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India-Pakistan

Taliban strike ISI headquarters in Lahore, 35 killed, 250 wounded

2009-05-27

Suspected Taliban militants today brazenly targetted Pakistan ISI's provincial headquarters here, detonating an explosive-laden car leaving at least 35 people including seven ISI personnel dead and over 250 wounded. Though heavily armed militants, believed to be two to four in number, failed to reach the main premises housing the ISI office, they detonated the explosives which damaged the building and totally flattened the nearby city police rescue office. The terrorist hit squad headed their vehicle towards the two buildings located just off the Mall Road, but as heavily armed guards prevented them, they came out and exchanged fire and then set off a massive blast. District Coordination Officer (DCO) Lahore Sajjad Ahmed Bhutta said a car loaded with huge explosives rammed into the barriers on the road leading to the buildings housing ISI and Lahore Police rescue offices. Interior Minister Rehman Malik said the attack could be in retaliation to the government's military offensive which has routed Taliban militants from north western Swat valley. Though the Punjab government officials confirmed only 18 people were dead, privately-run Ehdi Ambulance Service has put the death toll at 35. The hospital officials said 13 of the dead were policemen and seven were ISI officials. More, with pictures: Terror revisited Lahore on Wednesday when a massive car bomb exploded outside a building in the busy Civil Lines area killing an estimated 40 people and injuring over 100. The car bomb, that packed in about 100 kg of explosives, went off just outside the three-storeyed Rescue-15 Building that collapsed with the impact of the blast. The building that housed emergency police is located close to the provincial headquarters of Pakistan's spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Two suspects were arrested and helicopters could be seen hovering over the area as rescue workers tried desperately to pull out people from the debris and troops took positions on the rooftops of the nearby buildings. Giving details of how the terror attack began on a busy weekday morning, Sajjad Bhutta, a senior government official, said that a car carrying several gunmen pulled up in a street between the offices of the emergency police and the ISI. 'As some people came out from that vehicle and starting firing at the ISI office, the guards from inside that building returned fire,' Bhutta told reporters. As the firing continued, the car suddenly exploded. Bhutta estimated that 40 people had been killed, among them 12 police officers. At least 27 police trainees were killed. Gunshots were also heard in the area after the explosion that shattered the windowpanes of nearby buildings and destroyed many vehicles. 'The bomb disposal squad said 100 kg of explosives has been used in car bomb attack,' The News website said. It added that a suicide jacket and a hand grenade had also been recovered from the blast site. The blast took place on a day when Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed was to be presented in the Lahore High Court close by. According to Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik, the militants had been defeated in the northwest and had therefore turned towards Lahore. 'The situation is now under control in FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) and operations are on in Swat. We had been forewarned of the possibility of such an attack,' he told reporters in Karachi. The attack comes two months after a team of 12 terrorists ambushed and fired rocket propelled grenades at a convoy carrying Sri Lankan players to the Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium on March 3. Seven players and the team's assistant coach were injured and six Pakistani police officials, who were providing protection to the bus carrying the players, were killed in the attack that shook the entire cricketing world. Later that month, Pakistani security forces had to storm the Manawan police training academy on the outskirts of Lahore, ending a seven-hour siege by a group of heavily armed attackers who had taken over 800 trainees hostage. Four of the attackers were killed, while three were captured alive. They definitely aren't just posturing for American dollars anymore.

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India-Pakistan

Pakistan urges civilians to flee from Swat

2009-05-18

ISLAMABAD - The Pakistani government on Sunday urged people stranded by a military offensive against Taliban militants in the Swat valley to try to get out. Many civilians are believed to still be inside Mingora, the main town in Swat, after the army launched an offensive more than a week ago to stop the spread of Taliban influence. Run away! “I appeal to the people of Mingora and other parts which are under aggression, as soon as they get an opportunity, the curfew is relaxed, they should come out,” Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik told reporters. The army said intense exchanges of fire were taking place on the outskirts of Mingora. Malik also said security forces were hunting for the leaders of the Taliban in Swat. “Those leaders, those commanders, who are controlling the Taliban, obviously we’re going to hit them. We’re not going to spare them,” he said. “You’ll hear good news soon.”

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India-Pakistan

Pakistan Launches New Offensive Against Insurgents

2009-04-26

Taliban moving west/sout west, Paks seem to be attempting to surround Swat, haven't heard much more ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan launched an operation against militants Sunday in a district covered by a government-backed peace deal, threatening the survival of a pact that raised U.S. concerns about the nuclear-armed nation's willingness to confront the insurgents. A top government official insisted the deal remained "intact" and denied American pressure prompted the offensive, while another warned that the Taliban in a valley that was the focus of the deal must disarm or "face action." A military statement said the offensive in Lower Dir had already killed "scores" of militants, including a commander, and left at least one paramilitary soldier dead. It said the operation was launched at the request of the provincial government and local residents, but did not give details of exactly what it entailed or how many troops were involved. Yeah no details Television footage from the district showed at least two helicopter gunships heading toward the mountains. Troops guarded a road blocked with paramilitary trucks, while some families sat nearby. Another family headed away in a vehicle full of luggage. The Dir region neighbors Afghanistan and the beleaguered Swat Valley. The government agreed to impose Islamic law in Swat and the surrounding districts that make up Malakand Division if the Taliban there would end their violent campaign in the one-time tourist haven. In recent days, Taliban forces from Swat began entering Buner, a neighboring district which lies just 60 miles from the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. Officials said most of the insurgents pulled out of Buner on Friday amid reports of possible military action, and threats that the government would scrap the deal. The decision to attack militant hideouts in Lower Dir was something of a surprise, though reports of a rising militant presence there and in Upper Dir have been growing. Losing either district of Dir to militants would be a significant not only for Pakistan but also for the U.S. because a part of the region borders Afghanistan, where the U.S. is sending thousands more troops to shore up the faltering war effort. The Dir region lies above Bajur, a tribal area where the military staged another offensive. Many of the militants now in Dir may have come from Bajur. It was unclear if Swat militants were in Dir, though they have been reported in nearby districts other than Buner. The Swat Taliban spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment. Farhatullah Babar, spokesman for Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, insisted that a military offensive did not render the peace agreement moot. He said the government would fulfill its pledge to establish Islamic courts in Malakand, a long-standing demand of local residents exhausted by the inefficient regular judicial system -- and a grievance exploited by the Taliban. Still, Babar added, the government would not tolerate militants' spread. "The peace deal is intact -- the government has not revoked the peace deal," Babar said. "At the same time the government is determined to root out the militants hell-bent on destroying the law and order situation." Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik, the country's top civilian security official, had harsher words, even speaking of the deal in past tense when saying the Swat militants had to disarm. "Enough is enough," Malik said. "There is no option for them except to lay down their arms, because the government is serious now to flush them out." The Pakistani military's ability or willingness to take on the Taliban has been questioned by some top U.S. officials in recent days, even as they ponder giving Pakistan billions more in military and other aid.

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India-Pakistan

Lahore police sees Indian hand in attack on cricketers

2009-04-10

In a surprising statement, Pakistan on Friday said it has "credible evidence" of Indian involvement in the March 3 terror attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team here, more than a month after it ruled out any Indian link to the incident. "With the help of other intelligence agencies there has been considerable progress in this case. One thing is for sure that there is an Indian hand behind the attack," Lahore police chief Pervez Rathore told reporters here. "I must tell you that there is credible evidence of Indian involvement in the attack," he said. Mr. Rathore's comments come nearly a month after Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik ruled out any Indian involvement in the attack that killed eight people and injured several others, including six Sri Lankan cricketers.

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India-Pakistan

Foreign hand in Lahore attack, says report

2009-03-21

Admitting that the attack on Sri Lankan cricketers was a "complete security lapse," a report on the incident by Pakistani authorities has blamed "some foreign countries" for the audacious strikes; giving a clean chit to outlawed terror groups LeT and JuD. The attack was planned and financed by "some foreign countries" and militants based in the restive South Waziristan tribal region might have been used by the perpetrators. The attack was planned and financed by "some foreign countries" and militants based in the restive South Waziristan tribal region might have been used by the perpetrators, Dawn newspaper quoted the report as saying. The 40-point report, which was presented by Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday, has pulled up senior police officer for not being able to arrest any of the 12 terrorists involved in the attack. The police force did not reach the scene of the assault for at least half an hour and a "complete security lapse" gave a free hand to terrorists to carry out the attack, the report notes. The report has not yet been made public by the government and there was no official word on the development. Sources said the report would be reviewed by all intelligence and security agencies before it is shared with the Sri Lankan government. Militants freed Pakistani authorities on Friday freed 20 jailed militants as a "goodwill gesture" to carry forward the peace process in the Taliban-dominated Swat valley. Among the militants set free was Noorul Huda, the brother of Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan, officials in Swat were quoted as saying by state-run APP news agency. The militants were released as per the provisions of a peace agreement signed last month by the NWFP government and Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariah Muhammadi (TNSM), a group of religious hardliners led by Sufi Muhammad, the father-in-law of Taliban commander Maulana Fazlullah. The 20 militants were handed over to a peace committee, a day after the Taliban demanded that the authorities release 210 prisoners. More than 30 Taliban prisoners have been freed since the pact was inked. The release of the militants followed long deliberations The TNSM and the peace committee assured the government that the freed militants would not resort to any violence.

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India-Pakistan

Sharif heads for Islamabad as rebellion fears haunt Pakistan

2009-03-15

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan plunged deeper into a political chaos on Sunday night as a defiant Nawaz Sharif, joined by tens of thousands of supporters in Lahore, was headed towards Islamabad for a mass sit-in front of Parliament on Monday amid reports that IGP of Punjab province's police and other senior officials had resigned and joined his 'long march' for restoration of the Constitution. Heading for a showdown with the Government, Sharif, the PML-N leader and a former premier, defied his house arrest in Lahore as one of Pakistan's biggest civil disobedience movement unfolded with hundreds of stone-throwing anti-government protesters fighting pitched battles with police in the capital of Punjab province. The Punjab Deputy Attorney General was also reported to have resigned. As Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani met Army Chief General Ashfaq Gilani to discuss the escalating situation, the protests by lawyers and PML-N supporters for restoration of judges sacked in 2007 by the then President Pervez Musharraf gathered steam and threatened to spiral out of control after Sharif defied the house arrest. Emerging from his Model Town residence, Sharif who his party supporters said was ordered to be placed under house arrest for three days along with his brother Shabaz Sharif urged people to defy restrictions and join the 'long march'. "Brothers, do not be scared or worried. These obstacles are temporary. We must remove them and only then can we reach our destination," he said. Denounced his house arrest order as illegal, Sharif told his flag-waving and chanting supporters, "These are the decisive moments." "After 1947 this is the second time that the country needs you," the former premier said giving a call to oust President Asif Ali Zardari. Sharif told supporters before leaving for the GPO chowk from his residece, "I tell every Pakistani youth that this is not the time to stay home; Pakistan is calling you to come and save me." Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik, however, claimed no orders had been issued for putting the Sharif brothers in house arrest. Sharif's younger brother and former Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz, who was in the garrison city of Rawalpindi at a PML-N leader's residence, gave a slip to police and went into hiding before he could be served order for his house arrest, PML-N spokesman Siddique-ul-Farooq said. Earlier, media reports had said that Shahbaz too was placed under house arrest. The government also issued orders for the detention of Jamaat-e-Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed and cricket-turned- politician Imran Khan, the leader of Tehrik-e-Insaf party, both of whom are in hiding, local media reports said. On the penultimate day of the long march which was launched on March 12, a large police contingent fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets to disperse lawyers, civil society activists and workers of the PML-N, Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf and Jamaat-e-Islami parties, who had gathered at GPO Chowk in Lahore to join the rally to Islamabad. Both sides pelted stones at each other and police in riot gear beat protesters with batons and sticks. Several persons were injured in the clashes and some protesters were also arrested and bundled into police vans. Earlier this morning, police arrested over 20 PML-N activists who had gathered at a camp set up outside Sharif's residence at Model Town. Police also put under house arrest several other senior PML-N leaders, including Senator Ishaq Dar, parliamentarian Saad Rafiq and Zulfikar Khosa, the chief of the party's unit in Lahore. Dissident PPP leader Aitzaz Ahsan, a key player in the lawyers' movement, too was placed under house arrest. Supporters accompanying Sharif's swelling convoy smashed the windows of buses parked along the route. Others set fire to tyres, sending plumes of black smoke into the sky. To thwart them, authorities parked trucks across major roads on the edge of the city, and riot police took up positions outside the railway station and government buildings. Still, several thousands flag-waving demonstrators pushed past police barricades to reach the courts. Sone lawyers were seen cutting the barbed fire fences.

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India-Pakistan

Pak suspects al Qaeda for Lahore attack, rules out India hand

2009-03-06

(PTI) Pakistan today suspected al-Qaeda to be behind the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team and said the perpetrators have been identified while ruling out the involvement of India or LTTE in the terror strike. So the Hidden Hand™ turned out to be Arabia again. As usual. Investigators have not found any evidence of India's involvement in the attack, Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik told reporters at the National Assembly in Islamabad. He also rejected speculation in media about possible involvement of rebel Tamil Tigers in the island nation. The possibility of al Qaeda's involvement in Tuesday's attack could not be ruled out, he said, adding the preliminary report of the investigation will be ready by tomorrow. Hours after the Tuesday attack, a couple of ministers and some police officials hinted at India's involvement. Malik also had said that they suspected involvement of a foreign hand but will not give details till they get proof. As the authorities came under criticism after a dramatic video footage showed the gunmen moving leisurely after striking, Punjab Governor Salman Taseer said here "we have identified the people who have carried out the attacks. We are after them." He, however, did not give details or name any suspect.

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India-Pakistan

No proof of Mumbai terrorists taking sea route from Pak: Admiral Bashir

2009-02-28

(PTI) Pakistan was back in denial mode today with Navy Chief Admiral Noman Bashir claiming there was no proof that Ajmal Kasab and other terrorists took the sea route from this country to carry out the Mumbai attacks, a view rubbished by India. "We have seen no evidence that confirms he (Kasab) went from Pakistan to Mumbai," Bashir told reporters here. The Navy Chief's contention contradicts Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik's admission two weeks back that the Mumbai attacks were "partly" plotted on Pakistan soil and launched from its shores for which it has arrested six persons. "The evidence that I have doesn't show" that the terrorists went from this country. "This is India's claim from day one. Even before the Mumbai incidents had ended, India was saying that the terrorists have used sea route," Bashir said. Asked about Bashir's contention, Home Minister P Chidambaram said in New Delhi this was part of "prevarications" by Pakistan. "I am sure somebody will deny it tomorrow. This is part of prevarications," Chidambaram said. Chidambaram said after prevaricating for several weeks, Pakistan was "forced to admit that its territory was used to plot and carry out the terrorist attacks". He said a reply to Pakistan's queries is being prepared by the Home Ministry and it will be handed over to External Affairs Ministry for further action.

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India-Pakistan

Local court to try Mumbai suspects

2009-02-15

Pakistani authorities say the suspects of the Mumbai terror attacks will be formally charged before a local anti-terror court. "The security has been put on high alert in the federal capital and the garrison city of Rawalpindi where the suspects will be presented to the court," a senior police official told Press TV on Saturday. The official, who requested anonymity, said that the Federal Investigation Agency had requested the government to provide two bulletproof vehicles for the transport of the suspects to the trial, which would be held in the Central Jail Adiala in Rawalpindi. He, however, did not give any information regarding the trials' date. Meanwhile, Pakistan's Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik said Saturday that the country might ask India to hand over Ajmal Amir Qasab -- the lone terrorist captured during the Mumbai attacks. He said the handover would strengthen efforts to prosecute the other suspects detained over links to the strikes. Did his lips fall off? Malik said that Qasab has been among the nine suspects the ministry has listed for prosecution, adding India should handover Qasab, if the court deems his presence necessary. Apart from Qasab, six of the nine suspects are currently in custody while the other two remain at large. On Thursday, Pakistan acknowledged for the first time that part of the conspiracy behind the Mumbai attacks was hatched within the country. Qasab was captured alive and nine other terrorists were killed by the India's NSG (National Security Guard) commandos. The terror attacks claimed over 170 lives, including terrorists.

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India-Pakistan

Pakistan arrests 'main operator' in Mumbai attacks

2009-02-12

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan acknowledged for the first time that the Mumbai terrorist attacks were launched from its shores and at least partly plotted on its soil, saying Thursday that it had arrested most of the chief suspects including one described as "the main operator." Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik said Pakistan has started criminal proceedings against eight suspects — some of them also named by India as the masterminds of the attacks — but he reiterated that authorities needed more evidence from New Delhi to secure convictions. The revelations suggest Pakistan is serious about punishing those behind the November attacks, which killed 164 people and stirred fear that the nuclear-armed neighbors could slide toward war and that Pakistan might be distracted from its struggle against the Taliban and al-Qaida. India and the U.S. have pressed Pakistan hard to dismantle Lashkar-e-Taiba, a banned Pakistan-based group fighting Indian rule in the divided Kashmir region that is widely blamed for the Mumbai carnage. Islamabad and New Delhi have fought two out of their three wars since 1947 over the region. India's Foreign Ministry called Pakistan's announcement "a positive development" and said it would consider Islamabad's request for further information. Malik said investigators had traced a boat engine used by the attackers to sail from Pakistan to India and busted two hideouts of the suspects near the southern city of Karachi. Other leads pointed to Europe and the United States, and Malik said Pakistan would ask the FBI for help. "I want to assure the international community, I want to assure all those who have been victims of terrorism that we mean business," Malik said, waving a copy of Pakistan's initial findings at reporters gathered inside his ministry. "We will continue our investigation, but we want tenable evidence from India. We want full cooperation from India so that this kind of ring be smashed." India says all 10 gunmen — only one of whom was captured alive — were Pakistanis and that their handlers in Pakistan had kept in close touch with them by phone during the three-day assault. New Delhi provided a dossier of evidence to Islamabad, testing Pakistan's insistence that it would do all in its power to punish those responsible — and that it has truly abandoned its past sponsorship of Islamist militants including the Taliban. In Pakistan's first detailed response, Malik said criminal cases had been opened against eight suspects on charges of "abetting, conspiracy and facilitation" of a terrorist act. He said six of them were in custody, including Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and Zarrar Shah, both Lashkar-e-Taiba leaders named by India as the masterminds of the attack, and a person who sent an e-mail claiming responsibility for the attacks. Indian media said at the time that they received an e-mail in the name of the previously unknown Deccan Mujahideen — a name which suggested an Indian rather than Pakistani group was behind the attacks and which now appears to have been a decoy. Malik said the culprits were "non-state actors," a phrase used by Pakistani authorities to counter allegations that its intelligence agencies had a hand in the attacks. He said the assailants used three boats to travel from Pakistan to Mumbai and detectives had traced an engine recovered from one of the vessels to a shop in the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi. He said the shopkeeper had provided the phone number of the buyer which led to a bank account in the name of Hammad Amin Sadiq. Malik said authorities had arrested Sadiq and obtained from him information that led them to bust two "hide-outs of the terrorists," one in Karachi and one about two hours drive away. He described Sadiq, a 37-year-old who had been living in Karachi, as "the main operator" but didn't elaborate. He said the detainees had told of how the group used a spot on the Pakistani coast to practice their sea-borne attack. To stiffen its case, Pakistan was sending 30 questions to India about the attacks, Malik said. Among the additional details sought are the DNA of the 10 gunmen and information on intercepted phone conversations between the militants and their handlers. He also asked New Delhi to investigate what contacts — and help — the attackers had inside India. The terrorists also used phones with Indian SIM cards, he noted. Their two suspected handlers are still at large. India's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the government will consider Islamabad's request. "After that examination, we will share whatever we can with Pakistan," the statement said. On Thursday, Malik also suggested a wider international dimension to the crime. One suspect, Javed Iqbal, had been "lured" back from Barcelona, Spain, where he had been living, and was now in Pakistani custody. While in Spain, Iqbal had arranged Internet telephone accounts used in the attacks and bills had been paid in Italy, Malik said. Suspects also used a digital teleconferencing system whose service provider is based in Houston, Texas, while a Thuraya phone was issued in a Middle Eastern country, he said. Other bills were paid by a company in Islamabad and two people have been arrested as a result, Malik said. "It is not only Pakistan, but the system of the other countries has also been used," he said.

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India-Pakistan

Gilani: 'No state against terrorism like Pakistan'

2009-01-31

Pakistan's commitment and efforts in fight against terrorism is more than any other country. Speaking at a Friday meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Gilani noted that the root causes of terrorism needed to be addressed to eliminate the menace. The Pakistani premier added that his country was facing economic and security challenges in this concern, The News International daily reported. Gilani's comments come while the US and international forces in Afghanistan have frequently criticized Pakistan for 'not doing enough' in routing insurgency - especially in tribal regions along the Afghanistan border where militants attack NATO supply routes. This is while Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik announced on Thursday that a new strategy had been formulated to restore law and order in troubled northwestern Swat Valley. He assured that the security forces will flush terrorists out of the region over the next few weeks. Moreover, Malik pointed out that the situation in Mingora is currently under control as a result of the new strategy - the details of which remain confidential. The Pakistani official also held al-Qaeda, Tehrik-e-Taliban led by Maulana Fazlullah, Tanzeem-e-Islami, Tora Bora Group and Qari Mushtaq Group responsible for instability in the northwest. According to an official count around 1,200 civilians have been killed and 2,000 others have been injured in various incidents of violence in Swat Valley. Some 189 military personnel have also lost their lives since clashes started in the area in late 2007.

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India-Pakistan

Pakistan claims Ajmal doesn't exist in official records

2008-12-23

Islamabad (PTI): Pakistan on Tuesday claimed that official records do not reveal the existence of a Pakistani national by name Ajmal Amir Iman, the lone terrorist captured during the Mumbai attacks, but promised to respond by Wednesday on his letter seeking legal assistance from it. An examination of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), Pakistan's national database, had provided no records on any national named Ajmal Amir Iman alias Ajmal Kasab, Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik told reporters. "As far as Ajmal Kasab is concerned, NADRA authorities do not have any records of his," he said after a meeting with visiting Interpol chief Ronald K Noble here. "Pakistan's High Commission (in New Delhi) has received a letter said to be written by Kasab and we will get it examined by our experts. We will give a detailed response today or tomorrow," Malik said. In the letter, a copy of which was sent to Malik yesterday by the Pakistan High Commission, Ajmal had detailed the circumstances of his arrest and sought legal assistance from the Pakistan government. Malik claimed that the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), the banned terrorist group blamed for the Mumbai attacks, did not "exist now" and the government would decide on proscribing its front organisation Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) if investigations proved it was involved in terrorist activities. The organization that doesn't "exist now" has a spokesman, a command structure, and offices in Pak Kashmir. Pakistan had cracked down on JuD in accordance with a UN Security Council resolution which designated it as a terrorist group and its leaders had been detained and its offices closed, Malik said. "Pakistan is a sovereign state. Whatever action we take, we will take in the interest of the country (and) we will not get dictation from anywhere," he said.

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