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| December 29, 2007 | Saturday | Zilhaj 18, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
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Rioting in Pakistan kills 38, causes tens of millions of dollars in damage ISLAMABAD, Pakistan Dec 29 (AP) - Mass rioting following the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto has led to the deaths of 38 people and caused tens of millions of dollars in damage. Rioters also destroyed 176 banks, 72 train cars and 18 rail stations, Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema told a news conference Saturday adding that things were returning to normalcy and there was relative calm on Saturday. At least 100 prisoners were sprung from jails, he said. Cheema reiterated government's claim that Baitullah Mehsud was behind Benazir Bhutto's killing, despite Mehsud's denials. “We have the evidence that he is involved,” Cheema said. “Why should he (Mehsud) accept that he has done it. It does not suit him. I don't think anybody has the capability to carry out such suicide attacks except for those people.” Replying to a question Cheema said Pakistan did not need foreign help to probe the killing. “This is not an ordinary criminal matter in which we require assistance of the international community. I think we are capable of handling it,” he said. Cheema also responded to reports by Bhutto aides that the former prime minister was killed by gunshot wounds and not by the force of a subsequent suicide attack as the government said. “We gave you absolute facts, nothing but the facts,” he said. “It was corroborated by the doctors' report. It was corroborated by the evidence collected.” “It is immaterial as to how she died. What is more important is who are the people who killed her,” he said. He said Bhutto's party was free to exhume her body if they wanted and conduct a post mortem. He had said a day earlier that Asif Ali Zardari did not allow such an examination. (Posted @ 19:32 PST)
Bhutto note on party's future to be read Sunday: husband LONDON, Dec 29 (AFP) - Benazir Bhutto's husband said in an interview Saturday that she left instructions about the future of the Pakistan People's Party to be read in the event of her death, which would be made public Sunday. Asif Zardari told BBC radio that the couple's son Bilawal would read out the message. He also revealed that his wife had made detailed plans for her burial, including changing the location of the plot from his family's ancestral tomb to her family's mausoleum following another recent suicide bomb attack. “She has left a message for the party and she has left a will, so we shall be doing that tomorrow (Sunday) after the third day (of official mourning,)” he said. “We have called for a meeting and her will shall l be read out there and the instructions she has left will be read out there.” Asked if he would succeed her as party leader, Zardari said: “It depends on the party and depends on the will.” Zardari also spoke of his personal sense of loss following the death of his wife, who he said meant “much more than life” to him. “I have seen many tragedies in my life... but nothing has devastated me more than this has,” he said. “We were always aware of the dangers she faced but somehow we were hoping that we would succeed and they would not -- the terrorists and the people who back these terrorists.” (Posted @ 16:11 PST)
Election Commission’s emergency meeting on Dec 31 to review poll issue ISLAMABAD, Dec 29 (APP): Chief Election Commissioner Justice (r) Qazi Muhammad Farooq has called an emergency meeting of the Commission on December 31 to discuss the prevailing political situation as well as damage to polling stations and election material in different cities. “It is a matter of common knowledge that in the aftermath of the unfortunate assassination of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto on December 27, 2007, the law and order situation in the country suffered deterioration,” the CEC said. Among others, the offices of the Assistant Election Commissioners located in Sukkur, Jamshoro, Naushero Feroze, Kamber Shahdadkot, Thatta, Ghotki, Jacobabad, Badin and Dadu districts of Sindh Province were set on fire and the buildings along with the record, electoral rolls, transparent ballot boxes and voting screens were reduced to ashes. Additionally, he said, all activities pertaining to pre-poll arrangements including printing of ballot papers and logistics as well as training of polling personnel have been adversely affected. Besides, he added, as per reports from the Political Agent/ DRO Kurram, the law and order situation in Kurram Agency is not conducive for the conduct of poll, for which requests have been received for the postponement of poll in two constituencies of Kurram Agency till restoration of normalcy in the area. The CEC noted that similar position may emerge in Swat district, where a contesting candidate for the Provincial Assembly had died in a bomb blast. In view of all this, the Chief Election Commissioner has called the emergent meeting to discuss the prevailing situation. (Posted @ 17:55 PST)
Benazir aide says bathed body, saw bullet wound ISLAMABAD, Dec 29 (AFP) Sherry Rehman, a close aide to Benazir Bhutto and also her spokeswoman, told AFP Saturday she saw a bullet wound in the Pakistani opposition leader's head when she bathed her body after her assassination. Rehman, who said she was in the former premier's motorcade at the time of the gun and suicide attack, rejected government claims that the death was caused when Benazir's head hit her sunroof. “I was actually part of the party which bathed her body before the funeral,” said Rehman, who added that her car was used to transport Benazir to hospital. “There was a bullet wound I saw that went in from the back of her head and came out the other side. “We could not even wash her properly because the wound was still seeping. She lost a huge amount of blood.” Rehman accused the government of mounting a cover-up over Benazir's death. “The hospital was made to change its statement. They never gave a proper report,” she said. “I believe the interior ministry is saying that she died from some concussion that may have taken place against the sunroof. This is ridiculous, dangerous nonsense because it is a cover-up of what actually happened.” (Posted @ 13:00 PST)
Baitullah Mehsud denies killing Bhutto: spokesman PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Dec 29 (AFP) -An alleged Al-Qaeda leader Baitullah Mehsud, blamed by the Pakistan government for killing Benazir Bhutto, denied any involvement in her death, his spokesman told AFP on Saturday. “He had no involvement in this attack,” spokesman Maulana Omar said in a telephone call. “This is a conspiracy of the government, army and intelligence agencies.” The spokesman said he was calling from Pakistan's Waziristan area. “It is against tribal tradition and custom to attack a woman,” Omar said adding that the transcript released by the government, allegedly of a phone call between Mehsud and a militant discussing Bhutto's death after the fact, was a “drama”. He said it would have been “impossible” for militants to get through the security cordon around the campaign rally where she was killed. “Benazir was not only a leader of Pakistan but also a leader of international fame. We express our deep grief and shock over her death,” Omar said. (First Posted @ 12:13 PST; Updated @ 16:25 PST)
Musharraf orders firm action against rioters ISLAMABAD, Dec 29 (AFP) - President Pervez Musharraf Saturday ordered security chiefs to take firm action against rioters following the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. He gave the directive at a meeting of senior officials including the heads of the army and other security agencies, as well as the country's caretaker prime minister, APP news agency said. “Elements who wish to exploit the situation by looting and plundering must be dealt with firmly and all measures be taken to ensure safety and security of the people,” it quoted him as saying. Musharraf said that shops, chemists and petrol stations were shut down “due to the fear of hooligans and looters”, causing difficulties for the people. “While the entire nation was in mourning over the tragic death of... Benazir Bhutto, miscreants and anti-social elements cannot be allowed to damage lives and property of the common man in the guise of protest,” he said. He ordered law enforcement agencies “to take serious note and ensure early return to normalcy”. (Posted @ 18:40 PST)
Massive damage caused to Railways installations KARACHI, Dec 29 (APP): Massive damage has been caused to railway installations and network, mainly n Sindh province, during the rioting over the last three days, official sources said. This include the burning of 25 railway stations, six trains, eight locomotives, 16 bridges,18 level crossings besides the uprooting of railway track at six places. A number of railway cranes, track machines and motor trollies were also set ablaze, they said. Measures are being taken to start repair work and for the restoration of rail traffic. According to these sources assistance of army is being sought for providing protection. “We cannot operate a train when there is no reliable communication link station to station”, an official said. He feared that if goods train service was not immediately restored it can cause shortage of wheat and oil. Railway officials said help of FWO and Army might be requested in carrying out repair work. (Posted @ 17:50 PST)
Rallies for slain Benazir Bhutto across Pakistan LAHORE, Pakistan, Dec 29 (AFP) - Around 10,000 people chanted anti-government slogans while holding prayers for slain Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in Lahore on Saturday, witnesses said. The demonstrators shouted slogans against leading members of Pakistan's former ruling party, the PML-Q. In Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, police teargassed around 3,000 people who tried to storm the house of former minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad after a prayer service for Benazir near the spot where she was killed, an AFP photographer said. There were other protests around the country, including in the northwestern city of Peshawar, where more than 3,000 people chanting slogans attempted to smash up shops. Police beat them back with batons and teargas, witnesses said. Another 2,000 people rallied in the central city of Multan, while dozens of protesters also gathered in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Kashmir. (Posted @ 16:05 PST)
Pakistan cities shut down after Benazir’s death KARACHI, Dec 29 (AFP) Daily life for tens of millions of Pakistanis was on hold Saturday, with major cities virtually shut down as the nation mourned the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. On the second day of official mourning, most people were unable to buy food or petrol, with all shops, fuel stations, banks and offices closed down. The streets of Pakistan’s major cities - Karachi, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore and Peshawar - were largely empty, and in many places there was evidence of the unrest that has left more than 30 dead since Thursday. Burnt-out cars littered the streets in Larkana, where groups of Benazir’s supporters were roaming the streets shouting slogans against President Musharraf. The situation was tense in Karachi, with a heavy army and paramilitary presence on the streets. Few people dared to venture outside and the country's largest private charity, the Edhi Foundation, said its ambulances had been wrecked by vandals. “They've smashed up our ambulances,” a foundation official in Karachi said. “And we don't have any fuel.” With the fuel shortage, the unrest and the official mourning period which ends Sunday night, most people were unable or unwilling to move about. Buses were not running, few taxi drivers were working and the roads were dotted with vehicles left behind when they ran out of petrol, AFP reporters said. (Posted @ 12:27 PST)
Cricket: West Indies beat South Africa by 128 runs PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa, Dec 29 (AFP) - The West Indies beat South Africa by 128 runs on the fourth day of the first Test at St George's Park on Saturday. Scores: West Indies 408 and 175. South Africa 195 and 260. (Posted @ 21:48 PST)
947 vehicles, 131 banks, 31 petrol pumps attacked in Sindh KARACHI, Pakistan, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Three supporters of slain Benazir Bhutto’s PPP were shot dead on Saturday, one by masked gunmen near Hyderabad city and two others by security forces as a mob tried to force itself into an oilfield in lower Sindh, police said. In Karachi’s Lyari area, two men were shot dead and seven others wounded, a hospital official said, as the death toll since Bhutto's assassination on Thursday hit 42, including four police. Meanwhile, protesters torched shops, lorries, welfare centres and ambulances overnight as violence entered a third day. According to Shaukat Ali Shah, Hyderabad’s deputy inspector general of police, up to 400 PPP activists carrying banners, portraits of Bhutto and wielding bricks, tried to burst into an oilfield facility near Hyderabad before dawn, when security forces were on orders to shoot violent protesters on sight. “The mob was warned,” Shah said. “Two people were killed.” Sindh Home Secretary Ghulam Mohtaram said rioters had burned or damaged 947 vehicles, 131 banks and 31 petrol stations up until midnight on Friday. Dozens of banks, vehicles and fast food outlets were also set on fire in Hyderabad, he said. (First Posted @ 18:52 PST Updated @ 20:38 PST)
Complete strike observed in cities of Sindh HYDERABAD, Dec 29 (APP): Shutterdown strike was observed across Sindh province again on Saturday and incidence of violence was also reported at scores of places. In the most troubled cities and towns, army was being deployed in aid of civil administration in the bid to restore law and order. A large number of arrests were also made when miscreants tried to indulge in damaging public property, looting or arson, reports said. The army authorities have meanwhile taken steps to shift stranded railway passengers to destinations in Karachi, Hyderabad etc. The Railways had earlier said that train service between Karachi and upcountry remains suspended owing to damage to railway stations, tracks and the communication system. Inter-city bus transport in most parts of the province has also been severely affected. (Posted @ 18:32 PST)
Nawaz Sharif, Asfandyar, Achakzai, other APDM leaders offer condolence to Asif Zardari, Bilawal Naudero, Pakistan, Dec.29 (PPI): PML-N chief and former prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif, accompanied by 40 leaders of their party and All Pakistan Democratic Movement APDM Saturday visited Bhutto House here and offered condolences to Asif ali Zardari and his son Bilawal for the slain PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto. The other leaders included Zulfiqar Khosa, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Asfandyar Wali, Rafiq Tarar, Ehsan Iqbal, Javed Hashmi, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Illahi Bux Soomro, Imdad Chandio, Makhdoom shahnawaz, Ms. Tehmina Daultana, Ghulam Muhammad Bilor and others. Mian Nawaz Sharif and others flew from Lahore to Moen Jo Daro airport near Larkana and drove to Naudero. (Posted @ 17:58 PST)
Bhutto death rocks Afghan hopes for anti-militant alliance KABUL, Dec 29 (AFP) Benazir Bhutto's death has rocked the Afghan government, which had seen in her the chance of a closer alliance with Pakistan against extremism, officials said. “We were shocked,” said Karzai's chief spokesman Homayun Hamidzada. Benazir had understood the difficulties Afghanistan and Pakistan faced amid a wave of unrest in both countries, including a spike in suicide attacks, Hamidzada said. “She said if she was re-elected she would work closely with the international community and the government of Afghanistan to address their common threats of terrorism and extremism,” he said. “She had good relations with us,” said foreign ministry spokesman Sultan Ahmad Baheen. “It is very disappointing for us to see her absence from the Pakistan political scene,” said Davood Moradian, a foreign ministry adviser. (Posted @ 10:12 PST)
US consults allies, parties on Pakistan crisis WASHINGTON, Dec 28 (AFP): The United States said Friday it is in close contact with Pakistani political parties and allies to keep Pakistan on the path to democracy after opposition leader Benazir Bhutto's assassination. The US State Department's number three, Nicholas Burns, and Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs, Richard Boucher, have consulted allies including Britain, Canada, France and Russia, said spokesman Tom Casey. “We're all interested in seeing that things still are able to move forward and that Pakistan is able to continue down a democratic path,” Casey told reporters. (Posted @ 09:10 PST)
Kenya riots as opposition cries foul over delayed vote count NAIROBI, Dec 29 (AFP) -Riots broke out Saturday in Nairobi slums and across Kenya as delays in counting presidential votes sparked rigging allegations from opposition supporters, police said. Opposition leader Raila Odinga had held the lead since vote counting began after Thursday's poll but delays have raised opposition's suspicions that incumbent President Mwai Kibaki's camp may be seeking to rig the results. “There are riots all over the country, except a few areas,” a top police official told AFP. At a press conference later Saturday, election commission chairman Samuel Kivuitu read out results from a number of constituencies that appeared to largely cancel out Odinga's lead. The press conference quickly deteriorated into a shouting match between party agents, notably Odinga officials accusing Kibaki's camp of rigging the results. (Posted @ 20:58 PST)
Kenya opposition claims victory in presidential poll NAIROBI, Dec 29 (Reuters) Kenya's opposition claimed victory Saturday in a presidential vote minutes after official figures gave their candidate a four percentage point lead over President Mwai Kibaki on three-quarters of the count. “Honourable Raila Odinga is ... the winner and fourth president of the Republic of Kenya,” Orange Democratic Movement vice-presidential candidate Musalia Mudavadi told reporters, citing his party's own tally. (First Posted @ 11:30 PST, Updated @ 14:25 PST)
Ten Saudis return home from Guantanamo Bay prison DUBAI, Dec 29 (Reuters) Ten Saudis returned to Saudi Arabia Saturday from detention in the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay where suspected al Qaeda militants are held, the Saudi Interior Ministry said. The release brings the number of Saudis remaining in the prison to around 13. Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz told the SPA news agency that efforts were underway to bring home the remaining Saudis detained at Guantanamo and that U.S. authorities were cooperating in those efforts. (Posted @ 11:05 PST)
Cricket- Australia wins first test by 337 runs in four days MELBOURNE, Australia, Dec 29 (AP) Australia finished off India's second innings on the fourth day to win the first cricket test by 337 runs with a day to spare Saturday to lead the four-match series 1-0. Scores: Australia 343 (Matthew Hayden 124, Phil Jaques 66; Anil Kumble 5-84, Zaheer Khan 4-94) and 351 (Michael Clarke 73, Phil Jaques 51; Harbhajan Singh 3-101) def. India 196 (Sachin Tendulkar 62; Brett Lee 4-46, Stuart Clark 4-28) and 161 (V.V.S. Laxman 42; Brett Lee 2-43, Mitchell Johnson 2-20, Brad Hogg 2-50). (Posted @ 10:45 PST)
Heavy snowstorms disrupt travel in central US CHICAGO, Dec 28 (AFP): Heavy snowstorms continued to disrupt travel in the central United States Friday and forecasters said little relief was expected until the New Year. More than 400 flights were cancelled and delays were averaging an hour and a half at Chicago's O'Hare airport as the storm system which crippled Denver on Thursday moved eastward. (Posted @ 09:05 PST)
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