Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Kabul wants Pakistani passports for Taliban cadres


ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan wants Pakistan to issue passports to Taliban cadres to facilitate their transit to Arab countries for peace talks, according to an Afghan diplomat.
Follow up:
Despite the collapse of the Qatar peace initiative earlier this year, Taliban negotiators and their families are still living in the Arabian Gulf state. And several more Taliban cadres are in the process of shifting to Qatar and other states.

Saudi Arabia has also invited several Taliban leaders for this year’s Hajj pilgrimage as part of its possible role in the Afghan peace process.

According to Pakistan’s Ambassador in Kabul Muhammad Sadiq, Islamabad was to facilitate the transit of Taliban leaders to Qatar.

 For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

Al Qaeda’s Zawahiri calls for kidnap of Westerners


DUBAI: Al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri has called on Muslims to kidnap Westerners, join Syria’s rebellion and to ensure Egypt implements Shariah law, SITE Monitoring reported on Saturday, citing a two-part film posted on terrorist’s websites.

The Egypt-born cleric, who became al Qaeda leader last year after the death of Osama bin Laden, spoke in a message that lasted more than two hours.

“We are seeking, by the help of Allah, to capture others and to incite Muslims to capture the citizens of the countries that are fighting Muslims in order to release our captives,” he said, praising the kidnapping of Warren Weinstein, a 71-year-old American aid worker in Pakistan last year.

 For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

Govt allocates Rs13.7bn for Diamer-Basha dam project


LAHORE: The federal government has allocated Rs13.78 billion for the 4,500MW Diamer-Basha dam project during the fiscal year 2012-13, said chairman of Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), while talking to Gilgit-Baltistan Works Minister Bashir Ahmed, Health Minister Haji Gulber Khan and Taxation and Minerals Minister Muhammad Naseer Khan, who called on him.
The chairman said that as many as 14 local contracts had already been awarded and the construction work on WAPDA offices, colonies, contractors’ camp, road infrastructure etc, in the project area is in full swing.
The process to acquire land for the project both in Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has also been started, while Rs6.85 billion has been paid to the respective governments till June for the purpose, he said.
The chairman said that the multipurpose Diamer-Basha dam would usher in an era of prosperity and development in the country, particularly in Gilgit-Baltistan.
He said that a lucrative compensation package for the victims of the project has been devised in accordance with the international standards.
The Gilgit-Baltistan ministers assured the Water and Power Development Authority chairman of their full support in implementation of the project. Discussing the matters relating to the project, they also apprised him of the demands of the locals.

 For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

Two killed in grenade attack in DI Khan


DERA ISMAIL KHAN: As many as two people were killed and six others were injured in a grenade attack outside a police officer’s house in Basti Ustrana.
Follow up:
Three unidentified armed men hurled a grenade outside the house of Sub-Inspector (SI) Ghazanfar Ali and fled away from the scene. Resultantly, two people died on the spot while another sis were injured. The bodies and the injured were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital. Police are investigating the incident.

 For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

10 militants killed in Bara


PESHAWAR: Security forces on Monday pounded suspected hideouts of militants in Bara town of the Khyber tribal region killing as many as 10 Taliban and injuring six others, security sources said. Gunship helicopters also took part in what appeared to be one of the heaviest bombardments of suspected hideouts of Taliban, sources added.
Follow up:
Khyber, bordering Peshawar, houses some local militias and Taliban and al Qaeda militants using the inaccessible Tirah Valley to mount attacks inside Afghanistan and keep Peshawar under pressure. The assault followed a clash in the Akakhel area of Bara leaving a soldier dead and three others injured, sources added.

 For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

18 militants killed in Khyber, Orakzai


LANDI KOTAL: Ten militants were killed when helicopter gunships targeted their hideouts in Bara area of Khyber Agency on Monday, official sources said.
Follow up:
The air strikes were carried out in Nala Malikdinkhel where a large number of militants were holed up, the sources said. The militants had fled the Akkakhel area a week ago and moved to Nala Malikdinkhel. Three hideouts were destroyed in the strikes.

The sources said that bodies of six militants were found from Nala Khwarh.

However, local people said that only one suspected militant, Saidullah Kamarkhel, was killed in the helicopter attack. They said most of the militants had left the area much before the air strikes were conducted.

Three soldiers were killed when militants attacked their convoy in Nala area.

No official details were available about the assault.

The militants, however, claimed to be in possession of the soldiers’ bodies.

 For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

EU parliament slams Pakistan for 'grave' human rights abuses


STRASBOURG: The European Parliament has slammed Pakistan for its "grave human rights abuses" and raised concern over the "pathetic condition" of the girl child in that country as it condemned the Taliban attack on teenage activist Malala Yosufzai.
It also called for a determined effort by the international community to use its moral, financial and military power to stem the rot that "afflicts certain societies where children have become targets of terrorist organizations like the Taliban which continue to have support and sanctuaries in Pakistan".

During a debate organized in the European Parliament on March 26, the members of South Asia Peace Forum ( SAPF) highlighted the pathetic condition of the girl child in Pakistan.

"The emergency debate specially focused on the discrimination against girls in Pakistan with special reference to Malala Yousafzai.

"The members of the European Parliament spoke at length about the situation of human right abuses," an official statement said. The debate highlighted the attack in Mingora in which the 15-year-old Malala was targeted. "Malala is widely respected for her work to promote the schooling of girls; something that the Taliban strongly oppose and apparently became the reason for the attack," it said.

 For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

Ladakhi Buddhists oppose ‘unwanted’ interference of Hurriyat


Fear gripped the Buddhist community, a minority in the state, due to what they termed an unwanted interference by the Hurriyat Conference and other “fundamentalist” groups of the Kashmir valley in the “internal” matter of the Ladakhi people.
They said the Hurriyat Conference and some other radical groups were trying to rake up the recent issue of violence in the Zanskar area of Kargil district.

“The conversion of some Buddhist families is purely an internal matter of the Buddhists and Muslims of the Ladakh region but the unwanted interference of some hardcore groups of the Kashmir valley has created fear among us,” Dr Tundup Tsewang, president of the Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA), told The Tribune. He said such groups were notorious for playing the communal card on all issues.

 For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

Monday, October 29, 2012

Clinton arrives in Algeria for talks


ALGIERS: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Algeria on Monday, with the political crisis in neighbouring Mali a central focus of her scheduled talks with President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

Clinton's plane touched down shortly before 0530 GMT at Algiers international airport at the start of her second visit to the Algerian capital following a trip last year. 

Salman Khurshid named as new Indian FM


NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appointed Salman Khurshid as his new foreign minister (FM) as he brought seven new faces into cabinet Sunday in the biggest reshuffle since his 2009 re-election.

Khurshid, 59, replaces the 80-year-old S. M. Krishna as the top diplomat and his post as the law minister goes to Ashwani Kumar, a spokesman in the prime minister's office told AFP. 

Seven Gaza rockets hit Israel


GAZA CITY( Palestinian Territories): Seven rockets fired from Gaza crashed into southern Israel on Sunday without harming anyone, police said, hours after an Israeli air strike killed a Hamas militant.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP two rockets fell in open areas within the Eshkol district which flanks the southern sector of the Gaza border, while another two landed in and around Beersheva, a city of 194,000 people. None of them caused any injuries or damage.

An army spokeswoman later said that three more rockets had hit Israeli territory during the day, also without causing any harm.

In Gaza, militants from the Popular Resistance Committees claimed responsibility for the two rockets fired at Beersheva.

Late Sunday the Israeli air force carried out two raids on the Gaza Strip, destroying one home but causing no casualties, Palestinian security sources said. The army spokesman confirmed the raids which he said were aimed at "the rocket launcher sites and terrorist activities.

For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

Issue of Khan's offloading solved: US


WASHINGTON: The US State Department said the issue raised over stopping the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan at Toronto airport has been solved, Geo News reported Monday.

According to a statement issued by the State Department after two days of the incident, the issue pertaining to restraining Khan at the Toronto airport has been solved and the department welcomes Khan in America. 

Ten dead as Nigeria church bombing sparks revenge attacks


KADUNA: A suicide attacker drove a car bomb into a Nigerian church on Sunday, sparking fierce reprisals that saw a Christian mob burn a man alive in a day of violence that killed at least 10 people and wounded 145.

The church attack left at least seven people dead in addition to the bomber, while at least three people were killed in reprisal violence, a rescue official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to provide figures.

According to Musa Ilallah, regional coordinator for the National Emergency Management Agency, the number of wounded was 145.

Christian youths took to the streets of the northern city of Kaduna with machetes and sticks after the blast, targeting those they believed to be Muslims as anger again boiled over due to repeated church bombings in recent months.

Attackers beat a motorcycle taxi driver near the church, then put his bike on top of him before dousing him with petrol and setting him on fire, an AFP correspondent who saw the violence said. Two other bloodied bodies apparently killed by the mob were seen near the church.

Three killed, five injured in Karachi violence


KARACHI: Various incidents of firing claimed three lives and injured five persons early on Monday whereas Rangers and police conducted a targeted operation in Dalmia area of Karachi, DawnNews reported.

Two persons were injured of firing in Karachi’s North Nazimabad area. One of the victims succumbed to his wounds whereas the other was shifted to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.

A tortured body was found in a gunny bag near West Wharf Bridge on Mauripur Road of the city.

Four students die as van rams into tree


HARIPUR: Four students were killed when their van ran into a tree in Haripur Monday, Geo News reported.

According to police, the unfortunate van was carrying seminary students and was on its way to Jabori from Islamabad when the accident took place.

Due to the collision, four students died on the spot while twenty others were wounded who were shifted to district headquarter hospital in Haripur and Ayub Medical Complex, Abbottabad.

For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

Anti-Sikh riots: MP to petition Australian parliament


Sydney: A lawmaker will present a 'genocide petition' in parliament calling the Australian government to recognise the horrific violence that took place against the Sikh community in November 1984 in India following the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi.

At least 3,000 Sikhs were killed in three days in the Indian capital New Delhi following the killing of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on Oct 31, 1984.

Warren Entsch, an Australian federal member of parliament, will present the 'genocide petition' before the Australian parliament. It will be tabled before the House of Representatives during adjournment debate Nov 1, said a press communique from the Supreme Sikh Council of Australia.

FM Khar heads to Cairo on three-day visit


ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Monday departed on a three-day official visit to Cairo where she will meet the top leadership of the newly formed Egyptian government.

During her three days in Cairo, Foreign Minister Khar is scheduled to meet the newly elected President of Egypt Mohammad Morsi as well as other key figures of the Egyptian government. The meetings are aimed at strengthening of ties between the two Muslim countries, while cooperation in other areas will also be discussed.

Mohammad Morsi, a former leader of the powerful Muslim Brotherhood party from which he stood down after his election, became Egypt’s first civilian and democratically elected president a year after former President Hosni Mubarak – who governed Egypt for 30 years – was ousted in a popular uprising.

Foreign Minister Khar’s meeting with President Morsi will mark Islamabad’s first steps at bilateral ties with the newly formed Egyptian government.

For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

Helicopters pound militant hideouts in Khyber; 10 killed


At least ten suspected militants were killed and six others injured Monday when Pakistani gunship helicopters pounded suspected militant hideouts in Bara Tehsil of Pakistan’s restive Khyber tribal region, officials said. The assault followed an earlier clash in the Akakhel area of Bara Tehsil which had left one soldier dead and three injured, the officials added. According to the officials, armed militants ambushed a security convoy leading to a deadly clash between the militants and security forces. The clash resulted in the death of a soldier while thee others were wounded. Following the clash, security forces assisted by gunship helicopters targeted militant hideouts in Akakhel area, killing ten militants and injuring six others, the official sources said. Officials said security forces also destroyed four militant bases and claimed to have arrested 15 suspects as the offensive continued. Meanwhile, another soldier was also killed in a road side bomb explosion in Tehsil Bara’s Shalobar area during a search operation, the officials added. The reports could not be independently verified as journalists have limited access to Pakistan’s remote tribal areas. Khyber is among Pakistan’s seven tribal districts near the Afghan border which are rife with homegrown insurgents and are alleged to be strongholds of Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives. Like this:Be the first to like this.

For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

Bomber kills 40 Afghan worshippers on Eid day


KABUL: A suicide bomber slaughtered more than 40 people, including five children, when he struck at a mosque in northern Afghanistan after Eidul Azha prayers on Friday, officials said.

It was the worst death toll in a single attack in Afghanistan since 80 died on December 6 last year in a suicide blast at a shrine in Kabul on Ashura. At least 50 others were wounded as the bomb – reportedly stuffed with ball-bearings – ripped through the crowd of worshippers in Maymana city in Faryab province.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but suicide bombings are a favourite weapon of Taliban trying to topple the Western-backed government of President Hamid Karzai.

The attacker was wearing a police uniform when he blew himself up at the entrance to the city’s packed Eid Gah mosque, deputy provincial governor Abdul Satar Barez told AFP. “We have 42 dead – more than 20 are security forces and the rest of them are civilians, including five or six children,” he said.


For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs


KARACHI: The civil society of Pakistan on Friday expressed disappointment on the government’s version of the state of human rights in Pakistan submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and called on the members of the council to take serious note of the state’s failure to respect the global human rights mechanisms.
“The State report overlooks fundamental rights violations in the everyday lives of the citizens.
There needs to be stronger commitment for protection of human rights in Pakistan accompanied with measureable action plan to address the existing gaps in legislative and law enforcement order of the country and in the political will of the state itself.”

In a joint statement over a dozen civil society organisations (CSOs) and networks including National Commission for Peace and Justice, Pakistan Dalit Solidarity Network, Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research, Pakistan Peace Coalition, Sindh Agricultural and Forestry Workers Coordinating Organization, Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child, South Asia Partnership and Sungi Development Foundation stated: “There is hardly any evidence that the recommendations of the last UPR review were ever implemented by Pakistan.
more here: http://urdutahzeeb.net/articles/blog1.php?p=19632&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1


For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

Pakistan reaches out to old Afghan enemies in move that could aid Taliban peace deal


ISLAMABAD — Pakistan has increased efforts to reach out to some of its biggest enemies in Afghanistan, a significant policy shift that could prove crucial to U.S.-backed efforts to strike a peace deal in the neighboring country.
Follow up:
The target of the diplomatic push has mainly been non-Pashtun political leaders who have been at odds with Pakistan for years because of the country’s historical support for the Afghan Taliban, a Pashtun movement.

Many of the leaders fought against the Taliban when the fundamentalist Islamic group seized control of Afghanistan in the 1990s with Pakistan’s help, and have accused Islamabad of maintaining support for the insurgents following the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 — allegations denied by the government.

For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Twenty five Taliban, 5 policemen killed in clashes


KABUL: A senior Taliban commander and 24 of his fighters were killed in a battle with Afghan security forces in a northern village which also left five police dead, officials said Thursday.

The commander of the attack was the Taliban shadow governor for the northern province of Faryab where the gunfight took place on Wednesday, according to the officials.

Muslims flee Myanmar unrest as death toll rises


Hundreds of homes have been burned in the fresh outburst of unrest in Rakhine state, where Buddhist-Muslim clashes have killed at least 95 people since June and displaced tens of thousands, according to the authorities.

"At least five people have been killed and about 80 people injured in four days since October 21 in four townships," said Rakhine state spokesman Myo Thant.

Envoy says Syria, most rebels agree to truce


DAMASCUS: Syria and most rebel chiefs have agreed to a truce this week, peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said, but the main armed opposition group and Washington remained wary of any commitment from Damascus.

"The Syrian government has agreed to a ceasefire" during Eid, Brahimi said, adding that "most" rebel leaders contacted said they would observe it, boosting hopes of a breakthrough in the conflict. 

Japan protests as Chinese ships enter disputed waters

TOKYO: Four Chinese government ships entered territorial waters around disputed Tokyo-controlled islands early Thursday, the Japanese coastguard said, sparking a strong protest from Japan.

Three maritime surveillance vessels entered the 12-nautical-mile zone around one of the islands in the East China Sea shortly after 6:30 a.m. (2130 GMT Wednesday), the Japanese coastguard said in a statement.

Another surveillance ship joined them one hour later.

Four killed in Gaza as militants swap rocket fire with Israeli airstrikes

ERUSALEM: Rockets and mortars from the Gaza Strip pummeled southern Israel early Wednesday and an Israeli airstrike killed a Palestinian militant, in a sharp escalation of violence following a landmark visit to Gaza by Qatar’s leader.

Another Gaza man died Wednesday of wounds sustained in an Israeli air attack the night before, a health official said. The deaths bring to four the number of Palestinians who have died in strikes on Gaza in the past two days.

Iran's judiciary head fires back at president

TEHRAN, Iran – The head of Iran's judiciary lashed out at the country's president Wednesday, the latest salvo in an escalating political conflict that has undermined much of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's political clout.

The latest issue appeared relatively minor — Ahmadinejad's intention to visit a prison north of Tehran. The head of the judiciary branch, Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani, said permission from his office was needed to visit Evin prison, and Ahmadinejad angrily rejected that. Larijani retorted Wednesday that the president does not understand his constitutional powers.

Millions of Muslims begin Hajj pilgrimage

MAKKAH: Muslims from all around the globe have started performing the main rituals of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Makkah.

The rituals officially started on Wednesday when around three million pilgrims launched their journey to Mina, a small village east of Makkah.

After spending day one in Mina, pilgrims go to the Mount of Arafat where they face Makkah and spend the entire second day praying.

Two UK servicemen die in Afghanistan

LONDON: Britain’s Ministry of Defense says two servicemen have been killed in southern Afghanistan.           

The defense ministry said Wednesday that a Royal Marine from 40 Commando Royal Marines and a soldier from 3 Medical Regiment died from injuries sustained while on patrol in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand Province.

It did not provide further details on the circumstances or name the servicemen, but said their next of kin have been informed.

The deaths bring the number of British personnel killed in Afghanistan since 2001 to 435.

اردو میں پڑھئے



For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

US judge jails ‘Millennium bomber’ for 37 years


LOS ANGELES: A US judge jailed the so-called “Millennium bomber” for 37 years Wednesday for plotting to bomb Los Angeles airport on New Year’s Eve 1999, but rejected calls for a life sentence.

Algerian al Qaeda member Ahmed Ressam, who was arrested as he entered the United States driving a car packed with explosives, was previously jailed for 22 years, but the sentence was quashed, twice, the last time in 2010.

In passing a sentence of 37 years, US District Judge John Coughenour in Seattle rebuffed the prosecution’s calls for Ressam to be jailed for 65 years to life.

US Muslims overwhelmingly support Obama: Poll


American Muslims overwhelmingly support President Barack Obama [ Images ] in his re-election bid, according to a new poll.

Sixty-eight per cent of the respondents said they will vote to re-elect Obama, while only seven per cent said they will vote for his Republican rival Mitt Romney, the poll released by Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Two TTP members planning to target Islamabad Airport arrested


ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) police arrested two militants stated to be members banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) here on Tuesday.

According to security sources, the police on a tip off conducted raid at a hotel where the two TTP militants were present and took them into custody.

Police said that militants had rented a house in vicinity of Airport police station for survey of the area and they were planning an attack on the Islamabad airport and other government offices.

The detainees identified as Mohbat Khan alias Faqeer and Farhatullah alias Janbar were shifted to undisclosed location for further interrogation and according to sources important revelations were expected.

For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

UK based relief organization distribute sacrificial meat in Pakistan


ISLAMABAD: Islamic Relief, a UK based relief and development organization, has planned distribution of sacrificial meat to approximately 36,000 families (250,000 individuals) in Kurram Agency, Nowshera, Charsadda districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Naseerabad, Jaffarabad – Balochistan, Muzaffarabad, Bagh and Neelum districts of Azad Kashmir respectively, said Adnan bin Junaid, Acting Country Director Islamic Relief Pakistan.

Islamic Relief’s ‘Qurbani’ program started in 1986 and over the years has been increasing in size, reaching more and more people every year. In 2011, over 130,000 Qurbanis were performed benefitting nearly four million people in 29 countries including Pakistan, he said.Islamic Relief’s Qurbani parcels are distributed to the most vulnerable people in the communities where we work including orphans, widows, elderly, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees.

Each meat packet on an average contains 5kg of meat which is expected to last a family of four up to a week.
For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs

Mistaken for militant, armyman shot dead in J&K


Srinagar: In an embarrassing development for the armed forces, an armyman was shot dead and three others injured after they were mistaken for fleeing militants by another unit of troops patrolling in the Budgam district on the outskirts of Srinagar on Tuesday.As per reports, after receiving a tip-off about the movement of militants through the area, the security forces had set up a vehicle check post at Chattergam chowk, 20 kilometres from Srinagar, in Chadoora area of Budgam.

On spotting a Tata Sumo, which was carrying armymen from the 35 Rashtriya Rifles in civilian clothes, troops of 53 Rashtriya Rifles opened fire on the vehicle when it did not stop at the check point despite warning.

In the tragic incident, an armyman was killed and three others received serious injuries. Those injured were later shifted to 92 Base Hospital, where the condition of one jawan is stated to critical.

Meanwhile, local police have begun its investigation into the incident.

For more news visit our page : MagazineUrdu News, asianaffairs