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| September 10, 2007 | Monday | Sha'aban 27, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Nawaz Sharif arrives in Saudi Arabia JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia, Sept 10 (AP) - Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif arrived in this port city Monday hours after he was deported from his country. A diplomat based in Saudi Arabia said Saudi officials, whom he did not name, received Sharif at Jiddah's royal terminal, where his plane landed. The diplomat gave the information on condition his name and nationality not be identified. Sharif's convoy, sirens blaring, was seen racing away from the airport shortly after he landed. Sharif maintains a house and several businesses in Saudi Arabia. (Posted @ 17:45 PST)
Pakistan sends Sharif back into exile ISLAMABAD, Sept 10 (AFP) - Pakistan deported former premier Nawaz Sharif to Saudi Arabia Monday, just hours after he returned from exile hoping to ignite a popular campaign to oust military ruler President Pervez Musharraf. In a dramatic showdown at Islamabad airport, the 57-year-old Sharif refused to hand over his passport as he returned from seven years abroad, sparking an immediate confrontation and prompting police to board his plane. The two-time premier was then arrested on corruption charges and deported, put on a plane to the Saudi city of Jeddah hours after he landed. Sharif had arrived earlier on a Pakistan International Airlines flight from London. “After negotiations he accepted an offer to go back and returned in a special plane to Jeddah,” a senior government official told AFP. “He came to the VIP lounge and he was shown the arrest warrants. He was also shown the agreement that he has made with the Saudi government to remain out of the country for 10 years,” the official said. Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party condemned his deportation and filed a legal challenge in the Supreme Court against what it said was contempt of court by the government. (Posted @ 16:00 PST)
More than 260 Pakistani troops kidnapped by militants freed DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan, Sept 0 (AP) - Militants on Monday freed more than 260 Pakistani troops kidnapped nearly two weeks ago in South Waziristan tribal area, near the border with Afghanistan, security officials and a militant said. The freed soldiers were handed over to members of a jirga (tribal council) in Ladha, a village in South Waziristan where they had been abducted on Aug. 30. Army spokesman Maj-Gen . Waheed Arshad had no confirmation of the troops' release. The freed soldiers were to be handed later Monday to government officials in Wana, the main town in South Waziristan, an official said. It was not clear whether there were any conditions to the soldiers' release. Militants had earlier demanded that authorities withdraw the military from the area and free more than a dozen of their comrades. Six of the abducted troops were released last week in what an official said was a “goodwill” gesture to the jirga negotiating their release. Meanhile, in the Nawaz Kot area of South Waziristan, suspected militants opened fire from their car at the security post, drawing retaliatory fire from troops based there, Maj- Gen Arshad said. The militant leader, Qari Sana, and four fighters were killed in the clash, while three others were wounded but managed to flee, he said. (First Posted @ 10:05; Updated @ 18:05 PST)
Sharif supporters, police clash in Pakistan ISLAMABAD, Sept 10(AFP): Pakistani police arrested key supporters of former premier Nawaz Sharif and clashed with around 100 others as they tried to reach Islamabad airport to welcome him on his return from exile.The activists from Sharif's faction of the Pakistan Muslim League party had their cars halted by police about five kilometres from the airport and then tried to walk, an AFP reporter at the scene said. Police hit some people with sticks and arrested dozens of senior party members including Zafar Iqbal Jhagra, the party's secretary general, the reporter witnessed. They also detained leaders of several nationalist parties. (Posted @ 09:40 PST)
4,000 Sharif supporters detained ISLAMABAD, Sept 10(Reuters): The authorities have detained about 4,000 Sharif supporters and several leaders of his Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), including the chairman, as well as three leaders of an allied religious alliance, party officials said. They said his return now is a serious challenge for Musharraf, who has lost much support since trying to dismiss the country's top judge in March. A provincial police official said 250 “troublemakers” had been picked up. The government says Mr Nawaz Sharif is breaking his word at a time when Pakistan needs stability in the run-up to elections. (Posted @ 09:10 PST)
Constitution obligates supreme court to hear HR complaints: CJP ISLAMABAD, Sept 10 (PPI) - The Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Monday said the Constitution obligates the Supreme Court to take up complaints of fundamental rights' violations in the cases of public importance. In his speech at the opening ceremony of New Judicial Year 2007-08, the CJ said keeping in view the huge backlog of cases, the judges continued functioning throughout the summer vacations. By the end of February this year, the pendency had been brought down to around 10,000 cases. We had planned to bring it further down to 5,000 by the end of the judicial year. But the March 9 episode confronted this Court with issues and challenges of extraordinary nature. Thus, the total pendency on 1st September of this year stood at 17,226 cases. But this Court is determined to handle the backlog. Plans have been made and strategy formulated to increase disposal. The chief justice said the court is determined to fulfil its obligations under the Constitution and the law. The Constitution guarantees fundamental rights and freedoms to citizens. The Constitution casts the responsibility on the superior Courts to enforce such fundamental rights. It is, therefore, an honour and a privilege, as well as, a duty and obligation, to enforce such rights. If there is one lesson we could draw from our past history of 60 years, it is to adhere to the norms and principles of Constitution, CJ Iftikhar said. It is to enforce the Constitution in its true spirit and letter. It is to create and sustain an environment in which there is supremacy of the Constitution and rule of law. It is to ensure that all actions and all decisions are in accordance with law. It is to ensure that the benefits of fundamental rights, guaranteed in Constitution and the benefits of law are extended to all citizens and to all segments and sections of society, without any discrimination on the basis of race, religion, class, sex, place of origin or social or economic status, he added. (Posted @ 19:50 PST)
Benazir Bhutto plans Pakistan return next month LONDON, Sept 10 (Reuters) - An aide to Pakistan's former prime minister Benazir Bhutto said Monday she would likely return from exile in October in the hope of contesting national elections. “Mrs Bhutto has decided to travel to Pakistan,”s spokesman Wajid Hassan told Reuters Television in an interview. “She has planned it next month, probably. She will announce it on 14th of September as to the date of her arrival in Pakistan.” “She has got to go back and lead the party into the elections, to campaign for the party in the elections,” he said. “I'm sure that there will be no compromise on it. She will go back and she will compete for the party and she will definitely win the elections.” (Posted @ 19:10 PST)
Nawaz deportation Pakistan's business, says India NEW DELHI, Sept 10 (AFP) - India Monday said Pakistan's deportation of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was “an internal matter,” but expressed hope its neighbour would remain peaceful and stable. “This is an internal matter,” Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters. “We want a peaceful, prosperous and stable neighbour,” he said. (Posted @ 20:52 PST)
White House calls Sharif exile 'internal' matter WASHINGTON, Sept 10 (AFP) - The White House on Monday described Pakistan's deportation of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif as an “internal matter,” but urged the upcoming elections to be “free and fair,” a spokesman said. “This is an internal matter for the Pakistanis to deal with,” said national security spokesman Gordon Johndroe. “We will continue our discussions with various Pakistani parties” for there to be “free and fair elections,” he said. (Posted @ 19:00 PST)
EU urges Pakistan to respect supreme court ruling on Sharif BRUSSELS, Sept 10 (AFP) -The European Union urged Pakistan Monday to respect its own supreme court ruling and allow former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to stay in the country (Posted @ 15:52 PST)
Seven US soldiers killed in Baghdad accident BAGHDAD, Sept 10, 2007 (AFP) - Seven US soldiers were killed and 11 others wounded in a vehicle accident in the west of the Iraqi capital on Monday, the US military said. (Posted @ 22:35 PST)
Oscar-winner Jane Wyman dead at 93: reports LOS ANGELES, Sept 10, 2007 (AFP) - Jane Wyman, the Oscar-winning actress and former wife of Ronald Reagan, has died aged 93, reports said Monday. Wyman, who won a best actress Academy Award for her portrayal of a deaf rape victim in “Johnny Belinda” before later appearing in the hit television soap “Falcon Crest,” died in Palm Springs, California, CNN reported. (Posted @ 22:30 PST)
Seven killed in Mogadishu attacks MOGADISHU, Sept 10, 2007 (AFP) - Seven people including four members of the same family were killed and eight others wounded Monday in violence in the Somali capital, where the government is battling insurgents, witnesses said. A mortar hit a house near the presidential palace in Mogadishu's Wardhigley district overnight and killed a mother and her three children, said Hussein Adan Luqman, an elder. It was not clear if the palace had been the target. (Posted @ 21:45 PST)
Saudi says Israel future hangs on Palestinian state RIYADH, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia said on Monday Israel was increasing tensions in the region and its future hinged on recognising Palestinian rights to statehood. “The cabinet reviewed the developments in the region and the Israeli practices that are increasing tensions and obstruct any serious effort to achieving peace and stability in the region,” Information and Culture Minister Iyad Madani told the official SPA news agency after a cabinet meeting chaired by King Abdullah, without specifying details. “The future of Israel hinges on its recognition of the rights of the Palestinian people to a state and to dignity.” Saudi Arabia has been trying to bolster its role as a Middle East peace broker. The regional heavyweight is expected to receive Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday, (Posted @ 21:10 PST)
Nawaz 'disappointed' but will return to Pakistan: son LONDON, Sept 10 (AFP) - Former Pakistani premier Nawaz Sharif was “disappointed” to have been deported from his homeland on returning from Britain, but will go back to Pakistan “as soon as he can,” his son Hasan Sharif said Monday. “He is very disappointed, but equally he has very high spirits. He is a very courageous man. Everybody witnessed what he did today,” he told Sky News television in Britain. “It's a bad day in the history of Pakistan,” he added. ”Forcing him to go back to Saudi Arabia... against my father's will never be a happy ending for the people of Pakistan.” Asked about his father's plans, he added that for the moment the ex-premier is “very very tired” after the trip to Pakistan and then back to Saudi Arabia. “But of course that will not stop him thinking about the Pakistani people... about restoring democracy in Pakistan. And I'm sure in the not too distant future he will come out with a very solid plan.” ”He has the right to go back to Pakistan. He will go back to Pakistan as soon as he can,” he added, saying Sharif “will make his plans available to the entire world very, very soon.” (Posted @ 20:30 PST)
Up to 28 killed, 60 wounded in suicide attack in southern Afghanistan KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Sept 10 (AP) - A suicide bomber on a motorbike set off his explosives in a crowded area in the town of Gereshk in Helmand on Monday, and preliminary reports said up to 28 people were killed and about 60 wounded, officials said. Gereshk district chief Abdul Manaf Khan said about 28 people were killed, including 13 police and 15 civilians. Dr. Tahir Khan said 23 people were killed and 59 wounded. The blast near a taxi stand came at around 6:30 p.m. in Gereshk's crowded main square, just before evening prayers. Taliban militants have set off a record number of suicide blasts this year more than 100 through the end of August _ but few have been as deadly as the Helmand attack. (Posted @ 20:20 PST)
2nd round of Pak-US strategic talks on Tuesday Islamabad, Sep 10 (PPI) - The second round of Pakistan-US strategic dialogue would take place tomorrow (Wednesday). Foreign Secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan and Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte will represent the respective delegations. Briefing newsmen on Monday, Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said the discussions would focus on economic cooperation, education, security, counter terrorism and social sectors. The two sides would also exchange views on Reconstruction Opportunities Zones in FATA to be established with American assistance. Replying to a question she said Pakistan had proposed dates to India for the meeting of Committee of Judges on civilian prisoners but they were not acceptable to India. New Delhi has also informed Pakistan that it intends to reconstitute members of the committee. Asked to comment on a report appearing in some section of the American media that Osama bin Laden was in Chitral, the spokesperson said this was ridiculous. (Posted @ 19:55 PST)
Two U.S. soldiers die in separate incidents in Iraq BAGHDAD, Sept 10 (AP) - Two U.S. soldiers died Monday in Iraq, the U.S. military said. One soldier died from injuries sustained during an attack in Kirkuk area on Sunday, the U.S. command said. Another soldier was killed and two more were injured east of Baghdad in a non-combat incident when their vehicle overturned and caught fire. The cause is under investigation, the military said. (Posted @ 19:30 PST)
Indonesia's Suharto wins suit against Time magazine JAKARTA, Sept 10(Reuters) - Indonesia's Supreme Court has ruled in favour of former President Suharto in a libel suit against Time magazine, ordering the U.S. weekly to pay over $100 million in damages and print an apology, a court spokesman said on Monday. Time magazine's May 1999 cover story “Suharto Inc” alleged Suharto and his family had amassed a fortune of around $15 billion, including $9 billion in an Austrian bank account. (Posted @ 19:15 PST)
Truck bomb kills 10, wounds 60 in northern Iraq BAGHDAD, Sept 10 (Reuters) - A suicide truck bomb killed 10 people and wounded 60 in the village of Tal Marag, near the city of Mosul on Monday, police in Baghdad said. (Posted @ 19:10 PST)
Truck explosion kills at least 23 in Mexico MEXICO CITY, Sept 10 (AFP) - At least 23 people were killed and 35 injured early Monday when a truck carrying explosives crashed and later burst into flames in the northern state of Coahuila, local authorities said. “Among the 23 victims were four journalists who were taking pictures at the scene as well as rescue workers and drivers trying to get others out,” Coahuila Governor Humberto Moreira said. According to Moreira, the truck, which was carrying several tons of explosives, crashed into another vehicle on the highway and exploded, “some 40 minutes later.” (Posted @ 19:00 PST)
Indian troops kill 10 militants in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Sept 10 (AFP) - Indian troops shot dead 10 suspected militants in occupied Kashmir alleging that eight of them were trying to trespass the LoC, the army said Monday. ”Two more militants and an army soldier were killed elsewhere in the region on Monday during two separate gunbattles”, it added. (Posted @ 19:00 PST)
Abbas-Olmert appoint teams ahead of peace meet JERUSALEM, Sept 10 (AFP) - Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Monday reaffirmed their commitment to a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict and appointed negotiating teams ahead of a US-sponsored peace conference. In the wo-hour meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert also promised Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas to release prisoners as a gesture of goodwill for the holy month of Ramadan. “The two emphasised their commitment to a two-state solution living side by side in peace and security and have therefore decided to appoint teams on both sides in order to promote this goal,” said a joint statement released by the Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office. Olmert also pledged to present an Israeli plan next week to “increase the freedom of movement in the West Bank and between Palestinian cities,” an offical said. Releasing some of the more than 11,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and lifting some of the more than 500 West Bank roadblocks are two key issues for Abbas and he has lobbied for both measures in previous encounters. (First Posted @ 17:20 PST, Updated @ 19:00 PST)
May 12 violence in Karachi: SHC adjourned hearing Karachi, Sept 10 (PPI): The full bench of Sindh High Court Monday adjourned hearing of petitions regarding May 12, 2007 violence in Karachi till September 17 observing that “in the prevailing law and order situation, it is not possible to proceed case”. (Posted @ 18:40 PST)
Politics- APDM to observe protest day ISLAMABAD, Sep 10 (PPI) - The All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) Monday called for observing protest day on Tuesday across the country to condemn the arrest and victimization of its leaders and political workers by police on the occasion of the arrival and deportation of ex-premier Nawaz Sharif. Talking to PPI from Aabpara Police Station on cell phone after their arrest, Ahsan Iqbal, secretary information of PML-N and Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Chief of the Ponam said that the arrested APDM leaders including Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, former President Rafiq Tarar and others gave the protest call and strongly condemned the arrest of the opposition leaders and political activists and stopping them from according welcome to Mian Nawaz Sharif at the Islamabad Airport. (Posted @ 18:30 PST)
CJ Iftikhar for joint struggle to purge corruption from judiciary ISLAMABAD, Sept 10 (PPI) - The Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry Monday asked the bar and bench to struggle together to purge corruption from judiciary. Addressing the delegation of district bar associations of Multan, Mandi Bahauddin, and Lakki Marwat, and Tehsil Bar Association Malkwal he said if anyone sees deviation from the rules and regulations, which brings bad name to the judiciary, it should be brought to the notice of courts. Corruption will not be tolerated in judiciary, he added. (Posted @ 18:23 PST)
12 militants killed in Samarra Baghdad, Sept 10(Reuters) -U.S. and Iraqi forces killed 12 al Qaeda militants and detained three others during operations in the city of Samarra, 100 km north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said. Three U.S. soldiers were also wounded An explosion killed two people and wounded five others near a hospital in central Baghdad, police said. The cause of the blast was unclear. Meanwhile, ten bodies were found in different districts of Baghdad on Sunday, police said adding that police also retrieved two bodies, shot and tortured, from the Tigris River on Sunday in the town of Suwayra, 40 km south of Baghdad. (Posted @ 17:43 PST)
Tennis- Federer edges out Djokovic to win U.S. Open title NEW YORK, Sept 10 (Reuters) --Roger Federer edged out Serb Novak Djokovic 7-6 7-6 6-4 to win his fourth successive U.S. Open crown on Sunday and take his grand slam tally to 12. (Posted @ 16:26 PST)
14,000 Qaeda fighters join Iraqi armed forces: PM BAGHDAD, Sept 10 (AFP) - More than 14,000 fighters linked to Al-Qaeda have turned against violence and joined the Iraqi armed forces, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told parliament on Monday. (Posted @ 16:12 PST)
British security worker killed in Iraq LONDON, Sept 10(AP): A British security worker in Iraq was killed by an improvised explosive device a day after he was honored for his efforts in rescuing U.S. soldiers, his employers said on Monday. Raymond Moore, 40, died from injuries suffered in an explosion near Numaniyah, ArmorGroup said in a statement. (Posted @ 14:38 PST)
Gunmen free 10 out of 13 kidnapped Afghan deminers KHOST, Sept 10(AFP): A group that abducted a 13-man mine clearing team in Afghanistan last week released 10 of their hostages on Monday, a provincial government official said. Their release was negotiated by tribal elders and no ransom was paid, said a spokesman for the local administration in eastern Paktia where the men were captured. (Posted @ 14:25 PST)
Three killed in U.S. raid in Baghdad BAGHDAD, Sept 10(AP): U.S. and Iraqi troops backed by helicopters killed three civilians in Sadr City on Monday in a pre-dawn raid on the home of a suspected militia leader, police and residents said. Meanwhile, a bomb blew up around noon near Buratha mosque in northern Baghdad, killing two civilians and wounding five others, police said. The U.S. command also announced that a U.S. soldier, whose patrol in the Kirkuk area was hit with rockets on Sunday, died from injuries sustained in the attack. (Posted @ 14:23 PST)
Three killed, 29 arrested in Thai south NARATHIWAT, Thailand, Sept 10(AFP): Thai security forces arrested 29 suspected separaist rebels on Monday in a crackdown in the south, where three people were killed in ongoing violence, police said. The raid by 250 police and soldiers in Narathiwat province took the number of people rounded up since Saturday to more than 100. (Posted @ 14:22 PST)
Taliban says 'ready for talks' KANDAHAR, Sept 10(AFP): The Taliban said on Monday they were ready for talks with the Afghan government, one day after President Hamid Karzai offered negotiations in a bid to end a bloody insurgency. (Posted @ 13:32 PST)
Osama, Omar alive and healthy, says Afghan warlord KABUL, Sept 10(AFP): Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden and Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar are alive and healthy, an anti-government militant group said after the Saudi millionaire appeared this month on a new video. “I don't know exactly where they are but I absolutely know they're alive and healthy,” a spokesman for Gulbuddin Hekmatyar told AFP.(Posted @ 12:17 PST)
Blast injures three women police officers in Srinagar SRINAGAR, Sept 10 (AP): Kashmiri freedom fighters triggered a blast Monday that wounded three female police officers in occupied Kashmir, hours before the arrival of Sonia Gandhi, the leader of India's governing party, police said. The attack on a police vehicle in Rainawari district in Srinagar took place just three kilometers from a lakeside convention center where Gandhi was to address a women's gathering, said a police officer. (Posted @ 12:10 PST)
Sri Lanka gunbattles kill six in north COLOMBO, Sept 10(Reuters): Sri Lankan soldiers killed six Tamil Tiger rebels in the north of the island, the military said on Monday, in the latest clashes in a renewed civil war. The fighting, in the northern districts of Jaffna and Vavuniya, was the latest in a spate of land and sea battles. (Posted @ 11:00 PST)
Cambodian military commander shot dead PHNOM PENH, Sept 10(AFP): A top Cambodian military police commander was gunned down after being ambushed and pursued through a temple in the capital, authorities said on Monday. Ffive gunmen attacked Reth Nika, Phnom Penh's deputy military police chief, firing into his car after a high-speed chase on Sunday evening. The victim fled into a nearby temple. The assailants hunted him down and shot him several times in the temple grounds. (Poste @ 09:30 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 139.30 , points: KARACHI, Sept 10:At the close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 12546.01, up 139.30, points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Sept 10: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.85 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
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