Terrorists wants to destabilize country

KARACHI: Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik said terrorists’ want to destablise the country as they are facing defeat in Swat and FATA.

Talking to media here, Malik said after extremists after facing defeat in Swat and FATA, militants are dispersing in the cities. Baitullah Mehsud had threatened to carryout the blast.

He said investigations of Lahore blast underway and it is difficult to reach conclusion at the moment. Bajuaur Agency has been cleared and other areas would also be cleared soon.

Interior minister has warned the militants to lay down their arms otherwise they will be eradicated. Operation will be continued till the elimination of last terrorist.

About displaced persons, Malik said the people of Swat and Mingora are Pakistanis and they are free to go wherever they want across the country. The situation in troubled areas will soon bring under control inshallah. Malik has praised the security arrangements made by Sindh and Punjab forces.

Lahore suicide blast

LAHORE: The suicide car bomb blast at Rescue-15 building adjacent to CCPO Office killed 23 people and injured over 300 others here in Civil Line area on Wednesday.

The injured have been shifted to different hospitals of the city where medical aid is being provided to them.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has strongly condemned the blast.

According to sources, gunshots were being heard near the blast site for minutes before a speeding red van laden with explosives broke the barriers outside the Rescue-15 building and blew up with a loud blast, bringing down the entire building.

The suicide bomber intended to target the office of the CCPO, sources added.

Explosives weighing 100 kilograms were used in the explosion which was followed by gunshots in the area with intervals while four suspects were arrested from the blast site.

Windowpanes of the nearby buildings and houses were shattered and 15 vehicles were destroyed as thick smoke clouded the blast site.


Rescue activities were kick-started after the blast and the injured were whisked away by ambulances to Meo, Gangaram and Services hospitals.

Machines are being used to recover people trapped under the debris. Six of the ten bodies brought to Meo Hospital were of policemen while two bodies are beyond recognition.

Pakistan stresses ‘comprehensive approach’ to fight terrorism

NEW YORK: Reaffirming his government’s commitment to combating terrorism, Pakistan’s U.N. Ambassador Abdullah Hussain Haroon has said a comprehensive approach that includes political, legal, developmental, human rights and operational measures would ensure the eradication of the menace.

In line with Islamabad’s continuing commitment to global counter-terrorism measures, ambassador Haroon announced at an event in Washington that Pakistan would ratify the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism in September next.

The 1999 Convention is aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of global criminal prohibitions on terrorist financing and helps prevent terrorist organisations obtaining resources to support their activities.

Against this backdrop, ambassador Haroon said President Asif Ali Zardari was pursuing a three D’s approach—dialogue, development and deterrence.

The event was jointly organized by two Washington-based think-tanks—the Center for Global Counterterrorism Cooperation and International Peace Institute (IPI).

Pakistan stresses ‘comprehensive approach’ to fight terrorism

NEW YORK: Reaffirming his government’s commitment to combating terrorism, Pakistan’s U.N. Ambassador Abdullah Hussain Haroon has said a comprehensive approach that includes political, legal, developmental, human rights and operational measures would ensure the eradication of the menace.

In line with Islamabad’s continuing commitment to global counter-terrorism measures, ambassador Haroon announced at an event in Washington that Pakistan would ratify the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism in September next.

The 1999 Convention is aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of global criminal prohibitions on terrorist financing and helps prevent terrorist organisations obtaining resources to support their activities.

Against this backdrop, ambassador Haroon said President Asif Ali Zardari was pursuing a three D’s approach—dialogue, development and deterrence.

The event was jointly organized by two Washington-based think-tanks—the Center for Global Counterterrorism Cooperation and International Peace Institute (IPI).

Security forces operation against militants continues

SWAT: Security forces operation against militants in different districts of Malakand division continued.

District Swat remained under curfew for seventh consecutive day whereas relaxation in curfew has been announced from 7 am to 4 pm in tehsil Maidan of Lower Dir.

Security forces action continued overnight in Kambar, Takhtaband, Shamozai, tehisl Matta and upper areas of Char Bagh. Periodic shelling carried out at militants positions. The supply of gas, water and power to district Swat remained suspended.

Meanwhile, security forces from Lower Dir headquarters Timergira pounded the suspect hideouts of militants.

Zardari-Altaf's telephonic talk

LONDON: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Quaid, Altaf Hussain talking to President Asif Ali Zardari on telephone said that MQM was all out with Pakistan Army and the government in fight against terrorism.

Both the leaders deliberated in detail on matters relating to the war against terror in Malakand and the situation emanating thereafter.

Altaf Hussain said that the registration of all the displaced persons must be undertaken in all the provinces and they should be restrained within the camps.

President Asif Ali Zardari on this occasion said that the government would not rest until relieving the country of the terrorists. He apprised of that registration of the migrants was being ensured.

US aid proof of support to Pakistan

WASHINGTON: Pakistan ambassador in the United States Hussain Haqqani has welcomed the announcement of emergency aid of 100 million dollars from America for the affected people of Swat operation.

In a statement issued from Washington, Hussain Haqqani said that this aid is another proof of the full support to the Pakistani people by the United States but more aid is needed from the international community for rehabilitation of the affected people of Swat.

Hussain Haqqani said that Pakistan needs aid for rehabilitation of the people affected by the war on terror and the elimination of human crisis.

He said we expect from the US people to help generously and they can participate in the mission by typing Swat to 20222 on their cell phones.

Pakistan expanding nuclear sites

Satellite photos released show Pakistan has expanded two sites crucial to its nuclear program as part of an effort to bolster the destructive power of its atomic arsenal, a US arms control institute said. The commercial images reveal a major expansion of a chemical plant complex near Dera Ghazi Khan that produces uranium hexalfuoride and uranium metal, materials used to produce nuclear weapons, said analysts at the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS). At a site near Rawalpindi, photos suggest the Pakistanis "have added a second plutonium separation plant adjacent to the old one," the ISIS report said. Pakistan in recent years also has been building two new plutonium production reactors.

"All together, these recent expansion activities indicate that Pakistan is indeed progressing in a strategic plan to improve the destructiveness and deliverability of its nuclear arsenal" .

The expansion would enable Pakistan to build smaller, lighter plutonium-fission weapons and thermonuclear weapons that employ "plutonium as the nuclear trigger and enriched and natural enriched uranium in the secondary”.

The report urged the US government to persuade Pakistan to halt production of fissile material and join talks for a treaty that would ban the production of plutonium and highly enriched uranium.

Pak, Australia agreed to boost anti-terror cooperation

Pakistan and Australia have agreed to boost cooperation for curbing terrorism. Pakistan will send 70 military personnel to Australia to get counter insurgency training training. This was decided during a meeting between Australian Minister for Defence Hon. Joel Fitzgibbon and General Tariq Majid, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Mr Fitzgibbon and General Tariq Majid discussed the significant military operations currently being conducted against militants in the North West Frontier region of Pakistan. Mr Fitzgibbon expressed his sorrow for the losses suffered by the Pakistan Armed Forces in the fight against terrorism, and for the suffering of the civilian populations as a result of the recent fighting.

“Pakistan’s success in its conflict with Taliban extremists on its soil is critical to regional and global security, as well as Australia’s own national interest.
Australia also recognises the complex challenges that Pakistan faces and appreciates the efforts of Pakistan towards maintaining security. He announced a significant increase in access to Defence Cooperation Program training courses in Australia for Pakistan Military personnel. “The Australian Defence Force is working with the Pakistan Military on a number of counter insurgency training initiatives both in Australia and Pakistan. “We appreciate that the Pakistan military has significant expertise in confronting the extremist and terrorist threat. Our increased engagement is focused on providing training to assist Pakistan in this task.”

Mr Fitzgibbon emphasised that Australia was developing the engagement program in close consultation with Pakistan, and he expressed the desire to explore options to increase this assistance further.

General Tariq Majid said that Pakistan appreciates the role played by Australia as part of the Coalition Forces in Afghanistan, and emphasised that Pakistan and Australia have common interests and shared objectives in promoting peace and stability in the region.

Taliban in Pakistan threaten peace in Afghanistan

Afghanistan's president Tuesday praised U.S. plans to provide more civilian help to his country, and expressed hope that the country become less dependent on international partners in coming years. Hamid Karzai departs after registering as a candidate for August presidential elections in Kabul on Monday.
Addressing the re-emergence of Taliban militants, who were ousted from power by a U.S.-led coalition after the September 11 attacks on the United States, Karzai said, "We did not address the question of sanctuaries in time," a reality, he said, that hurts Afghanistan and Pakistan. We will continue to suffer," Karzai said.
Taliban gains in Pakistan are a major theme this week in Washington, where Karzai and Zardari will be visiting key congressional leaders and policymakers before meeting with President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Karzai, who made his remarks as Holbrooke testified about the problems in the region before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, touched on Obama's strategy, announced in March, to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Obama said sending "agricultural specialists and educators; engineers and lawyers" to Afghanistan will help "advance security, opportunity and justice" across the country. Karzai said the program will work if it is carried out "with the requirements of Afghanistan, with the plans of Afghanistan shared and supported by and agreed with by the United States, and in a manner that will add to Afghan capacity building."
It's important, he said, that Afghans see the war bringing them "safety and security," and improved security forces that can defend the country.
Karzai is running for re-election and has announced two running mates: current Vice President Kamil Khallili and a controversial former warlord, Mohamed Fahim.
Human Rights Watch was quick to criticize Karzai's decision to add him to the ticket.
Karzai defended Fahim, saying he "will be a factor of stability and unity for the Afghan people," noting that he has "contributed immensely in the war against terrorism, shoulder to shoulder with U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan."
The president said he looks forward to a proper race.

Pakistan Parliament to address Musharraf Impeachment

Pakistan's lower house of parliament convenes Monday evening with the task of removing President Pervez Musharraf from office high on its to-do list. President Pervez Musharraf stepped down as the chief of military last November. The first step towards impeachment will involve compiling a list of charges against Musharraf.
Sherry Rehman, spokeswoman for the ruling Pakistan People's Party, told reporters that lawmakers are preparing a charge-sheet that is "strong, voluminous and (a) powerful indictment of his systematic misrule and usurpation of parliament's powers."
The document will charge Musharraf with corruption, economic mismanagement and violating the constitution, among other malfeasance, she said. Once lawmakers submit charges, the National Assembly -- the lower house of parliament -- will vote on whether to move forward with impeachment. Next would come an actual vote on impeaching Musharraf.
Members of the National Assembly and Senate would cast ballots. Two-thirds of lawmakers would have to vote 'yes' for Musharraf to be impeached. The parties opposed to Musharraf have 274 members in the National Assembly and the Senate. In the meantime, the four provincial assemblies are expected to ask to cast votes of confidence on Musharraf this week. Musharraf can decide not to call for such a vote. Even if he does -- and lawmakers agree that they have lost confidence in the president -- the vote is non-binding. But symbolically, it might add pressure on Musharraf to step down. "There are no grounds for a resignation or an impeachment," Qureshi said.
For his part, Musharraf has several options:
No president has been impeached in the country's history. He can hope that the vote to impeach him falls short. He can dissolve parliament and declare a state of emergency. Musharraf stepped down as the chief of military last November. "We have consistently said the internal politics of Pakistan are an issue for the Pakistani people to decide," said U.S. State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos last week.
For many Pakistanis, the political machinations take a back seat to far bigger problems in the country: shortage of essential food items, power cuts, and a skyrocketing inflation.

U.S. aid to Pakistan

WASHINGTON: The United States is rushing emergency aid to Pakistan an initial $5 million to help people uprooted by the fighting against extremists, according to the State Department.

The State Department said Tuesday the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan and officials of the U.S. Agency for International Development were evaluating the needs of civilians fleeing the Swat valley and surrounding regions in northwest Pakistan.
On Capitol Hill, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, praised the new military offensive by the Pakistan military.
"In recent days we have seen encouraging signs that Pakistan's army is finally taking the fight to enemy, but much remains to be done," Kerry said in his opening to a hearing on Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Kerry and the senior Republican on the committee, Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, have introduced legislation to triple non-military U.S. aid to Pakistan to $1.5 billion a year, for five years.

The Obama administration envoy on Pakistan and Afghanistan policy, long-time diplomat Richard Holbrooke, spoke to the Senate committee Tuesday about what the U.S. has at stake in Pakistan. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tennessee, said Congress should slow down consideration of new aid to Pakistan. "Ultimately the true decision makers are the people and leaders of Pakistan."
We are losing that war," Holbrooke told the committee.

Federal cabinet reviews situation in Swat

ISLAMABAD: An important Federal Cabinet meeting is underway here with Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani in chair.

The participants are discussing the law and order situation in tribal areas, ongoing military operation in Swat and Malakand and the rehabilitation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). In the federal cabinet meeting, the participants also reviewed post operation situation in Swat and steps being taken by the government to provide relief to the displaced people.

Finance Advisor Shaukat Tareen briefed the federal cabinet on country’s economic situation and preparation of new budget.

Swat is still Burning

MORE than 40,000 people this week fled the Swat valley in north-west Pakistan, as an onslaught against Taliban militants intensified. Pakistan’s army, which fought in Swat from 2007 until it struck peace in February, says it will now finish off the Taliban in the valley. The peace deal has been unraveling since the Taliban last month moved from Swat into the districts of Lower Dir and Buner, 100km (63 miles) from Islamabad, the capital. The army attacked them, after senior American officials voiced their alarm at its “abdication” to the Taliban. Under the peace agreement, covering Malakand division, which includes Swat, the government is to implement Islamic law in the district. The Taliban call the government and army American stooges. On May 3rd militants beheaded two government officials in Swat, in revenge for the killing of two Taliban commanders in Dir and Buner. The next day they ambushed an army convoy in Swat.
On May 6th Pakistani helicopter-gunships and ground troops attacked the Taliban in the valley.
Officials claim that by setting up sharia courts they have drawn local support away from the Taliban. The army claims to have killed over 30 militants in Swat and 100 in Buner. Militants have recruited young men, broadcast anti-government propaganda, dug trenches and laid mines throughout Mingora.
American officials had raised concerns about the security of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, as well as its zeal for fighting the Taliban. Mr Obama called the talks “extraordinarily productive”

Kayani chairs high-level meeting

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani today arrived from France and immediately on arrival; COAS presided over a high level meeting in General Headquarters to review the progress of ongoing military operations in Malakand and Swat.

Kayani appreciated the conduct of operations and high morale of troops. He stressed upon the need to provide relief to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) through an aggressive management system.

Operation in Swat

Security forces launched operation in Swat after militants seized key government offices in the area. Forces started operation in Mingora early today to regain the control of government buildings. Militants and security forces exchanging fire with light and heavy weapons. No causality was reported.

Indefinite curfew has been imposed in Swat. Migration of local residents towards safer places from troubled areas has been halted due to curfew. Meanwhile, power supply remained suspended in the district for the second day, as Mingora grid station that was blown up two days ago by militants had not been repaired. Unknown persons blew up a shrine in lower Orakzai

Pak paid heavy price of anti-terror war : Nawaz Sharif

A US delegation comprised of three US congressmen and two Senators met with Nawaz Sharif in Raiwind on Wednesday.

Nawaz Sharif during the meeting said Pakistan itself a victim of terrorism and paid heavy price for war on terrorism. War against terrorism needed cooperation at every level, as only military coalition is not enough. Pakistani nation is irked due to new wave of terrorism.

He said the best way of eliminating terrorism is to improve economic conditions and education system in troubled areas. He said we want to cooperate with US but national interest is our top priority.

Pakistan grills Manawan attack suspects

LAHORE: Pakistan on Tuesday questioned four suspects, including an Afghan, captured during a police academy siege on the outskirts of Lahore. Interior ministry chief Rehman Malik talked about possible 'foreign hands.
The attack took place near the border with India.
Police, who have been widely criticised as the 'soft' target for extremists attacking the security forces in Pakistan, enforced heavy security for the funerals and armed commandos deployed on rooftops around the building.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband condemned the attack and pledged international help to root out the extremist threat.
'The attack is yet another reminder of the threat that Pakistan faces from violent extremism,' he said.
The Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, a non-governmental group, said Monday's attack — just weeks after the attack in the same city on the Sri Lankan cricket team — underscored the urgent need to strengthen the police.
Pakistani officials said that attack bore the hallmarks of the November 2008 siege in Mumbai, blamed on Pakistani militants, which killed 165 people.
Analysts said the latest attack was a firm message to Obama, who has put Pakistan at the heart of the fight against al-Qaeda, tripling US aid in a strategy aimed at reversing the war in Afghanistan.

Mehsud claims responsibility of Manawan attack

PESHAWAR: The chief of Pakistani Taliban, Baitullah Mehsud, on Tuesday took responsibility for an attack on a police academy in Lahore.

"Yes, we have carried out this attack. I will give details later," Mehsud, an al Qaeda-linked leader based in Waziristan tribal region told foreign news agency by telephone.

On Monday, Interior Advisor Rehman Malik in a press conference point out the involvement of Baitullah Mehsud in Manawan attack.