Thursday, August 30, 2012

Session judge killed in Quetta firing


QUETTA: Unidentified motorcycle assailants opened fire on the car of a session judge, killing him, his guard and his driver, DawnNews reported.

Session judge named Zulfiqar Naqvi’s car was attacked at GOR colony when he was going to his office on Thursday morning.

Naqvi along with his guard and driver passed away on the spot.

For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

NAM summit: Iran rules out nuclear bomb; Egypt attacks Syria


Tehran: Amidst Western efforts to isolate Iran over its nuclear programme, the 16th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement opened here on Thursday with Iran nuclear programme and Syrian crisis topping the agenda. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei opened the summit by declaring that his country was not seeking nuclear weapons. He, however, vowed not to abandon Iran’s controversial nuclear program. Speaking on the first day of the two-day summit of the 120-member Non-Aligned Movement, Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters in Iran, added the country considers the use of nuclear weapons to be "a big and unforgiveable sin”.

US, Pak officials confirm death of key Haqqani militant


US officials have confirmed the slaying of Haqqani network commander Badruddin Haqqani in a drone strike near the Afghan border last week labelling him as a key strategist of the dreaded al-Qaeda-linked outfit.

"We now believe he is dead," the Washington Post reported quoting an Obama administration official.

US officials said Badruddin Haqqani was the third-highest ranking official of the militant group, which the administration considers the most potent threat to US efforts in Afghanistan, and the most senior member of the group founded by his father, Jalaluddin Haqqani, to be killed.The elder Haqqani founded the network and remains its titular head, and his brother, Sirajuddin, is its current leader.

Gursharan Kaur visits Gurdwara, school in Tehran


Bollywood songs, item numbers and folk music reverberated in the air today as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's wife Gursharan Kaur was given a warm welcome at a Gurudwara and Kendriya Vidyalaya here which was extended a grant of Rs two crore by the Indian government.

The school children, including a Bangladeshi and an Iraqi girl, left the audience including Kaur mesmerised with their songs and dance sequences. Prime Minister's wife was seen tapping her feet and clapping softly, enjoying every moment of her over one and half hour stay. 

ICC Test team of the Year 2012 announced


The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced its Test Team of the Year, as chosen by a specially appointed selection panel chaired by West Indian batting legend Clive Lloyd.

The announcement was made by the ICC Chief Executive, David Richardson, at the media conference to announce the short-lists for the LG ICC Awards 2012 which are due to be held in Colombo on September 15.

The LG ICC Awards recognise the best international players of the past 12 months.

The ICC Test Team of the Year is (in batting order)

Eight killed as two IAF helicopters collide midair in Gujarat


JAMNAGAR: Eight defence personnel were killed on Thursday when two MI-17 choppers of Indian Air Force collided midair just after take off from an air base near Sarmat village of this district in Gujarat, IAF officials said.

The villagers, who witnessed the accident, said the two choppers collided soon after take off and crashed near the village, 15 kms from Jamnagar city.

The choppers were on training sortie, officials said. "Two MI-17 choppers have collided midair in which at least Eight persons have died," SP Jamnagar Harikrishna Patel said.

Indian Air Force officers, police officials and Jamnagar municipal corporation fire brigade have reached the spot and are assessing the situation.

An IAF spokesperson in New Delhi said that a court of inquiry has been ordered to determine the reasons behind the crash.

For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

Shiv’s tattoo brings more controversy for Ajay Devgn’s movie


Chandigarh: Actor-producer Ajay Devgn’s upcoming movie “Son of Sardar” in which he playing lead role of a Sikh character, is striking controversies – one after another. Two weeks back a Chandigarh based lawyer – Advocate Navkiran Singh, slammed a legal notice to Ajay Devgn demanding removal of objectionable parts from his movie that shows up Sikhs in bad light.

Recently AISSF, a Sikh organization, approached Giani Gurbachan Singh Jathedar of Sri Akal Takhat Sahib to seek his intervention in this matter. Giani Gurbachan Singh was urged to ensure that movie is not released unless objectionable portions are removed from it.

Indian-origin judge named next chief justice of Singapore


SINGAPORE: An Indian-origin judge has been named as the new chief justice of Singapore, making him the first from the community to head the courts.

Sundaresh Menon, presently Singapore's judge of appeal, will assume the office of the chief justice from November 6.

He would take over from Justice Chan Sek Keong, who retires at the age of 75, said a statement from the Prime Minister's office on the appointment announced by President Tony Tan. 

Case over girl accused of blasphemy adjourned to Sept 1


ISLAMABAD: A local court in Islamabad heard the case pertaining to a girl who had been accused of blasphemy adjourned the hearing to Sept 1, DawnNews reported.

The case was heard in the court of district and sessions judge Islamabad Justice Jawad Abbas.

The court issued notices to the state and the complainant over the bail application.

The complainant’s lawyer said that the legal procedure was not being followed in the girl’s case who he said was being tried under the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance (2000).

The complainant’s lawyer objected to the girl’s medical test saying that it was carried out before the court could have ordered one.

Five Australians killed in Afghan attack


SYDNEY:Five Australian troops have been killed in two separate incidents in Afghanistan, defence officials said Thursday, in the worst day for Australian casualties since the war started.

In one incident, two Australian special forces soldiers were killed Thursday morning when their helicopter crashed in Helmand province, in one of the worst days for Australian casualties since the Vietnam War.

The news came after the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said three soldiers in the Nato-led force in Afghanistan had been killed by a member of the Afghan security forces.

The attack occurred Wednesday evening in southern Uruzgan province where about 1,500 Australian troops are deployed.

“Defence can confirm that Australian Defence Force personnel have been killed in Afghanistan,” the ADF said in a statement.

“Defence is currently in the process of informing the next of kin of the ADF personnel involved. The acting chief of the defence force will make a statement once this process is complete.”

Earlier, Isaf said the latest killings were an “insider attack” that has caused growing dismay among coalition commanders.

“An individual wearing an Afghan National Army uniform turned his weapon against International Security Assistance Force service members in southern Afghanistan yesterday, killing three,” Isaf said in a statement. “The incident is currently under investigation.”

For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

China coal mine blast kills 19, traps 28


BEIJING: A gas explosion at a coal mine in southwest China has killed 19 miners and trapped 28 underground, authorities said Thursday, in the latest disaster to hit the country’s troubled mining industry.

Around 150 miners were working underground at the Xiaojiawan mine in the city of Panzhihua in Sichuan province when the blast occurred on Wednesday afternoon, city authorities said in an online statement.

Rescue workers pulled 104 people out of the mine by early Thursday morning and they were rushed to local hospitals, where three of them died. Another 16 of the remaining 44 trapped underground were confirmed dead, it said.

Rescue efforts were still under way and the individual responsible for the mine had been detained, the city government said on its website.

China’s mines are known for being among the world’s most deadly due to lax regulation, corruption and inefficiency, and accidents are common as safety is often neglected by bosses seeking quick profits.

Latest official figures show 1,973 people died in coal mining accidents in

China in 2011, a 19 per cent fall in fatalities compared to a year earlier.

Labour rights groups, however, say the actual death toll is likely to be much higher, partly due to under-reporting of accidents as mine bosses seek to limit their economic losses and avoid punishment.

China is the world’s leading consumer of coal, relying on the fossil fuel for 70 per cent of its growing energy needs.

Authorities in Panzhihua could not immediately be reached for further comment.

For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

Govt submits report to rights panel on unmarked graves


The state government has denied that bodies buried in unmarked graves in Kashmir are those of disappeared persons, as is being claimed by certain human rights groups working in Kashmir.

The government in its action taken report (ATR) submitted to the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) on the unmarked graves in three districts of north Kashmir has claimed that all the “unidentified” militants buried in the “unmarked graves” were “combatants and terrorists.”

The Commission in its inquiry had found 2,156 unidentified bodies buried in unmarked graves at 38 places in Baramulla, Bandipore and Kupwara districts of north Kashmir.

“The identity of foreign terrorists has always remained a problem and the bodies of these terrorists were accordingly categorised as unidentified. However, it is clear beyond doubt that all those killed were combatants. The bodies of all the slain terrorists that could not be identified were handed over to the concerned local Auqaf committee, which carried out the burials as per the religious rites,” the state government stated in its ATR to the SHRC.

For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

Bangladesh Diary: AL won't take power in undemocratic way


Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said Awami League did not desire to assume power through undemocratic means, as her party relied on public confidence.

“Many people have thirst to go to power through an 'undemocratic detour'. But our way is democratic," she said. "If people want, we will stay in power. If they don't want, we won't.”

Those who have an intention to abuse power will surely make a detour to power, said Hasina, also the president of the ruling AL. She however warned that no-one would be allowed to toy with the fate of the people.
Dhaka, Delhi finalise joint study terms
Pallab Bhattacharya, New Delhi
India yesterday handed over a copy of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of Tipaimukh Hydropower Project to Bangladesh as the two countries finalised the Terms of Reference for a joint study on the dam's impact.

At the end of a two-day meeting of the Indo-Bangladesh joint subgroup on the proposed dam project, India handed over the five-volume DPR to Bangladesh to enable it carry out an impact study on the hydroelectric dam to be built on the Barak river in northeastern Indian state of Manipur.

For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

Stable Afghanistan good for neighbouring countries’


Like us on facebook
Follow us on twitter
ISLAMABAD: An Australian university professor has said that a stable Afghanistan is in the interest of all its neighbouring countries.
Addressing a roundtable conference organised by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) on Tuesday, Prof Amin Saikal of the Australian National University’s Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies said that he had long been advocating for a regional consensus on the issue of Afghanistan.
The professor made it clear that economic interests of Central Asian States, China, India, Iran, Pakistan and Russia were attached with stability of Afghanistan. Prof Saikal stressed the need for utilising Afghanistan’s potential to integrate with its neighbours through regional arrangements like South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
He said there were differences of opinion between Afghanistan and Pakistan and cited the harsh criticism of Pakistan by Karzai administration.

For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

Three Australians killed in Afghan attack: defence


Like us on facebook
Follow us on twitter
SYDNEY: A number of Australian troops have been killed in an incident in Afghanistan, officials said Thursday without confirming how many, in what is thought to be an “insider attack”.
The news came after the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said three soldiers in the Nato-led force in Afghanistan had been killed by a member of the Afghan security forces.

The attack occurred Wednesday evening in southern Uruzgan province where about 1,500 Australian troops are deployed.

“Defence can confirm that Australian Defence Force personnel have been killed in Afghanistan,” the ADF said in a statement.

“Defence is currently in the process of informing the next of kin of the ADF personnel involved. The acting chief of the defence force will make a statement once this process is complete.”

Earlier, Isaf said the latest killings were an “insider attack” that has caused growing dismay among coalition commanders.

“An individual wearing an Afghan National Army uniform turned his weapon against International Security Assistance Force service members in southern Afghanistan yesterday, killing three,” Isaf said in a statement. “The incident is currently under investigation.”

For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

The silence of the faujis


Pakistan’s slow-motion slide into sectarian hell has, so far, met with studied silence from all the major political players.

In the case of the PPP, the silence is mere cowardice. In the case of the PML-N and the PTI, the silence is calculated; a cold-blooded conclusion that there are seats to be gained from turning a blind eye. What is more interesting though is the silence of the khakis. Because of all institutions, it is the Army that has the most to lose.

The fact of the matter is that the armed forces are a pluralistic institution. Our officer corps includes not just Muslims of every shade but also Christians, Parsis and even Ahmadis. More importantly, while Shias form 25 per cent of Pakistan’s population, there is some evidence that they form an even larger part of the officer cadre.
The Army may, therefore, be able to survive the day when Muslims refuse to obey Christians. But it will not survive the day when Sunnis refuse to obey Shias. Assuming that the Army knows this, the question arises as to why it is doing nothing. My understanding is that there are two reasons — one official, one unofficial.

The official reason is that it is not the Army’s job to determine the ideological contours of this country. Instead, that is the job of the civilian leadership.

For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

Taliban Kill at Least 8 Pakistani Soldiers in Ambush


ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Taliban fighters armed with rifles and rocket launchers killed at least eight Pakistani soldiers during an ambush early on Wednesday in South Waziristan, near the Afghan border, military officials and Taliban commanders said.
Large-scale Taliban assaults against the Pakistani Army are relatively rare in South Waziristan, where the army conducted a major operation in 2009. But tensions have risen in recent weeks amid a flurry of drone strikes by the Central Intelligence Agency and speculation that the army is planning a drive into neighboring North Waziristan.

Exact details of what happened during Wednesday’s attack were unclear. A spokesman for Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, commonly known as the Pakistani Taliban, said the group’s fighters killed 20 soldiers during an assault on a post in the Serwakai district.


The spokesman, Ehsanullah Ehsan, said seven additional soldiers had been kidnapped and were later beheaded.

A senior military official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said eight soldiers had been killed and six had been wounded during a broader “search and clearance” operation that targeted multiple Taliban hide-outs in the area and uncovered a major weapons cache. At least 18 militants were killed in the fighting, he said.

The conflicting accounts were typical of South and North Waziristan, where few reporters can safely operate and where both sides to the conflict manipulate the flow of information.

For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

No foreign troops to be allowed in Fata


Like us on facebook
Follow us on twitter
WASHINGTON: The United States and Pakistan are not planning a joint military operation in tribal areas as Islamabad will not allow foreign troops on its soil, officials familiar with talks between the two countries on this issue say.
According to the officials, the two sides have discussed various options for combating terrorism in the tribal areas and Pakistan has assured the Americans that it too views the militants as enemies of the state and is already engaged in fighting them.

Pakistan also expressed its desire to conduct a military operation against the militants, particularly those hiding in Waziristan, but told the Americans it would itself decide “when and how to conduct that operation”.

In a recent meeting with American journalists in Washington, a group of Pakistani officials explained that the media was causing “much confusion” by using the term joint operation.

A joint operation, one official explained, would include troops from both sides while in recent US-Pakistan talks on various options for combating militants in Fata “neither side even vaguely suggested” sending US troops into the area.
more here


For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

Explosion at Bagh store


Like us on facebook
Follow us on twitter
BAGH: A bomb went off in a departmental store on Wednesday. As per details, an explosion took place in the departmental store situated at Dehli Road.
However, no loss of life was reported. The police force with the help of local people took a suspect into custody. He was identified as Ghulam Rasool, hailing from Mansehra, the man was trying to escape to the nearby mountains, from the place of incident, sources said.

For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

'Pakistan's Priority Is Stability; Not Kashmir'


Any Kashmiri boy or a girl - interested in political history and the dispute over Kashmir - gets familiar with the oft-repeated sentence from Pakistan leaders since early childhood: "Pakistan will continue to offer political, moral and diplomatic support to the struggle of Kashmiris."
And to be fair to Pakistan, they have tried their best to live up to this pledge of theirs on many occasions in the past since 1947-48. Their helmsmen and diplomats have spoken on various international fora to highlight the plight of Kashmiris and raised their voice against the gross human rights abuses at the hands of Indian army, paramilitary and police forces stationed in Jammu and Kashmir.
But let's face a simple fact: Pakistan is in deep crisis. Pakistan's priorities are fast changing. For Pakistan, her overall security situation and the economic stability are the key issues at this point in time.
The issue of Kashmir is not a priority for Pakistan any longer. It is as simple as that. It would be too naive to assume that the pro-resistance leaders in Kashmir are not aware of this development. But it makes many wonder whether they're realizing the impact of this change in Pakistan and then reshaping their strategies and making newer moves accordingly.

For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

Former interlocutors back in Valley


Three months after the interlocutors’ report on Jammu and Kashmir was made public, two former interlocutors Dileep Padgaonkar and Radha Kumar arrived here today to interact with people from various segments of society during their week-long stay in the state.

This is the former interlocutors’ first visit to the state after the three-member team, led by Padgaonkar, submitted its report after a year-long exercise to the Union Home Ministry in October 2011.

While the report was thoroughly deliberated upon by the Central government, it was made public on May 24. During the year-long exercise of gathering inputs, the team had met people from different sections of society. The separatists, however, had refused to meet them.

On the first leg of the visit, Padgaonkar and Radha called on Governor NN Vohra at Raj Bhawan here today. They are also scheduled to meet Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, some of his ministers and other political leaders.

For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

Militants escape during gun battle in Kulgam


Two suspected militants were able to flee during an encounter today with a joint party of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Rashtriya Rifles (RR) in Brinal Laamad village of the Qazigund area in Kulgam district.
Sources said the suspected militants were holed up in a residential house in the village when, probably on a tip-off, security personnel cordoned off the area this morning.

“The joint contingent included the Special Operations group of the Kulgam Police, the 9th Battalion of the RR and the 18th Battalion of the CRPF,”
There was almost a four-hour-long encounter between the two parties, but the militants were able to escape from the house.

The joint contingent of the security forces kept the area cordoned off for some time. “A hideout was found in the residential house, where the militants had been holed up,” a source said. The IG CRPF, D N Ramesh, visited the encounter site and refused to call the incident a security lapse while talking to mediapersons.

For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

Militants escape during gun battle in Kulgam


Two suspected militants were able to flee during an encounter today with a joint party of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Rashtriya Rifles (RR) in Brinal Laamad village of the Qazigund area in Kulgam district.
Sources said the suspected militants were holed up in a residential house in the village when, probably on a tip-off, security personnel cordoned off the area this morning.

“The joint contingent included the Special Operations group of the Kulgam Police, the 9th Battalion of the RR and the 18th Battalion of the CRPF,”
There was almost a four-hour-long encounter between the two parties, but the militants were able to escape from the house.

The joint contingent of the security forces kept the area cordoned off for some time. “A hideout was found in the residential house, where the militants had been holed up,” a source said. The IG CRPF, D N Ramesh, visited the encounter site and refused to call the incident a security lapse while talking to mediapersons.

For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs