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| April 27, 2007 | Friday | Rabi-us-Sani 09, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Musharraf says current parliament will vote on his re-election SARAJEVO, April 27 (AFP) -Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf confirmed Friday his country's parliament will vote on his re-election before it is to be dissolved for general polls due later this year or early in 2007. “It is the people of Pakistan who will decide whether to elect me and to have me as the president or not,” Musharraf told journalists during a visit to the Bosnian capital Sarajevo. “My election will be held two months before the national elections by the assembly of Pakistan.” In response to a question on whether he had been in talks with exiled former premier Benazir Bhutto and her opposition party, Musharraf said: “The political environment in the election will be exactly as it is now in Pakistan. “There will be no change ... all that we are assuring the whole world is that it is going to be very fair and transparent election.” There has been speculation that Bhutto could return home to stand in elections and lend support to Musharraf, who has faced growing opposition in his homeland over his leadership. Bhutto said earlier this month that she would make no deals with Musharraf until he gives up his position as army chief. Musharraf did not answer a question on whether he was ready to make such a move. (Posted @ 21:26 PST)
56 missing persons traced so far: SC told ISLAMABAD, April 27 (APP): The Interior Ministry Friday informed the Supreme Court that 56 persons out of a list of 148 submitted by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan had been traced. It also a concise statement in this respect. The bench comprising Justice Javed Iqbal and Justice Mian Shakir Ullah Jan adjourned further hearing till May 4. It assured the petitioners and their counsels of all possible efforts for the recovery of the missing persons. According to the concise statement, of the 56 persons already traced 45 are free. Three others are under trial and five are in custody, one of them detained under Security of Pakistan Act. Another person has been convicted and one is an Army deserter. (Posted @ 16:44 PST)
Saudi arrests 172 suspects planning oil attacks RIYADH, April 27 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has arrested more than 170 suspected al Qaeda-linked militants, some of whom were training as pilots to carry out suicide attacks on oil facilities in the kingdom, the Interior Ministry said Friday. The ministry, in a statement read on state television, also said police seized weapons and more than 20 million riyals ($5.33 million) in cash, from what Al Arabiya television said were seven armed militant cells. “Some had begun training on the use of weapons, and some were sent to other countries to study aviation in preparation to use them to carry out terrorist operations inside the kingdom,” the statement said. “One of their main targets was to carry out suicide attacks against public figures and oil installations and to target military bases inside and outside (the country),” it added. It said the suspects, mostly Saudis, had been “influenced by the deviant ideology”, a reference frequently used by Saudi officials to refer to al Qaeda. The television showed agents digging in desert areas and searching inside buildings and seizing weapons, including rocket propelled grenades, computers and stacks of Saudi riyals. (Posted @ 19:44 PST)
Top Al Qaeda operative in US custody: plotted to assassinate Musharraf WASHINGTON, April 27 (Reuters) An Iraqi al Qaeda member accused of assassination plots against Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and other attacks was transferred by the CIA to the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo this week, the Pentagon said Friday. Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi was also accused of commanding al Qaeda's paramilitary operations in Afghanistan and launching attacks on U.S. and coalition forces from Pakistan, the Defence Department said. Al-Hadi was detained trying to get back into Iraq to “manage al Qaeda's affairs” there, according to Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman. The Pentagon would not say when he was captured. Some security analysts previously said the U.S.-led military coalition in Afghanistan captured al-Hadi in 2001, but the Defence Department on Friday accused him of providing leadership and reconnaissance support in attacks on U.S. forces as late as 2003. One U.S. government official said al-Hadi was captured by the CIA, but another said he was first in military custody and given to the CIA for interrogation. (First Posted @ 20:24 PST Updated @ 20:58 PST)
Turkey's Gul fails to win presidency in first vote ANKARA, April 27 (Reuters) - Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul failed to secure enough support in a first round of voting in parliament on Friday to become Turkey's next president, winning 357 votes, short of the required 367. A second round of voting has been set for next Wednesday, but the main opposition party has asked the Constitutional Court to rule Friday's parliamentary vote invalid as there were fewer than two thirds, or 367 deputies, in the chamber at the time. The court has said it will try to rule on the appeal before Wednesday's vote. If it upholds the opposition's appeal, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan must call a snap general election. If it backs the government, Gul is expected to win in the third round on May 9, when he needs just a simple majority of 276 votes. (Posted @ 20:54 PST)
Russian helicopter downed in Chechnya, 17 die MOSCOW, April 27 (AFP) - Seventeen servicemen died Friday when a Russian Mi-8 helicopter carrying paratroopers was shot down over the Caucasus mountains during a battle with Chechen rebels Russian news agencies quoted military officials as saying. There was a special operation in which reinforcements were called for and three helicopters were sent.. One of them was shot down while landing. Russian forces have fought two wars in the last 12 years against a separatist rebellion in Chechnya, a tiny mountainous territory home to the Muslim Chechens. An estimated 100,000 of the one million Chechens have been killed and, according to official figures, some 10,000 Russian servicemen. (Posted @ 15:54 PST)
MoU signed with China for military assistance to Pakistan ISLAMABAD, April 27 (APP) General Ehsan Ul Haq, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), who is on an official visit to China, met General Liang Guanglie, Chief of General Staff of the Peoples' Liberation Army. An MoU was also signed between the two sides for military assistance package for Pakistan, an ISPR press release said. During the talks top military leadership of the two countries expressed satisfaction over the on-going military cooperation and explored new avenues of further enhancing the relations. In his concluding remarks the CJCSC said that sharing of thoughts with Chinese friends on different areas of Pakistan-China relations, particularly on security perception and military cooperation was not only heartening but also reassuring. General Liang Guanglie also hosted a banquet in honour of General Ehsan Ul Haq and the Pakistani delegation. Earlier in the day, CJCSC along with the delegation called on Dai Bingguo, Vice Minister and Director General of Central Foreign Affairs China and shared views on global, regional and national security perspective of both sides. (Posted @ 13:12 PST)
US attack on Iran would be 'terrible mistake,' warns Mussaraf SARAJEVO, April 27 (AFP) - Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf said a possible US attack on Iran would be a “terrible mistake”, in an interview published here Friday. “I'm concerned about the possibility that a US attack on Iran (would cause) turbulence in the region,” Musharraf told Sarajevo daily Dnevni Avaz ahead of his two-day visit to Bosnia. It would spark “radicalism”, he warned. (Posted @ 16:13 PST)
Terrorism cannot be linked to any nation, religion: Pakistan, Spain MADRID, April 27 (APP) Spain and Pakistan Friday rejected identifying terrorism with any nation, culture, or religion and urged the international community to respond in a concerted manner for its prevention. A joint declaration released simultaneously from Islamabad and Madrid at the end of President General Pervez Musharraf's official visit to Spain condemned terrorism and called for addressing the issue of terrorism in all its complexity. They urged adopting necessary measures for its prevention, with full respect for Rule of Law and the norms of International Humanitarian Law. Pakistan and Spain reiterated commitment to study initiatives for the development and strengthening of intercultural and inter-religious dialogue. The two sides supported the central role of the United Nations in the international community's efforts against terrorism. The talks between Pakistan and Spain focused on eight areas including cooperation in political area, combatting human trafficking, multilateral issues, defence and security, economic and trade, Millennium Development Goals, Cultural, Scientific and Education and International Affairs. While vowing to “begin a new phase” in their bilateral relations they pledged increased collaboration to combat human trafficking, terrorism, trade, defence, science and technology. The two sides also agreed to start negotiations to sign an agreement on cooperation in the fight against organized crime, terrorism and illegal immigration. (Posted @ 15:04 PST)
Bush vows to veto Iraq pullout bill or any new bid CAMP DAVID, Maryland, April 27 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush renewed his vow Friday to veto a bill to withdraw US troops from Iraq and pledged to strike down any subsequent attempt by the Democratic-led Congress to set a deadline for a pullout. “I invite the leaders of the House and Senate, both parties, to come down soon after my veto so we can discuss a way forward,” Bush told a news conference after meeting Japanese Prime Minister Sinzo Abe at his retreat here. “And if the Congress wants to test my will as to whether or not I'll accept a timetable for withdrawal, I won't accept one,” he said. (Posted @ 21:32 PST)
US soldier killed in Afghanistan KABUL, April 27 (AFP) - A US soldier was killed Friday in action when coalition forces made contact with enemy fighters while conducting a combat patrol in Shindand district of Herat province, the US-led coalition said in a statement. “Coalition forces employed a variety of combined arms to include close air support to destroy and repel enemy insurgents during the firefight,” the statement said. A three-hour battle erupted when about 50 Taliban fighters attacked, district governor Khudaidad Arfani said. He said air strikes killed at least one Taliban. (Posted @ 20:32 PST)
Three US marines killed in Iraq BAGHDAD, April 27 (AFP) - Three more US marines have been killed in Iraq, the military said Friday, taking its losses to 82 this month. The marines died in combat operations in the province of Anbar on Thursday, the military said. (Posted @ 20:26 PST)
Cricket: Sobers or Imran - who's greatest all-rounder? LONDON, April 27 (AFP) - Sobers or Imran. Legendary all-rounders. But who is the greatest of all time? Like all questions, it depends on who you ask. West Indies star Sir Garry Sobers, whose home ground of Kensington Oval in Barbados is the venue for Saturday's World Cup final, is tops according to the respected cricinfo website. However, in a public poll of over 10,000 site users, Pakistan's 1992 World Cup winning captain, Imran Khan, came out on top as best all-rounder winning 37-percent of the vote. Top 10 greatest all-rounders (Cricinfo people's poll): 1. Imran Khan 37percent, 2. Sir Garry Sobers 14, 3. Wasim Akram 13, 4. Kapil Dev 11, 5. Ian Botham 7, 6. Jacques Kallis 6, 7. Sir Learie Constantine 5, 8. Richard Hadlee 3, 9. Adam Gilchrist 2, 10. Shaun Pollock 1. (Posted @ 20:22 PST)
Four militant bomb makers killed in Pakistan MIRANSHAH, Pakistan, April 27 (AFP) - Four militant bomb-makers were killed early Friday when a cache of explosives blew up at a house in Saidgi village in North Waziristan tribal tribal area bordering Afghanistan, security officials told AFP on condition of anonymity. “Two blasts were heard around 3:30 am. These militants were making bombs and they exploded, killing three people on the spot and wounding two others, one of whom died later,” one of the officials said. “We don't have any information that there was any foreigner in the house,” the official added. The officials had earlier said that four people were killed when rockets fired by militants hit the building, a guest annexe owned by a tribesman named Habib Khan. (Posted @ 17:14 PST)
Dawn TV issued NOC KARACHI, April 27 (PPI): The government of Sindh has issued NOC to M/S Dawn Television. As soon as the matter was referred by the Federal Ministry of Information to the Sindh Information Department, the advisor to Sindh Chief Minister for Information and Archives Salahuddin Haider ordered Sindh Information Department to issue the NOC. Necessary documents have been sent to Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) for completion of other formalities, said an official handout on Friday. (Posted @ 19:52 PST)
Normalcy returns to Kurram Agency, peace agreement to be struck soon PARACHINAR, (Kurram Agency), April 27 (APP): Normalcy is fast returning to Kurram Agency and a permanent ceasefire would be struck within the next 48 hours, said Political Agent Kurram Agency Sahibzada Mohammad Anees while briefing local newsmen on Friday. He said after the peace agreement all the educational institutions would be opened and curfew would be lifted. (Posted @ 19:46 PST)
Police, protesters clash in occupied Kashmir over damage to mosque SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, April 27 (Reuters) - Three policemen and four news photographers were hurt in Srinagar on Friday when police fired teargas at Muslims protesting over damage to a 200-year-old mosque, witnesses said. The trouble started after a fort, inside which the 199-year-old mosque is located, was opened to visitors for the first time in 17 years after Indian troops stationed there vacated it last week. Locals said they found the mosque badly damaged and launched protests on Friday. The fort, called Hari Parbat, was built by Afghan rulers in 1808 on a hilltop overlooking Srinagar. It was occupied by Indian troops in 1989 when the insurgency against New Delhi's rule began in the Muslim-majority state. Authorities had put under house arrest veteran Kashmiri leaders Syed Ali Gilani and Shabbir Shah who had planned to lead rallies to protest against the damage caused to the mosque by the Indian troops. (Posted @ 19:32 PST)
5 gunmen, 2 police killed in attempted kidnap in Nigerian oil city LAGOS, April 27 (AFP) - Five gunmen and two police officers were killed during an attempt to kidnap two foreign oil workers in the oil-rich southern Nigerian oil city of Port Harcourt, police said on Friday. “The gunmen attacked a security convoy accompanying the expatriates to the office. They could not take the men away, but I lost two of my officers in the incident,” Rivers state police commissioner said. Industry sources said five of the gunmen were also killed in exchange of fire with police. (Posted @ 19:08 PST)
PM Aziz promises fair, free elections ISLAMABAD, April 27 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Friday said the government was committed to holding general elections in a free, fair and totally impartial manner. Welcoming Nawabzada Iftikhar Ahmad Khan and Nawabzada Ibrar Ahmad Khan, sons of the late Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, to the fold of Pakistan Muslim League, he lauded the services of late Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan for democracy and said that he was widely respected for his role in national politics. He said the PML and its coalition partners would contest the elections from a united platform and on the basis of their performance in office. ,He said that political stability and economic turn-around achieved by the PML government and its allies would help the ruling coalition win the election. (Posted @ 18:08 PST)
Fire in Egypt prison kills 3, injures 18 CAIRO, April 27 (Reuters) - Three prison inmates died and 18 were injured in a fire in an Egyptian prison on Friday. An Interior Ministry spokesman said an electrical short in a ceiling fan sparked a fire in the sleeping quarters shortly after dawn in Wadi el Natrun prison, northwest of Cairo. (Posted @ 18:02 PST)
ADB to speed up release of quake aid to Pakistan MANILA, April 27 (AFP) - The Asian Development Bank said Friday it would step up aid to areas in Pakistan hit by a deadly quake in 2005, with about 400 million dollars in previously pledged loans set to be released. The ADB board will decide in June on the new soft loans, which are to be used mainly in the rural housing and education sectors, it said in a statement. The bank pledged one billion dollars at a donor conference in 2005 to help Pakistan rebuild the hard-hit areas, and has so far paid out almost 184 million dollars. The 7.6-magnitude earthquake in October 2005 killed some 74,000 people and displaced 3.5 million in northwestern Pakistan and Azad Kashmir. (Posted @ 18:00 PST)
China announces cabinet reshuffle BEIJING, April 27 (AFP) - China announced Friday that three ministers had been replaced in a cabinet reshuffle that also saw the appointment of a new foreign minister.Wan Gang, president of Shanghai's Tongji University, is the new Science and Technology Minister, replacing Xu Guanhua, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Xu Shaoshi replaced Sun Wensheng as Minister of Land and Resources, while Chen Lei was appointed Minister of Water Resources, taking over from Wang Shucheng, Xinhua said. The announcement came shortly after Xinhua reported that Yang Jiechi had replaced Li Zhaoxing as foreign minister. (Posted @ 17:20 PST)
Afghan district chiefs killed in new Taliban attacks KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, April 27 (AFP) -Taliban violence erupted across Afghanistan with rebels killing a district governor and police chief in the southeast and dozens of militants attacking NATO troops in the west Friday. The Taliban claimed it had captured Giro district in Ghazni province after killing its leadership and six policemen in an attack late Thursday. “The district is in control of Taliban,” spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi told AFP. But this was dismissed by an officer at the Ghazni police headquarters. The district governor and district police chief were killed, that is true. But the Taliban are not in control of the district”, the official said. Meanwhile, early Friday about 50 Taliban fighters attacked ISAF soldiers in Herat province , sparking a three-hour gun battle, Shindand district governor Khudaidad Arfani said. “NATO air strikes killed at least one Taliban and injured five other people whose identity is not confirmed ,” he said. Separately a detective and his brother were gunned down in Khost province, while four policemen and six militants were killed in a battle Wednesday in Uruzgan in the south, officials said. (Posted @ 17:14 PST)
15 persons injured in road mishap SANGLAHILL, April, 27 (APP) As many as 15 people sustained serious injuries in a road mishap in a village near here late Thursday. Police told newsmen that relatives of Malik Sabir Ali, PML president of UC-26 Sanglahill were coming from Azad Kashmir when their speeding car fell in a ditch near Balochan turn late Thursday. Another car also fell in the same ditch later in the dark of the night. As a result 15 persons sustained serious injuries. Local police reached the point and helped in sending all the wounded to hospitals. (Posted @ 14:56 PST)
Jail prisoners protest in Nawabshah Nawabshah, Sindh, April 27 (PPI) The inmates of Nawabshah Jail Friday held a protest demonstration against jail authorities for not producing them before court. They also ransacked the jail properties and set ablaze their blanket and other articles. The jail sources said that the prisoners had also made a constable hostage. The jail authorites called heavy police contingent to cope with the situation but later held talks with prisoners who ended their protest. (Posted @ 13:14 PST)
Bangladesh ex-PM to perform Umrah DHAKA, April 27 (Reuters) Bangladesh's former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia will go next week to Makkah for religious rites but will return after that, her close associates said Friday. “Probably she will perform Umrah with most of her family early next month,” one associate said. The Saudi Embassy has issued them visas for the pilgrimage,” he said. (Posted @ 13:13 PST)
Six die, 50 injured in Bangladesh storm DHAKA, April 27 (Reuters) Six people were killed and 50 injured in a storm that lashed Bangladesh's capital Dhaka, police and firefighters said Friday. “The victims died in a house collapse and also by being hit by flying debris when a storm packing winds up to 85 kmh swept through the capital late Thursday,” a fire service official said. Several power, telecom poles and billboards collapsed and trees were uprooted blocking streets. (Posted @ 13:12 PST)
Rights group assails Pakistan for muzzling media NEW YORK, April 27 (AFP) Human Rights Watch accused Pakistan Thursday of “concerted and increasing attempts” to silence the media in a letter to President Pervez Musharraf, calling it “another symbol of the lack of rule of law in Pakistan.” In a letter to President Musharraf, HRW cited arrests, violent attacks and murders of journalists, a concerted attempt to silence a private television channel beginning on April 22, the physical attack in March on another private television channel, pressure on the respected newspaper Dawn, and other acts against media and journalists seen critical of the regime. “Human Rights Watch is concerned about concerted and increasing attempts by the Pakistani government to muzzle the media,” said the letter from the New York-based group, dated April 27 and signed by HRW Asia region executive director Brad Adams. “We urge you to demonstrate a commitment to genuine media freedom by bringing to an end the use of coercion, intimidation, kidnapping and torture, or the threat of it, in government dealings with the print and electronic media in Pakistan.” (Posted @ 11:08 PST)
US Democrats blast Bush in first presidential debate ORANGEBURG, South Carolina, April 27 (AFP) Eight Democratic presidential hopefuls slammed President George W. Bush's policy in Iraq during a debate Thursday. In their first televised debate, the Democrats were strongly critical of Bush's handling of the war, including the administration's decision to continue funnelling thousands of US troops and billions of dollars into the effort. Democrats, who were unanimous in condemning the White House approach, said at a university here it was time to begin to shift the burden of ending the war to the Iraqis. (Posted @ 11:07 PST)
Woolmer's body on its way to South Africa KINGSTON, April 27 (AFP) The body of Bob Woolmer, the late coach of Pakistan's cricket team, began its long trip home from Jamaica Thursday and is expected to arrive in South Africa by Sunday, police said here. (Posted @ 09:27 PST)
Fifteen killed in Haitian ferry accident PORT-AU-PRINCE, April 27 (Reuters) At least 15 Haitians died and dozens were injured when a ferry hit a sandbar and spilled passengers overboard off the Caribbean nation's southern coast, authorities said Thursday. The Civil Protection Director said the packed ferry was leaving the southern town of Jeremie for the capital Port-au-Prince when the accident occurred late Tuesday. Some victims were crushed when another boat tried to pull the stuck ferry from the sandbar in the dark, civil protection officials said. About 300 passengers were aboard the apparently overloaded vessel, which was also laden with cargo, when it struck the sandbar, the officials said. (Posted @ 08:57 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 26.32 points: KARACHI, April 27: At close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 12235.19, up 26.32 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:04 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, April 27: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.72 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:04 PST)
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