen Nadeem Taj, and Intelligence Bureau Director-General Shoaib Suddle.

The marathon meeting, which lasted for about seven hours, had two sessions. In the first session, secretaries to the Frontier region and the interior briefed the coalition heads on the Fata situation while in the second session, top Army officials in the presence of Chief of the Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani briefed them on the military operation that was being carried out in the tribal areas of the country.

Another meeting of the coalition partners is expected on Thursday (today) to discuss other issues, including the grave economic situation, expansion of the federal cabinet, and appointment of the chairmen of the standing committees and parliamentary secretaries.

The meeting was convened in the backdrop of the ongoing efforts to bring peace and stability to the tribal regions, the worsening law and order situation, energy shortages and hike in fuel prices.

The coalition partners agreed that parliament would discuss the formulation of a national policy to mobilise the public support for greater consensus on Pakistan’s battle against extremism and militancy.

Briefing newsmen after the meeting, Information Minister Sherry Rehman said there was consensus that the situation warranted evolving long-term policies with the support of all political partners. She said it was noted that the national security and internal stability was paramount and that no one would be allowed to challenge the writ of the state.

“It was also agreed in principle that in order to mobilise public support for greater national consensus on Pakistan’s battle against extremism and militancy, parliament will discuss the formation of a national policy to address this issue,” she added.

She said greater cooperation between the federal and the provincial governments along with strengthening of the civilian law enforcing agencies was emphasised. Sherry said to pursue the objective of making the inhabitants of the affected areas into stakeholders for durable peace, the meeting decided to increase investment in education, employment, development and infrastructure.

“The main thrust of the coalition partners’ multi-pronged strategy to counter the challenge of extremism would be political engagement of the people,” she added. She said the coalition partners also reiterated that Pakistan’s territory would not be allowed to be used for terrorist attacks, nor will attacks from external forces on Pakistan’s sovereign soil be tolerated.

However, she did not take questions regarding the meeting. Meanwhile, talking to newsmen, JUI-F Maulana Fazlur Rehman claimed that all the leaders had unanimously decided to bring the matters relating to the country’s sovereignty before parliament.

“All the (coalition) leaders attended the meeting with the spirit of true patriotism because the country’s sovereignty is under threat,” he said. He said it was also decided that the foreign forces be told that Pakistan would never compromise on its national interests.

He said that the Chief of the Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kiyani, civil bureaucracy and leaders from Fata briefed the ruling alliance on the present scenario, especially the internal security situation.

The JUI-F chief claimed that members of the ruling alliance also expressed reservations about many aspects of domestic and foreign policies, handling of the situation in Fata and the general law and order situation in the country.

According to sources, the PML-N, the ANP and the JUI-F expressed serious concerns over lawlessness in the country. They were of the firm view that the PPP must take its coalition partners into confidence on important policy matters and must also discuss them in parliament.

Sources said issues like restoration of the deposed judges and expansion of the federal cabinet did not come up for discussion, which mainly focused on the internal and external dimensions of the situation in the tribal areas.

Operation in Hangu wound up

PESHAWAR/HANGU: The Army operation in Hangu district was stopped on Wednesday after 'achieving objectives' and following the warning issued by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to launch fresh attacks on government installations if the military actions were not halted in Swat and Hangu.

Except a few attacks in some areas, gunship helicopters and artillery remained silent in Hangu and the Orakzai Agency as top Army authorities announced the military operation in the area had come to an end and the desired objectives had been achieved. The operation was launched on July 11.

The TTP, an umbrella organisation of the militants from all over the country, that had set a five-day deadline for the Frontier government to quit or face the music, had warned of carrying out attacks on security forces if the military operations in Hangu and Swat were not stopped.

"The situation is under control. We have deployed more cops and established security posts on routes that link the district with other towns," the district police officer (DPO) Hangu, Mohammad Idrees Khan, told The News from his office.

The Hangu Police took control of most of the areas after being cleared by the army. Authorities are going to provide around 250 more cops, 12 vehicles and ammunition to the local police force to better maintain law and order in the troubled town, which is faced with another challenge of sectarian clashes.

Curfew remained in place in Doaba and nearby areas while life was gradually returning to normalcy in Hangu city where people were seen visiting markets. Several thousands residents of Tor Sapar, Zargari, Shna Warai, Ghlo Cheena, Shamsuddin Banda, Naryab, Doaba and surrounding areas have left their houses and are either settled in the two camps set up by the government in Hangu city or are residing with their relatives in other districts.

"Houses of a number of those people who had nothing to do with militants were razed to ground with explosives. They were innocent civilians," JUI-F's senator from the area, Mohammad Hussain Al-Hashmi, told The News. He termed the Jirga efforts to resolve the issue between government and militants eyewash, saying it could not settle the issue.

"It is too late. The government should have stopped bombing houses if it was serious in talks," the senator said, adding the government and the militants both had set such preconditions for each other that were impossible to follow.

It is to be mentioned here that elders of the Hangu district have already held meetings with the district administration and are due to hold talks with the militants in the Orakzai Agency today (Thursday).

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) claimed to have killed at least 20 militants during the offensive in which five security personnel were also wounded. AFP adds: "The operation has been wound up after clearing the area of militants and destroying their hideouts," Army spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas told AFP.

He said, "At least 20 militants were killed and 16 troops embraced martyrdom during the week-long operation." He added: "Sixty militants were also arrested during the operation, which has achieved all objectives."

Asked how long the army would stay in the area after completing the operation, he said: "It is up to the provincial government to decide for how long the troops should be present in the district."

 Taliban commander nabbed in Quetta was former governor

PESHAWAR: Though neither the Pakistan government nor Afghan Taliban have confirmed this piece of information, there are strong indications that a senior Taliban commander Mulla Rahim was arrested recently in Quetta.

Oddly enough, it was Britain’s defence ministry that issued a statement in London to announce Mulla Rahim’s arrest. It said Pakistani authorities notified it that Mulla Rahim gave himself up in Quetta.

It is possible that the Pakistan government, under pressure from the United States and its Western allies to do more in the so-called war on terror, shared the information about Mulla Rahim’s arrest with Britain to show that it was doing all it can to hunt down Afghan Taliban and al-Qaeda members hiding in the country.

If Britain was informed about this development, there is no doubt that the US too would have been told about Mulla Rahim’s capture. Another reason for Pakistan to inform Britain about Mulla Rahim’s arrest could be the fact that British forces are deployed in Helmand as part of Nato forces. Taliban have been giving tough time to the British troops in Helmand, which is also the top opium-producing province in Afghanistan.

Apparently, Mulla Rahim is not the real name of the Taliban commander who has been arrested in Quetta. Taliban leaders and commanders commonly adopt different names to disguise themselves and avoid capture.

There was speculation that Mulla Rahim in reality is Mulla Mannan, the former governor of the southwestern Helmand province. Even now he was acting as governor of Helmand in areas controlled by Taliban. He was also a top Taliban military commander for Helmand, where resistance against the US-led Nato forces is the strongest in Afghanistan.

When contacted, Taliban spokesmen expressed ignorance about Mulla Rahim’s arrest in Quetta. One of the spokesmen, Zabihullah Mujahid, said he was checking reports that Mulla Rahim had been nabbed.

When asked about his importance, he said Mulla Rahim was member of the prisoners’ commission of Taliban movement. “As member of the prisoners’ commission, Mulla Rahim’s responsibility was to follow cases of Taliban prisoners as well as those who were in Taliban custody,” he explained.

It was learnt that Mulla Rahim had come to Quetta from Helmand about 15 days before his capture. He was reportedly nabbed by agents of an intelligence agency from a vehicle on the Eastern Bypass on Saryab Road.

The arrest of Mulla Rahim, or Mulla Mannan which is his real name, would be another major setback for Taliban after losing their top military commanders Mulla Dadullah and Akhtar Mohammad Osmani last year in fighting in Helmand.

 Osama happy with Sept 11 toll, war court told

GUANTANAMO BAY US NAVAL BASE, Cuba: Osama bin Laden's driver overheard the al-Qaeda leader saying he was happy about the death toll in the Sept 11 attacks and thought the hijacked plane that crashed in Pennsylvania was shot down, according to one of the driver's interrogators.

The evidence by Ali Soufan, a former FBI agent, was meant to support the case by prosecutors at the Guantanamo Bay war crimes tribunal that the driver, Salim Hamdan, was close to al-Qaeda's leadership.

Hamdan, a Yemeni father of two with a fourth-grade education, is the first Guantanamo prisoner to face trial before the controversial tribunal at the remote base on Cuba. He faces life in prison if convicted.

"Bin Laden was happy about the results and he (Hamdan) heard bin Laden say he didn't expect the operation to be that successful," said Ali Soufan, a former FBI agent. "He only thought 1,000 to 1,500 people would perish so he was happy with the results."

Soufan also said Hamdan told him about a conversation he overheard when he was driving bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, after the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

The two men were looking at a magazine which described the flight routes of the Sept 11 hijacked planes, Soufan said. "If they didn't shoot that fourth plane it would have hit the dome," Soufan said bin Laden told Zawahiri, according to Hamdan's account.

"I assumed ('the dome' meant) either Congress or the White House," Soufan said. "Hamdan said he did not know what they mean by the dome." United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in a Pennsylvania field. US officials have never said it was shot down but there was speculation about the issue at the time.

Describing the relationship between the driver and the al-Qaeda leader, Soufan said bin Laden had given Hamdan some marriage advice, suggesting he go back to Yemen and find a women from a "pious religious family," and when Hamdan returned with a wife, bin Laden held a feast in celebration.

"It shows a close relationship, an affinity," he said. Hamdan is being tried in a court for terrorism suspects created by the Bush administration after the Sept 11 attacks. His innocence or guilt will be decided by a jury of US military officers who are fighting the war on terrorism.

Prosecutors have portrayed Hamdan as a driver and bodyguard for the fugitive al-Qaeda leader. Defence lawyers say he was just a hired hand in the motor pool who never joined al-Qaeda.

On the third day of trial, Soufan, a prosecution witness who interrogated Hamdan, said bin Laden knew the Sept 11 hijackers and spoke highly of them. "He praised them and their courage and he asked God to accept them as martyrs," Soufan told the six-member jury.

Hamdan was able to identify some of the top al-Qaeda leaders in photographs and a suicide bomber who struck the guided missile destroyer USS Cole in Yemen in 2000. Prosecutors showed jurors a series of videos and pictures. Soufan identified bin Laden and Hamdan standing together. In one, Hamdan was carrying a machine gun. "Who gets to be that close to Osama bin Laden?" prosecutor John Murphy asked. "People he trusts ... with his life, it appears," Soufan said.

YESTERDAY'S NEWS
Bilawal House security chief gunned down in Karachi
It was a target killing, says Mirza
What was the motive behind Shahanshah’s murder?
Woman found dead on rail tracks identified
‘Prime suspect’ held in official’s killing case
Kidnappers held, child recovered
Call for release of funds to rescue LG system (more)
Clashes, attacks continue in Balochistan (more)
Terror suspects’ remand extended (more)
BB murder probe to cost over $100m (more)
Operations to end after total control: COAS (more)
Taliban warn NWFP govt of attacks (more)
3 explosive devices defused in Swat (more)
Bid to assassinate Mangal Bagh foiled (more)
Fighting continues in Tirah as peace Jirga fails (more)
Pakistan, Iran to form joint religious body (more)
Senior Taliban leader killed in Afghanistan (more)

TODAY'S NEWS, BUT 10 YEARS OLD

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© JANG Group, 2008

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