JI says statement personal

“Decisions to speak on various issues of national interest are taken by the party’s supreme council (Shura). The JI will respond in detail after discussing the matter at the meeting. — File Photo

Published 2013-11-11 07:36:14

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LAHORE: A senior leader of Jamaat-i-Islami said on Sunday that Syed Munawar Hassan’s statement on the status of army soldiers killed in the war against terrorism was his personal opinion and not of the party.

Dr Farid Piracha told Dawn that the JI would definitely respond to the army’s reaction and soon release an official statement after a meeting of its Shura to be held on Monday.

“Decisions to speak on various issues of national interest are taken by the party’s supreme council (Shura). The JI will respond in detail after discussing the matter at the meeting. Till a final decision by the Shura, the party will consider Mr Hassan’s statement as his personal opinion,” the JI leader said. He said JI founder Maulana Maudoodi had always described his statements on certain matters relating to Fiqah as his personal opinion. “In this situation, the JI amir might have followed Maulana Maudoodi,” he added.

Mr Piracha said the JI had always supported the armed forces on important issues of national interest. He said the party never thought of making insulting remarks about the military, adding that the army had reacted to the JI chief’s stament inte haste.

India ready to give Pakistan 'benefit of the doubt'

However, with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif last month vowing to go the “extra mile” to make peace with India, Khurshid said Delhi would take him at his word. — File Photo

Published 2013-11-11 06:26:27

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SYDNEY: India is prepared to give historic rival Pakistan “the benefit of the doubt” as the two countries strive for peace, Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid has said.

The nuclear-armed neighbours have since independence been at loggerheads over Kashmir, which is divided and administered separately by India and Pakistan but claimed in full by both.

India regularly accuses Pakistan's army of providing covering fire for armed rebels who cross the border and then mount attacks and in an interview with The Australian newspaper published Monday, Khurshid admitted the relationship was fraught.

“We talk to Pakistan periodically and in terms of personal gestures we receive great warmth,” he said. “But the on-the-ground reality and the results of our meetings are very disappointing.”

However, with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif last month vowing to go the “extra mile” to make peace with India, Khurshid said Delhi would take him at his word.

“Pakistan has a lot of very, very difficult issues to deal with at home,” he was quoted as saying. “Our view is that we should give them time, not at our cost, of course, but that we should give them the benefit of the doubt. When Mr Nawaz Sharif says he wants peace and good relations with India, we take him at his word.”

But with recent shootings at the border among the heaviest since a ceasefire agreement in 2003, Khurshid pointed out that Pakistan has not yet followed through on its promise of top-level military meetings to sort out better arrangements in Kashmir.

“If they can address the dismantling of the infrastructure of terrorism, that would be a good start,” he told the newspaper.

Pakistan agreed on drone raids: WP

Top officials in Pakistan’s government have for years secretly endorsed the program and routinely received classified briefings on strikes and casualty counts, according to top-secret CIA documents and Pakistani diplomatic memos obtained by the renown American newspaper.

According to the reports it is described in detail that dozens of drone attacks in Pakistan’s tribal region including maps as well as before-and-after aerial photos of targeted compounds over a four-year stretch from late 2007 to late 2011 in which the campaign intensified dramatically.
There are some markings on the documents indicating that many of them were prepared by the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center specifically to be shared with Pakistan’s government.
They flaunt the success of strikes that killed dozens of alleged al-Qaeda operatives and assert repeatedly that no civilians were harmed, The Washington Post reported.
Pakistan’s implicit approval of the drone program has been one of the more poorly kept national security secrets in Washington and Islamabad. During the early years of the campaign, the CIA even used Pakistani airstrips for its Predator armada.
But unfortunately these documents exposed the unambiguous nature of a top secret arrangement struck between the two countries at a time when neither was willing to publicly acknowledge the existence of the drone program.
The documents detailed at least 65 strikes in Pakistan and were described as “talking points” for CIA briefings, which occurred with such regularity that they became a matter of diplomatic routine. The documents are marked “top ­secret” but cleared for release to Pakistan.
A spokesman for the Pakistani Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment. A CIA spokesman declined to discuss the documents but did not dispute their authenticity.
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reiterated his country’s objections to the drone campaign this week during his first visit to Washington since taking office this year.
CIA strikes “have deeply disturbed and agitated our people,” Sharif said in a speech Tuesday at the U.S. Institute of Peace.
“This issue has become a major irritant in our bilateral relationship as well. I will, therefore, stress the need for an end to drone attacks.”
The documents served as a detailed timeline of the CIA drone program, tracing its progress from a campaign aimed at a relatively short list of senior al-Qaeda operatives into a broader aerial assault against militant groups with no connection to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
The records also expose the doubt and dysfunction that has afflicted U.S.-Pakistani relations even among the undeclared collaboration on drone strikes.
Some documents described tense meetings in which senior U.S. officials; including then-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, confront their Pakistani counterparts with U.S. intelligence purporting to show Pakistan’s ties to militant groups involved in attacks on American forces, a charge that Islamabad has consistently denied.

Pakistan mangoes sell at Rs 80/kg in Delhi as against Rs 150-200 for desi variety

NEW DELHI: Mangoes from Pakistan are giving a tough competition to local varieties in domestic and export markets this season. At the fag end of the season, Pakistan's chausa and fazli varieties are coming through Poonch and Srinagar to the north Indian market. 

In retail, Pakistani mangoes are being sold at Rs 80 a kg while prices of the domestic crop are at Rs 150-200 a kg. "The taste is very sweet and the colour is good. Leading retailers are buying them as the prices are competitive," said Chamanlal Dhingra, a leading mango trader at the Azadpur mandi in Delhi. Traders said the king of fruits first came from Pakistan in 2012 through Jammu and Kashmir in small quantities. 

"This year, the harvest is good and we expect arrivals from Pakistan to continue for the next 15-20 days," said Paramjeet Singh, owner of the Surjeet Mango Trader at Azadpur mandi, which is Asia's largest fruits and vegetables market. The trader said more than 18 mantrucks of Pakistani mangoes arrived through Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday and over 8 trucks, each carrying 9-10 tonne, arrived on Monday. 

Demand is largely coming from the Delhi national capital region, Punjab, Haryana and parts of Uttar Pradesh. "The Indian crop from the Saharanpur belt of Uttar Pradesh is available barely for the next 5-7 days. To meet the huge demand in the domestic market, mangoes from across the border are welcome," said Singh. He said the fruit could not be sent to other parts of the country due to its short shelf-life. 

With increasing demand and supplies, traders expect the prices to crash. "If arrivals of the Paksitani mangoes increase, prices may fall to Rs40-50 a kg," said Dhingra. The crop was largely coming from Pakistan's Punjab province. In New Delhi, Naeem Anwar, minister (trade), Pakistan High Commission, said mango was one of the major export items from Pakistan. 

"In India, we think there is a good market for Pakistan's mangoes like sindhri, anwar ratol, dusheri and chausa. However, a custom duty on mango at 35% and above is discouraging Pakistani traders and exporters," he said adding that India and Pakistan were working to overcome the tariff and non-tariff barriers to ensure consumers get a taste of Pakistani varieties.

Afghan Taliban attack US base near Pakistan border: officials

Taliban suicide bombers and gunmen dressed as Afghan police attacked a US base near the Pakistani border on Monday, sparking a shootout that left all three assailants dead, officials said.
No member of the US-led NATO mission in Afghanistan was killed in the assault on the base in Nangarhar province, said a spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
"There were a series of explosions that occurred in the vicinity of a forward operating base in Nangarhar province," an ISAF spokesman told AFP.
The military later described it as an "attempted but unsuccessful coordinated attack by enemy forces".
"There were three enemy forces killed during the attack. We can confirm that no ISAF personnel were killed as a result of this incident," it said in a statement.
NATO combat troops are gradually withdrawing from Afghanistan and are due to finish their mission completely by the end of 2014, after presidential elections next April.
Afghan officials said Monday's attack took place at Torkham, which borders Pakistan and straddles a key NATO overland supply route into landlocked Afghanistan from the nearest sea port of Karachi.
Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, Nangarhar governor's spokesman, said insurgents first attacked NATO supply trucks.
"Today morning, Taliban insurgents attacked and burned supply trucks delivering supplies to NATO which belonged to foreign forces near the US base in Torkham," he told AFP.
"Later, three armed suicide bombers started gunfire and clashes with Afghan forces and US forces, and they were killed after three hours of fighting.
"At the moment, the stand-off is over, and the situation is under control."
Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban which is leading a 12-year insurgency against Western troops and the Afghan government, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement sent to the media.
The Taliban have launched a spate of attacks across the country in recent days, with scores killed in suicide bombings, ambushes and rocket attacks. They also killed five aid workers in the west.
On Sunday the bullet-riddled bodies of seven civilians kidnapped one week earlier by the Taliban were found in Ghazni province just south of the capital.
Also on Sunday Afghanistan's ambassador to Pakistan and potential candidate for next year's presidential election, Omar Daudzai, was appointed acting interior minister.
President Hamid Karzai, who has led Afghanistan since the 2001 US-led invasion removed the Taliban from power, is barred from standing for a third term.
He has said he will not back anyone in the April 5 vote, but Daudzai is seen as one of his closest associates and loyalists.
Daudzai, 55, from the biggest ethnic group the Pashtuns, was a member of the Hezb-e-Islami faction during the Soviet occupation and later went on to work for the United Nations.
Interior minister Mujtaba Patang was voted out by parliament in July over accusations that he had failed to thwart the threat from Taliban rebels.
Afghanistan's 350,000-strong security forces are suffering a steep rise in attacks as the NATO mission winds down, with police and army casualties said to have increased by 15-20 percent since 2011.
The election to succeed Karzai is seen as the key test of whether 12 years of massive international military and aid intervention has been worthwhile.
Karzai recently named controversial former warlord Abdul Rab Rasul Sayyaf, 2009 runner-up Abdullah Abdullah and former finance minister Ashraf Ghani as possible candidates.
Other possibilities include Qayum Karzai, the president's brother, and former interior minister Ali Ahmad Jalali.
Karzai has pledged to ensure a smooth election, but international donors have expressed concern about whether the vote will produce a credible result after the 2009 poll was marred 

Zimbabwe chase history as Pakistan look to save series

HARARE: Having beaten Pakistan by seven wickets in the first match, hosts Zimbabwe are a win away from claiming their first ODI series win over the same opponents and with it their first significant bilateral series in 12 years when they take to the field for the second ODI at the Harare Sports Club on Thursday.
Following the 5-0 sweep at the hands of a weakened India last month, Brendan Taylor’s team are now in the rare position to press for an epic series win over top-class opposition.
Zimbabwe have never beaten Pakistan in bilateral ODI series dating back to 1993; they have lost eight and drawn one series 1-1 in 1995.

“We know how good Pakistan are and we know the quality of their players, we know they are going to come back harder on us,” said Zimbabwe batsman Malcolm Waller.
Tuesday’s victory was Zimbabwe’s first over Pakistan in 15 years, but it remains to be seen if they can reproduce such a performance a second time in less than three days.
The win was fashioned in the field where Pakistan lost five wickets for 44 runs after being given a 99-run stand for the third wicket and could only manage 244, a total that Zimbabwe overhauled with ten deliveries remaining.
Medium-pacers Brian Vitori and Tendai Chatara were economical and claimed two wickets each as Pakistan’s batsmen, barring Mohammad Hafeez and Misbah-ul-Haq, struggled to dominate.
These two bowlers will need to be frugal again, while the support act must be sharper. A repeat act of their fine fielding — Prosper Utseya’s one-handed stunner was jaw-dropping — would only give Zimbabwe more of an edge.
“To beat the quality team that Pakistan have got shows that we are doing the right things,” Taylor said after Tuesday’s match. “But there is still room for improvement; we dropped some pretty easy catches.”
Half-centuries for Vusi Sibanda and Hamilton Masakadza paved the way for a historic chase before skipper Taylor added the final touches. Considering the magnanimity of the last win, its unlikely Zimbabwe will tinker with their line-up.
For Pakistan, the sloppy batting and lacklustre bowling will be a concern.
Openers Nasir Jamshed and Ahmed Shehzad were far from fluent while the lower middle order managed 20 runs between them.
Batting has for long been Pakistan’s problem and the way they collapsed in Harare on Tuesday was just another example of adding to a lost cause.
Pakistan also have a lot of experience in the form of captain Misbah-ul-Haq and Shahid Afridi, but the latter has been inconsistent with both the bat and the ball in recent times.
“I think we have to go back and think where we went wrong to really improve our batting, bowling and fielding,” Misbah said looking ahead to Thursday’s game. “We need to just come back strongly and play our A game, our best game then you can really win these games.”
Pakistan are in the unfamiliar position of needing to beat a minnow team to salvage a series, and how they retaliate adds to the appetizing fixture.
Teams (likely):
ZIMBABWE: Vusi Sibanda, Hamilton Masakadza, Brendan Taylor (captain/wicketkeeper), Timycen Maruma, Sean Williams, Malcolm Waller, Elton Chigumbura, Prosper Utseya, Tinashe Panyangara, Tendai Chatara, Brian Vitori.
PAKISTAN: Nasir Jamshed, Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Umar Amin, Shahid Afridi, Haris Sohail, Sarfraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Saeed Ajmal, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan.—Agencies

Imran Farooq murder: UK police arrest Pakistani origin suspect

KARACHI: Police in London arrested on Monday a suspect of Pakistani origin in the murder of former Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Dr Imran Farooq.

"Counter Terrorism officers investigating the murder of Dr Imran Farooq have today arrested a man on suspicion of conspiracy to murder," said the London Metropolitan Police.

The Met police confirmed that the 52-year old suspect, a British citizen of Pakistani origin, was arrested Monday morning from Heathrow Airport at 09:10 GMT and was taken to a police station in London.

The suspect had just arrived in Britain from Canada, said the police.

MQM leader Dr Imran Farooq, aged 50, was on his way home from work when he was attacked in Green Lane on Sept 16, 2010 outside his London home. A post-mortem examination found that he died from multiple stab wounds and blunt trauma to the head.

This is the first arrest carried out by London Police in relation to his killing, and is so far the most significant progress in the case in more than a year.

Last week, the British police searched two residential properties in London as part of an investigation into the murder.

Television reports said the police carried out a 55-hour search in two northwest London “residential addresses”. The New Scotland Yard, which raided the houses, was reported to have confiscated several documents during the search.

The TV reports suggested that one of the houses belonged to MQM chief Altaf Hussain. However, there was no independent confirmation of the report.

Farooq, one of the founding members of the MQM, then known as the Mohajir Qaumi Movement, had been living in self-imposed exile in London since 1999.

The party later transformed into the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and became the fourth largest political force in parliament, and is the largest political party in Karachi, Pakistan’s business hub by the Arabian Sea.