Tajikistan is ready to sign a deal with the United States for the transit of non-lethal cargo to neighbouring Afghanistan, the Central Asian state's Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
Deputy Foreign Minister Abdullah Yubdoshev told reporters his country sees no barriers to the swift conclusion of a deal that would allow NATO forces transit routes to support their fighting to the south.
"Tajikistan sees nothing at all preventing the signing of an agreement allowing the transit of US non-military cargo to Afghanistan," he said. The United States and its NATO partners have been searching for alternative supply routes into Afghanistan since the Kyrgyz government evicted them from a key airbase on its territory in February.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/18/2009 00:00 ||
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[Maghrebia] The Tunisian coastal tourist resort of Nabeul, in the Cap Bon region, will host international scholars and journalists for an interfaith forum beginning on April 19th, Tunisia Online reported. Among the topics to be addressed at the symposium are justice and peace in the age of globalisation and the use of ICT in serving the cause of justice and peace. Participants from Algeria, Morocco, France, the United States, Greece, Italy, Iran, Japan, Nigeria, Poland, the United Kingdom, Syria, and Yemen are expected to attend the 4-day event.
al-Qaeda will also be attending, though they won't be recognized until too late.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/18/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
So we've definitely got Muslims, Christians, and presumably atheists also attending. But Israel is not mentioned -- I am forced to assume Judaism will be represented by delegates from the various countries...
[Bangla Daily Star] The local Awami League (AL) lawmaker's men in Bagmara upazila have allegedly taken away cheques worth Tk 19 lakh granted by the prime minister for the victims of the cruelties committed by Bangla Bhai-led vigilante gangs. They are now pressing the recipients to hand them the rest two of the 21 Tk 1 lakh cheques distributed on Wednesday.
The victims said they have been threatened not to speak to the media about the matter.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Adviser HT Imam distributed the cheques among those who had suffered at the hands of Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB) cadres in 2004 and 2005.
During the cheque-giving ceremony at Bhwaniganj School playground, the prime minister held a teleconference with Bagmara residents. She said her government would ensure justice for those who fell prey to executed Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) second-in-command Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai and his henchmen.
After the meeting, some local AL leaders including upazila AL General Secretary Zakirul Islam Santu, Mougachhi Union AL General Secretary Abdur Razzak Mollah and upazila Jubo League President Abdus Salam asked the recipients to meet them with the cheques at Enamul Haque's cold storage the next morning.
Ataur Rahman, a torture victim, said after he and Parijan Bibi went there, MP Enamul told them to do as Salam asks. Parijan was given the cheque for his husband Rafiqul who was tortured by Bangla Bhai but is now behind bars for suspected links to Purbo Banglar Communist Party.
Salam took the two to a room and asked to give him the cheques. "He said, 'As our MP had to spend time and money to have the funds approved, you should share the grants with us. After cashing the cheque, we will keep Tk 50,000 and you'll have the rest'," Ataur continued.
Sounds like Chicago ...
"As we told him that we did not bring the cheques with us, he body-searched us but couldn't find any. 'Get out!' he screamed, seething with rage.
"He and Razzak however contacted us again and said they would never let us convert the cheques."
"Wait til we tell da Mayor!"
Describing similar experience, Parijan said, "I pray for Sheikh Hasina for what she did for us. But what's the use of this cheque if I can't get cash out of it?"
Unlike Ataur and Parijan, the 19 other victims had to give in to the pressure of the MP's associates. "Had our MP not tried, you would never get any money. He will try for more donations for you in future. So, you better split the amount with us," Manik, another JMJB victim, quoted Salam as telling him. "Salam had us put our signatures on the cheques, and promised to give us each Tk 50,000," Manik added.
Abdul Gafur of Jhikra, Asir Uddin of Khalimpara and Anisur Rahman of Chhoto Madhaimuri--everyone's story is much the same.
Talking to The Daily Star last night, Alderman Enamul Haque denied the allegations.
"Lies! All lies!"
He said, "My men were only trying to help them cash the cheques. None of the victims will be deprived of the money granted by the prime minister."
The MP said at least 24 cheques, each worth Tk 1 lakh, have been issued for the JMJB victims in Bagmara. Three were yet to be distributed as identity of the claimants could not be confirmed.
Asked if he knows that the cheques were indeed taken away from the recipients after they went to his cold storage, he said he would look into it. "I asked my men to arrange for the victims to gather at my place so they can be photographed and shown to the prime minister," he added. "Most people in our area are illiterate. They don't know how to open a bank account and cash cheques. So I asked my men to help themselves."
Enamul said some quarters are out to make an issue of the matter.
Abdus Salam too dismissed the allegations as baseless.
"No, no, certainly not!"
Zakirul Islam Santu said they had asked the cheque recipients to get together for a group photo with the MP. "We didn't ask for their cheques."
He added that there are at least 600 JMJB victims in Bagmara. As only 21 have received aid from the PM's fund, many feel aggrieved. "Maybe some of them are spreading this sort of falsehood."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/18/2009 00:00 ||
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Japan and the US have submitted to the UN the names of North Korean companies they believe to be associated with the country's weapons programme. The list of companies has been sent to the UN's Security Council's sanctions committee for consideration.
The move to enforce sanctions against North Korea follows the country's long-range rocket launch on 5 April.
Diplomats say China, which has a lot of trade with North Korea, will want to study the list before agreeing to it.
Just to make sure they get their money and people clear ...
The Council is starting the process of tightening the existing sanctions against North Korea. These sanctions were agreed in 2006 after North Korea tested a nuclear device, but they were never applied.
North Korean companies suspected of being involved in the government's weapons programme can have their financial assets, like bank accounts, seized if they are held abroad.
North Korea reacted aggressively to the Council's condemnation of its launch, saying it would throw out inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and restart its nuclear programme. Diplomats say if North Korea carries out its threat and does begin producing weapons grade plutonium, it will have violated a Security Council resolution and the debate about what to do will begin anew.
With the same end-result ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/18/2009 00:00 ||
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Former Iraqi officer Flaih Jihad was never wounded in combat but he almost lost his leg when he stepped on a mine as he sneaked illegally into EU member Cyprus to seek asylum.
The former general in the presidential guard of executed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein survived unscathed from the 1980-1988 Iraq-Iran war, the 2003 US-led invasion of his country and two assassination attempts. Now he hobbles painfully on a deformed heel but is happy to be alive after spending the first four months of his European dream in a hospital bed. The blast which wounded him came last December when Jihad, his wife Shatha and their three boys aged five to 10 were metres (yards) away from safe haven in this Mediterranean holiday island.
Cyprus has long complained that asylum seekers and illegal immigrants are crossing into the government-controlled south from the breakaway Turkish republic in the north via the porous UN-monitored ceasefire line. Hundreds of landmines are strewn across no-man's land, so trying to sneak across is fraught with danger. Nine people, including Iraqi asylum seekers and UN deminers, were wounded in 2008. Most of the mines date from 1974 when Turkish troops seized the island's northern third in response to a Greek Cypriot coup to unite with Greece.
Jihad, who hails like Saddam from the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit, once enjoyed a life of luxury, including "three apartments and four cars", and all the other benefits that the Iraqi dictator bestowed on his allies. His comfortable lifestyle ended abruptly following the US-led invasion of Iraq six years ago and in 2004 he fled Iraq after facing two assassination attempts, including a car bomb that killed his only daughter, and moved with his family to Syria. By last year the family's financial resources had dried up, prompting Jihad to approach smugglers for a passage to Europe.
"I knew from the start that I was putting my life into the hands of the mafia, that it was risky," Jihad told AFP in the southern coastal city of Larnaca. "But I had no choice. I had to leave Syria. It was life or death."
He is recovering from his injuries in a tiny apartment after obtaining a six-month residency permit for himself and his family from Cypriot authorities, who are examining their asylum petition.
Jihad paid the smugglers 25,000 dollars for the journey, choosing Cyprus as his European destination because it was the cheapest option available, he said. "The smugglers were asking twice as much to get us France or Italy."
On December 2, the family boarded a bus for southern Turkey and then caught a flight to the Turkish-held north of Cyprus. But when they landed at Ercan airport northeast of Nicosia, the smugglers threatened to denounce them to the authorities unless they paid an extra 5,000 dollars, Jihad said.
More problems arose when the family was robbed of all their belongings just before being marched under the cover of darkness towards no man's land, along with two other Iraqi asylum seekers. "We walked behind a Pakistani man (a smuggler) for three hours and crossed three rows of barbed wire," said Jihad.
Just as they prepared to cross into the government-controlled main part of the island, Jihad, the Iraqi ex-officer who prides himself for never having been injured throughout Iraq's decades of violence, stepped on a landmine. It nearly tore off his leg. His wife Shatha was slightly hurt while their youngest son, five-year-old Ali, was hit in the head by several shrapnel pieces. The smuggler fled the scene, abandoning them to their fate.
Jihad recalled how he crawled and then was dragged by the two other Iraqi asylum seekers until they reached a road where members of the smuggling network were waiting for them. The next thing he remembers he was lying semi-conscious on the pavement outside a Larnaca hospital. Thanks to a Nicosia hospital which saved his wounded leg from amputation at Cyprus government expense, Jihad's dream of "seeing Venice and the Eiffel Tower" remains alive.
Cyprus has the highest intake per capita of asylum seekers since it joined the European Union in 2004. According to the United Nations, 11,000 applications are waiting to be processed. Most asylum seekers in Cyprus are from Syria, Pakistan or Sri Lanka. However, the UN says those who have received positive responses are mostly migrants from the Palestinian territories, Iraq, Iran or even Turkey.
Whether or not his application is granted, Jihad, as an unrepentant Saddam supporter, swears he will never go back to Iraq, "even by order of law".
#1
Let's see. He could have claimed asylum in Turkey and Turkish held Northern Cyprus, but demands mercy and succor from the infidels? Deport the murdering creep to Basra or Sulaimaniya.
Posted by: ed ||
04/18/2009 6:58 Comments ||
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#2
Threats from white supremacist and violent antigovernment groups during 2009 have been largely rhetorical and have not indicated plans to carry out violent acts.
Whoever wrote this line is one paranoid f**k or they are planning to crack down on the rights of Americans and are preparing for a backlash.
#3
Janet Napolitino is a threat to the peace and freedom of approximately 100 million Americans. She should be locked away in an abandoned Colorado gold mine for 40 years.
YES, I am an "extremist". I believe literally in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. That makes me an "extremist" to our current socialist government.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/18/2009 15:24 Comments ||
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#4
Simply put, if you disagree with Obama on anything you are an extremist.
Isn't that the way it has been with leftists over the years?
As soon as he has collapsed the economy with hyper inflation and a worthless dollar, he'll declare martial law to prevent the riots by the "extremists" and we'll be looking at an attempt by the Dems at having their own Hugo Chavez right here at home.
Excuse me for sounding like a conspiracy theorist but all of this looks vaguely familiar to anyone that has studied the rise of other leftists to power over a democracy.
Posted by: James Carville ||
04/18/2009 16:20 Comments ||
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#5
...And have they actually withdrawn the report, or did they simply apologize and leave it out there?
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
04/18/2009 16:44 Comments ||
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#6
Rabid__ it was a rush job - they had to get it out before Tea Party Day
The tribal elders of Bajaur Agency on Thursday categorically told the visiting national and foreign media teams that there are no terrorists in Bajaur and the tribal elders are fully honouring the peace pact. Tribal elders - Malik Mian Masud, Malik Muhammad Yunas and Malik Hafzoor Jan - belonging to the Tarkhani and Utmankhel tribes told the visiting journalists at Bajaur Agency's Khar headquarters that there were no militants in Bajaur and denounced the Western propaganda to that effect. The tribesmen appealed to the foreign journalists to give up negative propaganda against their region because the people of Bajaur were peaceful and were opposed to harbouring any militant on their soil. The peace pact, they said, helped restore peace and harmony in the tribal region to a great extent and vowed to stand by the government on the peace agreement. The tribal elders informed the journalists about the negative impact the drone attacks had had on the peace efforts in the region and said the attacks were fuelling hatred amongst the tribal people against the US. They demanded foreign financial aid for the rehabilitation of the internally displaced persons and the reconstruction of Bajaur. The use of force in tribal agencies, they said, would create further problems and added that the tribal people believed in resolving disputes through negotiations.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/18/2009 00:00 ||
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Lal Masjid cleric Abdul Aziz called on Friday for the imposition of Islamic rule across Pakistan and the world and hinted at the use of force if he and his followers were obstructed.
Aziz, arrested two years ago during a siege of the mosque, was released from house detention on Thursday after the Supreme Court granted him bail on a surety bond worth Rs 200,000.
"We will continue our struggle to enforce Islamic order in the country," said Aziz, delivering the Friday sermon to tens of thousands of worshippers.
"Will you render sacrifices?" he asked to chants of "yes" by the worshippers. "Will you go to jails? Will you render sacrifices for religion?" he shouted to replies of assent each time.
"God willing, our sacrifices will not go in vain and Islam will be implemented not only in Pakistan but all over the world," Aziz told followers crammed into the mosque and spilling out onto the street.
"We are peaceful people but if our way is blocked then you have witnessed the scenes in Swat and in FATA," he said, referring to the violence-plagued Federally Administered Tribal Areas on the Afghan border.
Aziz was well known for his fiery sermons, even threatening to unleash suicide bombers against his movement's enemies.
"What we have seen in Swat and the Tribal Areas is the result of the sacrifices at the Lal Masjid, of the students, the people who were martyred," Aziz said.
The July 2007 mosque siege was a turning point in Pakistan's slide into religious extremism and violence. Army commandos assailed the complex days after heavily-armed militants holed up inside fought gunbattles with police and refused to surrender. The government says 102 people, including 11 security personnel, were killed. Aziz was arrested as he tried to sneak out of the mosque compound, which included a seminary for girls, dressed in an all-covering burqa.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/18/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
An individual with a profound need for a high voltage butt plug until his head explodes.
The government failed to table even a single inquiry report in parliament on 1,842 terrorist attacks from January to March that killed at least 1,395 people and causing losses amounting to millions of rupees.
Replying to two identical questions by MNAs Marvi Memon and Nighat Parveen, the Interior Ministry told the Lower House on Friday that during first three months of the current year, Balochistan was the worst-hit by terrorism -- with a total of 1,122 terrorist attacks that killed 436 people, followed by NWFP with 692 attacks that killed 732 people, Punjab with 12 attacks that killed 119 people, Sindh with 9 attacks that killed 21 people and Islamabad with 7 attacks that killed 87 people.
The ministry provided estimated losses to private properties, but said that losses to public properties, possibly amounted to billions of rupees, had not been calculated yet.
The ministry estimated that losses in NWFP amounted to Rs 2,680 million, Rs. 25 million in Balochistan and Rs. 5 million in Sindh. The ministry said the loss of property and vehicles in the terrorist attack on the embassy of Denmark amounted to Rs 12.121 million.
The ministry told the House that in Balochistan, compensation cheques handed out to families of police amounted to Rs. 99.5 million, while civilian victims of terrorism had been compensated with Rs 40 million. The administration of Islamabad had paid Rs 27.95 million as compensation, Punjab government Rs 102.92 million, while another Rs. 4.45 million had been sanctioned for disbursement to remaining victims in the province, the House was told.
The Sindh government paid Rs 0.67 million to victims of bomb blasts and eight other cases of compensation were being processed. In NWFP, Rs 99.5 million have been paid as compensation to affected policemen and Rs 40 million to civilians.
Replying to a supplementary question, Mujtaba Kharral said no inquiry report had been submitted to parliament, but promised that the government would soon table in parliament inquiry reports on all incidents.
Replying to a question by Begum Nuzhat Sadiq, the Interior Ministry told the House that a total of 6,007 illegal foreigners were imprisoned in Pakistan during 2008-09. Of these foreigners, 5,087 are in Balochsitan, 678 in Sindh, 80 in NWFP and 162 in Punjab. The ministry said that 162 female foreigners with illegal documents had been arrested over the last three years -- 143 in Sindh, 3 in NWFP, 10 in Balochistan and 6 in Punjab.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/18/2009 00:00 ||
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The parliamentarians who opposed the promulgation of Nizam-e-Adl Regulation in the National Assembly are no longer Muslims, Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) chief Sufi Muhammad said on Friday.
Talking to Daily Times at Maidan Kambar in district Dir, he said Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain had nothing to do with Islam.
Sufi said Taliban had promised to lay down their weapons after the implementation of sharia in Malakand division. He appealed to the people to attend the April 19 public meeting at Mingora's Grassy Ground to show the rest of the country how much the people of Malakand division loved Islam.
The TNSM chief said the people would also be briefed on the Nizam-e-Adl in the meeting. He urged the government to appoint qazis across the division. He said the Awami National Party had proved its love for Islam. He also praised parliament for the approval of the draft Nizam-e-Adl Regulation 2009.
He vowed to continue his struggle for the restoration of peace and said he would soon visit the division.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/18/2009 00:00 ||
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Pakistan was stripped of its 2011 World Cup matches by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday as growing security concerns cast the Asian giants firmly into the sporting wilderness. The decision came at an ICC executive board meeting here with the international body saying it had acted after noting the "uncertain political situation" in Pakistan. Ijaz Butt, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, expressed his regret at the decision to AFP.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/18/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Good. Now stand by your decision and make it stick, ICC.
But they won't. They will announce a rowback within weeks, after the OIC seethes prettily for the cameras, Auntie Beeb runs a few soft focus articles about the Human Cost (and the poor Pakistani shopkeepers/hoteliers who Wagered It All), and a few well-placed threats in London and Sydney. Maybe something minor blows up. Nothing you could point to, exactly, but the Message will have been received.
Of course, by 2011 cricket will be deemed unIslamic by at least one set of turbans picking over the remains of the Land of the Pure.
#2
I think the ICC will stick with it. Not out of moral courage, of course. But after the attack on the Sri Lankan team, they'd have great trouble perduading any athletes to go to Pakistan unless facts on the ground got hugely better in the next two years. Odds are the situation in Pakistan will worsen instead.
[Bangla Daily Star] The suspected Pakistani gunman on trial in India for last year's Mumbai attacks wants to retract his confession, claiming it was extracted by torture, his defence lawyer told reporters yesterday. "Ummm... We have your picture on videotape. What's to confess?"
The allegation came as the prosecution opened its case against Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, calling the November 2008 carnage in the city a product of Pakistan's "strategic terror culture." But lawyer Abbas Kazmi said Kasab would fight a string of charges, including "waging war" on India, murdering 166 people, attempted murder and kidnapping. He faces the death penalty if convicted. "On his instruction, a retraction application has been filed, retracting the so-called alleged confession," said Kazmi. "He's going to plead not guilty." "Those kind of videos are forged all the time!"
The lawyer told reporters that Kasab claimed that the confession, made to a local magistrate while he was in police custody, was "extracted out of coercion and force and it was not a voluntary confession." He quoted Kasab as claiming he had been "physically tortured." "They turned me into a newt, they did!"
Friday's hearings also saw Kasab, identified by Indian authorities as a 21-year-old, claim to be under the age of 18 and to apply to have his case transferred to a juvenile court. "How old are you?"
"12."
"He is still under 18. In such circumstances he is deemed to be a juvenile and this court has no jurisdiction to try this case," Kazmi told the trial court. "Qued. So my client walks!"
But public prosecutor Ujwal Nikam challenged the submission, saying that in both Kasab's "confession statement" to the police and on transfer to jail, he had said he was 21. "He transposed the numbers. He's lesdixic."
Judge ML Tahiliyani asked Kasab to stand in the dock and then commented: "As one looks at accused No. 1, it does not appear that he is below 17 years." Rejecting the application, the judge added: "In my considered opinion, the plea is frivolous and intended to delay the trial." "Bailiff! Whack his pee pee!"
[WHACK!]
"Owww!"
In his opening arguments, Nikam said Kasab was part of a "meticulously planned and ruthlessly executed" plot hatched across the border. That accounts for the guns, the ammunition, the boat and at least most of the dead guys.
"All the accused persons, including the wanted and deceased persons, are the products of a strategic terror culture," Nikam told the court. "This terrorist culture has penetrated deep into Pakistan by terrorist organisations like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). It is institutionalised there. It has taken a firm root... Pakistan has indeed become a hotbed of terrorism," he said.
Nikam said there was "sufficient evidence on the record to conclude that this criminal conspiracy was hatched in Pakistan" by the LeT and unnamed "supporting agencies" -- a veiled reference to Pakistan's spy service. "This is a multi-headed dragon capable of asserting itself in various forms," he added.
The Mumbai attacks saw 10 gunmen, of whom Kasab is alleged to be the sole survivor, land in the city by boat and murder more than 160 people. A railway station, a café, two luxury hotels and a Jewish centre were targeted in the 60-hour attacks and hundreds were injured.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/18/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
WORLD AFFAIRS BOARD > 26/11 WAS MEANT TO CAPTURE KASHMIR [Jammu-Kashmir], DESTABILIZE INDIA. Survivor Kasab fingers/claims PAKISTAN ARMY desired his Mumbai attack group to launch an direct ATTACK AGZ INDIA???
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/18/2009 10:49 Comments ||
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#5
yet another reminder as to why taking these acts of war to criminal court is a bad idea. should have been declared an enemy saboteur and shot as the Geneva conventions prescribe.
Posted by: abu do you love ||
04/18/2009 14:29 Comments ||
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[Geo News] The US has admitted that there is a lack of trust between United States and Pakistan. The problems relating to the trust deficit cannot be resolved overnight, the US Foreign Office spokesman said at a press briefing today (Friday). "We are trying to restore the trust through bilateral talks," he said. The US spokesman further said that US wants to work with Pakistan on all issues. "They lie about big things, they lie about little things. They lie in the morning. They lie at noon. They lie at night. They lie even when they don't have to. And the worst part is, they're really lousy liars. Their lips fall off every three or four sentences. They can't remember what they lied about five minutes ago."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/18/2009 00:00 ||
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[Geo News] Pakistan is facing militancy from its internal problems, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said on Friday. That's a really polite way of saying "it's your own damned fault."
Addressing a ceremony here, Miliband said: "The presence of US and British troops in Afghanistan in not the reason behind terrorism." He said that Pakistan is facing a grave threat of terrorism due to its internal issues. "Regular military interventions have waned the democratic institutions and the democracy in Pakistan." He further said PPP former Benazir Bhutto had also fallen victim to the terrorism. The British Foreign Secretary quoted President Asif Ali Zardari saying that war against terrorism is Pakistan's own war.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/18/2009 00:00 ||
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[Geo News] Emphasizing the importance of state relations based on mutual respect and trust, Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has called upon the need for removing differences of perception between Pakistan and the US through enhanced intelligence sharing and high level contacts.
He was talking to a delegation of the US Senators headed by Senator Jack Reed, member Armed Services Committee which called on him at the Prime Minister House here today.
He stressed that the US government must deliver on its pledge to build the capacity of Pakistan's police and law enforcement agencies to train and properly equip them against militants and to enable the government to increase their emoluments and provide social safety net for their affected families.
The Prime Minister said that the Swat peace deal agreement which is supported by the majority has a backing of the National Assembly and is aimed at promoting peace in the area. He said that the promulgation of Nizam-e-Adl regulation in Swat was part of the efforts of the government to promote national reconciliation besides adopting three Ds strategy to combat extremism and terrorism.
The Prime Minister said that the US should not attach conditionalities to the assistance package as the aid with strings attached would fail to generate the desired goodwill and meaningful results.
The Prime Minister while talking about the dialogue process between the two sides covering all aspects of multifaceted relations hoped that the US Government would take into account his government's concerns about the new US policy towards Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The Prime Minister thanked the US government for its assistance and its role in making the Friends of Democratic Pakistan's Ministerial meeting and Donors' Conference in Tokyo a success.
He hoped that the pledged aid of US$ 5.28 billion to Pakistan in the recently concluded meeting in Tokyo would greatly substantiate his government's efforts to improve the socio-economic condition thus enabling Pakistan to effectively confront the challenges of extremism and militancy.
Reaffirming Pakistan's commitment towards curtailing militancy and terrorism, the Prime Minister said that his country would continue fighting this menace till its complete elimination from its soil in order to make the country safe and peaceful.
He stressed that the US drone attacks proved counter productive and are impeding his government's efforts to marginalise the militants from the peace loving populace.
Talking on the Swat peace deal agreement, the Prime Minister said it has the backing of the National Assembly and was supported by the majority vote.
He said the promulgation of Nizam-e-Adl regulation in Swat was part of the efforts of the government to promote national reconciliation.
Underlining the importance of Pakistan's political and economic stability, Senator Reed stated that the US government will continue rendering all possible assistance to Pakistan for achieving these goals.
He assured the Prime Minister that he has been personally involved in the early passage of assistance package to Pakistan.
Senator Reed said he would try to take his other colleagues in the US Senate on board to address Pakistan's concerns about the legislation.
He said that the US wanted to build its long term relationship with Pakistan beyond the issue of terrorism.
Senator Reed congratulated the Prime Minister for handling the domestic political situation last month with sagacity. He hoped that with the Prime Minister's concerted efforts, government of Pakistan would be able to overcome its economic difficulties.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/18/2009 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
I mean, whoever heard of dhimmis attaching conditions to jizya payments?
Posted by: ed ||
04/18/2009 6:13 Comments ||
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#2
Just wants the same deal that the TARP recipients got last fall.
[Geo News] Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on Friday said that the secret behind success of Taliban was provision of speedy and affordable justice. However, he ruled out the possibility of Talibanisation in the country. Speaking to reporters in Lahore, he said that injustice has disappointed the masses. Khan said: "The state is responsible for the delivery of speedy and cheap justice." The PTI chief said MQM chief Altaf Hussain was bound to violate the Swat truce deal to cover his crimes. On this occasion, former federal minister Yasin Watto's sons, Zafar Watto, Javed Watto and Tariq Watto announced to join the Tehrik-e-Insaf.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/18/2009 00:00 ||
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[Jerusalem Post Front Page] The United Nations released its final revisions to the outcome document for its conference against racism late Friday, but kept intact sections that the US said would cause it to boycott the meetings.
The document retained its reaffirmation of the text endorsed during the first World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa in 2001, which singled out Israel for criticism.
That 2001 meeting, which ended four days before 9/11, was dominated by quarrels over the Middle East and the legacy of slavery. Several delegates condemned Israel and anti-Israel demonstrations broke out at a parallel conference of non-governmental organizations.
The United States and Israel walked out midway through the Durban conference over a draft resolution that singled out Israel for criticism and likened Zionism to racism.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/18/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
How about boycotting stuff produced by Durban Racists' Conference participants?
Posted by: ed ||
04/18/2009 6:17 Comments ||
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah movement's armed wing al-Aqsa Brigades announced on Saturday it decided to severe ties and contacts with pro-Iran Lebanese group Hezbollah. The group, based in Gaza said in a leaflet sent to reporters that it sent a letter to president Abbas informing him that the group made its decision depending on a national Palestinian contentment.
"We refuse to be a Palestinian tool in the hands of non Palestinian that toys with the highest Palestinian national interests and with the Palestinian-Arab relations," said the group.
Two weeks ago, Egypt said that its security forces arrested dozens of Lebanese and Palestinians in Egypt, recruited by Hezbollah, to carry out armed attacks against targets into Egypt. Hezbollah denied the Egyptian accusations and said those were detained by the Egyptian security forces were in Egypt to help the Palestinian armed resistance in Gaza against Israel. Hezbollah military leaders have frequently admitted that it supports different Palestinian militant groups, mainly Hamas, Islamic Jihad and some groups belong to Fatah movement's armed wing.
"What happened in Egypt is clearly an attempt by Hezbollah to play with the national security of Egypt, which completely contradicts with the highest Palestinian interests," said the group.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders in Gaza and in Damascus slammed Egypt, and expressed their full support and solidarity with Hezbollah, saying the group is supporting the armed resistance against Israel. "We were and we are still a noble part of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah), which has a strategy to reject any foreign interference into the internal Palestinian affairs," said Fatah armed wing.
[Jerusalem Post Front Page] Top Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Mahmoud Zahar reportedly appeared in public on Friday, for the first time since Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip.
According to a Reuters report, Zahar spoke during a service in a Gaza mosque, saying "We cannot, we will not, and we will never recognize the enemy in any way, shape or form." His speech was broadcast on the Hamas radio station.
Reuters said that Haniyeh, the Hamas prime minister, spoke at a different mosque.
Earlier this month Haniyeh met with Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams in Gaza. The photos taken at the meeting were the first of the Hamas leader published since the December-January offensive.
Hamas has repeatedly refused to accept conditions set by the Middle East Quartet, which include renouncing terror, recognizing the State of Israel and abiding by all previous agreements signed with the Jewish state, before the US, EU, UN and Russia recognize the Islamic group as a legitimate political entity.
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04/18/2009 00:00 ||
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Then they returned to their lair under Gaza Hospital for another six weeks of Gaza winter.
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[Iran Press TV Latest] Sri Lankan leaders are urging the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to intervene and end military strikes by Tamil Tigers into a 'no fire zone'.
A Sri Lankan delegation, which arrived in New Delhi on Friday, met with India's National Security Adviser, M.K. Narayanan, and the Foreign Secretary, Shivshankar Menon.
The delegation said that as a result of military action by Tamil Tigers, around 250,000 Tamil civilians have been forced to seek refuge in a small territory about 20 square kilometers, along the coast of the Mullaitheevy district of Sri Lanka known as the no fire zone.
They said that a request has been put forth to the Indian prime minister for help to stop all attacks in the no fire zone.
Rebels of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who have been fighting since 1983 for the creation of an independent state called 'Tamil Eelam' are apparently not allowing civilians to leave the 'no fire zone' area and are using them as shields against military attacks. The civilians are being killed in the cross-fire, reports say.
Talking to reporters after their 'valuable' meetings, R Sampanthan, a Lankan Member of Parliament, said, "We request from him (Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh) that there must be a cessation of all military attacks in the no fire zone as the only definite way to ensure the right to life of a substantial number of Tamil civilians living in the no fire zone."
"We also stated that these people within the no fire zone should just not be deprived of their right to life only for the reason that they are Tamils."
India for its part has asked the Sri Lankan government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Friday to extend a pause in war hostilities to enable the civilians trapped in the conflict to leave for secure areas saying that the fate of the Tamils cannot be ignored.
A two-day humanitarian truce ended on Wednesday and the Sri Lankan military announced it was now free to begin a final assault to end the 25-year war against the Tamil Tigers.
The Sri Lankan military says only 1,000 members of the Liberation Tigers are left, and accuses the fighters of holding around 100,000 civilians as human shields.
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Japan and the US have submitted to the UN the names of North Korean companies they believe to be associated with the country's weapons programme. The list of companies has been sent to the UN's Security Council's sanctions committee for consideration.
Lal Masjid cleric Abdul Aziz called on Friday for the imposition of Islamic rule across Pakistan and the world and hinted at the use of force if he and his followers were obstructed.
The parliamentarians who opposed the promulgation of Nizam-e-Adl Regulation in the National Assembly are no longer Muslims, Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) chief Sufi Muhammad said on Friday.
[Bangla Daily Star] The suspected Pakistani gunman on trial in India for last year's Mumbai attacks wants to retract his confession, claiming it was extracted by torture, his defence lawyer told reporters yesterday.
[Geo News] The US has admitted that there is a lack of trust between United States and Pakistan. The problems relating to the trust deficit cannot be resolved overnight, the US Foreign Office spokesman said at a press briefing today (Friday). "We are trying to restore the trust through bilateral talks," he said. The US spokesman further said that US wants to work with Pakistan on all issues.
[Geo News] Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on Friday said that the secret behind success of Taliban was provision of speedy and affordable justice. However, he ruled out the possibility of Talibanisation in the country. Speaking to reporters in Lahore, he said that injustice has disappointed the masses. Khan said: "The state is responsible for the delivery of speedy and cheap justice." The PTI chief said MQM chief Altaf Hussain was bound to violate the Swat truce deal to cover his crimes. On this occasion, former federal minister Yasin Watto's sons, Zafar Watto, Javed Watto and Tariq Watto announced to join the Tehrik-e-Insaf.
