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| December 24, 2007 | Monday | Zilhaj 13, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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US aid to Pakistan diverted, squandered: NYT report WASHINGTON, Dec 24 (AFP): More than five billion dollars in US aid to Pakistan has often never reached the military units it was intended for to fight Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and instead diverted to other programs, the New York Times reported Monday. Much of the money meant to reimburse frontline Pakistani units was channeled to weapons systems aimed at India and to pay inflated Pakistani reimbursement claims for fuel, ammunition and other costs, unnamed US government and military officials told the daily. “I wonder if the Americans have been taken for a ride,” said a diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Money intended to repay Pakistan for maintaining 100,000 troops in the restive tribal areas apparently does not reach the troops who need it, officials said. “It is not making its way, for certain, we know, to the broader part of the armed forces which is carrying out the brunt of the operations on the border with Afghanistan,” a senior US military official told the Times. (Posted @ 10:35 PST)
US actively working with Pakistan to ensure free, transparent elections WASHINGTON, Dec 24 (APP): The United States is actively working with the government and people of Pakistan to ensure the holding of free, fair and transparent elections on January 8. “We are very much focused on the election and we are very actively working with Pakistan, with Pakistani civil society, Pakistani government, Pakistani leaders to try to keep moving towards an election that's as transparent and fair and free as possible”, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher said responding to queries Via Teleconference Call during On-The-Record Briefing on U.S.-Pakistan Relations. He hailed the lifting of the emergency as “a big step, removing a heavy burden that had been placed on the election period. Glad that was lifted.” Replying to another question, Boucher said, “.... I think its incumbent upon all of us now -- Pakistanis, Americans and international observers -- to think, what can we do to make this election as good as possible so that it ends up being a fair representation of what the Pakistani people want. That's what we're focused on”. To another question, he said, “Our focus is on a couple things. The first is on good and transparent counting. He also mentioned the deployment of international and local observers to ensure the transparency of the process at the poll. To a question about emergency and counter- terrorism measures, Boucher said, “During the period of emergency rule they (Pakistanis) carried out a major counter-terrorism operation in Swat Valley, killed a lot of militants up there, they got rid of the Mullah that was broadcasting pro-Taliban messages on the FM radio station. The radio station is down and I guess he's on the run. So they did carry out a major counter- terrorism operation, even during the state of emergency.” (Posted @ 21:15 PST)
Musharraf underscores commitment to free elections, national development BEIJING, Dec 24 (APP) -President Pervez Musharraf has emphasized his commitment to free elections in an article published in the mass circulation English language China Daily , in which he also explained that the recent extraordinary steps in Pakistan were aimed to protect the civil order. He said that over the past year the conflict in Afghanistan and the emergence of a virulent campaign by foreign terrorists to destabilize Pakistan forced him to take “unpopular and extraordinary actions to protect civil order.” “Through all this, my commitment to free elections has not wavered and we will have elections in January,”. The President said he would judge Pakistan's elections a success if they meet two criteria. “First, they must take place in a free and safe environment. “Second, we must move beyond personalities to debate a vision for Pakistan: a vision that builds upon our achievements, leveraging Pakistan's intrinsic strengths, and taking the people of Pakistan beyond a narrow-minded focus to an integrated perspective reflecting development, justice, and prosperity.” (Posted @ 21:18 PST)
Swat: Security forces take control of Kalam valley PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Dec. 24 (APP): Pakistani security forces after two days of search operation Monday cleared Kalam, Bahrain, Madyan, Charbagh and Guli Bagh of miscreants and handed over charge of maintaining public order of these areas to the local police stations, says a Press release. The law enforcers apprehended ten suspected terrorists during the operation in Swat. Security forces have completed operations in Charbagh, Gulibagh, Madyan, Bahrain and Kalam and handed over charge to the local police, the Press relase said. Meanwhile, gunship helicopters pounded targets in Bamakhela area of Matta tehsil. However, no loss to life reported, it said. Meanwhile, curfew was relaxed from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday. (Posted @ 20:58 PST)
Benazir terms unemployment, price hike biggest problems of Pakistan RAHIMYAR KHAN, Punjab, Dec 24 (PPI): Pakistan People's Party (PPP) chairperson Benazir Bhutto said Monday the most serious problems presently faced by Pakistan are unemployment and price hike. Addressing an election meeting she said the present rulers have given people nothing but crisis of wheat flour, power, gas and petrol. Benazir said: “No judge or chief justice was victimized during PPP governments but the present rulers had attacked judiciary and media.“ She said that conspiracies were being hatched to rig the elections but expressed confidence that the people would foil these activities. PPP never supported dictators and always fought them due to which she was kept away from people for eight years, Benazir Bhutto said adding that PPP attached top priority to education in its manifesto and was committed to extending interest-free loans to farmers. (Posted @ 19:42 PST)
Life threat to President, Sherpao, Fazal from Al-qaida: minister ISLAMABAD, Dec 24 (APP): Caretaker Minister for Interior Hamid Nawaz Monday said there is life threat to President Pervez Musharraf, Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao and JUI leader Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman from the Al-qaida operatives. Talking to a private tv channel he said sufficient progress has been made in investigation of the Charsadda suicide attack but did not give details as it could harm the investigation process. Complete security cover has been provided to prominent political personalities including Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif, Shaukat Aziz, Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao and Engineer Amir Muqam, he said in reply to a question. (Posted @ 19:28 PST)
APDM demands end of security operations in Balochistan, tribal areas PISHIN, Pakistan, Dec 24 (APP): All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) on Monday demanded end of security operation in Balochistan, restoration of judges of the superior courts who refused to take oath under PCO-2007, and release of all lawyers. The demands were made through resolutions unanimously adopted at a public meeting chaired by its convener and PMAP chairman, Mehmood Khan Achakza. Speaking on the occasion, Jamaat-i-Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed called upon the people to boycott the fraudulent elections, and condemned military operations in tribal areas. Tehrik-i-Insaf leader Qazi Shahid, MMA leader Maulana Siraj-ul-Haq, BNP (M) leader Jahanzeb Jamaldini, National Party president Dr Abdul Hai Baloch, president Balochistan Bar Association Baz Muhammad Kakar and others also addressed the gathering. (Posted @ 19:26 PST)
SC suspends LHC order against establishment of Islamabad High Court ISLAMABAD, Dec 24 (APP) A four-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar Monday suspended an interim restraining order of the Lahore High Court regarding the establishment of Islamabad High Court and allowed the Federation to proceed further in this regard. Accepting the plea taken by Attorney General Malik Mohammad Qayyum, the bench granted leave to the Federation and allowed it to proceed further regarding the establishment of the Islamabad High Court as the order passed by a three-member LHC bench was without jurisdiction. The bench called the record of the case from the LHC and adjourned the matter till January 7. (Posted @ 18:06 PST)
Musharraf made Pakistan a mockery, Sharif says SUKKUR, Pakistan, Dec 24 (Reuters): President Musharraf made the country an international laughing stock by purging the judiciary after he imposed emergency rule in November, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif said Monday. Sharif took his campaign for January 8 elections to Sindh province. “Musharraf has made us a mockery by sacking the judiciary,” Sharif told a crowd of about 3,000 at a rally in the main market area of Sukkur town on the Indus river. “We are a laughing stock all over the world, even in India. We have to liberate our country of dictators,” he said. Of the judges ousted by Musharraf, Sharif said, “these judges are our heroes…it is our commitment that we will restore these judges at any cost.” In Sukkur, flags and posters of Benazir's party bedecked walls around the market where Sharif spoke. He did not appear hopeful of winning seats in Sindh. “We've never won a National Assembly seat from Sukkur but I still love the people of Sukkur and Sindh ... they've always supported the democratic forces,” he told the crowd. (Posted @ 15:40 PST)
Pakistan poll campaign intensifies SUKKUR, Pakistan, Dec 24 (AP): Pakistan's election campaign intensified Monday with the three top political leaders travelling across the country to rally supporters just two weeks before a parliamentary poll. Former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif scheduled rallies in their opponents' home districts Monday in an effort to poach voters from each other. Siddiqul-Farooq, a leader of Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N party, said Musharraf was pushing for a ruling party victory in the January 8 election to preserve his authority. ''Musharraf would prefer a docile prime minister to legitimize all of the actions he had taken after imposing emergency rule,'' Farooq said. ''Only people like Pervez Elahi can serve in this job, and President Musharraf is fully backing him,'' he told The Associated Press. Nawaz Sharif was to address voters on behalf of his party's candidates Monday at a rally in Sindh province. Benazir travelled Monday to Punjab province for a large rally. Elahi was campaigning in the city of Jehlum, near his home district. (Posted @ 14:00 PST)
Wazir Khan Nothani Bugti killed in Dera Bugti QUETTA, Dec 24, (APP) - A Bugti tribe leader Wadaira Wazir Khan Nothani along with his two companions was killed while three others were injured in an ambush near Nelagh hill some 20 km off Dera Bugti town Monday evening. DPO Dera Bugti informed APP on telephone that Wadaira Wazir Khan was proceeding to Sui from Dera Bugti town along with his six companions. When the vehicle reached near Nelagh hill unidentified armed assailants opened fire at their vehicle. As a result Wazir Khan and his two companions were killed on the spot while three others were critically injured. They were rushed to District Hospital. (Posted @ 23:38 PST)
Two killed, 12 injured in Azad Kashmir as bus plunges into ravine MIRPUR, Azad Kashmir, Dec 24 (APP): At least two persons were killed and several others injured when a passenger bus fell into a deep ravine near Pir Gali on Mirpur Khuiratta Road, some 60 kms from here. The accident occurred when the Mirpur-bound bus collided with a truck. (Posted @ 20:54 PST)
Pakistan-China knitted in strong bonds of friendship: PM ISLAMABAD, Dec 24 (APP): Caretker Prime Minister Mohammedmian Soomro Monday said Pakistan and China are knitted in a strong bond of friendship which is stable and consistent. The two countries have stood by each other in the past and would continue to do so in future, said while talking to a six-member Chinese Communist Party delegation led by Ai Ping, from the International department of the party, which looks after the foreign relations. The Prime Minister said that all the political parties of Pakistan have a consensus to have close ties with China which is a time-tested friend. Mr Ai Ping said the government and the people of China regard Pakistan as their true friend and enjoy close cordial links at all levels. (Posted @ 20:46 PST)
Shujaat rejects any reconciliation with PML-N ISLAMABAD, Dec 24 (APP): President PML-Q Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain Monday categorically rejected any reconciliation with PML-N saying there is no question of any alliance with Nawaz Sharif as he has transformed N-league into a B team of the PPP. He said in a tv interview that PML-Q was focussing on seat adjustments with like minded parties. Refuting allegations of pre-poll rigging he said Nazims cannot interfere in the election as election commission is very vigilant. Local governments are not allowed to announce any development package until the elections are over. (Posted @ 20:36 PST)
Four tourists killed in Mauritanian attack NOUAKCHOTT, Dec 24 (AFP) - Four foreign tourists were shot dead Monday and a fifth wounded in an attack by unidentified armed men near Aleg, east of the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott, a security source told AFP. The source could not specify the nationality of the tourists but a journalist with the independent Nouakchott Ifos daily said they were French nationals. The French embassy, however, did not immediately confirm the claim. (Posted @ 20:30 PST)
Iraq: Gunmen kidnap 14 members of a family in Samarra Baghdad, Dec 24 (Reuters) - U.S. helicopter gunfire killed four gunmen planting a roadside bomb and wounded two civilians on Sunday in the city of Samarra, the U.S. military said. Meanwhile, gunmen kidnapped 14 members from one family, mostly women and children, when they stopped their minibus north of the city of Baquba, police said. Separately, a car bomb killed one person and wounded five others on Sinak Bridge in central Baghdad while three bodies were found in different districts in Baghdad, police said. In the Kut area, 170 kms southeast of Baghdad, U.S. forces killed two gunmen and detained two others during operations. (Posted @ 19:56 PST)
Uzbek president wins landslide re-election TASHKENT, Dec 24 (AFP) - Uzbekistan's President Islam Karimov has won a landslide re-election to a new seven-year term, preliminary results showed Monday after the weekend's presidential election. Karimov won 88.1 percent of the vote in Sunday's polls, the Central Election Commission said, compared with 91 percent in 2000. “The election generally failed to meet many OSCE commitments for democratic elections,” the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said in a statement. (Posted @ 19:48 PST)
New LHC Chief Justice appointed ISLAMABAD, Dec 24 (APP): President Pervez Musharraf has appointed Mr. Justice Syed Zahid Hussain, Judge of Lahore High Court, as Chief Justice of Lahore High Court with effect from January 1, 2008, says a press release issued on Monday by the Ministry of Law, Justice and Human Rights. (Posted @ 19:32 PST)
9 killed in train-minibus collision in Tajik capital DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, DEC 24 (APP/AP) _ A mini-bus and a railroad locomotive collided Monday in the capital of Tajikistan, killing nine people and injuring several others, officials said. It was not immediately known how many people in total were on the mini-bus. (Posted @ 19:16 PST)
21 more combatants killed across northern Sri Lanka COLOMBO, Dec 24 (AP) Soldiers and Tamil separatists fought gunbattles across northern Sri Lanka, leaving 19 insurgents and two soldiers dead, the military said Monday. Troops killed 10 Tamil Tiger rebels in confrontations in three villages in the Vavuniya district Sunday, just south of rebel-held territory, a defence ministry official said requesting anonymity. One soldier was also killed. Separate battles in nearby Mannar district left eight insurgents and one soldier dead, and another rebel was killed on the northern Jaffna peninsula, the official said. Including the latest clashes, a total of 41 rebels and three soldiers were killed along the northern front lines over the weekend, according to military figures. (First Posted @ 10:30 PST Updated @ 18:26 PST)
Three Taliban killed in Afghanistan KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Dec 24 (AFP) Afghan and US-led troops killed a Taliban commander who had allegedly kidnapped and killed seven people in the central province of Ghazni last week, police said Monday. The troops were in Ghazni's Gilan district Sunday to evacuate the bodies of the seven - three policemen, two soldiers and two civilian drivers - when Taliban attacked them, a provincial police chief said. In a brief exchange of fire, three Taliban including a rebel commander known as Mullah Aleem were killed. (Posted @ 18:24 PST)
Troops martyr three more Kashmiris in occupied Kashmir ISLAMABAD, Dec 24 (APP): In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops martyred three more innocent Kashmiri youth at different places. Two bodies were recovered from the debris of the house of Master Abdus Sattar, which was destroyed with heavy mortar shelling by 57- Rashtriya Rifles during siege and search operation at Papchan in Bandipora. Another youth Mohammed Imran was killed by 58-Rastriya Rifles personnel at Harra in Ramban, KMS reported. Indian troops also shot at and critically injured four civilians at Kaluoosa in Bandipora, Palnoo in Kulgam and Niki Tawi in Jammu. (Posted @ 16:58 PST)
Militants take responsibility for attack on Pakistan military convoy that killed nine ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec 24 (AP): An umbrella group of militants said Monday that it was responsible for a suicide attack on a military convoy that killed five civilians and four soldiers in northwestern Pakistan. The suicide bombing Sunday evening in the Swat region also wounded 13 civilians and 10 soldiers. ''That was just a warning shot ... the government should expect more if our demands are not met,'' said Maulana Mohammad Umer, a spokesman for the newly formed Tehrik-i-Taliban. (Posted @ 16:25 PST)
Five dead in Egyptian building collapse CAIRO, Dec 24 (Reuters): Five Egyptians were killed Monday when a 12-storey residential building collapsed in Egypt's Mediterranean city of Alexandria, a security source said. Rescue workers pulled the five bodies from the rubble, but authorities expect the death toll to rise as more are uncovered, according to security sources. One source said the building was home to at least 18 families, but that authorities still had no clear idea of the number of people who had actually been inside the building when it collapsed. (First Posted @ 15:50 PST, Updated @ 16:20 PST)
Police seek 'peaceful end' to mosque hostage-taking in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Dec 24 (AFP): Five worshippers were being held hostage inside a mosque for a second day by militants in occupied Kashmir as security forces sought to end siege peacefully Monday. The militants took the worshippers hostage Sunday afternoon when soldiers raided Palnoo village in Kulgam, 80 kilometres south of Srinagar. “Three militants remain holed up inside the mosque along with five worshippers, whom they have taken as hostage,” senior police official H.K. Lohia told AFP. “A tight cordon has been thrown around the mosque and we're trying to secure a peaceful end to the crisis,” Lohia said. Police said there had been no firing Monday but two people including a soldier were injured when shots were fired initially Sunday. In other violence, police said militants died in an overnight gunbattle with security forces in Papachan, 60 kilometres north of Srinagar. (Posted @ 15:35 PST)
Hydro project to come onstream in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Dec 24 (AFP): Occupied Kashmir’s controversial Baglihar hydroelectric project will start partial operations by next June, supplying much needed power, occupied Kashmir's chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said late Sunday. Pakistan has said it fears the one-billion-dollar project could deprive its Punjab province of vital irrigation water. It says the dam violates a decades-old water sharing treaty brokered by the World Bank. But India says the Baglihar hydroelectric project on the Chenab River does not violate the pact and could go a long way to ending routine 12-hour blackouts plaguing the Himalayan state. “The first phase of the 450-megawatt Baglihar Hydel power project will become operational by June, 2008,” Azad said. The second phase would be completed in the “near future.” (Posted @ 15:25 PST)
Bomb hidden in minivan kills two, injures six in Baghdad BAGHDAD, Dec 24 (AP): A bomb hidden inside a mini van exploded near the Baghdad governor's office Monday, killing two people and injuring six others. The bomb exploded near the heavily guarded Green Zone, which houses the Iraqi government, the U.S. and some other western embassies. It detonated at an intersection next to the building housing the Baghdad governor's office in the city’s centre. (Posted @ 15:00 PST)
Bombs kill four in Afghanistan KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Dec 24 (AFP): Two bombs, one of them hidden under a dead body, exploded near the southern Afghan city of Kandahar and killed four people, police said Monday. Police blamed Taliban fighters for the blasts, which occurred Sunday. The bomb under the body killed a policeman and a villager in the Panjwayi district west of Kandahar city, senior police officer Mohammad Omar said. (Posted @ 13:45 PST)
Two killed, 20 injured in road mishap in Pakistan NOWSHERA VIRKAN, Pakistan, Dec 24 (APP): Two persons were killed and some 20 injured when a speeding bus going to Gujranwala rammed into the concrete road divider and overturned near the mini stadium Sunday evening. The bus driver escaped from the scene after the incident. (Posted @ 13:20 PST)
13 killed in Iraq train crash HILLA, Iraq, Dec 24 (AFP): A Baghdad bound train collided with a car on a level-crossing in central Iraq killing 13 people travelling in the car, including 11 children, a local police officer and a medic said Monday. The crash occurred Sunday north of Hilla city in the Al-Sayahiyah area, the police officer said. (Posted @ 13:10 PST)
Woman caught with bomb under burqa: Afghan official ASADABAD, Dec 24 (AFP): Afghan intelligence agents said Monday they had detained a woman hiding a bomb-filled waistcoat of the type used in Taliban suicide attacks under her all-covering burqa. The 55-year-old woman was followed from Kunar province after a tip-off and arrested in Jalalabad town, an official in Kunar's intelligence department told AFP. (Posted @ 12:35 PST)
Pro-Thaksin party wins most seats in Thai poll: election authority BANGKOK, Dec 24 (AFP): The party aligned with ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra won the most seats in elections here but fell just short of a majority, the Election Commission said Monday after all ballots were counted. With the unofficial results in from across the kingdom, the People Power Party (PPP) was set to win 232 of the 480 seats up for grabs in Sunday's general election, an Election Commission spokesman told AFP. The PPP's closest rival, the Democrat Party, looks set to win 165 seats, with five smaller parties dividing up the rest, he said. (Posted @ 12:35 PST)
Roadside blast kills police officer, wounds three in Afghanistan KABUL, Dec 24 (AP): A roadside blast hit a police vehicle in eastern Afghanistan, killing one officer and wounding three others, an official said Monday. The explosion happened in Wata Pur district of Kunar province Sunday, said the provincial police chief. Also Sunday, police clashed with Taliban in Gelan district of central Ghazni province, killing a local insurgent leader and two of his bodyguards, said Ghazni's police chief. (Posted @ 11:40 PST)
New prime minister appointed in Kyrgyzstan BISHKEK, Dec 24 (AFP): Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev on Monday confirmed the nomination of Igor Chudinov, a former energy and industry minister, to the post of prime minister in this Central Asian state, the president's press service said. (Posted @ 11:05 PST)
Nepal strikes deal with Maoists to abolish monarchy KATHMANDU, Dec 24 (Reuters): Nepal's government agreed Sunday to abolish the centuries-old monarchy in a political deal with Maoist former rebels, but the decision only comes into effect after next year's elections, party officials said. “Nepal will be a Federal Democratic Republic nation ... and the decision will be implemented after the first meeting of the constituent assembly,” the six-party ruling alliance and the Maoists said in a statement. “But if the king creates serious hurdles to the constituent assembly elections a two-third majority of the (interim) parliament can remove the monarchy even before the polls,” it said. (Posted @ 09:35 PST)
Israel kills two Palestinians in Gaza GAZA, Dec 24 (Reuters): Israel launched an air strike in the Gaza Strip Monday, killing two Palestinians and wounding two, Hamas and medical staff said. A Hamas official said the four men were travelling in a car near the border fence with Israel close to the al-Bureij refugee camp when the attack occurred. An Israeli army spokesman said he was checking the report. (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
Snowstorm causes 11 deaths in central US MILWAUKEE, Dec 24 (AP): A winter storm has killed at least 11 people in the central U.S., with heavy snow and howling wind making highways hazardous for holiday travelers, leaving thousands of homes and businesses without electricity. Winter storm warnings were posted for parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan Sunday as the core of the storm headed north across the Great Lakes. At least three people in Minnesota, three in Wyoming, three in Wisconsin and one person each in Texas and Kansas were killed in traffic accidents that authorities said stemmed from the storm. (Posted @ 09:20 PST)
Fog cancels more than 200 flights at Heathrow, Gatwick airports LONDON, Dec 24 (AP): Heavy fog caused the cancellation of more than 200 flights at London area airports Sunday during the Christmas rush. Heathrow Airport was the worst effected, with 169 incoming or outgoing flights canceled, according to British airports operator BAA PLC. (Posted @ 09:20 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 129.94, points: KARACHI, Dec 24: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 14788.77, up 129.94 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, Dec 24: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 61, to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
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