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| August 16, 2008 | Saturday | Sha'aban 13, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (06:00 GMT)
 “Musharraf is running out of time”: FM Qureshi ISLAMABAD, Aug 16 (Agencies): President Pervez Musharraf needs to make up his mind within the next couple of days, Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said in Multan Saturday. “Musharraf is running out of time,” the PPP leader said. “If he fails to decide to quit within the next two days, the impeachment process will take its course,” he added. Allies and rivals of Musharraf have said ongoing back-channel talks could lead to the president's exit before an impeachment motion reaches Parliament. Ruling coalition officials said Saturday a draft of the impeachment charge sheet now awaits approval from the leaders of the coalition parties, namely Nawaz Sharif (PML-N), Asfandyar Wali (ANP), Maulana Fazlur Rehman (JUI-F) and of course Asif Ali Zardari, co-chairman of the PPP. “There is a long list of charges against him…we will file them, by the latest, by Tuesday,” Ahsan Iqbal, a member of the drafting team and senior leader of PML-N, said Saturday. As Musharraf’s spokesman, Major General (rtd.) Rashid Qureshi categorically ruled out the possibility that the President would resign before initiation of the impeachment process, the backchannel efforts intensified for a dignified way out of the brewing crisis. Among them the surprise arrival of Saudi Arabia’s intelligence chief, Prince Muqrim bin Abdul Aziz, on Friday. “Yes, Prince Muqrim bin Abdul Aziz did visit Pakistan on Friday and met senior government officials,” a senior coalition official told AFP requesting anonymity. “The main purpose of the visit was to find an amicable solution to the (Musharraf impeachment) issue and that no one should become a laughing stock,” the official said. It was “really up to Musharraf” if his plans included exile to Saudi Arabia, the official said. PPP and PML-N, the two major coalition partners, seem to differ on handling Musharraf’s case. While PML-N leaders, including Nawaz Sharif, have taken a stronger stance, the PPP seems much flexible. Information Minister, Sherry Rehman (PPP), said Saturday, the party “never indulges in the politics of revenge as it wants a stable Pakistan and a sustainable democracy in the country.” Senator Mushahid Hussain, secretary-general of the pro-Musharraf Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) has said that the president's advisers were considering his options, with one being that Musharraf would resign but be allowed to stay “in peace” within the country. (Posted @ 18:20 PST)  Thousands rally in occupied Kashmir to mourn dead protesters SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Aug 16 (AFP) - Tens of thousands of people shouting freedom slogans massed Saturday in revolt-hit occupied Kashmir to mourn 22 protesters, including prominent Hurriyet leader Sheikh Abdul Aziz, killed in police firing during huge demonstrations in the mainly Muslim region. Mourners in cars, buses, jeeps and trucks streamed into Sheikh Aziz’s hometown of Pampore, just outside the main city Srinagar, to take part in the outpouring of grief and anger. They shouted “We want freedom,” “Indians go home” and “Kashmir is ours.” ”This is a day we want to protest the slaying of 22 innocent Kashmiris,” mourners said as the town centre was thronged by a sea of people in one of the biggest anti-India rallies in years. Long-time separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the region's chief Muslim cleric and chairman of All-Parties Hurriyet Conference, was carried to a podium on the shoulders of supporters. “The entire world has seen how innocent Kashmiris were killed,” Mirwaiz told the crowd as cries of “shame” rang out from demonstrators. “India claims to be a big democracy. Is this democracy? Is this humanity?”asked Farooq, who led the crowd in prayers for the victims of the shootings. Also present were other APHC leaders including Syed Ali Gilani, Maulana Abbas Ansari, Shabbir Shah, and Yasin Malik. “These demonstrations should open the eyes of Indians. Every soul wants freedom,” Farooq said earlier. Security forces remained at a distance to avoid provoking further deadly clashes as demonstrators hoisted black flags, a Muslim symbol of mourning, and green Islamic flags. Sheikh Abdul Aziz was a former militant who had renounced violence and joined Indian Kashmir's political separatist alliance to seek independence for the region. (First Posted @ 12:40 PST Updated @ 20:08 PST)  Nine militants killed in clashes in NW Pakistan MINGORA, Pakistan, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Pakistani artillery and helicopter gunships killed nine pro-Taliban militants in an assault on their hideouts in the restive northwestern Swat valley on Saturday, army officials said. Security forces also arrested eight militants in the fighting that followed a search operation in the Kabal area, one of the militant strongholds in the region, 27 km east of Swat's main town of Mingora. “We have killed nine militants and the operation is still continuing,” an army official said while speaking on the condition of anonymity. Residents said there were also civilian fatalities in the bombing, but the military said they were only targeting militants' positions. Nearly 160 people have been killed in the renewed fighting in Swat, which erupted into violence in November last year when militants led by a radical cleric called Fazlullah launched a campaign to enforce Taliban-style rule. The latest fighting has virtually ended a peace deal agreed in May to stop violence in the alpine Swat valley, until recently a top tourist resort. Militants accuse the government of violating the accord and have attacked security posts and police and army patrols and have blown up dozens of girls' schools. Security forces are separately battling militants in another northwestern tribal region, Bajaur on the Afghan border. About 170 people have been killed in the 10 days of fighting. (Posted @ 20:28 PST) Twelve killed, 15 injured in fresh clashes between rival factions in Kurram Agency Peshawar, Aug 16 (PPI): At least 12 more people were killed and 15 others injured in fresh clashes between Torri and Bangash tribes in Kurram tribal agency. Official sources said Saturday that 10 days of unabated factional fighting had so far left about 170 people killed and over 200 injured. The government on Friday gave 72 hours deadline to the warring tribesmen to end the fighting, otherwise operation would be launched in order to restore peace. (Posted @ 19:22 PST) US releases $ 116 million to finance Pakistan F-16 upgrades WASHINGTON, Aug 16 (APP) The United States has released $ 116 million to finance mid-life upgrades for Pakistan's existing fleet of F-16 fighter planes. U.S. officials, commenting on the proposed re-allocation of funds last month, said jets upgrades would help enhance Pakistan's counterterrorism capability. (Posted @ 17:06 PST) Cricket: Pay to play, Pakistan tell Shoaib Akhtar KARACHI, Aug 16 (AFP) - Pakistan Cricket Board said Saturday that fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar can only play in next month's Champions Trophy if he pays an outstanding fine of seven million rupees (93,000 dollars), just days after naming him unconditionally in the squad. “Since the court maintained the fine, the PCB cannot allow him to play for Pakistan as it would be tantamount to flouting the ruling of the court,” PCB legal adviser Taffazul Rizvi told AFP. He did not say why Akhtar was initially named in the squad. Pakistan stages the eight-nation Champions trophy from September 12-28 but the run-up to the event has been clouded by security concerns raised by players from Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa. (Posted @ 20:20 PST) US cautious amid Musharraf resignation reports WASHINGTON, Aug 16 (AFP): US President George W. Bush's administration refrained Friday from directly commenting on the fate of President Musharraf amid reports he may resign to skirt impeachment or criminal charges. “We certainly hope that any actions that they take are consistent with the rule of law and constitutional principles, but I want to be clear these are matters for the Pakistanis to determine,” he said. (Posted @ 17:20 PST) Pakistan keen to benefit from Russian nuclear technology expertise for civilian purposes: PM Gilani ISLAMABAD, Aug 16 (PPI): Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani said Pakistan is keen to benefit from Russian expertise in nuclear technology for civilian purposes. Talking to outgoing Russian Ambassador Sergey Nikllayevish Peskov, he said there had been useful exchanges between nuclear agencies of the two countries. (Posted @ 16:45 PST) Bush says some progress in Georgia crisis CRAWFORD, Tex, Aug 16 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W.Bush, after meeting with his national security team, said on Saturday that there was progress in resolving the Georgia crisis. He said the fact that Russia and Georgia have signed a ceasefire agreement was “a hopeful step,” but that Russia needed to honor the agreement and withdraw its forces. Bush, speaking to reporters at his Texas ranch, said the regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia are a part of Georgia and “there's no room for debate on this matter.” Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who briefed Bush before he talked to reporters, and visited Tbilisi on Friday had said in Georgian capital: “Russian forces need to leave Georgia at once. This is not 1968.” She was referring to August 1968 when Russian forces crushed Czechoslovakia's fledgling reforms. (Posted @ 21:22 PST) More than 90 insurgents killed in Afghanistan KABUL, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Afghan and U.S.-led coalition forces have killed more than 90 militants during several days of fighting in the south of the country this week, the U.S. military and the Afghan Interior Ministry said on Saturday. More than three dozen insurgents were killed in clashes which erupted on Wednesday and were continuing on Saturday, a spokesman for the U.S. military said. Afghan and coalition forces had also killed more than 30 insurgents during three days of fighting in separate clashes in Kandahar province this week. Separately, on Friday Afghan police killed 23 insurgents after militants attacked two separate police checkpoints in Nad Ali district of Helmand province, the Interior Ministry said in a statement on Saturday. A Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, said Taliban fighters had taken control of the Marja district in Helmand province and Nawa district in Ghazni province. Afghan district officials said their forces were pushing the Taliban back out of the districts. (Posted @ 21:14 PST) Indian Army chopper crashes in Ladakh; 2 Majors, 1 jawan killed Srinagar, Aug 16 (PPI): Two Indian Army Majors and a jawan were killed when their Russian-make helicopter crashed in eastern Ladakh on Saturday, a Defence spokesman said. The helicopter had taken off on a rescue mission to evacuate a casualty. It lost contact with air traffic control while returning to Leh in bad weather. The wreckage was found near a mountain pass in eastern Ladakh. (First Posted @ 19:50 PST Updated @ 20:44 PST) General Zia-ul-Haq's plane crash due to mechanical problem: Times LONDON, Aug 16 (APP)- The plane crash in Bahawalpur desert twenty years ago which killed former Pakistan President General Zia-ul-Haq along with the US Ambassador Arnold Raphael and spawned several conspiracies theories has now been blamed on the mechanical problem, says a report in The Times. The Times has uncovered a far less complicated explanation. According to US investigators, a mechanical problem, known to be relatively common with the C-130 military transport aircraft, was to blame. (Posted @ 20:40 PST) No timetable for Russian withdrawal: Lavrov MOSCOW, Aug 16 (AFP) - Russian troops in Georgia have no timetable for withdrawing, as required under a peace deal, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday. Asked by journalists how long a pullout from Georgia would take, Lavrow replied: “As long as needed.” He added it would depend on Russian units being able to implement unspecified “additional security measures.” ”It doesn't only depend on us,” the foreign minister said. “We are constantly encountering various problems with the Georgian side and it will depend how quickly and effectively this problem will be solved.” Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed the French-brokered ceasefire deal Saturday. However, Russian troops still control swathes of Georgia, including beyond the limits of South Ossetia where they poured in last week to support local separatists against a Georgian offensive. (Posted @ 19:42 PST) Indian troops martyr 4 more Kashmiris ISLAMABAD, Aug 16 (APP): Indian troops have martyred four Kashmiri youth, two at Hurur in Kishtwar and one each at Paeth Wader in Handwara and Thinmarg in Reasi, Ptv reported Saturday. (Posted @ 19:30 PST) Olympics: Pakistan’s Sadaf finishes 7th in women 100M heats BEIJING, Aug. 16 (APP): Pakistan’s Sadaf Siddiqui finished seventh in the women 100-meter sprint in the Olympics track and field event on Saturday. She clocked 12.41 seconds to finish in 7th place in the field of eight in her heat and also failed to improve her personal best of 11.84 seconds. Christine Aaron (France) clocked 11.37 seconds to get first position. Pakistan's 110-meter hurdler Abdul Rashid will be in action in the heats on Sunday. (Posted @ 19:15 PST) Trash can bomb kills seven at Colombia fair BOGOTA, Aug 16 (AP) A bomb exploded during a crowded street fair in northwestern Colombia, killing seven people and wounding 17, police said Friday. The device was hidden in a trash can beside a lamppost in the center of Ituango, a coffee growing and cattle ranching town where rebels have launched similar attacks on civilians in the past, police said. (Posted @ 18:28 PST) Russian troops destroy Georgian railway bridge TBILISI, Aug 16 (Reuters) Georgia's Interior Ministry said Saturday Russian troops had blown up a railway bridge about 45 km from Tbilisi. Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said troops had destroyed the bridge in the Kaspi region west of Tbilisi, “paralyzing the Georgian railway network”. A Reuters correspondent saw Russian armoured personnel carriers and soldiers advance to the area Friday from the town of Gori. (Posted @ 15:10 PST) 22 Sri Lanka Tiger rebels killed COLOMBO, Aug 16 (AFP) Twenty-two Tamil rebels died in fresh ground battles in northern Sri Lanka as soldiers move closer to the insurgents' political stronghold, the military said Saturday. Troops on Friday moved nearer the rebels' political capital of Kilinochchi, 330 kilometres north of Colombo, while keeping up pressure on guerrillas in Weli Oya, Vavuniya and Mullaittivu, the military said. A total of 22 rebels died in Friday's fighting while 16 government soldiers were wounded, the defence ministry said in a statement. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who have been fighting for a separate state since 1972, did not comment on the fighting. (Posted @ 14:55 PST) Six killed in Iraq attack against pilgrims BAGHDAD, Aug 16 (AFP) At least six people were killed in a car bombing in Baghdad Saturday targeting pilgrims heading to the holy city of Karbala for a religious festival, police and hospital officials said. Saturday's attack, in the northeastern Baghdad district of Ur, also wounded 11 people, the officials said. (First Posted @ 13:30 PST, Updated @ 14:45 PST) Ukraine proposes missile defence cooperation with west KIEV, Aug 16 (AFP) Ukraine is prepared to open its missile defence network to cooperation with European and other foreign powers, the ex-Soviet republic's foreign ministry said Saturday. The ministry said the withdrawal by Russia from a bilateral defence agreement earlier this year “allows Ukraine to establish active cooperation with European countries.” (Posted @ 14:35 PST) Bomb hits Afghan minister's convoy, one hurt KABUL, Aug 16 (AFP): A bomb struck the convoy of Afghanistan's education minister on the outskirts of Kabul Saturday, with initial reports that one passer-by was wounded, a ministry spokesman said. Education Minister Mohamad Hanif Atmar was not hurt in the blast, ministry spokesman Hamid Helmi told AFP. “We don't know yet if it was planned or if it was an old mine,” he said. (Posted @ 14:20 PST) Train crash kills eight, injures dozens in Indonesia JAKARTA, Aug 16 (Reuters): At least eight people were killed and more than 60 injured on Saturday when a passenger train collided with a stationary cargo train carrying coal in Indonesia's Lampung province, an official said. The Limex Sriwijaya train packed with approximately 300 commuters slammed into the back of the other, derailing several carriages. The collision occurred at around 0045 GMT. (Posted @ 11:45 PST) Oil below $114 on stronger US dollar: OPEC report NEW YORK, Aug 16 (AP): Oil fell to its lowest price in three months Friday, briefly touching the $111 level after the dollar muscled higher and OPEC predicted the world's thirst for fuel next year will fall to its lowest point since 2002. Light, sweet crude for September delivery fell $1.24 to settle at $113.77 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange after falling to $111.34, its lowest price since May 2 and more than $35 or 24 percent below its July 11 trading record above $147. (Posted @ 10:55 PST)
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