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| September 01, 2006 | Friday | Sha'aban 7, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Akbar Bugti laid to rest DERA BUGTI, Pakistan, Sep 1 (Agencies) Authorities on Friday buried a locked coffin containing the remains of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, chief of Jamhori Watan Party (JWP), who was killed in a military raid on August 26th, in a Balochistan Dera Bugti town graveyard, officials including Abdul Samad Lasi, the area's top government official, said. Only 20 people, including government officials and Dera Bugti community leaders, attended the burial. Several dozen heavily armed security forces were deployed outside the cemetery. Journalists at the graveyard demanded that the coffin be opened so they could see Bugti's body. But Lasi refused, telling reporters it is ``illegal to show his face'' and that he and a local cleric had earlier viewed the body and confirmed it to be Bugti's. ``The body was badly decomposed. It was not in a condition to have been shown,'' Lasi said after a short graveside prayer service was held.'' However the DCO showed the intact glasses and wrist watch showing time 8:10 of Akbar Bugti. In the Baluchistan’s capital, Quetta, Bugti's son, Jamil, accused Pakistan's military of taking his father's body to Dera Bugti against the wishes of his family. ``They have killed my father, now they are deciding where to bury him, without his family's permission,'' Jamil Bugti said in a telephone interview, adding that ``they want to bury him in Dera Bugti, where there are no family members present, so they can cover up this cold-blooded killing.'' Abdul Raziq Bugti, spokesman for the Balochistan government, said the decision to not hand the body to his family in Quetta was made to prevent political parties opposed to President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, from using an emotional funeral for their own ``political objectives.'' Jamil said burying his father in Dera Bugti blocked the chance for thousands of mourners in Quetta, including the chief's own family, to pay their condolences. Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan, chief spokesman for the army and Musharraf, said Bugti's body was taken to his ancestral hometown of Dera Bugti under an arrangement made with a newly formed tribal council there. Jamil condemned the tribal council as “political opportunists”. (First Posted @ 10:40 PST Updated @ 16:26 PST)
Shutter-down strike observed throughout Pakistan KARACHI, September 01 (PPI): A complete shutter-down strike was observed Friday in Karachi on the call given by the combined opposition against killing of veteran Baloch nationalist leader, Nawab Akbar Bugti, in a military raid. All commercial centres including shopping centres, and petrol pumps remained closed. Public transport remained off the roads, while rickshaws and taxis, taking advantage of the strike charged the citizens at will. All private and public universities, colleges and schools remained closed as well. Attendance at government offices also remained thin. Coaches and buses for upcountry also remained suspended due to the strike call. Police fired teargas shells to disperse mobs in Lyrai, Chakiwara, and Golimar areas where pitched battles were fought between youths and police. However, no casualty was reported till the filing of this report. Sporadic incidents of aerial firing were also reported from other areas of the city. Meanwhile, a complete strike was also observed in Peshawar, Nowshera, Charsaddah, Swat, Sawabi, Dera Ismail Khan, Kohat, Bunnu Lakki Marwat, Mardan and other towns and cities of the NWFP province. People of Gwadar in Balochistan province Friday also observed a complete shutter down strike. (Posted @ 17:02 PST)
Gunmen kill 2 rangers personal in Karachi KARACHI, September 1, Two rangers personal died in Karachi’s suburban township of Malir, by firing from unidentified gunmen on a motorcycle Friday evening, a private tv station reported. Police reinforcements rushed to the area and launched a search for the killers. (Posted @ 22:18 PST)
US runs successful anti-missile test WASHINGTON, Sept 1, (AFP) - The United States on Friday ran a successful test of its ballistic missile defense system, the US Missile Defense Agency announced. A long-range ballistic missile was launched from Kodiak, Alaska and hit by an interceptor sent up from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. "We had launch at 1:39 pm (1739 GMT), we had intercept at 1:46 (1746 GMT)," agency spokesman Chris Taylor told AFP. (Posted @ 23:54 PST)
Clearing cluster bombs in Lebanon will take more than year: UN GENEVA, Sept 1, (APP/AFP) - It will take more than a year to clear unexploded cluster bombs left over from the recent Israeli offensive in Lebanon, the top UN humanitarian official in the country said Friday. "It will take 12 to 15 months to clear," David Shearer, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Lebanon, told a news conference here. About 100 foreign mine clearance and bomb disposal experts are expected to be working in Lebanon within a week, he added. Up to 100,000 unexploded cluster bombs are thought to remain in south Lebanon, according to the UN humanitarian coordination office. (Posted @ 23:48 PST)
EU says time running out for Iran in nuclear standoff LAPPEENRANTA, Finland, September 1, (AP) _ The European Union said Friday that it is ready to hold talks with Iran but will not give the country an indefinite amount of time to resolve the standoff over its nuclear program. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said he will be meeting with Iran's top nuclear negotiator in the coming days but stressed ``that does not mean that Iran has indefinite time.'' (Posted @ 23:38 PST)
Prime Minister Aziz arrives in London LONDON, Sep 1 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz arrived here Friday on a three-day visit to the United Kingdom on the second leg of his four-nation tour. He was received at the airport by Pakistan High Commissioner to UK, Dr. Maleeha Lodhi and other senior officials of the Pakistan Embassy. (Posted @ 22:14 PST)
UN names human rights experts to investigate Israel GENEVA, Sept 1 (Reuters) - The United Nations' top human rights body on Friday announced a three-person team to investigate allegations of violations by Israel during its month-long war in Lebanon. The Human Rights Council, composed of 47 states, last month called for launching a high-level Commission of Inquiry to investigate what it called "systematic targeting and killing" of Lebanese civilians by Israel. (Posted @ 22:10 PST)
Pak-US joint Navy exercise from September 6 ISLAMABAD, Sep 1 (APP): Pakistani and US Navy would conduct joint exercise "Inspired Union 06" from September 6. The bilateral exercise would be conducted in the Northern Arabian Sea. The purpose of exercise is advance maritime interdiction operations, counter terrorism and other wide range of professional exercises. The exercise would be conducted in three phases. (Posted @ 22:04 PST)
Iran TV says 30 people not 80 killed in plane crash TEHRAN, September 1, (Reuters) - An Iranian passenger plane caught fire after its tyre burst on landing at an airport in Iran's northeastern city of Mashhad on Friday, state television said, but at least 30 were killed not 80 as previously reported. State television said 148 people were on board the flight to Mashhad, home to Iran's holiest shrine, from the southern port city of Bandar Abbas. It said 62 people had survived unhurt, 47 were hospitalized and 30 bodies had been recovered so far. State TV had earlier said the death toll was at least 80. (First Posted @ 16:52 PST Updated @ 21:54 PST)
Strong quake strikes near Alaska LOS ANGELES, Sept 1, (AFP) - A magnitude-6.0 earthquake struck in the Fox Islands, near Alaska, early Friday, the US Geological Survey said. The quake hit the island chain, in the Aleutian archipelago, at 1204 GMT, some 19 kilometers northeast of Unalaska, Alaska and 1,263 kilometers west-southwest of Anchorage. It struck at a depth of 80 kilometers. There were no early reports of any damage to property or life. (Posted @ 20:16 PST)
Bombs destroy 2 Pakistani security posts in tribal region KHAR, Pakistan, September 1, (AP) _ Suspected militants bombed two unmanned security posts on a road in a tribal region in northwestern Pakistan early Friday, an official said. There were no casualties. Troops had not yet been deployed to the newly built posts in Bajur, a tribal region near the Afghan border, said Mutahir Zeb, a senior government official. No one claimed responsibility for the attacks but militants had issued warnings against building the posts, Zeb said. Security forces detained eight local tribesmen for questioning. (Posted @ 19:55 PST)
Sri Lanka blast kills soldier, wounds four COLOMBO, Sept 1 (APP/AFP) - A powerful Claymore mine exploded Friday in Sri Lanka's northern Jaffna peninsula, killing one soldier and wounding four more, the defence ministry said. The victims were on foot patrol when they were hit, the ministry said. "Five soldiers suffered injuries and were admitted to hospital," the ministry said. It added that one soldier later died and that a search operation was underway in the area. (Posted @ 19:38 PST)
Canadian Defence Minister lauds Pakistan's role in fighting Terrorism ISLAMABAD, Sep 1 (APP): Canadian Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor Friday lauded Pakistan's role for doing "fantastic job" in the fight against terrorism and stressed more cooperation between Kabul and Islamabad to effectively counter the menace. "I really appreciate what Pakistan is doing and they are doing a fantastic job," the Minister said in an interview to APP here after a visit to neighbouring Afghanistan. O'Connor, who served Canada as a military officer for over 30 years and retired at the rank of Brigadier General acknowledged the difficult job of controlling the long porous border that Pakistan and Afghanistan share. (Posted @ 19:08 PST)
Musharraf presides Commanders Conference: ISPR RAWALPINDI, Sep. 01, (PPI) A day long 98th Corps Commanders Conference was held at the General Headquarters, which was presided by President Pervez Musharraf. The meeting was attended by Vice Chief of Army Staff all Corps Commanders and Principal Staff Officers. The participants of the meeting reviewed the overall internal security environment in the country with particular reference to Balochistan. (Posted @ 18:58 PST)
Opposition terms strike as no confidence in government ISLAMABAD, September 01 (Agencies): The combined opposition has termed the complete strike in the country observed on Friday as a no confidence move on the policies of the government. Addressing a joint news conference here Friday in the Parliament cafeteria, opposition members including Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, Liaqat Baloch and Tehmina Daultana termed the continuation of National Assembly session after August 31 unconstitutional and announced that the opposition would not participate in the session. Raja Pervaiz Ashraf of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPP-P) termed the death of Nawab Akbar Bugti as extra judicial killing, and said the treatment of the government with the dead body of Bugti was deplorable. He announced that the combined opposition would gather in Quetta on September 17 to express its solidarity with Baloch people. Hafiz Hussain Ahmed while criticizing government's attitude after Bugti killing expressed his doubt over whether Nawab Akbar or someone else was buried in his place in the burial ceremony. Tehmina Daultana said that the government had already planned to kill Nawab Akbar Bugti and termed the Parliament as a rubber stamp. (Posted @ 17:04 PST)
EU's Solana to meet with Iran nuclear negotiator LAPPEENRENTA, Finland, Sep 1 (AP) Javier Solana, the EU foreign and security affairs chief, said Friday he will meet early next week with Ali Larijani, Iran's top nuclear negotiator. The meeting will be held in Europe, he said without elaborating. (Posted @ 16:14 PST)
UN’s Annan meets Syria’s Assad DAMASCUS, Sept 1 (AFP) UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said Friday he has secured a pledge from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to cooperate in enforcing a weapons embargo against Hezbollah. "The president committed to me that Syria shall take all necessary measures to implement in full paragraph 15 of resolution 1701 (which) deals with the arms embargo and rearmament" of Hezbollah, Annan told reporters following a meeting with Assad. Syria would also establish, where possible, joint border patrols and control points with Lebanese authorities. (First Posted @ 14:25 PST Updated @ 15:42 PST)
Israel gives bomb site maps to UN JERUSALEM, Sept 1 (AFP) The Israeli army said Friday it had provided UN peacekeepers with maps detailing where bombs were dropped in southern Lebanon and where unexploded ordnance is believed to remain. Israel's army spokesman said the maps dealt only with sites in southern Lebanon, where additional foreign troops are being deployed to bolster the UN peacekeeping mission already in place. (Posted @ 15:38 PST)
Three policemen killed in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Sept 1 (AFP) Three policemen were killed in revolt-hit occupied Kashmir in two attacks, police said Friday. Two policemen were returning home late Thursday in Doda district when gunmen opened fire, killing them instantly, a police spokesman said. Also late Thursday, a third policeman was shot dead in the northern district of Baramulla, police said. (Posted @ 15:35 PST)
Donors' conference seeks to raise humanitarian aid for Gaza STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Sep 1 (AP) Mohammad Mustafa, a senior Palestinian official, Friday urged world donors in the Swedish capital to help ease a ``never-ending'' humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and called on Israel to allow easier access for aid shipments to reach the West Bank. Sweden's foreign minister, Jan Eliasson, opened the conference with a Swedish pledge of US$5 million for humanitarian aid, along with a US$3 million to rebuild a power plant that was destroyed earlier this year in an Israeli attack. Sweden will also give another US$6 million to a World Bank fund for Gaza, Eliasson said. Mustafa said money alone will not solve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and called for a political solution to the crisis. He called on Israel to open up the border to the Gaza Strip and said the most important goal for the conference must be to ``end the devastating closure of Gaza and allow the free flow of people, goods and services to and from Gaza.'' Jan Egeland, the humanitarian chief for the United Nations, said the situation in the West Bank deteriorated while the world shifted its focus to the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah, calling Gaza a ``a ticking time bomb.'' (Posted @ 14:30 PST)
Indian, Bangladeshi border guards exchange border fire GAUHATI, India (AP) Indian and Bangladeshi border guards fired at each other for the third time in a month, officials in north-eastern India said Friday. No injuries were reported. The 15 minutes of shooting came Thursday night, just hours after senior officials from both sides finished a four-day meeting in northeastern India in an attempt to defuse border tensions. (Posted @ 14:30 PST)
Indonesia to send 1,000 troops to Lebanon JAKARTA, Sept 1 (AFP) Israel has dropped objections to Indonesia's participation in the expanded UN force in Lebanon and Jakarta will send up to 1,000 troops, Indonesia's defence minister said Friday. An Israeli foreign ministry official in Jerusalem confirmed that the Jewish state had no objections to Indonesia's participation. (Posted @ 14:30 PST)
Iran will not give up 'one iota': Ahmadinejad TEHRAN, Sept 1 (AFP) President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed Friday that Iran "will not give up one iota of its nuclear rights," state media reported in the first official reaction to an International Atomic Energy Agency report. "The enemies should know Iranians are standing firm on obtaining their rights and will not give up one iota of their nuclear rights," he told a rally in the northwestern city of Makou. (Posted @ 14:25 PST)
Former Iranian president Khatami visits US TEHRAN, Sept 1 (AFP) Former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami arrived in New York Friday, the Iranian state news agency IRNA reported, on a tour aimed at promoting dialogue between leading global cultures. According to the US daily Washington Post, Khatami might meet with former US president Jimmy Carter, whose presidency was marred by the 1979 takeover of the US embassy in Tehran. (Posted @ 14:25 PST)
Pakistani military jet crashes near Karachi, pilot killed KARACHI, Sept 1 (AFP) A Pakistani Air Force fighter jet crashed near Karachi, killing the pilot, officials said Friday. The Chinese-made F-7 jet came down in an uninhabited area some 25 kilometres northeast of the port city late Thursday, an air force spokesman said. "The crash was fatal and an investigation has been ordered," he said. It caused no damage on the ground. (Posted @ 10:44 PST)
Two US troops killed in western Iraq BAGHDAD, Sept 1 (AFP) A US marine and a soldier died from wounds sustained due to "enemy action" in the western Iraqi province of Al-Anbar, the military said Friday. The two servicemen were wounded on Wednesday, but the military did not specify when they actually died. (Posted @ 09:44 PST)
Agassi into third rd at US Open NEW YORK, Aug 31 (AFP) Andre Agassi qualified for the third round of the US Open on Thursday by defeating Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 7-5. The unseeded American, who will retire after the tournament, will play Benjamin Becker of Germany for a place in the last 16. (Posted @ 09:43 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 106.84 points: KARACHI, Sept 1: At close of tarding the KSE-100 index was at 10170.97, up 106.84 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:15 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Sept 1: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.45 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:15 PST)
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