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| July 17, 2008 | Thursday | Rajab 13, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (06:00 GMT)
 Governor NWFP, FATA MNAs call on PM ISLAMABAD, July 17 (APP): NWFP Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani and a nine-member delegation of FATA MNAs led by Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi, Minister for Environment, called on Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday and reached consensus regarding government's three-pronged policy to enter into political dialogue with those who have laid down arms; accelerate the pace of economic development especially in tribal areas, and to resort to military means only if the agreements are violated. The Prime Minister said that force is no solution and all the issues will be resolved through consensus and the people of FATA will be taken on board on all issues in order to evolve common strategy to fight the menace of terrorism and extremism..The delegation included MNAs Malik Bilal Rehman, Sajid Hussain Turi, Khan Orakzai, Mohammad Kamran, Shaukat Ullah, Noor ul Haq Qadri, Zafar Beg Bhattani and Jawad Hussain. Later a delegation from Hangu led by Senators Muhammad Hussain and Saleh Shah also called on the Prime Minster and discussed with him the security situation in the area. (Posted @ 21:14 PST)  Three killed, 2 injured in fresh violence in Mohmand Agency PESHAWAR, July 17 (APP): The bloody shootout between two groups of Taliban believed to be pro and anti-government, left three persons dead and two others sustained critical bullet injuries in Mohmand Agency on Thursday. Political administration Sources said the incident occurred at Khwezai area, some 30 kms west of Agency Headquarters' Ghalanai when Taliban clashed with pro-government Taliban group when their leader Shah Saib refused to surrender to the demand of the other group calling for attack on government installations and bowing down to their command. During exchange of fire, three persons including local Taliban commander Nisar, Mansoor and Mamoor Khan were killed while two others were wounded. Meanwhile, both the parties also claimed of kidnapping 21 persons of each others groups. Separately, two more people were killed and six wounded in recent clashes between two rival sectarian organizations in Tirah valley of Khyber Agency. The supporters of Lashkar-i-Islam and Ansarul Islam were using heavy weapons against each others' position in the violence plagued valley. (Posted @ 21:08 PST) Shibli, son of Ahmad Faraz, contradicts news about poet’s death ISLAMABAD, July 17 (APP): Shibli Faraz, son of renowned poet Ahmed Faraz has contradicted news telecast by various television channels about death of his father in America. He said his father was attending a meeting of APNA in America where he fell down and became unconscious, he told PTV. Ahmed Faraz was taken to hospital in Chicago. Dr. Tahir Rohail who is attending the renowned poet said that Ahmed Faraz was in critical condition and urged the nation to pray for his early recovery. (First Posted @ 18:30 PST Updated @ 21:22 PST) Army drives militants from two towns in northwestern Pakistan KOHAT, Pakistan, July 17 (Reuters): Security forces backed by gunship helicopters cleared two northwestern Pakistani towns of Taliban militants after 15 soldiers were killed in an ambush last weekend, the military said Thursday. The action launched late Wednesday cleared militant nests and secured an irrigation dam and fort north of Hangu, 40 km west of the town of Kohat. “There's normal resistance and now our troops are advancing,” spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas said, adding he had no information on casualties. Residents said intermittent mortar fire could be heard, but intelligence and government officials, requesting anonymity, said most militants had already fled to Orakzai, a neighbouring tribal region. Authorities imposed a curfew in and around Hangu and distributed leaflets asking residents in some parts of the town and its surroundings to move to relief camps. “It depends on the government. If they free our people and stop the operation, we'll release hostages and stop our activities,” Taliban spokesman Maulvi Omar told Reuters. (Posted @ 13:50 PST) Pakistani investors stone bourse as markets slump KARACHI, July 17 (Reuters) - Hundreds of angry investors, upset by plunging Pakistani share prices, smashed windows of Karachi Stock Exchange and scuffles broke out during a protest on Thursday to demand a temporary closure of the market. “We are looking at the situation and there is no question of suspending the market,” said Razi-ur-Rahman, chairman of Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), as staff cleared broken glass from the trading hall floor. The Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) benchmark 100-share index ended down 2.7 percent, or 279 points, at 10,212.92, its lowest close in more than 18 months. Close to 1,000 mostly small investors gathered in the gardens of the bourse to demand that the KSE close for two days. Two people were injured after the protest turned violent. In Lahore, some 100 small investors burnt tyres and blocked the road to the local bourse to demand government action. There was a similar-sized protest outside the Islamabad exchange, where chants of “Go democracy, go” rang out. There was speculation restrictions could be placed on non-oil, non-essential imports and that interest rates may be raised later this month. The key discount rate was raised to 12 percent from 10.5 percent in May. (First Posted @ 13:05 PST Updated @ 20:38 PST) Most Pakistanis support dialogue with militants: poll ISLAMABAD, July 17 (AFP): Seventy-one percent of Pakistanis support dialogue with pro-Taliban militants in tribal areas bordering Afghanistan over military intervention, according to a survey published Thursday. The survey was conducted in June by the International Republican Institute, a US group with links to the Republican party. When asked what was the most effective way to deal with terrorism, 61 percent cited economic development and education, nine percent said military force, and 24 percent said both. “IRI's poll reveals that the Pakistani people are unambiguous, preferring negotiation and development to military options,” the group said. More than 70 percent of Pakistanis opposed the country's cooperation with the United States' “war on terror,” with just 15 percent in favour, according to the poll of 3,484 people selected at random. However 81 percent people supported new government's policy on terrorism. (Posted @ 17:10 PST) Pakistan, US at odds over border bombing that killed 11 Pakistani troops ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 17 (AP) - U.S. and Pakistani investigators have reached “separate” conclusions about why warplanes killed 11 Pakistani troops at an outpost near the Afghan border, the Pakistan army said Thursday. Pakistan army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said a joint investigation had failed to produce an agreement on what happened. “We have our separate findings. The findings are different,” Abbas told The Associated Press. He declined to give details of the findings because they remain confidential. However, he said the bombing could not be justified as self-defense. “In our investigation, there was no act of offense from this side,” Abbas said. The paramilitary Frontier Corps troops manning the border post “never fired a shot on the other side and it was taken by complete surprise when a number of strikes came on their post,” he said. Abbas also disputed New York Times report that U.S. military planners did not have the coordinates of the base. Abbas said the coordinates of all the posts on the Pakistani side of the border had been shared with the U.S.-led coalition force in Afghanistan at least three times since 2003. “Even marked maps were handed over to coalition forces at one stage, indicating the location of our posts,” he said. Capt. Christian Patterson, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition forces in Afghanistan, said Thursday the incident was still under investigation. Abbas said the incident had heightened awareness on both sides to improve coordination and communications between troops on either side of the mountainous frontier. He said the two sides had “generally agreed” on recommendations to address those problems and avert any repeat. Details would be released jointly at a later date, he said. (Posted @ 21:46 PST) Negroponte vows support for Pakistan WASHINGTON, July 17 (APP): Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte said Wednesday that Washington stands for Pakistan's success and is working to assist it in meeting energy and food challenges. “Pakistan is a key American partner. We are working closely with Pakistan's government and people to improve economic development, resolve food and energy problems, and counter violent extremists,” he said. The U.S. diplomat was addressing a Seeds of Peace reception held at the State Department for young Pakistanis and Indians who completed a three-week conflict resolution program in Maine. Negroponte lauded the efforts of the participants and said that such educational exchanges were central to efforts to deepen ties between the American people and Indians and Pakistanis. (Posted @ 17:00 PST) EU holds hearing regarding mass graves in occupied Kashmir ISLAMABAD, July 17 (APP): European Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights held a hearing on the motion regarding the discovery of unmarked mass graves in occupied Kashmir in Strasbourg. Chairwoman of the Subcommittee Helen Flautre said that the urgency resolution makes it absolutely clear that an independent investigation must be undertaken and the evidence preserved. Flautre stated that the Subcommittee will monitor the situation with the European Commission and hoped that the human rights activists in Srinagar will be safe and able to continue their good work. Co-Convener of the International People's Tribunal Dr Angana P Chatterji also gave an account of the human rights violations taking place in occupied Kashmir and showed video footage of the mass graves. Over 1000 unmarked graves have been discovered since 2006 in Jammu & Kashmir in 18 villages in Uri district alone. (Posted @ 16:15 PST) Indians, Pakistanis flexible on Kashmir: poll NEW DELHI, July 17 (Reuters): People in India and Pakistan show a readiness to let the disputed region of Kashmir decide its own fate, and many would tolerate independence if that ended the long-running Himalayan conflict, a rare poll on the crisis said. A poll by WorldPublicOpinion.org asked Indian and Pakistanis to consider a range of possible outcomes for the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir and to say whether they found them desirable, acceptable, tolerable, or unacceptable. A majority of those surveyed would find independence at least tolerable if Kashmiris wanted it. “Given the deep roots of the conflict over Kashmir, it is surprising the conflict does not muster clearly polarised majorities in Pakistan and India, falling in line behind their governments' positions,” said Clay Ramsay, research director of WorldPublicOpinion.org. “Instead, many show openness to considering different possibilities for resolving the conflict.” Three-quarters of Pakistanis called independence for the Muslim-majority region desirable or acceptable. While 50 percent of Indians said the idea was unacceptable, 29 percent said it was at least tolerable and the rest did not provide an answer. Most Indians want Kashmir to remain under Indian control, either in its present status or with more autonomy. While Pakistan's government has at times conceded that changing borders may not be an option, its people seem reluctant to accept this. Around two-thirds of Pakistanis said simply giving Indian Kashmir more autonomy was unacceptable. Most would prefer it to join their country or become independent. The idea of dividing the region between Pakistan and India gets little support on either side, but is also not opposed by a large majority, the pollsters said. Some 52 percent of Pakistanis and 42 percent of Indians found division unacceptable. Similarly, around half of those surveyed on both sides said joint management by India and Pakistan was unacceptable The poll was taken among 907 Pakistanis spread over 19 cities with a sampling error of about +/-3.3 percentage points, while 1,258 Indians answered the survey in 10 cities. The sampling error for India was about +/-2.8 percentage points. (Posted @ 18:16 PST) JUI-F jirga to restart talks on July 22 for peace in Tirah valley PESHAWAR, July 17 (APP): The JUI-F sponsored peace jirga will resume talks with the chief of banned outfit Laskar-e-Islam Mangal Bagh and Amir of Ansurul Islam Ustad Mehboobul Haq on July 22 to discuss with them the peace formula to end violence in Tirah valley, head of Jirga and former MNA Maulana Shujul Mulk told newsmen Thursday. Flanked by Maulana Jalil Jan, Maulana Ataul Haq and Rafiullah Haq Qasmi, he said that jirga is working on broad based and well-thought out formula which was acceptable to all groups. He said that three members each of both the groups, Lashkar-e-Islam and Ansarul Islam, and five members of JUI-F will be included in the Jirga to make the talks successful. Mulk said that a three- member peace Jirga for Mohmand Agency and 25-members peace committee for each districts of NWFP will be setup that would work for promotion of peace and addressing long standing disputes. (Posted @ 21:04 PST) Pakistan to host world economic moot on Afghanistan ISLAMABAD, July 17 (APP): Pakistan will be hosting the third Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan, likely to be held on August 26-27, this year in Islamabad. Eleven regional countries, the G-8 countries and international organisations including the UN, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, SCO and ECO are schedule to attend. The conference would have a single point agenda of economic development in Afghanistan in particular and the region in general, sources in the Economic Affairs division said. (Posted @ 16:40 PST)  11 killed, 17 injured in road mishap near Sialkot SIALKOT, Pakistan July 17 (PPI): At least 11 people were killed and 17 others injured in a head-on collision between two buses near Daska town in Sialkot district on Thursday. Rescuers retrieved 11 bodies after cutting through the mangled wreckage of the vehicles, Daska police said. The death toll might rise as at least six of the injured passengers admitted to the hospital were in a critical condition. The police said casualty figures were considerably high because many people were sitting on the roof of one of the buses. (First Posted @ 14:00 PST Updated @ 18:12 PST) Pak, India to discuss new CBMs on Kashmir on July 18 NEW DELHI, July 17 (APP): A meeting of Pak-India Technical Working Group on Kashmir Confidence Building Measures will be held in Islamabad tomorrow (Friday) to discuss introduction of new CBMs including truck service for cross-LoC trade. The talks, scheduled to be held on July 10 were postponed on India's request . Sources said both the countries are working to initiate trade through truck service between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad. Lists of the items to be traded, prepared by Islamabad and New Delhi will also be discussed. The other items on the agenda include increasing frequency of bus services across LoC and opening more points on LoC. (Posted @ 20:50 PST) 15 insurgents killed in Afghanistan; Taliban leader killed KABUL, Afghanistan, July 17 (AP) - U.S. Special Forces and Afghan troops called in airstrikes during a raid on a militant cell in Zerko area of Shindand district in Heart province Thursday, killing 15 insurgents while freeing 15 hostages, officials said. NATO, meanwhile, said its troops killed Bismullah Akhund, a senior Taliban commander, in Helmand's Naw Zad district. “During the operation in Zerko area a number of men were discovered handcuffed and imprisoned in appalling conditions in one of the insurgent compounds,” a NATO statement said. Four civilians were wounded during the operation and three houses were destroyed. Two local militant commanders and two of their sons were among the dead. (First Posted @ 15:30 PST Updated @ 19:36 PST) Poll shows 83 pct of Pakistanis want Musharraf out ISLAMABAD, July 17 (Reuters) - Eighty-three percent of Pakistanis want President Pervez Musharraf to be removed and judges he sacked restored, according to a survey released by the U.S.-based International Republican Institute on Thursday. 52 percent of respondents also think that things would get better in Pakistan under the new government. The survey from the IRI, a U.S. government-funded organisation chaired by U.S. presidential contender John McCain, said Musharraf's job approval ratings had dropped to 11 percent. Only three percent of people surveyed thought he was the best person to handle Pakistan's problems. Conducted between June 1-15, the IRI survey showed that of the 3,484 people, 82 percent say that they like Sharif, up from 36 percent in June 2006 when he trailed Musharraf and Bhutto. When asked who they would support in a future parliamentary election, PML-N was the choice of 36 percent, up from the 29 percent who said they voted for the party in February election. Despite Asif Ali Zardari's hesitancy confronting Musharraf, IRI's poll found his popularity rating had gone up to 45 percent from 37 percent in the last poll released in February. (Posted @ 19:06 PST) Donors briefed on projects in earthquake-affected areas ISLAMABAD, July 17 (PPI): Chairman ERRA Altaf Saleem briefed representatives of donor organizations Thursday about completed and ongoing projects of October 2005 earthquake affected areas in AJK and NWFP. He said that Rs 62 billion had been disbursed for reconstruction of houses in rural and urban areas, and the housing programme was set to be completed by the end of the year. Rs 3000 had also been provided to each vulnerable family under the livelihood cash grant, he added. (Posted @ 18:42 PST) China urges give-and-take in Iran nuclear talks BEIJING, July 17 (Reuters) - China said on Thursday it welcomed Washington's decision to send a senior diplomat to nuclear talks with Iran, urging the attending nations to show greater “flexibility” to ease the standoff. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said his government welcomed the U.S. step and wanted to see more give-and take from all sides. “We welcome the United States' decision,” Liu told a regular news conference, repeating China's frequent call for a negotiated solution to the dispute. He also appeared to nudge Iran to show goodwill. “We also hope that all sides will grasp the current favourable opportunities and step up their efforts, and in particular demonstrate flexibility to advance dialogue and negotiations as early as possible.” (Posted @ 18:02 PST) Sri Lanka says 27 killed in northern fighting COLOMBO, July 17 (Reuters): Sri Lankan troops killed 24 Tamil Tiger rebels and are advancing into a rebel-held area in the far north after capturing a strategically important coastal town from the Tamil Tigers, the military said on Thursday. The military said they captured the northwestern town of Vidattaltivu on Wednesday, describing it as the main base of the Tigers' sea wing and their logistics hub for the west. The military described the capture as a “fatal blow” to the rebels. (Posted @ 17:25 PST) Central Sec. Gen. Shabbab Mili dies in road accident QUETTA, July 17 (APP): Central Secretary General Shabbab Mili Mian Abu Bakkar Siddique died in a road accident near Khanozai area of District Pishin, some 70 kilometers off Quetta, Wednesday. According to reports, the vehicle carrying Mian Abu Bakkar Siddique overturned while negotiating a sharp turn. As a result, he died on the spot while his five colleagues sustained injuries and were shifted to a Quetta hospital. Mian Abu Bakkar Siddique belonged to Dera Ghazi Khan and was son of former MNA Dr. Nazeer Ahmed. (Posted @ 17:00 PST) US Senate approves $48 billion to fight AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis worldwide WASHINGTON, July 17 (APP/AP): The US Senate has approved the spending of $48 billion over the next five years to treat and prevent the spread of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Africa and elsewhere around the world. The legislation more than triples the current $15 billion programme that has brought lifesaving drugs to some 1.7 million people with HIV/AIDS. (Posted @ 16:45 PST) Thai group says agrees ceasefire in south BANGKOK, July 17 (AFP): A group professing to lead the separatist insurgency in Thailand's restive south announced a ceasefire in a satellite television broadcast Thursday. Three men from a group calling themselves Tai Ruam Pak Tai Khong Prathet Thai (Thailand's United Southern Underground group), said they had negotiated a ceasefire beginning July 14. “From July 14 onwards, all the militant and political units of our group will support peace formation in Thailand,” said the group's leader who did not give his name. (Posted @ 14:10 PST) 15 dead in Iraq car bomb blast BAGHDAD, July 17 (AP): A car bomb in northern Iraq killed at least 15 people, including children, on Wednesday. Ninety people were injured in the blast near a popular market in Tal Afar, said a police official who requested anonymity. Seven of the dead were children. Later, the U.S. military put the number of injured at 98 and said all were civilians except for three Iraqi security personnel. (Posted @ 11:20 PST) Generator fumes kill 17 at Nigeria prayer meeting UMUAHIA, Nigeria, July 17 (Reuters): At least 17 people died at a prayer meeting in rural Nigeria after apparently breathing noxious fumes from their power generator while asleep, police and witnesses said Wednesday. The victims fell asleep on Saturday in a locked room with the generator still running, police said. Their bodies were discovered and the incident reported on Tuesday. “We are still investigating the cause of the deaths. But a power generating set was found in the hall where they slept, so we are not ruling out suffocation through carbon monoxide inhalation,” police spokesman Ali Okechukwu said. (Posted @ 09:35 PST) Malaysia's Anwar leaves police custody KUALA LUMPUR, July 17 (AFP): Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim left police headquarters Thursday after being freed on bail over sodomy accusations that triggered his arrest, his lawyer said. “He has been released on police bail a few minutes ago,” lawyer Sivarasa Rasiah told reporters. “He left five minutes ago accompanied by his family.” (Posted @ 09:25 PST) Karachi Stocks down 278.96 points: KARACHI, July 17: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 10212.92, down 278.96 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:15 PST) Forex update: KARACHI, July 17: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 72.7 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:15 PST)
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