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| October 19, 2007 | Friday | Shawwal 6, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Benazir says bomb victims made 'ultimate sacrifice' for democracy KARACHI, Oct 19 (AFP) – Stating that her followers had made the “ultimate sacrifice” for democracy when bomb attacks were made on her homecoming parade in Karachi, Benazir Bhutto told a press conference Friday that “for me the attack was not on an individual. The attack was not on me, the attack was on what I represent. It was an attack on democracy and it was an attack on the very unity and integrity of Pakistan.” She also called for an urgent official inquiry into the incident, saying that lighting on the section of street where the attack happened was out at the time. “While I am not blaming the government, nonetheless we need to have an inquiry including into why the street lights were shut.” “As the sun set, we saw that the street lights had been closed. Our security guards were having a difficulty in identifying suicide bombers... because we couldn't see,” she said. (Posted @ 18:12 PST)
Benazir says two attackers in deadly homecoming convoy KARACHI, Pakistan, Oct 19 (AP) - PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto said Friday there were two attackers in the deadly bombing against her homecoming convoy that killed more than 136 people. She said beside the two attackers, her security guards also found another man armed with a pistol and another with a reported suicide bombing vest. She also said that during the bombing someone also fired upon the truck in which she and the entire party leadership were heading the motorcade. (Posted @ 18:40 PST)
Benazir says she was warned of suicide squads KARACHI, Pakistan, Oct 19 (AP) - Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto said at a news conference Friday she had prior warning that suicide squads would try to kill her upon returning home, and that there were at least two attackers in the deadly bombing that killed more than 136 and injured at least 250.She said telephone numbers of suicide squads had been given to her by a “brotherly” country and she alerted Gen. Pervez Musharraf in a letter dated Oct. 16. She said one squad was pro-Taliban, the other linked to al-Qaida. She said the next attack against her would target her homes in Karachi and her hometown of Larkana, using attackers posing as supporters of a rival political faction. “A minority wants to hijack the destiny of this great nation, and we will not be intimidated by this minority,” she told reporters at her Karachi house. “This is a battle for democracy. We wish it to be peaceful. We wish it to be political, which is why, my party and I ... have entered into political negotiations with Gen. Musharraf's regime.” (Posted @ 18:36 PST)
136 dead, hundreds injured in blasts that shattered Benazir homecoming KARACHI, Pakistan, Oct 19 (AP) Death toll in the midnight suicide attacks on former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s homecoming has swelled to 136 and more than 250 injured (more than 500 according to private tv channels). It may have been the work of al-Qaida and the Taliban, authorities said Friday, as forensic experts studied the severed head of the alleged bomber to try to determine his identity. The attack bore the hallmarks of militants linked to pro-Taliban warlord Baitullah Mehsud and al-Qaida, according to Ghulam Mohammad Mohtarem, the top security official in Sindh province, where Karachi is located. “We were already fearing a strike from Mehsud and his local affiliates and this was conveyed to Benazir’s Pakistan People's Party,” Mohtarem said. Mohtarem said nuts and bolts and steel balls packed around the explosives had made the bombing so deadly. Police collected forensic evidence _ picking up pieces of flesh and discarded shoes _ from the site of the bombing. The truck was hoisted away using a crane. One side of the truck, including a big portrait of the former premier was splattered with blood and riddled with shrapnel holes. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao said 18 policemen also died in the attack, as two police vehicles on the left side of Benazir’s truck bore the brunt of the blast. He noted that electronic jammers fitted to the police escort vehicles were ineffective against a manually detonated bomb. On the eve of Benazir’s arrival, a provincial government official had cited intelligence reports that three suicide bombers linked to Mehsud were in Karachi. Manzur Mughal, Karachi police officer in charge of investigation said detectives had established that the same young man who threw the grenade blew himself up 22 seconds later next to the truck. The attacker's head was found nearby and taken to a forensic lab to try to identify him, Mughal said. (First Posted @ 10:29 PST Updated @ 16:31 PST)
Bombing 'planned meticulously': Karachi police chief KARACHI, Oct 19 (AFP) The deadly attack targeting Benazir Bhutto's homecoming parade was “planned meticulously and conducted expertly,” Karachi's police chief Azhar Farooqi said Friday. “First a grenade was thrown at the crowd and then the suicide bomber blew himself up. It is a pattern that would suggest the attack was planned meticulously and conducted expertly, certainly not by a novice.” It was not immediately clear how many people were involved in the attack or who was behind it. “I am not in a position to name any organisation. The investigations are under way,” Farooqi said. (Posted @ 08:45 PST)
Cricket: SAfrica continue Pakistan tour despite bombings JOHANNESBURG, Oct 19 (AFP) - South African cricket officials decided on Friday to continue their tour of Pakistan despite an assassination attempt on returning former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in Karachi. Cricket South Africa's general operations manager Brian Basson said that the decision to push on with the ongoing series of one-day internationals had been taken after the squad received safety assurances from their hosts. “Even though the Proteas are presently in Lahore and the bombing took place in Karachi, CSA called the Pakistan Cricket Board concerning the safety of the team,” Basson said in a statement issued in Johannesburg. “The PCB then held a high level meeting with the Pakistan security authorities and the (Pakistan) home secretary today. “After the meeting, the PCB and the security authorities assured us of the continued safety of the Proteas on this tour and that the security around the team will remain at the highest level. CSA has accepted these assurances and the tour will continue. CSA will, however, monitor the situation carefully.” (Posted @ 18:16 PST)
Pakistan, India talks on nuclear, missiles related CBMs New Delhi, Oct 19(PPI): The fifth round of expert level talks between Pakistan and India on nuclear and missiles related Confidence Building Measures CBMs, as part of Composite Dialogue Process were held on Friday in New Delhi. The discussions focused on review of implementation of existing agreements on CBMs and on disarmament and non-proliferation related issues of mutual interest in multilateral forums as provided for in Lahore Memorandum of Understanding of 1999 between two countries. The two sides agreed to meet again in Islamabad to carry forward the dialogue and process of confidence building in nuclear and missile areas. (Posted @ 22:24 PST)
SC notices MMA MPs, EC in Madressah degrees case ISLAMABAD, Oct 19 (PPI)- The Supreme Court on Friday issued notices to 68 parliamentarians belonging to Mutahidda Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) and Election Commission of Pakistan directing them to appear before the court on October 29 in a constitutional petition wherein the Madressah degrees of the MMA legislators had been challenged. The bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry is hearing petition by Dr Aslam Khaki that these degrees were not equivalent to graduation under University Grants Commission (UGC) Act 1974. On Friday, Ibrahim Satti, counsel for Mufti Ibrar Sultan of MMA submitted that the degrees awarded by the Deeni Madaris, affiliated with Wafuqul Madaris were equivalent to graduation and post graduation. (Posted @ 19:56 PST)
Bombers attack pipelines feeding Iraqi refineries KIRKUK, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Bombers blew up a section of an internal pipeline carrying Kirkuk crude oil to the Baiji refinery in northern Iraq on Friday. A spokesman for Kirkuk's oil company said it would not affect crude oil exports and that there was only minor damage to the pipeline. Militants also targeted an oil pipeline near Haswa, 50 km south of Baghdad, causing minor damage that was quickly repaired, the Iraqi army said. Brigadier-General Imad al-Silawi, head of the Iraqi Army's 4th Brigade, 8th Division, said soldiers were ambushed when they went to the scene of the blast. Seven gunmen were killed in ensuing clashes, he said. The patrol was later hit by a roadside bomb that wounded one soldier. (Posted @ 18:30 PST)
Musharraf telephones Benazir after deadly blasts KARACHI, Oct 19 (AFP) - President Pervez Musharraf telephoned former premier Benazir Bhutto on Friday to offer his condolences after a “terrorist” blast targeting her homecoming parade, his spokesman said. Musharraf called her to “convey his deepest sorrow over the terrorist attack” and vowed to arrest the culprits, presidential spokesman Major General (Retd) Rashid Qureshi said. “We all condemn this terrorism and no one should take advantage of the situation and start a blame game,” he quoted Musharraf as saying during the call. (Posted @ 15:49 PST)
Benazir accuses supporters of late military ruler Zia PARIS, Oct 19 (AFP) -Benazir Bhutto on Friday accused supporters of Pakistan's late military ruler General Zia ul-Haq of being behind the bomb blasts that killed more than 130 people after her arrival in Karachi. In an interview published in French on the Internet site of Paris-Match magazine, she said there were those who had served with Zia who remained extremely powerful and saw her return to Pakistan and her pledge to restore democracy as a threat to their influence. While acknowledging that Islamist extremists were likely responsible for the attack itself, she stressed that such groups were unable to operate without logistical support from people in positions of power. (Posted @ 15:48 PST)
Pakistan says militants behind Benazir attack KARACHI, Oct 19 (Reuters) The Pakistan government blamed militants for a grenade and suicide bomb attack early Friday that killed 133 people as Benazir Bhutto drove through masses of supporters in Karachi. “Definitely, it is the work of the militants and terrorists,” Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema said, adding it was too early to say which group was involved. “The first blast was caused by a hand grenade. The second was the suicide attack,” Manzoor Mughal, a senior police official involved in the investigation, told Reuters. “The attacker ran into the crowd and blew himself up.” Mughal said the head of the suspected bomber had been found, and it was estimated he had 15 to 20 kg of explosives strapped to his body. “The attacker appears to be 20-21 years old, and (had) 48-hour stubble,” another investigator said. A sketch was being made and DNA samples taken. (Posted @ 13:46 PST)
Karachi: Markets, bazaars closed KARACHI, Oct 19 (APP) Most markets and shops in Karachi remained closed Friday in the aftermath of blasts which took place in the procession of PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto early Friday leaving 138 people dead and over 500 injured. Transport in the morning was below normal and attendance in offices was thin. Educational institutions were already closed as per Governor Sindh’s announcement. Law enforcing agencies were alert and seen patrolling in sensitive areas. (Posted @ 12:59 PST)
Asif Ali Zardari blames Pakistani intelligence for Karachi blasts KARACHI, Oct 19 (AFP) Former premier Benazir Bhutto’s husband Asif Ali Zardari blamed a Pakistani intelligence agency for two bombs that killed some 130 people during her homecoming parade Thursday. “We blame one intelligence agency and we demand action against it... it is not done by militants, it is done by that intelligence agency,” Zardari told a private television channel. “Our people have died, our workers have died, they have sacrificed their lives for the sake of democracy in Pakistan.” “It is a very, very big security lapse,” said senior PPP member Taj Haider. Benazir said “some people who are retired from intelligence agencies still have close links with extremist elements and they may use them to mount attacks on her,” he said. “The danger has already been expressed. The government was aware of it.” (Posted @ 08:45 PST)
President Musharraf condemns Karachi blasts KARACHI, Oct 19 (Agencies) President Musharraf condemned deadly bomb blasts Thursday that targeted a convoy carrying former premier Benazir Bhutto, describing the attack as a “conspiracy against democracy.” ”President Musharraf said he condemned this attack in the strongest possible words,” according to a statement released by the Associated Press of Pakistan. “He said this was a conspiracy against democracy,” the statement said. Musharraf also appealed for calm after the blasts, which killed some 130 people in Karachi and said those behind the attacks would be punished. He ordered the Sindh provincial government to conduct an inquiry. “The president appealed to the nation and especially the people of Karachi to exercise patience and calm in this hour. The president said the government would take every step to trace the culprits and award them exemplary punishment. He said the government would bear all the expenses for the medical treatment of the injured.” Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz also condemned the attack, saying he was deeply shocked. (Posted @ 08:45 PST)
Benazir Bhutto will stay in Pakistan to fight elections: party KARACHI, Oct 19 (AFP) Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto will stay in Pakistan to fight elections despite an attack on her homecoming parade that killed 133 people, her party said Friday. “She will stay in Pakistan, she will not leave, she is determined,” Pakistan People's Party senator Safdar Abbasi told AFP at Bilawal House, Benazir's residence in Karachi. “We are not going to change our plans. Our fight for democracy will continue. We will contest elections,” he said, referring to the general election due in January. (Posted @ 14:24 PST)
Pakistan and India almost finalise list of goods to be traded across LOC NEW DELHI, Oct 19 (APP): Pakistan and India have almost finalised the list of goods to be traded across the Line of Control in disputed Kashmir region. The Indian Express reported Friday India had proposed 14 items for export, out of which Pakistan had cancelled five-- leather and leather products, juices and jams, copper and silver, tinned food and fabricated items like gold ornaments. The items Pakistan has allowed to be imported include carpets, furniture, silk, Kashmiri fruits and spices, aromatic plants, dhania, moongi, Basmati rice and Kashmiri saffron. India has allowed six of the 16 items proposed by Pakistan for import after rejecting Pakistan,s proposal to export spices, apples, walnuts, rice, paper and carpets. India has allowed import of precious stones, namdas (a type of mat), furniture, medicinal herbs, embroidered items and Chilgoza. (Posted @ 17:03 PST)
Cricket: England squad for Sri Lanka Test series LONDON, Oct 19 (AFP) - England squad for forthcoming Test series in Sri Lanka: Michael Vaughan (Yorkshire, capt), James Anderson (Lancashire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Ravi Bopara (Essex), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Paul Collingwood (Durham), Alastair Cook (Essex), Matthew Hoggard (Yorkshire), Philip Mustard (Durham), Monty Panesar (Northamptonshire), Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire), Matthew Prior (Sussex), Owais Shah (Middlesex), Ryan Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire) (Posted @ 17:10 PST)
Road accident in Bangladesh kills 11 people, injures 14 DHAKA, Oct 19 (AP) - A speeding bus packed with passengers collided head on with a truck in Bogra district, 176 kilometers north of Dhaka, on Friday, leaving at least 11 people dead and 14 others injured, a police official said adding that the death toll could still rise since seven passengers sustained severe injuries. (Posted @ 16:30 PST)
Death toll from Philippines blast at eight, 70 injured MANILA, Oct 19 (AFP) The death toll from a bomb blast Friday at a Manila shopping mall rose to eight with at least 70 others injured, police said. “There may be more people inside,” said Manila police chief Geary Barias, who released the updated toll. (Posted @ 14:24 PST)
India, Pakistan talk to ease nuclear tensions NEW DELHI, Oct 19 (AFP) India and Pakistan opened talks Friday aimed at cutting the risk of accidents with nuclear weapons and developing further cooperation in the arms arena, officials said. The one-day meeting is part of a peace process launched between the neighbours in January 2004, India's foreign ministry said in a statement. Discussions will focus on reviewing the implementation of existing nuclear confidence-building deals and security issues in global organisations, such as the United Nations, the statement said. India's delegation was led by senior foreign ministry official K.C. Singh and Pakistan's by his counterpart, Khalid Aziz Babar. (Posted @ 12:08 PST)
At least 29 dead as Indonesian ship sinks JAKARTA, Oct 19 (AFP) At least 29 people were killed and more than 100 are missing after an Indonesian ship carrying 151 people sank in high seas off the island of Sulawesi, the local Elshinta radio reported Friday. The reporter said people living along the coast near the town of Bau Bau on southeast Sulawesi heard screams for help after the ship sank at about 9:00pm Thursday just 500 metres from shore. “Eighteen people had been rescued,” the reporter added. (Posted @ 09:00 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 32.63, points: KARACHI, Oct 19: At the close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 14787.55, up 32.63, points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:02 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Oct 19: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.7, to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 15:15 PST)
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