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| October 26, 2007 | Friday | Shawwal 13, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Pakistan forces attack cleric stronghold after suicide attack, militants kidnap 8 Mingora (SWAT), Pakistan, Oct 26 (AP) - Security forces backed by helicopters attacked militant cleric Maulana Fazlullah’s stronghold in scenic Swat Valley in northwestern Pakistan on Friday, killing one ( three according to AFP ) of his supporters near the scene of Thursday’s deadly suicide attack, police and an aide to the cleric said. Also Friday, militants ambushed a minibus carrying police and paramilitary forces on the outskirts of Swat, kidnapping three civilians and eight police and paramilitary soldiers. They later freed the civilians, but efforts were under way to rescue the captive security forces. Separately, militants fired at a helicopter carrying a senior army officer on Friday in the same region. They missed the target and the helicopter made safe landing, said another local police official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The fighting broke out in the village of Imam Dheri where the cleric has a sprawling seminary. Sirajuddin, an aide of Fazlullah, said one of their fighters was killed and four were wounded in the raid by security forces using mortars, missiles and strafing by helicopters. “We are defending ourselves. We have carried out retaliation,” Sirajuddin told the AP by telephone from Imam Dheri. “We have enough heavy weapons.” Swat district police chief Arshad Majid said he had no information on casualties in the fighting. Pakistan army spokesman Maj. Gen. Waheed Arshad said army helicopters joined the operation, and troops were sent to the region as reserves to help local authorities maintain law and order, if requested. Militants in the village and security forces fought with rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and other weapons across the rushing Swat River, witnesses said. Residents said they saw four helicopters hovering over the area and could hear loud explosions from heavy weapons fire. One of the choppers was seen firing rockets near Fazlullah's house. “The security forces attacked a building where Maulana Fazlullah had been appearing in recent days to urge his followers to target the Pakistan army, police and other security forces,” said Muhibullah, a local police official, in the nearby town of Mingora. In an FM radio broadcast on Wednesday, Fazlullah reportedly announced he was shifting to neighbouring mountainous district, Kohistan. (Posted @ 19:32 PST)
Pakistan proud of its nuclear scientists' services: PM ISLAMABAD, Oct 26 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Friday said country's nuclear capability and scientists were its prime assets and no one will be allowed to cause harm to them. Pakistan’s nuclear capability ensures national security, sovereignty and progress, he said while launching a new train Bhambore Express that will run between Rawalpindi and Karachi via Sargodha, Faisalabad and Multan and complete its journey in twenty-five hours. “Nuclear scientists are our national pride and their security is our responsibility,” he stressed. Prime Minister Aziz said that the government is paying special attention to improve communication infrastructure including railways, shipping and roads. The government has also decided the restructuring of Karachi Shipyard and construction of a new shipyard at Gwadar. Work is also underway to manufacture aeroplanes at Kamra. He said the government is making all out efforts to improve political environment and would welcome everyone in national reconciliation. Earlier, Railways minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said railway track between Karachi and Lahore would be dualised by the end of December this year. (Posted @ 18:08 PST)
SC's judgement on Presidential issue likely by Thursday: Justice Javed Iqbal ISLAMABAD, Oct 26 (APP): Justice Javed Iqbal, head of the 11-member bench of the Supreme Court hearing petitions against the eligibility/candidacy of President Pervez Musharraf for another term in office, Friday said that the decision in the case was likely to be announced by Thursday next. He was responding to questions after addressing the inaugural session of the two-day workshop on “Delay Reduction Techniques cum Training the Trainers for District & Sessions Judges” organized by the Federal Judicial Academy and Access to Justice Programme. About the independence of judiciary, he said: “The judiciary was independent, is independent and will remain independent; We as judges are only answerable to Allah Almighty and after that before their conscience, rather than before a particular group of people.” He said “judiciary has to make decisions in accordance with the constitution and law”. The judiciary should not be subservient to any specific group and decisions not to be made in according to the wishes of any particular group, he remarked. Justice Javed Iqbal urged the participants of the workshop comprising District and Sessions Judges to suggest ways and means for the reduction of delay in dispensation of justice with especial reference to hardworking, honesty and management beside others. He also asked them to take steps for the eradication of corruption in the subordinate judiciary which is being highlighted by almost all the segment of the society by introducing a system of checks and balances. (Posted @ 18:26 PST)
No sympathy for Benazir after attack - survey NEW DELHI, Oct 26 (Reuters) - The attempted assassination of former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto has not sparked public sympathy for her and Pakistanis do not support her plan to share power with President Pervez Musharraf, a survey said. An overwhelming number of those surveyed also think that their country is headed in the “wrong direction”, seeing restoration of democracy as more important than fighting “terrorism”, the Gallup poll showed.The survey had been conducted in four Pakistani cities -- Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Rawalpindi. “Asked whether the assassination attempt on Benazir would help enhance her political fortunes, 58 percent replied in the negative,” the statement said, adding that 53 percent were opposed to her deal with Musharraf to restore civilian rule. Musharraf, 50 percent of those polled said, should retire from public life and another 35 percent wanted him to resign as army chief. Pakistan was headed in the “wrong direction”, 82 percent said. (Posted @ 19:06 PST)
Pakistan finds 28 million 'lost' voters ISLAMABAD, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Pakistan's Election Commission has issued a “final list” of voters, putting the electorate at 80 million, an increase of 28 million from the first draft list published in June, an official said on Friday. The missing voters became a contentious topic earlier this year after the commission's first draft put the number at 52 million, 20 million fewer than voted in the 2002 election. “We have issued the final list of 80 million voters for the next polls,” commission Secretary Kanwar Mohammad Dilshad told Reuters. “This is an ongoing process and voters can still be included until the election schedule is announced.” The new list builds on the original 2002 voter base and adds millions of people who have since turned 18, Dilshad said. Roughly half of Pakistan's 160 million people are below 18. (Posted @ 20:44 PST)
Pakistan opens probe into suicide attack that killed 19 security officers, one civilian PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Oct 26 (AP) Pakistani security officials Friday investigated the scene of a deadly suicide attack that killed 20 people in northwestern Pakistan, just days after troops were sent to the region to quell pro-Taliban militants. It remained unclear who orchestrated Thursday's attack, which killed one civilian and 19 paramilitary soldiers and left three dozen wounded. But the assailants appeared to have inside information about the movement of security personnel, said local mayor Fazlur Rehman. The bomber hit a truck carrying about 45 Frontier Constabulary forces near the main police station in Swat district, where 2,500 paramilitary troops were deployed this week to counter a militant cleric. On Friday, Arshad Majid, the top government official in Swat, said he hoped the perpetrators of the attack would be captured soon. ''We have examined the wreckage of the engine of the car used in the attack, and we are now trying to find the car's owner,'' he said. ''Those who planned this attack should soon be captured.'' (Posted @ 12:10 PST)
Police claim progress in Benazir blast case KARACHI, Pakistan, Oct 26 (AP) Police said Friday there were ''developments'' in the investigation into last week's suicide attack against Benazir Bhutto but warned that continued criticism from the former prime minister could stymie their progress. ''There are developments, but it would be premature to talk about them as the investigation is ongoing,'' Karachi police chief Azhar Farooqi told The Associated Press. Police continued to question over a dozen men but no arrests have been made, he said. Bashir Sheikh, a senior local official, said Friday that another person injured in the attack had passed away, bringing the death toll to 143. Benazir and her associates have lambasted the inquiry as ''inept,'' citing confusion over whether one or two suicide bombers carried out the attack. ''That's the view they hold as lay people. But as a professional law enforcement officer I don't consider that as appropriate. It's not right,'' Farooqi said. (Posted @ 12:35 PST)
Cricket: Pakistan name squad for India one-day series MULTAN, Pakistan, Oct 26 (AFP) - Pakistan announced a 16-man squad Friday for the five-match one-day international series in India, with a recall for paceman Shoaib Akhtar.Pakistan will leave for India on November 1 and play the first match at Guwahati on November 5. Pakistan will also play three Tests which follow the one-day series. The Test squad will be announced later. Pakistan squad: Shoaib Malik (captain), Salman Butt, Imran Nazir, Yasir Hameed, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul Haq, Fawad Alam, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Asif, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Sohail Tanveer, Abdul Rehman, Rao Iftikhar. (Posted @ 23:28 PST)
Benazir asks government to request U.S., Britain assistance to carry out Oct 18 rally attack probe ISLAMABAD, Oct 26 (PPI): PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto has asked the government to request assistance from United States and Britain to carry out investigations in October 18, 2007 attack on her rally in Karachi in which 140 people were killed and over 500 injured. In a letter Friday to Interior Secretary with copies to General Pervez Musharraf, UN Security Council, Chief Justice of Pakistan & Chief Justice Sindh High Court she said PPP “asks you to immediately assist poorly equipped Pakistan Police investigation with sophisticated technology and scientific techniques available to Scotland Yard and FBI to assist in investigation and bring culprits to book. It is important for integrity of Pakistan that terrorists be apprehended and brought to justice.” (Posted @ 22:36 PST)
Afghan president demands that US, NATO cut back on airstrikes KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai is calling for the U.S. and NATO to cut back on airstrikes in the battle against Taliban and al-Qaida militants, saying too many civilians have been killed. Karzai said that six years after the U.S.-led invasion the Afghan people “cannot comprehend as to why there is still a need for air power.” Asked if he wants the use of airstrikes curtailed, Karzaisaid: “Absolutely. Oh, yes, in clear words and I want to repeat that, (there are) alternatives to the use of air force.” (Posted @ 22:12 PST)
Indian troops martyr six more innocent youth in occupied Kashmir ISLAMABAD, Oct 26 (APP): In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops martyred six more civilians including a 13-year retarded boy and a lady doctor at Watab in Sopore and Qazigund in Islamabad. Unidentified gunmen shot dead a shopkeeper at Janwari in Sopore. Four labourers, who were working in an army headquarter at Leh were found dead in mysterious conditions, KMS reported. Anti-India demonstrations were held on Friday at Jehangir Chowk in Srinagar and Charar-e-Sharief in Budgam. In Charar-e-Sharief also, Jammu and Kashmir Salvation Movement staged an anti- India demonstration, which was led by party Chairman, Zaffar Akbar Butt. (Posted @ 21:56 PST)
Cricket: South Africa beat Pakistan MULTAN, Pakistan, Oct 26 (AP) - South Africa defeated Pakistan by seven wickets in the fourth limited-overs cricket international at Multan Cricket Stadium on Friday: Scores: Pakistan 230-9 in 50 overs, South Africa 233-3 in 37.4 overs. (Posted @ 21:04 PST)
15 killed in violence across Sri Lanka COLOMBO, Oct 26 (AFP) - Fifteen people have died in fresh fighting as Sri Lankan troops stepped up attacks against Tamil Tiger rebels in the island's north, the defence ministry said Friday. Six soldiers died in an accidental explosion in the northern district of Vavuniya on Friday when they were examining unexploded mines unearthed from the forward defence lines, the military said. Elsewhere, government forces killed eight Tamil Tiger rebels in overnight clashes in Vavuniya, the ministry said. A Tamil man was shot dead in the northern town of Jaffna on Friday, the military said, blaming the killing on the rebels. (Posted @ 20:22 PST)
US soldier killed in Baghdad BAGHDAD, Oct 26 (AFP) - A US soldier was killed and another four wounded in southern Baghdad in a bomb attack on their patrol, the military said Friday. It said the soldiers' unit was struck on Thursday by an explosively-formed penetrator, a fist sized bomb which cuts through heavily armoured military vehicles. (Posted @ 20:16 PST)
Police arrest 142 Afghan nationals in raid in Chaman CHAMAN, Oct 26 (APP): Chaman police on Friday arrested 142 Afghan nationals in a raid on a house, SHO Chaman police station Mohammad Dawood told APP. These Afghans had illegally crossed border and were staying there in a bid to move into the interiors of the province, he said. (Posted @ 20:08 PST)
13 private power projects of US$ 2 bln to be operational by 2010 ISLAMABAD, Oct 26 (APP): Thirteen private power projects with a total of 2456 MW will be commissioned by the year 2010, out of which 554 MW will be available to the national grid by next year, and 1343 MW and 559 MW in 2009 and 2010 respectively, which translates into US$ 2 billion of investment through the private sector. This was announced at the 74th meeting of the Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB) on Friday. (Posted @ 19:48 PST)
Israeli forces kill five Gaza militants GAZA CITY, Oct 26 (AFP) - Israeli air strikes and troops killed five Palestinian fighters in Gaza on Friday. Two Israeli air strikes in eastern Gaza City killed three militants and wounded five, medical officials said. Earlier, ground clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinian fighters left two Gaza gunmen dead -- one from Hamas near Jabaliya in northern Gaza and the other from the rival Islamic Jihad in southern Gaza, medics said. An army spokesman said two soldiers were lightly wounded. The army said Palestinian militants had also fired at least 20 rockets and mortar shells towards Israel in the past 24 hours. The violence came one day after Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak approved electricity and fuel cuts against the Gaza Strip, where 1.5 million Palestinians live, in an effort to end Palestinian rocket attacks. Palestinians and human rights organisations charge that this amounts to collective punishment of civilians in breach of international law. (Posted @ 19:00 PST)
Indian army detains 17, mostly women, children for illegal LoC crossing SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Oct 26 (AP) - The Indian army Wednesday detained 17 people -- three men, four women and 10 children -- for entering occupied Kashmir from the Pakistani side without valid travel documents, the army and police said Friday. The detained people, belonging to four families, said they were returning to their homes in occupied Ksahmir after 15 years, said Lt. Col. A. K. Mathur. They said they were residents of Gawalan and Nambla, two villages about 150 kilometers north of Srinagar, Mathur said adding that they are being handed over to police. (Posted @ 17:22 PST)
Six kidnapped from Italian oil facility off Nigeria LAGOS, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Gunmen kidnapped six workers from an Italian oil production facility off the coast of Nigeria on Friday, halting production of 50,000 barrels per day, authorities said. (Posted @ 17:10 PST)
Major fall in occupied Kashmir violence: police SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Oct 26 (AFP) - Violence in revolt-hit occupied Kashmir has declined by up to 60 percent , police inspector general Shri Murari Sahai said Friday. The reported fall in violence has been attributed to a peace process launched by India and Pakistan in January 2004. India’s bid to win the loyalty of local people has been hit by a string of ugly and embarrassing setbacks. Earlier this year, India's security forces were charged with killing innocent civilians and passing them off as militants as a twisted way of earning bonuses and promotions. A plan to renovate Muslim shrines and mosques fizzled out after Muslim clerics told New Delhi's troops to keep their mainly-Hindu hands off Islamic sites. (Posted @ 16:35 PST)
Abbas, Olmert meet to tackle stalemate JERUSALEM, Oct 26 (AFP) -Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas held talks on Friday in an effort to solve major problems hampering progress towards solving the Middle East conflict. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and former prime minister Ahmed Qorei were also attending the lunch-time talks. Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have so far failed to discuss even the content of the joint document meant to outline a solution to the Middle East conflict and provide the basis of the forthcoming US meeting. The Palestinians want the document to deal with the most intractable problems of the decades-old conflict -- namely borders, refugees and the status of Jerusalem -- while Israel favours a looser statement. (Posted @ 16:30 PST)
34 hurt as Philippine Airlines jet misses runway MANILA, Oct 26 (AFP) Thirty-four people were hurt when a Philippine Airlines jet overshot a runway at an airport on the southern island of Mindanao, careering into a coconut grove, the flag carrier said Friday. The Airbus A320 carrying 148 passengers and six crew members was travelling from Manila to Butuan, in the north of the island. The plane sustained some damage as it nosed into a grove of coconut and banana trees. The cause of the accident was not immediately known, a PAL spokesman told AFP. Authorities shut down the Butuan airport as experts evaluated safety conditions at the facility. (Posted @ 14:25 PST)
Two NATO soldiers killed, three wounded in eastern Afghan clash KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct 26 (AP) NATO-led troops clashed with insurgents in eastern Afghanistan, leaving two alliance troops dead and three others wounded, NATO said Friday. The clash occurred in the mountainous Korangal Valley in Kunar province Thursday, when a joint NATO-Afghan patrol was ambushed by insurgents, NATO said in a statement. (Posted @ 14:10 PST)
Russia launches first Proton rocket after crash MOSCOW, Oct 26 (AFP) Russia carried out its first launch Friday of a Proton cargo rocket since a previous such rocket crashed on the Kazakh steppe, a launch official told AFP. The rocket, which is fuelled by a highly toxic propellant, was carrying three satellites that will form part of Russia's GLONASS navigation system. The rocket “launched successfully” at 0735 GMT, the official from Russia's Khrunichev rocket centre said. (Posted @ 14:00 PST)
18 suspected Taliban killed in coalition airstrike in southern Afghanistan KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct 26 (AP) An airstrike on a group of Taliban fighters in southern Afghanistan’s Zabul province’s Daychopan district Friday left 18 militants dead, including foreign fighters, an Afghan official said. (Posted @ 13:55 (Posted @ 16:00 PST))
10 dead in northeast India rebel attacks GUWAHATI, India, Oct 26 (AFP) An ambush by separatist rebels in northeastern India left three soldiers and a civilian dead, while a series of clashes between rival militants also killed six rebels, officials said Friday. Rebels from the leading faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) ambushed a military convoy late Thursday, police said, which also injured four people. The Isak-Muivah rebels, who are fighting for an expanded Naga homeland, attacked the convoy in Arunachal Pradesh state, a senior police official told AFP. In three separate clashes in Nagaland set off when another group of suspected Isak-Muivah rebels stormed the camp of a rival faction, six militants were killed and several wounded, police official A. Sema told AFP. (Posted @ 12:25 PST)
Colombia says top guerilla leader, 18 more killed BOGOTA, Oct 26 (Reuters): Colombian troops backed by war planes killed a top guerrilla commander in an assault on his jungle camp, authorities said Thursday. Gustavo Rueda Diaz, known as Martin Caballero, and at least 18 other rebels were killed Wednesday when marines attacked his base near the Caribbean coast, Defence Minister Juan Manuel Santos said at a news conference. The assault hits at the command structure of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. (Posted @ 09:25 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 88.83, points: KARACHI, Oct 26: At the close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 14449.98,up 88.83, points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:00 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Oct 26: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.7, to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:00 PST)
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