|
|
| August 28, 2006 | Monday | Sha'aban 3, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Thousands observe strike in Balochistan to protest Nawab Bugti’s death QUETTA, Pakistan, Aug 28 (AP) Fresh riots broke out Monday in Balochistan where thousands observed a large-scale strike and lawmakers condemned the government over the weekend killing of Jamhori Watan Party chief, Nawab Akbar Bugti, in a military raid. On Monday, five people were injured in clashes between protesters and police in the town of Pasni where several shops were set ablaze in the bazaar. Police fired tear gas sand gunshots into the air to disperse a mob. In Gawadar, nearly 1,000 protesters set a bank and two shops on fire, police said. Lawmakers denounced the government in the provincial assembly session in Quetta. ``This is a major event in Baluch history. We didn't join this country in 1947 to have our tribal elders, political leaders and children killed,'' said opposition leader Kachkul Ali Baluch. Police took three opposition lawmakers into custody immediately after they left the assembly building, said Sen. Abdul Malik Baluch, who too was detained in a Quetta police station. He claimed that more than 600 supporters of ethnic political parties were arrested across Balochistan since Sunday. There was no immediate official confirmation of the latest arrests. U.S.-based Human Rights Watch demanded an investigation be held into the raid that led to Bugti's death amid ``allegations of the use of disproportionate force.'' (First Posted @ 11:16 PST Updated @ 15:09 PST)
Govt determined to maintain law & order at all cost: Shaukat Aziz ISLAMABAD, Aug 28 (PPI) Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Monday said the government was determined to maintain law and order at all cost. Addressing a news conference he said the government is working on an agenda for accelerated development and resolving issues through dialogue and no one would be allowed to play with peace. He expressed the confidence that the incident of killing of Akbar Bugti will not have any negative impact on political process. Referring to the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti, the Prime Minister said it was not a targeted action. Security forces took the step in retaliation. He said heavy equipment was being shifted to the site to clear the rubble and recover the bodies including those of the security forces. He said as soon as the body of late Nawab Akbar Bugti is retrieved it will be handed over to his relatives. He also said there was no credible information about the presence of grand-sons of Nawab Akbar Bugti among those killed in the cave. Answering questions, PML President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain who was present on the occasion asked the opposition not to do politics on the dead bodies and avoid taking undue political mileage over this incident. He said the Parliamentary Committee on Balochistan is working according to its mandate as it was formulated for the whole province and not only for Dera Bugti. (Posted @ 19:46 PST)
Pakistani court orders release of Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief ISLAMABAD, Aug 28 (Reuters) The detention of ex-leader of Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group, Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, was declared illegal by a Pakistani court on Monday and his release ordered, the court and his lawyer said. Saeed, the head of the charity group Jamaat-ud-Dawa, was placed under house arrest in Lahore on Aug. 10. The Lahore high court said on Monday that the government had failed to produce evidence to justify Saeed's detention, his lawyer said. A court official confirmed the ruling. (Posted @ 14:54 PST)
UN chief urges Israel to lift Lebanon blockade BEIRUT, Aug 28, (AFP) - UN Secretary General Kofi Annan called Monday for Israel to lift its blockade of Lebanon and for Hezbollah to free two captured Israeli soldiers. Annan told a news conference the United Nations was also ready to assist in an exchange of prisoners. "We are working for the lifting of the siege, I am discussing it with the Israeli authorities tomorrow, I hope there will be some movements on this in the not-too-distant future," he said. (Posted @ 23:46 PST)
PML (N) summons MPs resignations KARACHI, August 28: Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) Monday asked its members of the national and the provincial assemblies to deposit their resignations with Raja Zafarul Haq. The decision was taken by the party’s central working committee which discussed the “grave situation” arising out of the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti, party spokesman Zafar Iqbal Jhagra told a private TV channel. The decision has been endorsed by Mian Nawaz Sharif; he said adding that the timing of submitting the resignations to the speakers of the respective assemblies will be taken in consultation with the other opposition parties including the ARD, the MMA, and the PPP etc. This consultation is already underway, he said. MMA chief Qazi Husain Ahmad and ARD chief and PPP leader Makhdoom Amin Fahim told the TV station that the combined opposition will take a unified stand on the matter as the country was facing a very serious crisis. Mr Nawaz Sharif told the private TV station that the FIR will also be registered in the Kohlu incident in which Nawab Akbar Bugti was killed. Federal Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani in his reaction said that the opposition was seeing the fate of its no-confidence motion and was now looking for ways to save its face. (Posted @ 22:32 PST)
Anti-Pak, Balochistan elements to be dealt with iron hand: Musharraf MURREE, Aug 28 (Agencies): President General Pervez Musharraf Monday reiterated that elements trying to inflict harm to Pakistan in general and development of Balochistan in particular will be dealt with an iron hand. He was addressing a public gathering at Lawrence College, Ghora Gali at Murree, in connection with the inauguration of the supply of Sui gas to the area. (Posted @ 21:20 PST)
India should address its own problems instead of interring in Pak business: Pak ISLAMABAD, Aug 28 (Online): Strongly rejecting the statement of Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesman on the situation of Balochistan Pakistan said the statement is not only against the well established norms of interstate relations but also a blatant interference in the internal affairs of the neighbouring country. A Pakistan foreign office statement said India's purported concern for the peoples of other countries is ill-advised especially when India remains afflicted with several insurgencies including in Arunchal Pardesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, nagaland, Tripura, Bundel Khand, Gorkhaland , Bodoland and Khalpang, which are being suppressed by force. India should focus on putting its own house in order rather than commenting on the internal affairs of other countries. (Posted @ 21:30 PST)
ICC cancels emergency board meeting BRISTOL, England, Aug 28 (AFP) - The Intenational Cricket Council (ICC) announced Monday that its emergency board meeting in Dubai on Saturday, called following Pakistan's forfeit of the fourth Test against England, had been cancelled. (Posted @ 20:00 PST)
Pakistan lodges formal protest with India over ceasefire violation ISLAMABAD, Aug 28 (PPI) Pakistan has lodged formal protest with India over violation of ceasefire on the Line of Control. Replying to a question at the weekly news briefing on Monday, Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said the ceasefire was holding very well but in just two weeks there have been two violations by India. This is a matter of concern to Pakistan. Replying to another question she said the President is likely to attend the NAM summit at Havana in Cuba next month. Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh would also be there and the two leaders might come across each other. Ms. Tasnim Aslam told another questioner that the death of Mr. Bugti was internal matter of Pakistan and we do not expect any foreign government to issue statement on his death. (Posted @ 19:58 PST)
Turkey to send troops to Lebanon peacekeeping force: official ANKARA, Aug 28 (AFP) - Turkey has decided to send troops to join the expanded UN force in Lebanon, an official spokesman said Monday without saying how many soldiers would be sent. (Posted @ 18:16 PST)
Strike, demos in certain localities of Karachi KARACHI, Aug 28 (PPI): Hundreds of people held protest demonstration in various Baloch-dominated localities of Karachi on Monday against the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti. Baloch youth in various areas including Pak Colony, Mianwali clony, Lyari, Jamsheed Road, Mewa Shah, Jahanabad, Shershah, Lee Market, Ranchor Line, Rexser, Old Golimar etc made bon fires and blocked traffic by putting obstacles on the roads. They also forced traders to close shops. The RCD Highway, which links Hub with Karachi, was also blocked. Police were deployed to disperse protestors, restore traffic and ensure law and order and resorted to teargas shells and baton-charge at some places. (Posted @ 18:14 PST)
India's zero tolerance against HR abuses a hoax: Yasin SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Aug 28 (PPI) The Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, Muhammad Yasin Malik, has said that Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's assurance of zero tolerance against human rights abuses in occupied Kashmir has proved to be a hoax as military atrocities have increased manifold since then. Addressing a press conference in Srinagar Monday he said the JKLF would launch a campaign, featuring protest demonstrations, hunger strike and will court arrests against stepped-up Indian state-terrorism, KMS reported. He said that during his two-and-a-half-month visit to the United States, he had many rounds of high-level discussions with US officials, public opinion leaders and overseas Kashmiris and Pakistanis, and advocated the merits and necessity of Kashmiris' participation in the talks' process between India and Pakistan. Yasin Malik said he also presented copies of the signatures of the 1.5 million Kashmiris on the petition demanding concrete mechanism for the inclusion of Kashmiri representatives in the dialogue process. (Posted @ 18:04 PST)
Strike, demos in interior Sindh KARACHI, August 28 (PPI): Strike was observed and demonstrations were held in different towns of Sindh on Monday to condemn the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti by the security forces in Kohlu. Complete strike was observed in Jacobabad, Thatta and Badin districts while Sindh Taraqi Pasand Party organized a rally in Shahdadkot. The lawyers of Dadu also staged demonstration. (Posted @ 18:00 PST)
Kenyan police kill 17 suspected Ethiopian bandits NYERI, Kenya, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Kenyan police battled 300 suspected Ethiopian gunmen, killing 17 after a cross-border raid, officials said on Monday adding that 21 heads of cattle and 6,000 goats and sheep were also recovered. (Posted @ 17:50 PST)
Annan arrives in Beirut to shore up Lebanon truce BEIRUT, Aug 28 (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan arrived in Beirut on Monday, the first stop of a whirlwind Middle East tour to shore up a truce between Israel and Hizbollah guerrillas. (Posted @ 17:36 PST)
Turkish engineer killed in Afghanistan ANKARA, Aug 28 (Reuters) - A Turkish engineer was killed in an ambush on Kandahar-Herat road on Monday and another Turk working for a security firm was abducted in the same attack, foreign ministry officials said. (Posted @ 17:34 PST)
9 U.S. soldiers killed by roadside bombs, shooting in Iraq over weekend BAGHDAD, Aug 28 (AP) _ Nine American soldiers were killed over the weekend, eight of them by roadside bombs that hit their vehicles in separate incidents in Baghdad area, U.S. military command said. All but one of the deaths occurred on Sunday. (Posted @ 17:32 PST)
Two buses collide in northwest China, killing 11 and injuring 25 BEIJING, Aug 28 (AP) _ Two buses collided on a highway in Yanchi County in Ningxia region on Monday, killing 11 people and injuring another 25, Xinhua News Agency said. (Posted @ 17:30 PST)
Clashes between Shiite militia, Iraqi forces leave at least 34 dead DIWANIYAH, Iraq, Aug 28 (AP) _ Gunbattles between Iraqi troops and militiamen of Mahdi Army in Baghdad left at least 34 people dead and dozens wounded, officials said Monday. The fighting broke out at about 11 p.m. Sunday and continued Monday as the militiamen had set up checkpoints and taken over seven neighborhoods _ about half of the city. City's general hospital said 34 bodies had been brought in _ 25 Iraqi soldiers, seven civilians and two militiamen – besides at least 70 injured. At least 10 militiamen had been arrested. (Posted @ 17:28 PST)
Britain requests extradition from Pakistan of suspect in jetliner terror plot ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug 28 (AP) _ Britain has requested the extradition of Rashid Rauf, a Briton arrested in Pakistan earlier this month in connection with the alleged plot to blow up U.S.-bound jetliners, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said Monday. Aiden Liddle, a spokesman for the British High Commission in Islamabad, confirmed it had submitted an extradition request for Rauf, but in connection with a 2002 murder inquiry in Britain. Rauf moved to Pakistan shortly after his maternal uncle was stabbed to death in April, 2002. Rauf was reportedly a suspect in that murder. (Posted @ 17:26 PST)
India tweaks Pakistan over killing NEW DELHI, Aug 28 (AFP) - India said Monday that Pakistan's killing of a tribal leader was a "tragic loss". "Bugti played a prominent role in Pakistani politics for over four decades. His death leaves a vacuum that will be difficult to fill," the Indian foreign ministry said in a statement. "Military force can never solve political problems," it said. (Posted @ 16:48 PST)
Heavy fighting in Sri Lanka as troops move to secure port COLOMBO, Aug 28 (AFP) - At least four Sri Lankan soldiers were killed and 41 wounded as security forces launched a ground offensive Monday to push back guerrilla artillery threatening a strategic naval port, officials said. Troops backed by multi-barrel rocket launchers and artillery guns moved towards the rebel-held town of Sampur at the southern edge of the Koddiyar bay where the main naval port of Trincomalee is located, officials said. "Troops are expecting close quarter fighting, but the casualties so far had been due to artillery and mortar bombs." Three civilians were killed elsewhere in Trincomalee following a land mine explosion, a local official said. Another soldier was shot dead by suspected Tiger rebels in the northern town of Vavuniya Monday, the defence ministry said. (First Posted @ 12:12 PST Updated @ 16:45 PST)
Suicide blast kills 17 in Afghanistan LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, Aug 28 (Agencies) A suicide blast tore through a crowded bazaar in the town of Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province Monday, killing at 17 people and wounding dozens, witnesses and hospital sources said. The NATO-led force in Afghanistan confirmed the blast but had no details. (Posted @ 15:02 PST)
Seven Egyptians die as buildings collapse CAIRO, Aug 28 (Reuters) Seven people were killed when two residential buildings collapsed within hours of each other, between Sunday evening and Monday morning, one in Cairo and another in the town of Qalyoub. Rescuers struggled to free one person believed trapped in the rubble, security sources said Monday. (Posted @ 14:48 PST)
Two suspected militants killed in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Aug 28 (AFP) Indian troops Monday shot dead two suspected militants in the village of Chatusa gunbattle in occupied Kashmir, the army said. (Posted @ 14:34 PST)
Israeli troops kill Palestinian in West Bank JENIN, West Bank, Aug 28 (AFP) A Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli troops in the village of Birqin, near Jenin city, overnight, medical and security sources said Monday. (Posted @ 13:50 PST)
Toll from Baghdad suicide bomb hits 13 BAGHDAD, Aug 28 (Reuters) The death toll from a suicide bombing outside Iraq's Ministry of Interior on Monday climbed to 13, wounding 35, police sources said. (Posted @ 12:45 PST)
China completes "anti-terror" drill with Kazakhstan, ratifies Pakistan pact BEIJING, Aug 28 (AFP) China concluded an "anti-terror" military drill with Kazahstan and ratified an agreement with Pakistan as part of its commitment to fighting extremism in Central Asia, state media said Monday. On Sunday, China and Kazakhstan wrapped up a comprehensive, three-day exercise that involved hundreds of police and Special Forces, the China Daily reported. Lawmakers in Beijing ratified an agreement with Pakistan to fight "three evil forces." The pact "defines terrorism, separatism and extremism, and outlines the scope of cooperation between the countries," state-run Xinhua news agency reported, but did not give details. Originally signed in Islamabad in April 2005, the pact was "necessary as the three evil forces have threatened the lives of Pakistanis and Chinese working and living in Pakistan," according to Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei. "The agreement will help safeguard China's national interest and promote cooperation between the two countries in those areas," Wu was quoted as saying. (Posted @ 12:12 PST)
Cricket-ICC says it did not discuss financial offer with Hair NEW DELHI, Aug 28 (Reuters) The International Cricket Council (ICC) denied late Sunday that it had discussed a financial offer with umpire Darrell Hair following the Pakistan ball-tampering row. The ICC, responding to Hair's statement, confirmed that Hair only discussed the future of his umpiring career with Cowie before sending him an email on Tuesday. "Mr Cowie's role was to support and counsel Mr Hair, as his manager, at a difficult time and it is our understanding that at no stage during their conversations was there any discussion of a pay-off, nor secrecy, nor deadlines, nor misleading the public regarding reasons for retirement, all of which were subsequently laid out in Mr Hair's email," an ICC spokesman said in a statement. (Posted @ 12:03 PST)
Israeli drone kills four Palestinians in Gaza GAZA CITY, Aug 28 (AFP) Four Palestinians were killed early Monday in Gaza City's eastern Shejaya neighbourhood when an Israeli drone fired a missile at them, a Palestinian security official said. The four were members of a Special Forces unit of the Palestinian interior ministry, the official added. Separately, a 20-year-old Palestinian was killed early Monday when he refused to stop at a roadblock near the southern town of Khan Yunis and Hamas security forces opened fire on him. (First Posted @ 09:24 PST Updated @ 11:38 PST)
Twenty-seven, including ten Britons, injured in Turkey blasts ISTANBUL, Aug 28 (AFP) Twenty-seven people, including 10 Britons, were injured Monday in four separate blasts in Turkey, including one that blew apart a bus in the popular Mediterranean resort of Marmaris, Turkish and British officials said. Three of the explosions struck the seaside resort around midnight as many late-night revellers were out on the streets, dotted with bars, restaurants and cafes. There have been no claims of responsibility for the blasts. Six people were also injured when a package bomb exploded in Istanbul late on Sunday, police said. (First Posted @ 09:24 PST Updated @ 11:30 PST)
Dozens feared dead as mudslide washes away two villages in Nepal KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) Dozens of people were feared dead in Nepal after mudslides washed away two mountainside villages in a remote region of Nepal and heavy rains submerged several more, officials said Monday. The mudslides, caused by heavy monsoon rains, hit the villages on Sunday, but details were scarce. About 10 villages along the Rapti River were flooded and several houses washed away, a local official said, adding, that at least six people were killed in the flooding Sunday and hundreds more were out of contact. ``We are still trying to acquire details on the losses,'' the official said. (Posted @ 10:14 PST)
Earthquake shakes northeastern Taiwan TAIPEI, Aug 28 (AFP) An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 jolted northeastern Taiwan on Monday at 1:11 am local time, with its epicentre 131 kilometres east of Suao in Ilan county, the seismology center said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. It originated 119 kilometres under sea. (Posted @ 09:23 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 291.80 points: KARACHI, August 28: At close of trading KSE-100 index was at 9876.59, up 291.80 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:15 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, August 28: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.52 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:15 PST)
Founder: Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah
Editor: Abbas Nasir
The DAWN Group of Newspapers
Haroon House, Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed Road, Karachi 74200, Pakistan.
Phone:+92 (21) 111-444-777 Fax: +92 (21) 569-3995
webmaster@dawn.com
Make sure to reload these pages so you're viewing the current version.
|
|
|
Contributions |