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| March 8, 2006 | Wednesday | Safar 7, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Tribal chief urges Musharraf to end military action in region MIR ALI, Pakistan (AP) A prominent tribal chief, Malik Khalid Khan Wazir, on Wednesday urged President Gen. Pervez Musharraf in Rawalpindi to stop military operations in the tribal region near the Afghan border. ``President Musharraf has assured us that he will consider our demands,'' Wazir said. He said they called for a halt in the fighting to allow them to try and negotiate between the fighting parties. Musharraf's spokesman, Gen. Shaukat Sultan, said the president sought the elders' help in the government's efforts to evict foreign militants and their local supporters from the region and the elders promised their ``full support.'' In a statement Wednesday, New York-based Human Rights Watch appealed to both sides, the Pakistani government and militants to ensure ``that civilians are not deliberately targeted and that necessary precautions are taken to avoid civilian casualties.'' Thousands of residents have been displaced by the recent fighting, mostly centered in Miran Shah, which remained under curfew Wednesday.( First Posted @ 15:20 PST Updated@ 20:30 PST)
Pak-US relations are long lasting: Shaukat Aziz ISLAMABAD, Mar 8 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Wednesday said Pak-US relations were long lasting and based on mutual trust and respect. In an interview with CNN, Aziz said, "we are pursuing a comprehensive energy strategy to build water reservoirs, generate hydel and thermal electricity." Replying to a question regarding civil nuclear technology agreement between India and US, he said, "Pakistan is not concerned about it" adding, "we are not paranoid (about) what countries are doing in the neighbourhood. We know that our energy needs and resources have to be met and we have a clear idea how it will be met." Aziz said Pakistan has been cooperating with IAEA and sharing information with it. He assured that "we now have a strong command and control system and mechanism to secure nuclear system and avoid any pilferage."(Posted @ 21:20 PST)
Authorities find 24 more discarded bodies, U.S. soldier killed BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) U.S. and Iraqi patrols discovered 24 bodies, many of them handcuffed and strangled, in various parts of Baghdad, authorities said Wednesday, while bombings and gunfire claimed at least 11 other lives.Among the reported deaths was a U.S. soldier who was killed by a roadside bomb Tuesday near the north-western city of Tal Afar. Four other soldiers were wounded in the attack, the military said. An American military patrol found 18 of the bodies, all males, in an abandoned minibus Tuesday night on a road in Baghdad. Police found the bodies of six more men, four of them strangled and two shot , discarded in other parts of the city. A string of explosions Wednesday killed at least six people, including two young boys, in the capital, police said. A car bomb targeting another U.S. convoy in north Baghdad injured five civilian bystanders, police said. There was no immediate word of American casualties.( First Posted@11:25 PST Updated@ 21:00 PST)
Middle East 'road map' way out of date: U.N. envoy GENEVA, March 8 (Reuters) A U.S.-backed "road map" for Middle East peace is "hopelessly out of date" and needs to be revamped, a United Nations human rights envoy said. In a report to the U.N. Human Rights Commission, South African professor John Dugard said the 2003 road map was drafted before Israel started building its controversial barrier in the West Bank "which has come to symbolise Israeli territorial expansion and oppression". The report said that despite Israel's withdrawal from Gaza settlements last summer, the territory was still effectively occupied. Strict border restrictions, repeated sonic booms and targeted militant assassinations "serve as a constant reminder to the people of Gaza that they remain occupied". Dugard said the West Bank barrier was not just aimed at keeping out suicide bombers as Israel insists, but is also intended to reduce the number of Palestinians in East Jerusalem. "It seems that already 15,000 persons have been displaced as a result of the construction of the wall," Dugard said, adding "this new generation of displaced persons creates a new category of Palestinian refugees." Spates of settler violence, pervasive unemployment, poor health and education services and restrictions on Palestinian movements were also cited as pressing human rights concerns.(Posted @ 20:15 PST)
Palestinian leader Abbas endorses Olmert for Israeli PM ROME, March 8 (Reuters) President Mahmoud Abbas said in remarks published on Wednesday that he hoped Israel's interim prime minister, Ehud Olmert, would win upcoming elections in the Jewish state. "We respect the free will of the Israelis. I hope that Olmert wins. I know him well," Abbas told Italy's Corriere Della Sera newspaper in an interview. Abbas did not elaborate on his reason for backing Olmert.(Posted @ 20:10 PST)
Benazir Bhutto accounts under Spanish microscope MADRID, March 8, 2006 (AFP) Spain's judiciary has opened an investigation into allegations of money laundering against former Pakistani prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, El Pais newspaper reported Wednesday. A judge in the eastern town of Ontiyent near Valencia is investigating movements of cash opened there and other accounts which belong to Bhutto in Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates, El Pais quoted a judicial source as saying.(Posted @ 20:00 PST)
Pakistani court upholds detention of MMA leader LAHORE, Pakistan, March 8, 2006 (AFP) A court on Wednesday upheld the detention of Qazi Hussain Ahmed, chief of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) alliance, officials said. Ahmed, who has since been under detention in his party's Mansoora heqdauarters in Lahore, had challenged his 30-day detention through a petition in the Lahore High Court. "The petition is dismissed," the judge said, adding that details would be released later. Ahmed has the right to appeal.(Posted @ 20:00 PST)
Dozens seized at Baghdad security firm-police BAGHDAD, March 8 (Reuters) Gunmen wearing the uniform of Iraqi police commandos seized dozens of employees from the offices of a security company in eastern Baghdad on Wednesday, police sources said. Two sources said about 50 people were taken. They said that the gunmen, who arrived in at least 10 vehicles, broke into the headquarters compound of the firm in the Zayouna district. One Interior Ministry source said he was unaware of any official police operation in the area.(Posted @ 19:50 PST)
General Abizaid calls on President Musharraf RAWALPINDI, Mar 8 (APP): President General Pervez Musharraf Wednesday emphasized the need to bolster security measures on the Afghan side of the border, and called for greater coordination in the sharing of intelligence in real time. He was talking to Commander US Central Command General John P. Abizaid, currently on a two day official visit to Pakistan, who called on the President here today. During the meeting, Musharraf discussed with Abizaid the situation on the western borders, cooperation between Pakistan and United States in the ongoing war against terrorism and matters pertaining to intelligence sharing, and speedy exchange of information. Abizaid said Pakistan has done more than any other country in combating terrorism and referred to the sacrifices rendered by its security forces. Earlier, the US CENTCOM chief visited the General Headquarters and met with the Vice Chief of Army Staff, General Ahsan Hyat and discussed with him matters of professional interests. They also discussed ways and means to further increase cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries.(First Posted @ 14:45 PST Updated @ 19:40 PST)
Pakistan-Iran train service not suspended: Pak Railways QUETTA, Pakistan, March 8, 2006 (AFP) Pakistan has increased security on passenger trains to Iran following rocket and bomb attacks in Balochistan province but denied reports that train services have been suspended."There is no suspension of the train service from Pakistan to Iran," Pakistan Railways general manager, Salimur Rehman, said. "We suspended goods train service for only 3-4 days but passenger trains are operating," he added. Pakistan operates a fortnightly service to the Iranian border city of Zahedan from Quetta. Pakistan Railways chief operating officer Mohammad Asadullah also stressed that twice-a-month train services to Iran had not been suspended, adding that the next train will go to Zahedan on schedule on March 15. Security on the route has been enhanced following requests by locomotive drivers after recent attacks on trains in Balochistan, he said.( First Posted @ 11:25 PST Updated@ 19:20 PST)
Thousands of women rally to demand freedom, equal rights in Asia MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) Thousands of women from villages and cities across Asia took to the streets Wednesday for International Women's Day to press for freedom, equal rights and an end to discriminatory laws. In Pakistan, 5,000 women rallied in Multan headed by Mukhtar Mai, a gang-rape victim. ``I have dedicated my life to women's rights. Wherever a woman is oppressed, I will go there and fight for her rights,'' Mai told reporters at the rally, which was organized by a women's rights group. About 1,000 other women, mainly school and college girls, also staged a demonstration in front of the Parliament in Islamabad demanding that Hudood Ordinance be repealed. Some 300 women rallied in Karachi pressing the same demand. In Bangladesh, thousands joined calls for an end to attacks with flesh-burning acid that leaves hundreds of women disfigured each year. Protests took place in nearly 30 cities across Bangladesh on Wednesday in which both men and women marched together. In Indonesia's Aceh province, hundreds of women protested what they said was unequal treatment under Shariah law. In Kuala Lumpur, delegates at a women's conference said that women were making strides in gaining equality, but there was still a long way to go. In the Philippines, 12,000 women marched along the main avenue of Manila's financial district, calling also for the ouster of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.(Posted @ 18:50 PST)
India refuses to let Kashmiri leader visit Pakistan SRINAGAR, Occupied Kashmir, March 8, 2006 (AFP) Syed Ali Geelani, a senior All Parties Hurriyat Conference(APHC) leader, said Wednesday that he has been refused permission by India to travel to Pakistan for a three-day international conference on the Kashmir dispute. "I am willing to attend the meeting but I have been refused a passport by India," said Geelani. There was no immediate comment available from the passport office in Srinagar. Other leader including Yasin Malik of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, were granted permission to travel and are now in Pakistan to attend the Pugwash Conference on Kashmir. "To ward off notions that I am against talks I agreed to attend the Pugwash meeting, but the Indian government didn't give me permission," he added.(Posted @ 18:05 PST)
Cricket-Pakistan appoints Waqar Younis as bowling coach KARACHI, March 8 (Reuters) Pakistan has appointed former captain and fast bowler Waqar Younis as their bowling coach until the 2007 World Cup. "Waqar will be looking after the Pakistan senior, A and under-19 teams besides being based at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore," Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) director Abbas Zaidi said Wednesday. Zaidi also announced that former test captain Zaheer Abbas would be manager of the Sri Lankan tour which starts next week.(Posted @ 17:45 PST)
Aziz meets representatives of British Muslim community LONDON, March 08 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz called upon the British Muslim community to ensure unity in their ranks and to join the mainstream British politics. He was talking to the representatives here late Tuesday which included British MP Khalid Mehmooud, Mohammad Sarwar, Lord Bahthia, Vice Chairman of the Conservative party Syeda Varsi Baronness Kishwar Falkner, Yasmin Qureshi, Syed Ghaussuddin and Qari Abdul Aziz Chishti.(Posted @ 17:40 PST)
India opposes Pakistan's plan to build Bhasha dam NEW DELHI (AP) Indian officials have filed an official protest against Pakistan's decision to build Bhasha dam, a statement said Wednesday. ``The Government of India conveyed through diplomatic channels today to the Government of Pakistan, its protest against the proposed construction of Bhasha dam,'' said a statement by the Indian External Affairs Ministry. ``The reservoir of this dam, according to media reports, will inundate large parts of land which falls in the northern part of the (Occupied) state of Jammu and Kashmir,'' it alleged in the statement.(Posted @ 17:30 PST)
OPEC to forgo production cut; Kuwaiti predicts price drop VIENNA, Austria (AP) OPEC all but abandoned the idea of cutting production to ease high oil prices at a meeting Wednesday, and Kuwait's oil minister predicted prices would fall below the US$60 per barrel threshold in the second quarter. Kuwait's oil minister, Sheik Ahmed Fahd Al Ahmed Al Sabah said he thinks prices will drop below US$60 by the end of June, but are likely to rebound to the US$60 range in the fourth quarter. Oil ministers meeting held behind closed doors at the headquarters of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries conceded that prices were uncomfortably high, but cautioned against lowering output at a time when extremists are attacking energy installations in Nigeria and the Middle East. (Posted @ 15:50 PST)
World must give in to Iran’s right to enrichment: Ahmadinejad TEHRAN, Iran (AP) President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that the world must give in to what he said was Iran's right to enrich uranium. ``Our nation has made its decision to fully use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and all have to give in to this decision made by the Iranian nation,'' said Ahmadinejad. ``If anybody seeks to violate our rights, the Iranian nation will place the sign of disgrace on their forehead,'' he told thousands of people gathered in Khorramabad, capital of Lorestan province in western Iran. (Posted @ 15:50 PST)
Iran must obey IAEA requests or face Security Council: EU VIENNA, March 8, 2006 (AFP) Iran must stop uranium enrichment work and cooperate fully with United Nations inspectors if it is to avoid scrutiny from the UN Security Council, the European Union told a meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, Wednesday. Thomas Seltzer, Austria's representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency, said that if Iran failed to comply, "the Security Council should now put its weight behind the (IAEA) board's requests and the IAEA's efforts to resolve outstanding questions." (Posted @ 15:35 PST)
Indian president arrives in Myanmar to boost business ties YANGON, March 8, 2006 (AFP) President Abdul Kalam arrived Wednesday on the first-ever visit by an Indian head of state to Myanmar, aiming to improve business ties between the neighbours. All the top junta leaders, including military supremo Senior General Than Shwe, greeted Kalam at Yangon airport as he arrived on the four-day trip. The secretive military government has given no details about the visit, but Indian officials said Kalam will discuss energy and technological links with Than Shwe. (Posted @ 15:30 PST)
Race to save Pakistani quake survivors during winter has been won: U.N. ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) The threat of winter creating a second humanitarian disaster after the Oct. 8 earthquake that killed more than 80,000 people in northern Pakistan has been averted, a U.N. official declared Wednesday. In a press conference marking five months since the magnitude-7.6 quake, U.N. Deputy Humanitarian Aid Coordinator Jamie McGoldrick said the worst of winter had passed without a second wave of deaths, a large population exodus from the mountains, severe malnutrition or outbreaks of epidemics. ``We think the winter phase is over; the winter race has been won,'' McGoldrick told reporters. The U.N. would soon announce a one-year plan starting in April for recovery and reconstruction in the disaster area to follow the initial emergency response phase, he said. (Posted @ 14:45 PST)
Former officer in Saddam Hussein's army killed in western Baghdad BAGHDAD, March 8(AP) A former officer in Saddam Hussein's army was shot dead Wednesday morning in Amariyah in western Baghdad, police said. Assailants in a speeding car forced retired Brig. Hussein Ali Owaid's vehicle off the road and gunned him down, police Lt. Maitham Abdul-Razzaq said. (Posted @ 13:10 PST)
Inzamam, Dravid to be honoured at UN HQ in New York UNITED NATIONS, Mar 8 (APP) Captains of national cricket teams of Pakistan and India are among a galaxy of top sportsmen from around the world who are likely to attend a special event at UN Headquarters in New York next month. Inzamam-ul-Haq and Rahul Dravid have been invited to the April 3 event aimed at building on the momemtum generated by International Year of Sport and Physical Education, Djibril Diallo, Director if the UN Office of Sport for development and peace, told a news conference on Tuesday. Other sportsmen on the occasion will be Brazil's legendary football player Pele, top-ranked tennis star Roger Federer and New York Marathon winner Tegla Loroupe of Kenya. (Posted @ 13:00 PST)
Journalist among four hurt in Bangladesh blast DHAKA, March 8 (AFP)) Four people including a journalist were injured when three hand-made bombs were hurled at them in an attack in Jhenidah town in southern Bangladesh, police said Wednesday. The journalist, a correspondent of Bengali-language national daily Naya Diganta, and three others were at a local construction firm when they were targeted. "One of them had injuries in his eyes while the journalist suffered minor injuries to his face, Jhenidah town police chief Abdul Aziz said. Officers were investigating whether a Maoist group had carried out the bombing, he said but ruled out any link to Jamayetul Mujahideen (JMB) which has been blamed for nationwide attacks since August. (Posted @ 12:55 PST)
Prince Charles, PM agree media has key role in creating inter-faith harmony LONDON March 7 (APP) Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz called on the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles at Clarence House and they agreed that media had a key role to play in creating inter-faith harmony. The Prince of Wales said he was proud of the British engineers, commandos, British Government, NATO forces, NGOs and civil society for providing help to the victims of October 8 earthquake. He said he was interested in supporting an event that could raise funds for the quake victims. (Posted @ 11:25 PST)
PM meets Archbishop of Canterbury, discusses interfaith harmony LONDON, March 8 (APP) Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had a meeting Tuesday with Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rown Williams at the Lambeth Palacee and discussed with him means to promote inter-faith harmony. At the hour-long meeting they discussed the situation arising from publication of blasphemous cartoons. Dr. Williams told the Prime Minister that he had called for civility between faiths and that he had been dismayed by the publication of the sketches and considered it "a foolish and needless provocation". Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz explained the steps and the actions that Pakistan had been taking at the global level to ensure that such acts did not recur. They also discussed the status of Christian minority in Pakistan, and the Prime Minister told the Archbishop of Canterbury that he had recently met the bishops in Pakistan and that he would always make himself available to any issue that the bishops in Pakistan may like to raise with him. (Posted @ 11:20 PST)
Musharraf sees strong will to boost Sino-Pak ties BEIJING, March 8 (APP) "Deeper than oceans and higher than mountains", this is how President General Pervez Musharraf described Sino-Pakistan relations, in an interview with a leading Chinese English magazine, Beijing Review. The interview published this week, President Musharraf said his recent talks with the Chinese leadership helped to achieve concrete results, consolidating their relationship in all fields of common interests, including defence and economic affairs. The two sides, he said shared common perception on various issues, and agreed to maintain close contacts, pushing forward their joint efforts promoting peace and development at all levels. About the interaction at the regional level, the President said, Pakistan can serve as a "trade corridor", "energy corridor" and a "transport hub" in the region. (Posted @ 11:00 PST)
Indian police shoot dead bomb blast suspect LUCKNOW, India, March 8, 2006 (AFP) Indian police shot dead Wednesday a man suspected of involvement in three blasts in Varanasi which killed 23 people, police superintendent Rajesh Pandey said. He named the man as Salar and said he was found with 2.5 kilograms of explosives after the clash with police on the outskirts of the Uttar Pradesh state capital Lucknow, 300 kilometers north of Varanasi. PTI news agency said Salar was a suspected member of Lashkar-e- Tayyeba, which is fighting Indian rule in occupied Kashmir. (Posted @ 10:55 PST)
42 feared dead in Nepal bus accident KATHMANDU, March 8, 2006 (AFP) Twelve bodies have been found and at least 30 people are still missing after a crowded bus plunged into a river Tuesday from a mountainous road in southwestern Nepal, a police officer said Wednesday. The bus carrying about 50 persons swerved to avoid an oncoming car, skidded off the highway and plunged 100 metres into a deep river, said the police officer from Dhading district. "The bus is still submerged in the river," said the officer. Seven passengers were fished out of the Trishuli river but at least 30 others were swept away, he said. (Posted @ 10:50 PST)
Annan accuses U.S. forces, Iraqi authorities UNITED NATIONS, March 8 (AP) U.S.led coalition forces and Iraq's authorities may be violating international law by arbitrarily detaining thousands of people, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a report. Tuesday's report, which studied the situation in Iraq over the last three months, said Iraq's prison system remains a major concern and lamented that an investigation into allegations of torture inIraqi Interior Ministry jails had not yet been made public as promised. Annan also noted a rise in sectarian strife and said attacks against places of worship were higher than ever. Baghdad's Forensic Institute alone received 787 bodies, 479 of which had gunshot wounds, since early December. (Posted @ 10:40 PST)
Indian temple town toll rises to 23 LUCKNOW, India, March 8, 2006 (AFP) The death toll from three separate bomb attacks in the Hindu holy city of Varanasi has climbed to 23, with 68 others injured, an official said Wednesday. "Two more people died overnight in hospital and the toll is now 23," after Tuesday's attacks, said police official Paresh Pandey. Thirty-five of the wounded were in serious condition, he added. No one has claimed responsibility for the blasts, but Indian media have pointed a finger at militants from Kashmir who have carried out a series of bloody attacks in a long-running campaign against Indian rule in occupied Kashmir. (Posted @ 09:35 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 486.65 points: KARACHI, March 8: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 10598.38, down 486.65 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:25 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, March 8: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.05 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:25 PST)
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