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India-Pakistan

Iftikhar sees al-Qaeda hand in attack on US mission

2010-04-08

[Geo News] NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain has said that al-Qaeda may have carried out bombings in front of the US consulate in Peshawar as undeclared third world war against the militant network is underway in Fata and NWFP. He was speaking to media persons after inquiring the health of injured of Teemargarah blast, who were under treatment at Lady Redding Hospital in Peshawar. Hussain said one of attackers of US consulate looked like a foreigner. But he said probe was still underway. The minister said that some 50, 00 militants, including foreigners, were involved in carrying out acts of terrorism in FATA and NWFP. However, most of them were either killed or fled. He urged the need to take an organized and effective action against the terrorists.

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India-Pakistan

Iftikhar rules out talks with extremists

2009-12-16

[Geo News] NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain on Tuesday said that no talks would be held with the extremists until they were defeated by the forces. Why would you bother talking to them then? To accept their surrender, to declare terms. That kind of thing. Speaking at a school function in Swat, he said we are followers of Hazrat Iman Hussain (R.A), we will sacrifice our lives, but will never bow down to the militants. He said Swat is a place where it had become difficult to live. But now healthy activities have started. "We give a message to the world that we are not terrorist. We are peaceful people," he said.

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India-Pakistan

Fazlullah escapes to Afghanistan, vows revenge

2009-11-18

[Dawn] The head of the Taliban in Swat valley, Maulana Fazlullah, has said that he has escaped the army and is now in Afghanistan. Maulana Fazlullah told BBC Urdu that he had reached Afghanistan safely and will soon launch full-fledged punitive raids against the army in Swat. He said those claiming success of the Swat operation should try and prevent drone attacks and the US security firm Blackwater from operating in Pakistan. The cleric founded the Taliban in Swat which sought to enforce a hard-line version of Sharia law in the region. He warned the authorities, especially NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain, of further attacks. Maulana Fazlullah has been incommunicado for several months after authorities said he was mortally wounded in the army operation. On Monday the US embassy denied reports that the US 'has shifted Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Chief Hakimullah Mehsud and the other Taliban leadership to Afghanistan.' The report also alleged that the US is backing the militants fighting against the Pakistan Army in South Waziristan Agency. The embassy said these allegations are false and malicious. The United States supports the decisive military actions being taken by Pakistan military forces against militants in South Waziristan and elsewhere. Pakistan, Afghanistan and the United States are working together against insurgents who seek to destabilize or kill innocent civilians.

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India-Pakistan

NWFP govt employees supporting Taliban to go

2009-10-25

The NWFP government on Saturday decided to terminate the services of employees who had links with the Taliban and supported them during military operations. The provincial government ordered all commissioners to submit names of all such employees. The decision was made in a cabinet meeting chaired by NWFP Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti. Briefing the meeting, NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said the chief minister had issued directives to all commissioners to send names of the government employees who supported the Taliban to the Home and Establishment departments of the province within 15 days. He said the government had decided to take action against employees who directly or indirectly supported the Taliban. Regarding security measures, he said the meeting approved appointment of 2,000 additional policemen for Peshawar and 1,000 for Charsadda district. An NWFP government spokesman said the cabinet also decided that all educational institutions would remain closed until November 1 due to security reasons. He said the provincial and federal governments had released funds worth Rs 415.88 million in the year 2008-09 for families of individuals who had been killed in various incidents of terrorism. He said the government had approved recruitment of 11,500 Elite Force personnel to improve security. The spokesman said police personnel in the province had been issued Kalashnikov rifles. Bullet-proof jackets had been provided to around 70 percent of the policemen, the spokesman added. Earlier in the NWFP cabinet meeting, the provincial chief minister said the NWFP government would continue operations against the Taliban in parts of the province.

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India-Pakistan

NWFP govt demands military operation in Wazoo

2009-10-11

PESHAWAR: Following the suicide blast in Peshawar on Friday and Saturday’s attack on the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, the NWFP government has demanded the federal government launch a decisive military operation in Waziristan and southern Punjab. A little tired of getting kaboomed, eh ... NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain conveyed the provincial government’s demand during a press briefing on Saturday. “The NWFP government-supported military operation in Malakand has succeeded. The people of Malakand are free from the Taliban. Now, the time has come for the federal government to start a decisive military operation in Waziristan and put a halt to the terrorism spreading from these tribal agencies to the rest of the country,” he said. “The NWFP will continue to be plagued by suicide attacks until the training centres are destroyed,” he said. The minister said there were reports of training camps in the Muridke region of Punjab too, adding the government should launch a military operation in that area as well. The information minister said Friday’s suicide attack was the worst yet, as most of the deceased had been burnt beyond recognition. He said the Taliban, through such attacks, wanted to pressure the government to stop military operations. However, he added, the government would not stop until every last militant had been eliminated.

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India-Pakistan

Operation against terrorists to continue in Malakand: Kaira

2009-08-16

[The News (Pak) Top Stories] Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira and NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain on Friday reiterated the government's resolve that the operation against militants would continue till the elimination of the last militant in the Malakand Division. In his speech at the Wadudia Hall in Saidu in connection with the Independence Day, Qamar Zaman Kaira said the government would utilise all its resources to resolve the problems being faced by the people of Swat. He said by arranging such a grand show in the main town of the valley, the people of the area had conveyed to the world what peace really meant to them. He referred to the jubilation aired by the media from the roads and streets of Mingora on the eve of the Independence Day and said it was the biggest encouragement for the nation. Mian Iftikhar Hussain said the government had taken steps to bring peace to Swat, but the militants, instead of laying down their arms, had intensified their activities. He said the government even promulgated the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation, but the militants captured Buner and announced to establish their tyranny across the country. Iftikhar said this left the government with no other option, but to launch the operation against the 'terror mongers'. Referring to the killing of Baitullah Mehsud, he said other militants would also meet the same fate.

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India-Pakistan

100 militants killed in Maidan

2009-07-21

[The News (Pak) Top Stories] Security forces on Monday claimed to have killed around 100 Taliban militants in a massive military operation in a cluster of villages in the troubled Maidan area of Dir Lower district. The colossal human loss to the militants was claimed the day the NWFP cabinet approved to fix a bounty of Rs 500,000 each on the heads of five top Taliban commanders operating in the Maidan area of Dir Lower. The military sources said security forces launched action in five villages of Maidan to dislodge the militants from their hideouts as they were launching rocket attacks from there on the Scouts Fort in Timergara. "We have inflicted huge human loss on them. According to the information we have received, the casualties of the militants must not be less than 100,î a military official stationed in the area said. He said a large number of foot soldiers backed by tanks, artillery and mortars stormed the positions of the militants in Sherkhanay, Shedas, Misrikhanay, Sangolai and Saparay on Sunday. The official said security forces continued their operation for around 18 hours to eliminate the hideouts of the militants. "They had built bunkers and other hideouts in the area from where they used to launch rocket attacks on the (Scouts) Fort in Timergara,î he said. The militants in recent weeks fired rockets at the fort. "Security forces wrested these areas, including the strategic Saparay Top and Point 1260 (a mountaintop),î the official said, adding the militants had been on the run in the area. He said during the action, some 100 militants had been killed. Some 250-300 Taliban militants were hiding in these five or six villages, according to the official. Responding to a query about the bodies of the militants, he said security forces never went for the militants" bodies. "Also, the militants do not leave behind the bodies or injured,î he said. Some local sources and television channels reported the killing of 50 militants. However, the official insisted "the fatalities were not less than 100.î With their nerve-centre in Maidan, the Taliban militants in Dir Lower were led by Commander Hafizullah. The Army has claimed to have killed over 400 militants but their Commander Hafizullah is still alive. The militancy in Maidan area has not stopped fully. NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain also said on Monday that the Taliban in Maidan were still active. He told media person after the cabinet meeting that the NWFP government has decided to fix a bounty of Rs 500,000 each on the heads of five top Taliban leaders of Maidan. They included Commander Hafizullah, Qari Shahid, Dr Wazir, Muftahuddin and Abdus Salam.

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India-Pakistan

Govt. employees with links to militants to lose jobs: Mian Iftikhar

2009-07-21

[Geo News] The NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain Monday declared that the government employees having connection with miscreants would be dismissed from service besides confiscating properties of the miscreants. "The NWFP cabinet has taken a principal decision to dismiss all those government employees who would be found involved in miscreants activities," Mian Iftikhar Hussain said while spelling out salient features of 14th special cabinet meeting held here with Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti in the chair here. Regarding the procedure of dismissing the employees, he said the Secretary Law and Secretary Establishment will submit report within two weeks in this connection. Similarly, he said the cabinet has directed the Chief Secretary to submit report regarding the procedure of confiscating land and properties of the miscreants. The cabinet reviewed various decision regarding implementation of the last cabinet's meeting. The IGP NWFP Malik Naveed and Home Secretary briefed the cabinet about the overall security situation in restive areas of the province and law and order situation. The In-charge ERU and provincial DG PARSA informed the cabinet about IDPs repatriation programme and their rehabilitation plan. The cabinet expressed satisfaction over the operation of law enforcing agencies in restive areas of the province and agreed that network of terrorists in these restive areas have almost been broken and the militants and anti-state elements are in the run. "In some restive areas, some miscreants are present in very small groups and with passage of time these would also be eliminated," he added. The cabinet highly appreciated the sacrifices of NWFP police and directed the NWFP Information Department to present workable suggestions and recommendation after consultations with Police Department's officials to highlight their performance in true manner. The cabinet directed the elected MPAs and parliamentarians to visit the residences of martyred police officials and expressed sympathies with their heirs for encouragement and moral boost up. The Minister said that cabinet has given approval of Rs.5,00,000 head money on each militant commanders including Hafizaullah Khan, Qari Shahid, Dr Wazir Miftahuddin and Abdus Salam. He said that 40,000 displaced families have returned back to Swat and Malakand Division till Sunday last while 12,000 more left today for their hometowns. Mian Ifitkhar said that restive Maidan in Lower Dir would be cleared very soon. Two relief camps of Sheikh Shahzad and Sheikh Yasin in Mardan have been closed down on Monday while Jalala and Mazdoorabad camps would vacant within two to three days, said NWFP Minister for Information Mian Ifitkhar Hussain. The repatriation of IDPs families living in schools would start from July 22 for which all arrangements have been completed. He said that up till now, over 2,00,000 cash cards have been distributed while ERU has made an elaborate arrangements to send edibles items to 7000 families to Swat including people of Mata. The NWFP government's spokesman said that normalcy is returning fast to Buner and 85 per cent displaced people have repatriated back to their homes. The remaining 15 percent did not come to their homes so far due to un-provision of smart cards and registration. Soon these problems are solved, they will also return homes, saying these problems exist only in few union councils of Buner due to ongoing search operation and would be solved very soon. Iftikhar said that joint patrolling of police and FC continued in the restive areas of Buner, saying that a food hub have been established at Sawari for IDPs of Chagarzai Buner while similar hubs is being established at Bacha Kalliy and Jorr. The Minister said electricity has been fully restored in Buner and 15 exchanges of PTCL have been restored while work on restoration of four is in progress. The problem of low voltage is a big challenge for Wapda in Buner and hoped that it would be solved due to lining of 132 KV transmission line there, he said. Generators are being provided to hospitals while construction of Rustam-Ambeela road is in progress in addition to provision of air conditioners containers to donor agencies in Buner. The cabinet also decided to enhance the capacity building of the administration and police of Buner district, he said. The cabinet expressed satisfaction over performance of administration Hangu. The cabinet was informed that a representative Jirga has been formed that was agreed on most of points for peace in the district. The cabinet stressed the need of devising a comprehensive strategy to collect arms from different grounds in restive areas of Hangu. The cabinet was told that foreign engineers have stopped work on construction of Lowari Tunnel project due to security concerns and have desired deployment of army personnel for providing security to them.

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India-Pakistan

No information on Sufi's release: Iftikhar

2009-07-09

[The News (Pak) Top Stories] Asking the media not to glorify militant leaders, NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain on Tuesday said the provincial government did not know about the arrest or release of Maulana Sufi Muhammad. The minister while briefing media persons here said that phase-wise repatriation of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the Malakand Division would be formally announced shortly as almost all basic facilities had been restored in the areas 'cleared from the militants' in Swat, Buner and Lower Dir districts. He said the final decision about the return of the IDPs would be taken in consultation with federal and provincial governments, contradicting the statement of Minister for States and Frontier Regions (Safron) Najmuddin Khan, who had claimed the same day that IDPs from Kalam, Bahrain and Madain in Swat would return their homes via Shangla. Mian Iftikhar also briefed the journalists on NWFP Chief Ministerís Ameer Haider Khan Hoti's visit to Buner, Dir and Swat the other day where civil and military officials briefed him on the latest situation in Malakand. Mian Iftikhar said that the NWFP government had released about Rs820 million for the displaced persons while 66,326 cash cards of Rs25,000 each have also been distributed among the IDPs in Nowshera and Swabi districts.

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India-Pakistan

Taliban big cheeses still alive -- Swat IDPs question operation

2009-06-04

Internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Swat valley on Wednesday questioned the authenticity of the ongoing military operation against Taliban in the valley, saying no Taliban key leader was arrested or killed in the valley so far. Talking to Daily Times, majority of IDPs who fled from military offensive against Taliban and took refuge in government schools of the provincial metropolis, said that the Swat military operation was going to complete in two to three days, but no key leader of Taliban including Swat Taliban chief Mullah Fazlullah, spokesman Muslim Khan and naib ameer Shah Doran, etc were arrested or killed in the month-long operation in the valley. "How Swat IDPs could return to the valley when Taliban key leaders are alive and hiding there? The fear of Taliban would continue to loom over their heads until elimination of their key commanders of the valley," said Najeebullah Khan, a resident of Mingora, who shifted his eight-member family to a government school of Peshawar some 15 days ago. Khan said that IDPs put their lives in danger and left their homes for safer places. They would not return to their areas until the whole valley was cleared of Taliban including their top leadership as they (Taliban) might regroup and challenge the writ of the government. Another IDP from Imankot area of Swat, Sultan Mehmood, said that the security forces should clear the valley of Taliban once and for all. "We still have fear of Taliban as their key leadership has not been killed or arrested during the operation," Mehmood went on to add. About the NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain's confirmation of the death and arrest of second and third-tier leadership of Taliban during the Malakand military operation and hope that their top leadership would also be eliminated soon, he said that in previous military operations, the top Taliban leadership remained unharmed, regrouped in the valley and not only occupied Swat but also expanded their influence to Buner and Lower Dir districts.

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India-Pakistan

NWFP govt sets up Darul Qaza in Malakand, issues notification

2009-05-03

[Geo News] NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain has announced the setting up of Darul Qaza in Malakand region. Addressing a news conference here on Saturday night, the provincial minister said that "Ziauddin and Moinuddin have been appointed as Qazis at the Darul Qaza, adding that a notification has also been issued in this connection." "It is a good news for the people of Malakand who have been demanding for long for the establishment of Nifaz-e-Adl Regulation," Hussain said. He said that the regulation would be implemented onwards from today. The minister also called upon Sufi Muhammad to help the government in this regard. "Qazis have been appointed according to the Sharia in line with the demands of Tehrik Nifaz Shariat-e-Muhammadi," he said. Hussain also quoted a statement of Sufi Muhammad in which he had said that one who would pick up arms after the implementation of the regulation would be considered as insurgent. There was no reason left to pick up arms after the setting up of Darul Qaza, he said, warning that government would take strict action against those who would try to establish parallel state in the province.

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India-Pakistan

Dir operation not to affect Nizam-e-Adl: Iftikhar

2009-04-27

[Geo News] NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said on Sunday that the provincial government was aware of fresh offensive against militants in Lower Dir. Talking to Geo TV, he said that security forces were sent to Lower Dir to examine the situation. However, militants ambushed a forces' convoy, forcing them to retaliate. Â"How could security forces remain silent after being attacked?Â" he questioned. The minister said that his government was aware of an offensive launched to flush out militants from Lower Dir. And added that operation would not affect the enforcement of Nizam-e-Adl Regulation in Malakand region. Hussain added that there was no justification left for Taliban to pick up arms after the approval of the regulation.

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