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| February 21, 2006 | Tuesday | Muharram 22, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Musharraf, Wen pledge to take Sino-Pak ties to new height BEIJING, Feb. 21 (APP): President Pervez Musharraf and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Tuesday noted with satisfaction the growing Sino-Pak ties in multi-faceted areas and agreed that their mutual cooperation has contributed to peace and stability in the region. "Your visit will further promote and develop cooperation between the two countries," Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in his opening remarks while welcoming the President to the talks held at the Premier's office. Musharraf briefed him on Pakistan's initiatives for peace in the region and efforts to normalize its relations with India through peaceful resolution of all outstanding issues including Kashmir. Earlier, President Musharraf also called on Chairman Jia Qingling of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and exchanged views on ways to further promote ties between their countries. Describing Musharraf's visit as "very fruitful" the Chairman noted that two sides had been able to reach extensive consensus and understanding on major regional and international issues of mutual interest. On the occasion, President Musharraf also thanked the Chairman for Chinese support for relief and reconstruction efforts in earthquake hit regions of Azad Kashmir and NWFP.(Posted @ 17:10 PST)
Pakistan, OIC call for respect to Islam; urge Muslims to avoid violence ISLAMABAD, Feb 21 (APP): Pakistan and the Organisation of Islamic Conferences (OIC) Tuesday called upon the West to respect and maintain the dignity of Islam. A joint statement issued after the meeting of Foreign Minister Khurshid M Kasuri and OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said "the blasphemous sketches in several European newspapers enraged the entire Muslim Ummah and provoked disturbing tensions that regrettably resulted in a loss of innocent lives". They also regretted the failure of some newspapers and governments to apologize to the Muslims after the incident and pointed out that no legal action was initiated against those responsible for such provocative publications. The statement condemned the "deliberate abuse of the right to freedom of opinion and expression to incite hatred and insults against Islam." They called for establishing State responsibility to criminalise acts of defamation. To achieve this, the two sides called for evolving an international legally binding convention or an additional protocol to one of the existing mechanisms on "Defamation of Religions". It would also promote the adoption of an appropriate resolution in the United Nations General Assembly as a follow-up of the UNGA's resolution 60/150 on `Defamation of Religions', the statement added.(Posted @ 22:56 PST)
Top Bosnian Serb war crimes fugitive Mladic arrested BELGRADE, Feb 21, 2006 (AFP) Top Bosnian Serb war crimes fugitive Ratko Mladic was arrested in Belgrade on Tuesday, more than a decade after he was indicted for ordering the Srebrenica massacre, B92 radio quoted an unofficial source as saying. Mladic was arrested in the Serbian capital before being transferred to the northern Bosnian town of Tuzla, the independent B92 radio station said. The former Bosnian Serb general was indicted in 1995 by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) for ordering the three-and-a-half year siege of Sarajevo and the Srebrenica massacre of 8,000 Muslims during Bosnia's 1992-1995 war.(Posted @ 23:15 PST)
Abbas asks Hamas's Haniyeh to form government GAZA, Feb 21 (Reuters) President Mahmoud Abbas asked Hamas prime minister-designate Ismail Haniyeh on Tuesday to form a government, officials said. At a meeting in Gaza, Abbas handed a letter of accreditation to Haniyeh, formally appointing him to put together an administration. Haniyeh will have up to five weeks to do so.(Posted @ 23:04 PST)
Renowned actor Sir Ben Kingsley visits Pakistan; meets PM Aziz ISLAMABAD, Feb 21 (APP): Academy award winner Sir Ben Kingsley visited Pakistan Tuesday and called on Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz at the Prime Minister House. Aziz informed Sir Kingsley that the International Relief agency which he represents did an excellent job in providing relief to the earthquake affectees. Sir Kingsley assured the Prime Minister that he would continue to raise more funds for the affectees.(Posted @ 22:40 PST)
Iraq's Jaafari rejects U.S. sectarian warning BAGHDAD, Feb 21 (Reuters): Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari dismissed on Tuesday U.S. warnings to shun sectarianism in the country's new government, saying Iraqis would not accept interference in their affairs. Speaking after talks with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, Jaafari said Iraq knew its own best interests. "When someone asks us whether we want a sectarian government the answer is 'no we do not want a sectarian government', not because the U.S. ambassador says so or issues a warning," he told a news conference. "...We do not need anybody to remind us, thank you."(First Posted @ 20:25 PST Updated @ 20:38 PST)
Pakistan, China to undertake joint ventures worth $500 million BEIJING, Feb. 21 (APP): The private sectors of Pakistan and China on Tuesday signed 19 agreements and MoUs worth $500 million to undertake joint ventures in various sectors of bilateral interest. The signing ceremony was held at Pak-China investment forum, in presence of President Pervez Musharraf. The projects relate to real estate development, Karachi mass transit communication network, chemical fertilizer, auto-mobile and agro-based industry. These projects will be implemented within next four to five years. Under one agreement, a television station would also be set up.(Posted @ 20:32 PST)
Cricket-India to play Pakistan in fundraiser for quake victims NEW DELHI, Feb 21 (Reuters) India and Pakistan will play a one-day international in April to raise funds for victims of last year's devastating earthquake in Kashmir. The teams will play two one-dayers in the Gulf city of Abu Dhabi on April 18 and 19, an Indian cricket board official told reporters on Tuesday. Three-quarters of the proceeds from the first game will go to victims in Pakistan and the rest to those affected in Occupied Kashmir.(Posted @ 20:32 PST)
Car bomb kills 21, wounds 25 in Baghdad market BAGHDAD, Feb 21 (Reuters) The casualty toll from a car bomb attack in Baghdad on Tuesday has climbed to at least 21 dead and 25 people wounded, police sources said.(First Posted @ 11:55 PST Updated @ 20:22 PST)
Pakistan resolved to expand Sino-Pak ties in all spheres: Musharraf BEIJING, Feb.21 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf said Tuesday that Sino-Pak ties would continue to grow and expressed the resolve to expand the horizon of mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries. Speaking at a ceremony to mark the 55th anniversary of Pak-China diplomatic relations, the President said he was confident that these time-tested relations would grow in strength with each passing year. Chinese leader Tang Jiaxuan said that Pakistan and China were linked by rivers and mountains and their people share deep affection and love.(Posted @ 20:08 PST)
OIC foreign ministers moot to discuss blasphemous cartoons issue: Aziz ISLAMABAD, Feb 21 (APP): Pakistan Tuesday formally requested the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) to convene a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of member states to discuss the issue of publication of blasphemous cartoons and chart a course of action. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz after meeting the OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu told newsmen here at the PM house that they discussed in detail matters related to the Muslim Ummah and in particular the publication of blasphemous cartoons. Aziz said Pakistan would also send a parliamentary delegation to Brussels to meet members of European Parliament and discuss the matter with their parliamentary colleagues. "We genuinely believe in interfaith harmony and feel Islamophobia will not help the cause of anyone in the world," he added. Ihsanoglu said "we are not challenging their notion of freedom of expression and freedom of press, [but it] should include our sensitive points, if they really respect the Muslim world," he added. To a question, he rejected what he described as the "fallacy of clash of civilisations" and said "we do not want the conflict to take the shape of inter-faith, of inter-civilisation and inter-culture conflict, which can be very dangerous game; we should really discuss the issues in real perspective…."(Posted @ 20:05 PST)
Secretary General OIC asks COMSTECH to adapt to new advances ISLAMABAD, Feb 21 (APP): Secretary General OIC, Prof. Dr. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu on Tuesday asked the COMSTECH to come up with schemes that would change the trend of its member states from being mere recipients of technology to innovators. The Secretary General was addressing the 12th General Assembly Meeting of the OIC's Ministerial Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation(COMSTECH) inaugurated here at Convention Centre. "We are sincerely working to restructure the OIC's institutional capacity to face the new challenges," he said and added this important task will require resources, the will of the member states and inputs from eminent experts and scholars.(First Posted@ 16:56 PST Updated @ 19:56 PST)
Thousands march to honour Bangladeshi martyrs DHAKA, Feb 21, 2006 (AFP): Hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshis walked barefoot Tuesday to a monument in Dhaka to remember the five "language martyrs" whose deaths 54 years ago triggered the nation's struggle for independence. The five martyrs who had demanded that Bengali be declared the state language of Bangladesh were killed when police fired on thousands of protesters at Dhaka University on February 21, 1952. Bangladeshi President Iajuddin Ahmed and Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, both barefoot, led the nation in honouring the dead by placing wreaths at the Central Language Martyrs' Memorial at Dhaka University early Tuesday.(Posted @ 19:50 PST)
Thousands protest against blasphemous cartoons in South Waziristan PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Feb 21, 2006 (Agencies) Around 5,000 tribesmen protested Tuesday against blasphemous cartoons in Sarwakai, a village in South Waziristan tribal area bordering Afghanistan, carrying banners condemning Denmark and other European countries where the drawings were published. Shopkeepers in Rawalpindi were also reported to have kept their shutters closed Tuesday in protest.(Posted @ 19:36 PST)
Rice arrives in Egypt to kick off Mideast tour CAIRO, Feb 21, 2006 (AFP) US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived Tuesday in Egypt on the first leg of a five-day tour of the Middle East aimed at bolstering Washington's programme of democratisation in the region. The US diplomacy chief was scheduled Tuesday to hold talks with Egypt's intelligence supremo Omar Suleiman, Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit and Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif. She is expected to meet President Hosni Mubarak and members of Egypt's civil society on Wednesday before flying on to Riyadh.(Posted @ 18:38 PST)
Indian police fire at water rioters, one killed MUMBAI, Feb 21 (Reuters) Police fired at thousands of rioting farmers in the remote Chargarh village of Maharashtra state on Monday evening to stop them from damaging a dam during a protest against a water shortage, killing one of them, authorities said on Tuesday.(Posted @ 18:18 PST)
WHO sees continuing human risk from bird flu GENEVA, Feb 21 (Reuters) No human cases of avian flu have been found in India, Egypt or Nigeria but transmission risks remain as long as the virus is present in birds, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday. A WHO spokesman told a press briefing that "a number of people" with flu-like symptoms have been tested for the H5N1 strain in the three countries, where outbreaks have been reported in birds. "There is really no time frame. As long as the virus is circulating it could jump into humans," he added.(Posted @ 18:18 PST)
Turkish PM raps Israel over Palestinian sanctions ANKARA, Feb 21 (Reuters) Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday criticised Israel's use of economic sanctions against Palestinians for voting Hamas into power and defended Ankara's decision to hold talks with the group. "The result of the (Palestinian) elections has brought a new structure. If we try to tame this new structure by economic methods, this cannot be called democracy," Erdogan told a gathering of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). "This would be controlled democracy which would be disrespectful to the Palestinian people," he said in televised remarks.(Posted @ 18:14 PST)
Pakistan arrests head of human trafficking network ISLAMABAD, Feb 21 (Reuters) Security agencies arrested a man in Gujrat city accused of being the leader of a 10-year old network involved in smuggling hundreds of people to Greece and other European countries, Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, the interior minister told a regional conference on combating human trafficking Tuesday. He said the government was pursuing the man's son and other members of his network operating in Turkey and Greece. "During interrogation he has revealed that he had smuggled around 500 people to Greece alone," an intelligence official said.(Posted @ 18:00 PST)
COMSTECH must focus on developing technologies for development: PM Aziz ISLAMABAD, Feb 21 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Tuesday emphasized the need for developing appropriate technologies and urged the OIC’s Committee on Science and Technology (COMSTECH) to find ways to ensure energy, water and food security for the future development of the Islamic world. Addressing the 12th session of the General Assembly of COMSTECH here at the Convention Centre, he said in order to reap the benefits of science and technology, there was a vital need for the development of Muslim world's human resources. He asked the member countries to spend at least one percent of their GDP on science and technology. He also called upon the Muslim world to take up the challenge of creating a world class institution for the development of science and technology.(Posted @ 17:50 PST)
Pakistan-China trade to keep rising through liberal market access: Musharraf BEIJING, Feb. 21 (APP): President Pervez Musharraf Tuesday hoped that Sino-Pak trade would reach a higher level in the coming years after the free trade agreement. “Products of each country would be available in their respective markets by establishing tax-free regime, under a Free Trade Agreement," he said while addressing a Pak-China Business Forum held here at the State Guest House. The forum, attended by over 500 entrepreneurs was also addressed by the Chinese Commerce Minister Bo Xilai and top-ranking Chinese business executives. Musharraf invited Chinese entrepreneurs to invest in a number of sectors of Pakistan including textile, telecom, information technology, construction, housing, and food processing. He announced that exclusive economic zones would be established for the Chinese investors.(Posted @ 17:48 PST)
Unresolved political disputes biggest threats to world peace: Musharraf BEIJING, Feb.21 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf Tuesday described the unresolved political disputes in the world and inter-faith disharmony as the biggest threats to global stability and urged the leading powers to make collective efforts for a peaceful world. Speaking at China's Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, he said "while the world saw a momentous development in the end of cold war era in the last decade, new threats emerged because old disputes like Palestine and Kashmir persisted without resolution." Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran, he said, have now also been added to this list of issues. He called for upholding the principles of United Nations and making it a more potent body. "The Palestine and Kashmir disputes, which lie at the core of extremism and terrorism at the moment, are ripe for resolution," he stressed. In this regard, he referred to his proposals of de-militarization and self-governance in Kashmir as a way forward to resolve the dispute in an acceptable manner for all three parties.(Posted @ 17:24 PST)
China wants to enhance cooperation with Pakistan: top legislator BEIJING, Feb. 21 (APP):- The National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, wants to continue to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with its Pakistani counterpart, said NPC Standing Committee Chairman Wu Bangguo in a meeting with President Pervez Musharraf who is here on a five-day state visit. Wu said relations between China and Pakistan have been developing ever since. The two sides have had frequent high-level exchanges and political mutual trust has been increasingly deepened. Both sides have continuously strengthened cooperation for mutual benefit, cooperated closely in international and regional affairs, and communicated and coordinated well in fields like fighting terrorism and safeguarding regional security, he added. Musharraf said Pakistan hopes to further consolidate political relations with China, and to expand cooperation in fields of economy, trade and education with China. He also hoped that the two countries could continue to support and coordinate with each other in anti-terrorism efforts and major international and regional affairs, to safeguard the security and stability of the region. Musharraf expressed his condolences over the death of three Chinese engineers who were recently killed in Pakistan. He strongly condemned the terrorists' attempts to damage Pakistan-China relations.(Posted @ 10:15 PST)
Land mine kills three villagers near Quetta QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) A land mine exploded beneath a cow-drawn cart Tuesday on a dirt road in Chitter, about 250 kilometres southeast of Quetta, killing three villagers, a government spokesman said. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.(Posted @ 17:06 PST)
U.S. general expects more violence in Afghanistan BAGRAM, Afghanistan, Feb 21 (Reuters) Insurgents will increase attacks in Afghanistan in coming months, the top U.S. general in the country said on Tuesday, as NATO finalised plans to deploy troops in the south of the country. Lieutenant-General Karl Eikenberry said U.S.-led forces would expand efforts to improve coordination and trust between Afghan and Pakistani forces as part of a campaign aimed against insurgents.(Posted @ 16:56 PST)
School bombed in Pakistani tribal area, no casualties WANA, Pakistan, Feb 21, 2006 (AFP) Unknown attackers blew up a school late Monday in Angoor Adda, some 45 kilometers west of Wana, the main town in South Waziristan tribal district, but there were no casualties, officials said Tuesday. It was not clear who carried out the bombing, the official added.(Posted @ 16:54 PST)
Eleven sentenced to death in Pakistan terrorism case KARACHI, Feb 21 (Reuters) An anti-terrorism court sentenced 11 members of an al Qaeda-linked group, Jundullah, to death on Tuesday after finding them guilty of killing 10 people in an attack on a top military commander in 2004, lawyers said. Judge Feroz Mehmood Bhatti said all those accused were found guilty of masterminding attacks on a convoy escorting the then Lieutenant-General Ahsan Saleem Hayat in June 2004. Hayat, now a full General, escaped unharmed, but 10 people, including six soldiers, were killed and 12 other people wounded. Atta-ur Rehman, the ring-leader of the group, said they would appeal to a higher court. "We will appeal at the high court within seven days," he told reporters after the verdict.(Posted @ 16:50 PST)
Pakistani fighter jet crashes, pilot ejects to safety ISLAMABAD, Feb 21, 2006 (AFP) A Pakistan Air Force fighter jet crashed “due to technical reasons” during a training mission Tuesday but the pilot ejected safely, a military spokesman said. The Chinese-made F-7 came down in Jhang district in central Punjab province, the spokesman added.(Posted @ 16:42 PST)
Straw in Baghdad says British troops "to clean up some politics" LONDON, Feb 21, 2006 (AFP) Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, on a snap visit to Baghdad, defended British troops in Iraq on Tuesday, saying there were attempting "to clean up some politics" in the south of the country. He was to hold talks Tuesday with Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari and President Jalal Talabani to discuss the way forward for Iraq's fledgling government after December's general elections. Speaking to BBC radio from Baghdad, Straw dismissed a decision by provincial authorities in southern Iraq to not to cooperate over abuses committed by British forces.(First Posted @14:30 PST Updated @ 15:50 PST)
Iranian-Russian nuclear talks end in Moscow MOSCOW, Feb 21, 2006 (AFP) Iranian and Russian officials Tuesday wrapped up their talks on a Russian proposal to enrich uranium for Tehran but no results were announced from Moscow. "It is premature to talk about the results," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told journalists. In Tehran however, state television quoted the head of the Iranian delegation as saying the countries had agreed on the principles of a "common formula." (First Posted @ 14:48 PST Updated @ 15:45 PST)
Iraqi minister escapes injury in bomb attack BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) An Iraqi Cabinet minister escaped injury Tuesday when a bomb exploded near her convoy in eastern Baghdad, police said. Three security guards were wounded. The attack on Suhaila Abed Jaafar, minister of migration, was made as she was travelling along Mohammed al-Qassim highway, police said. (Posted @ 12:20 PST)
Spokesman for Sunni political group found dead three days after disappeared BAGHDAD, Iraq, Feb 21 (AP) Saad Jarallah, spokesman for the National Dialogue Council, a Sunni political group headed by Khalaf al-Ilyan, was found dead of multiple gunshot wounds three days after he disappeared from Baghdad's Ghazaliyah district, family and associates said Tuesday. (Posted @ 12:10 PST)
First batch of US doctors leaves ISLAMABAD, Feb 21 (APP) First batch of US-Hospital (MASH) medical team, comprising 82 doctors and paramedics that worked to provide relief to the earthquake victims in Muzaffarabad departed here on Tuesday. The team had inter-alia had set up a number of field hospitals in quake ravaged areas, and is also leaving behind two MASH hospitals. (Posted @ 11:45 PST)
Concerned over blasphemous sketches, UN chief to attend Qatar intercultural panel UNITED NATIONS, Feb 21 (APP) Deeply concerned over the continuing violence over blasphemous sketches, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan will go to Qatar this weekend for a meeting on mutual respect between cultures, his spokesman said. "He hopes on that occasion to meet a number of leaders from Europe and from the Islamic world, and to discuss with them ways of calming the situation," the spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said of the meeting of the High-Level Group for the Alliance of Civilizations. The panel would also discuss ways of "allowing a constructive dialogue between people of different faiths and traditions based on mutual understanding and respect," he added. The high-level panel was established last July by Mr. Annan as part of an effort to bridge gaps between cultures, particularly Islam and the West, that threaten peace in the world. At this weekend's meeting, the panellists will discuss ways to engage youth and immigrant populations to help bridge differences and combat extremism, Dujarric said. (Posted @ 10:40 PST)
Death toll in Nigeria's blasphemous sketches violence rises to 24 LAGOS, Feb 21 (APP/AFP) The death toll in weekend violence in two major towns of Nigeria over the publication of blasphemous sketches has risen to 24, the Red Cross said Monday, putting the number of wounded at 230. (Posted @ 10:20 PST)
Army helicopter with four on board crashes in Greece ATHENS, Greece, Feb 21 (AP) A Greek army helicopter with four military personnel on board crashed in northern Greece late Monday, authorities said. Rescue teams recovered the bodies of two crew members from the debris, police said. The other two crewmen were also feared dead. The helicopter had taken off on a training flight.(Posted @ 10:00 PST)
Bush: US cannot be held hostage by foreign oil MILWAUKEE, Feb 21 (AP) Saying the United States cannot be put in a situation where it is ``held hostage'' by foreign oil, President George W. Bush on Monday outlined his plan to make the U.S. more energy independent. During the first stop on a two-day trip to talk about energy, Bush said some of these foreign suppliers have ``unstable'' governments that have fundamental differences with America.``It creates a national security issue and we're held hostage for energy by foreign nations that may not like us,'' he said. One of Bush's proposals would expand research into smaller, longer-lasting batteries for electric-gas hybrid cars, including plug-ins. He highlighted that initiative with a visit Monday to the battery center at Milwaukee-based auto-parts supplier Johnson Controls Inc.(Posted @ 09:55 PST)
Eight wounded in sectarian clashes south of Cairo CAIRO, Feb 21, 2006 (AFP) Eight Egyptians were wounded Monday in clashes between Muslims and Christians south of Cairo, police said. The violence erupted in the village of Al-Ayat, some 15 miles south of Cairo, following Muslim anger over the construction by the local Christian minority of a centre for their community which Muslims feared would be converted into a church. The clashes left five Muslims and three Christians wounded, but none were believed to be in serious condition. On Saturday, witnesses said, one person was killed and several others injured in clashes in a village near the southern Egyptian town of Bani Mazar after the alleged burning of the Holy Quran by Christians.(Posted @ 09:55 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 95.65 points: KARACHI, Feb 21: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 11537.50, up 95.65 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:25 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Feb 21: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.03 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:25 PST)
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