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Maj.Gen. Zaheerul Islam Abbasi	Maj.Gen. Zaheerul Islam Abbasi	Tablighi Jamaat	India-Pakistan				20030908
Zaheerul Islam Abbasi	Zaheerul Islam Abbasi	Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan	India-Pakistan				20060408	Link

India-Pakistan

PM Nawaz must end good cop, bad cop routine: Asad Umar

2015-08-16

[DAWN] Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... (PTI) leader Asad Umar on Saturday pressed on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... to take a clear stance and appropriate action in wake of the allegations levelled by Senator Mushahidullah Khan against former Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt Gen Zaheerul Islam Abbasi. In an interview to BBC Urdu, Mushahidullah, Minister for Climate Change, had alleged that the "former head of ISI had devised a conspiracy to remove the elected government." The senator's allegations were denied by both the government and military hours after the interview went live. PTI's Asad Umar took to twitter to term the denial by the government insufficient, saying if the allegations levelled by Mushahidullah proved to be true, the former DG ISI and his accomplices should be tried for "planning and encouraging an act of treason."

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India-Pakistan

Nawaz seeks explanation from Mushahidullah over BBC interview

2015-08-15

[DAWN] Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... on Friday sought an explanation from senior cabinet member and minister for climate change, Senator Mushahidullah Khan, over an interview the latter gave to BBC Urdu, in which he alleged that former Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt. Gen Zaheerul Islam Abbasi wanted to overthrow Pakistain's civil and military leadership during last year's sit-ins by the Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... and the Pakistain Awami Tehrik. In his interview, Mushahidullah alleged that during Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's meeting with army chief Gen Raheel Sharif ..Pak chief of army staff, meaning he pulls the strings on the Nawaz Sharif puppet to make it dance and sing and not do much at all.... on July 28, 2014, an audio tape was played in which Lt. Gen Zaheerul Islam could be heard giving orders to ransack the PM House and spread chaos. The tape, claimed the federal minister, was obtained by officials of the civilian intelligence agency -- Intelligence Bureau. On hearing the audio tape, Gen Raheel summoned the ISI chief to the meeting and played the tape in front of him, said Mushahidullah. When Zaheerul Islam confirmed that the voice was his own, the army chief asked him to leave, claimed Mushahidullah in his interview with BBC. Taking notice of the minister's statements, the PM House issued a news release, asking Mushahidullah Khan to explain his remarks. The release also said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has never heard such an audio tape, nor is he aware of its existence. Meanwhile Federal Information Minister Pervez Rashid, while talking to DawnNews, said he had been with the prime minister during the dharna days last year, adding that he could state with assurance that "no such incident had taken place," referring to claims of the audio tape being played in Nawaz's meeting with Gen Raheel.

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India-Pakistan

Challenge for new ISI chief

2014-09-23

[DAWN] SO endemically controversial has become the ISI director general's post in recent years that if incoming DG Gen Rizwan Akhtar were to simply leave office at the end of his term with his reputation neither bolstered nor harmed, it would count as a success at this stage. Consider the deep controversy that Gen Shuja Pasha had generated by the time he retired in 2012: a one-year extension the year before, the the late Osama bin Laden ... who is now neither a strong horse nor a weak horse, but a dead horse... raid and 'memogate' are just some of the stunning lowlights, with persistent rumours of meddling in the political process dogging the latter part of his tenure. Now Gen Zaheerul Islam is set to leave office as an ongoing national political crisis he has been accused of engineering by some quarters rumbles on. So perhaps if the new director general were simply to keep a distance from politics and avoid national security crises, it would be an improvement over his predecessors. Yet, while politics and the ISI are no strangers, the politicisation of the ISI in recent years has obscured a more fundamental challenge: getting the strategy against militancy right and helping restore internal security. In that regard, Gen Akhtar's counterterrorism experience in Bloody Karachi

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India-Pakistan

New ISI chief to be named soon: report

2014-09-19

[DAWN] The name of a new director general for the Inter-Services Intelligence ...the Pak military intelligence agency that controls the military -- heads of ISI typically get promoted into the Chief of Army Staff position. It serves as a general command center for favored turban groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad, tries to influence the politix of neighboring countries, and carries out a (usually) low-level war against India in Kashmir... (ISI) is likely to be announced next week along with the appointment of five new lieutenant generals in the Pakistain Army, a report published in the BBCUrdu said. The prime minister has been considering a couple of names for the top intelligence slot, sources close to the premier told BBCUrdu. Those being considered for the position are Lahore corps commander Lt-Gen Naveed Zaman and President National Defence University Lt-Gen Javed Iqbal Ramday. Meanwhile, ...back at the chili cook-off, Chuck and Manuel's rivalry was entering a new and more dangerous phase... names for the slot circulating in military circles are Maj-Gen Nazeer Butt and Maj-Gen Rizwan Akhtar. Sources privacy to the development told BBCUrdu that Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif wanted to promote certain military officials from the rank of Major General to that of Lieutenant General. These appointments are likely to come before the naming of the new ISI chief so that one of these Lt-Gens may be considered for the top intelligence slot. The development is expected as current ISI chief Lt-Gen Zaheerul Islam and five lieutenant generals are scheduled to retire from service in the first week of October. The appointments are coming at a time when the army has been accused of meddling in politics and although the retirements and subsequent appointments do not appear suspect, they are drawing much interest particularly on account of their timing.

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India-Pakistan

Geo/Jang group caves to ISI, armed forces

2014-05-27

[DAWN] In the backdrop of an attack on life of Hamid Mir -- senior journalist and anchorperson -- Geo TV network and Jang media group on Monday tendered apology to Pakistain's armed forces and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for hurling allegations on ISI chief Lt Gen Zaheerul Islam. In a published apology in English daily The News and Urdu newspaper Jang, the media group clarified that they were respectful of Pak forces and its leadership. "We have always appreciated their sacrifices to safeguard our borders and the security of our country," said the apology letter. The media group clarified that the allegations were not hurled by the institution but by Hamid Mir himself and later repeated by his brother soon after the attack in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... . Mir had repeatedly held ISI or some elements within its ranks for orchestrating the attack on his life. The senior anchorperson had said in his first media interaction that he was being threatened to leave the country by the same elements who he alleged were behind the attack. "After serious retrospection, editorial debates, feedback and engagement with all parties, directly and indirectly, we have concluded that our coverage immediately after the tragic and unnerving attack on Hamid Mir on April 19 was excessive, distressful and emotional," said the group in today's apology. The media giant accepted that the coverage of the incident was "misleading, disproportionate and inappropriate giving impression of a campaign," although it followed current media practices including the version of armed forces with photo of DG ISPR televised repeatedly. The group apologised to the ISI, its chief Lt Gen Zaheerul Islam, his family, Pakistain Army and large number of television viewers for causing "deep hurt."

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India-Pakistan

Pemra forms committee to review govt application against Geo TV

2014-04-24

[DAWN] The Pakistain Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) has constituted a three-member committee Wednesday to review the Ministry of Defence's application filed against Geo TV network for leveling allegations against an intelligence agency of Pakistain, DawnNews reported. The committee, comprising Syed Ismail Shah, Pervez Rathore and Israr Abbasi, will review the application against GEO and apprise the Pemra Board of the facts surrounding the matter. Pemra officials said the nature of charges against Geo news were serious hence the channel would be given a full opportunity for offering an explanation. Earlier on April 22, the Ministry of Defence had moved Pemra to take action against Geo TV network. According to an official source, the application had been moved following approval from Federal Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif under the PEMRA Ordinance 2002, section 33 and 36 to take legal action against the channel management for framing allegations on the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and its Chief Lieutenant General Zaheerul Islam. The defense ministry filed the complaint late Tuesday against Geo to the Pakistain Electronic Media Regulation Authority, front man Fakhruddin Mughal said. The complaint accuses the station of "undermining the integrity and tarnishing the image of (a) state institution and its officers and falsely linking it with the terrorist outfits." "The reporting made and the programs aired cannot be viewed as a single event," the complaint reads. "Geo Network has a history of acting illegally in furtherance of the anti-Pakistain agenda." The complaint asks the authority to revoke Geo's licenses.

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India-Pakistan

Defence ministry moves application against Geo TV network

2014-04-23

[DAWN] The Ministry of Defence has moved Pakistain Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) to take action against Geo TV network, for leveling allegations against an intelligence agency of Pakistain. According to an official source, the application has been moved following approval from Federal Minister for Defence, Khawaja Asif under the PEMRA Ordinance 2002, section 33 and 36 to take legal action against the channel management for framing allegations on the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and its Chief, Lieutenant General Zaheerul Islam. The network had aired a portrait of the ISI chief, alleging that he was responsible for the attack on anchor and senior journalist Hamid Mir. The injured journalist had informed a friend, family members and the management of Geo TV, about a possible attack on him. Mir was injured after his arrival in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... on Saturday when unknown gunnies opened fire on the vehicle he was traveling in near Natha Khan area on Shahrah-e-Faisal road. Earlier on Sunday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... had decided to constitute a three-member judicial commission to probe into the attack. A formal request in this regard was later sent to Chief Justice Jillani to nominate three members for the commission.

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India-Pakistan

Peshawar to vaccinate 750,000 children against polio

2014-03-30

Let us wish them luck with this, and acknowledge the courage involved in what should be simple, basic medicine. [DAWN] Health teams will Sunday launch a drive to vaccinate some 750,000 children in the troubled northwest, with thousands of police guarding against attacks by snuffies who claim the polio ...Poliomyelitis is a disease caused by infection with the poliovirus. Between 1840 and the 1950s, polio was a worldwide epidemic. Since the development of polio vaccines the disease has been largely wiped out in the civilized world. However, since the vaccine is known to make Moslem pee-pees shrink and renders females sterile, bookish, and unsubmissive it is not widely used by the turban and automatic weapons set... campaign is a front for spying. The campaign in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. district, which covers Peshawar city and dozens of towns and villages, is the ninth phase of a push to eradicate polio in Pakistain, which along with Nigeria and Afghanistan are the only countries where the disease remains endemic. The World Health Organisation has warned that Peshawar is the world's "largest reservoir" of polio. "At least 750,000 children will be administered the vaccine in Peshawar district where 335,000 houses have been identified for the purpose," campaign organiser Yunus Zaheer told AFP on Saturday. The campaign, which started early February, will continue until the end of April. Vaccinators go door-to-door every Sunday across Peshawar district to administer drops to children for various diseases including polio, tuberculosis, tetanus, pneumonia, whooping cough, measles and hepatitis. Zaheer said more than 6,200 teams comprising 12,500 workers have been set up to administer the vaccines, adding 6,700 police officials would be deployed on security duty during the campaign. He said the campaign is likely to be extended to other districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... province later. A senior local administration official, Zaheerul Islam, also confirmed the details of the campaign. According to the WHO, Pakistain recorded 91 cases of polio last year, up from 58 in 2012. Pakistain's failure to defeat polio stands in stark contrast to its neighbour India, which recently celebrated the eradication of the disease three years after its last case. Some 56 people including health workers and police officials providing security have been killed in bad boy attacks on polio vaccination teams in Pakistain since Dec 2012. Militant groups such as the Pak Taliban oppose the immunisation drive, saying it is a cover for US spying. Violence, and the threat of it, have badly hampered the campaign to stamp out polio in Pakistain.

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India-Pakistan

Death toll in Pakistan church bombing rises to at least 40

2013-09-22

According to the NYT the death toll is now at least 78. AoS at 1220 CT. At least 40 people were killed and 70 wounded on Sunday in a suicide bomb attack on a church in the Pakistani city of Peshawar, a local government official said. "Six hundred people were inside the church when the blast took place," deputy commissioner Zaheerul Islam told Pakistan's private Geo TV.

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India-Pakistan

Govt to convene counter-terrorism APC on Sept 9

2013-09-06

[Dawn] In a bid to evolve consensus on national counter-terrorism strategy, the Pakistan government has at last decided to convene a multi-party conference on September 9, DawnNews reported. Good symbolism. The 12-year anniversary of the assassination of Ahmed Shah Masood. Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan Thursday night contacted all key political leaders of the country and officially invited them to attend the important meeting. Jamaat-e-Islami and Jamaat-e-Ulema Islam (all branches) might present a problem, since they're sponsors and enablers of terrorism. PTI chief Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who ain't the sharpest bulb on the national tree... , Opposition Leader in NA Syed Khurshid Shah of PPP, MQM's Dr Farooq Sattar, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Deobandi holy man, known as Mullah Diesel during the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty ... , Mehmood Khan Achakzai of PKMAP, JI chief Syed Munawar Hassan, ... The funny-looking leader-for-life of the Pak Jamaat-e-Islami. He joined the National Students Federation (NSF), a lefty student body, and was elected its President in 1959. He came into contact with the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba (IJT) Pakistan and studied the writings of Mawlana Syed Abul Ala Maududi, The Great Apostasizer. As a result, he joined IJT in 1960 and soon he was elected as President of its University of Karachi Unit and member of the Central Executive Council. He was Assistant Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistain in 1992-93, and became Secretary General in 1993. After years of holding Qazi's camel he was named Amir when the old man stepped down in 2009... Mir Hasil Bazinjo and Allama Sajid Mir were among those who were invited by the interior minister. So you know they're gonna accomplish something substantive. The moot was initially scheduled to take place on July 12. However, there's more than one way to stuff a chicken... it was delayed because the government wanted to further fine tune the draft of its national security and counter-terrorism policy before tabling it at the conference. There it can be contemptuously dismissed as an instrument of American imperialism. The political leadership of Pakistan is expected to decide in the meeting whether to negotiate with Taliban militants or to use force to eradicate the menace of terrorism facing the country. I'm guessing they're going to go for the negotiations route. That will put them on the back burner until the Americans are out of Afghanistan, at which point the Taliban wil take over to Obama's surprise, and the guys with turbans can then swarm across the LOC. They can have another war over Kargil or Siachen or someplace like that. Hafiz Saeed will howl for the use of nuclear weapons to avenge the blood of Moslems. Maybe they will this time and both Islamabad and Muzzafargah will be vaporized, the blood of their inhabitants along with them. Maybe Peshawar. Pakistain will lose the war. The turbans will return to plotting the next one. Speaking to a press conference on July 4, Chaudhry Nisar said Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani ... four star general, current Chief of Army Staff of the Mighty Pak Army. Kayani is the former Director General of ISI... and DG ISI Lt-Gen Zaheerul Islam would brief the party heads on security situation in different parts of the country in the conference, officially called by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... earlier on the same date.

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India-Pakistan

Nawaz visits ISI HQ, briefed on security situation

2013-07-12

[Dawn] Prime Minster Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... was briefed on the overall security situation in Pakistain during a four-hour long visit to the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) headquarters on Thursday, DawnNews reported. This was Sharif's first visit to the country's leading spy agency after assuming the office of prime minister. He was accompanied by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali khan and Punjab Chief Minster Shahbaz Sharif. Director General ISI Lt-Gen Zaheerul Islam briefed the government delegation on security and counter-terrorism strategy of the agency. The prime minister was also briefed separately in private. Meanwhile, ...back at the barn, Bossy had come up with a new idea, one that didn't involve kerosene... PM Sharif apprised the intelligence officials over national security and counter-terrorism policies of the Pakistain Musselmen League-Nawaz (PML-N) government. He urged to increase civil-military cooperation for eradication of terrorism. Annihilation of terrorism is the top most priority of the government, he added. According to TV reports, a new security policy and future course of action in this regard also came into discussion between the premier and military officials.

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India-Pakistan

ISI chief rules out hading over Dr Shakeel Afridi to US

2012-09-01

[Dawn] Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt-Gen Zaheerul Islam has ruled out handing over Dr Shakil Afridi to the US, DawnNews reported. Speaking at a press briefing, the ISI chief said that the US should consider the chapter of Dr Shakil Afridi, who helped the US kill al Qaeda chief the late Osama bin Laden ... who has made the transition back to dust... in Abbottabad ... A pleasant city located only 30 convenient miles from Islamabad. The city is noted for its nice weather and good schools. It is the site of Pakistain's military academy, which was within comfortable walking distance of the residence of the late Osama bin Laden.... , closed. "He (Dr Afridi) will never be bartered for Dr Afia Siddiqui, no such proposal is under consideration," said Islam. Afridi was picked up by the ISI from near Beautiful Downtown Peshawar, two weeks after Osama's death. The official said that Afridi had accepted helping the CIA by running a fake vaccination campaign in Abbottabad a month before the raid on OBL's compound.

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