Warning: Undefined array key "rbname" in /data/rantburg.com/www/pgrecentorg.php on line 14
Hello !
Recent Appearances... Rantburg

Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Israeli forces kill two Palestinians in overnight Nablus raid
2022-07-25
More on this story from yesterday.
[MiddleEastEye] Israeli forces killed two Paleostinians during an overnight raid on Sunday in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, the Paleostinian health ministry has said.

Israeli forces stormed the al-Yasmina neighbourhood of the Old City of Nablus to make an arrest shortly after midnight, and cordoned off a house and bombarded it with explosives and gunfire, according to the Wafa news agency.

A group of armed Paleostinians barricaded themselves inside a house and responded to the raid with fire, leading to heavy shootouts that lasted for three hours.

Muhammad Azizi, 25, was killed by a bullet to the chest, and Abdul Rahman Jamal Suleiman Sobh, 28, died after being shot in the head, according to the health ministry.

At least 19 people were maimed during the raid, including 10 hit by live fire, the Paleostinian Red Islamic Thingy said.

Thousands of mourners took the bodies of two slain Paleostinian men to their final resting place in the morning.

Among them was Ibrahim al-Nablusi, the Paleostinian fighter Israeli forces sought but failed to arrest in the operation.



Related:
Nablus: 2022-07-24 9 Palestinians said hurt in gunfire exchange with Israeli troops in Nablus UPDATE: 2 dead Paleos, 19 injured
Nablus: 2022-07-23 Former Hamas minister shot in ‘attempted assassination’ in West Bank
Nablus: 2022-07-22 After 16 years, Israel arrests Fatah-linked terrorist for killing of IDF soldier
Link


Government Corruption
Two men wrongly convicted for killing Malcolm X in 1965 are officially exonerated: New investigation revealed Hoover COVERED UP fact that trial witnesses were FBI informants
2021-11-19
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news]
  • A Manhattan judge on Thursday formally dismissed convictions of Muhammad Aziz, 83, and Khalil Islam, who died in 2009 aged 74: both were found guilty of Malcolm X's 1965 assassination in Harlem

  • Aziz spent 22 years in prison before he was released on parole in 1985; Islam was released in 1987

  • Both men had maintained their innocence for decades and their stories were the subject of numerous books and articles, plus a six-part Netflix documentary released last year, Who Killed Malcolm X?

  • The FBI and New York Police Department had evidence of Aziz's and Islam's innocence within hours but ignored and suppressed it, a lawyer for both men said

  • Prosecutors and defendants' lawyers agreed that new evidences suggested they played no part in the murder of the civil rights leader

  • FBI files showed that the late FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover ordered agents to tell witnesses not to reveal that they were informants when talking with police and prosecutors

  • One FBI report from September 28, 1965, even contains a description of the man whom some experts have concluded was probably the killer who wielded a shotgun — William Bradley, who died in 2018

  • Aziz said in a statement he was victimized by the criminal justice system, adding: 'I do not need this court, these prosecutors, or a piece of paper to tell me I am innocent'

  • Experts believe that Aziz and Islam's relatives could seek $1 million each in damages for the wrongful conviction
Link


India-Pakistan
1 killed as cross-LoC attacks resume after two-week lull
2018-05-16
[DAWN] A man lost his life in Azad Jammu and Kashmire's (AJK) Poonch district on Tuesday as Indian snipers resumed assassinations from across the Line of Control (LoC), police officials told Dawn.

The casualty occurred in Dara Sher Khan village of Battal sector in Hajira subdivision at 12:15pm, when the victim was trimming a tree in the courtyard of his house, local police official Muhammad Aziz told Dawn.

"It was a single shot that hit the 55-year-old victim in the head, and he fell off the tree and went titzup," Aziz added.

The victim’s family rushed him to a health facility in Tatta Pani ‐ located 7 kilometres ahead of Dara Sher Khan ‐ where the doctors pronounced him dead
He's dead, Jim!
 on arrival.

The dear departed was identified as Muzaffar Chaudhry alias Mangu.

Relatives and other residents staged a demonstration in Tatta Pani to condemn unprovoked ceasefire violations across the LoC and express support for anti-India struggle.

The heavily militarised LoC has been frequently witnessing ceasefire violations particularly after September 2016, in a serious breach of a truce agreement signed by two armies in November 2003.

Apart from heavy mortar shelling, Indian troops have resorted to deliberate targeting of civilians with small arms while they are doing daily chores in vulnerable areas along the LoC in AJK.

However,
a poor excuse is better than no excuse at all...
 for more than two weeks, the LoC was silent as the last casualties in the region were reported on April 26, when two non-combatants were killed and as many maimed in heavy mortar shelling by Indian troops in Chamb sector of Bhimber district.
Link


India-Pakistan
NAB arrests four senior educationists in KP over 'misuse of authority'
2015-09-16
[DAWN] The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central...
 division of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday tossed in the slammer
... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not...
 the vice-chancellor of Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Dr. Ihsan Ali, and three other high-level educationists in the province over charges of misuse of authority.

According to a blurb issued by the accountability watchdog, the other three apprehended accused were former vice-chancellor of Hazara University, Professor Dr. Syed Sakhawat Shah; the chairman of NIMS College of Medicine 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....
, Dr. Muhammad Aziz Khan and former chairman of Higher Education Regulatory Authority (HERA), Professor Hamayun Zia.

The accused were allegedly involved in the misuse of authority and have swindled students seeking admission in medical colleges by luring them into an "illegal and unregistered" medical institution, stripping them of more than Rs 550million.

During the course of inquiry, it surfaced that Prof. Dr Ihsan Ali and Prof. Dr Sakhawat Shah, both former vice chancellors of the Hazara University, granted affiliation to National Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) Abbottabad with "ulterior motives" and conducted illegal examinations, without having a medical faculty at the institute.

The illicit institution did not meet the mandated requirements as provided in the Khyber Medical University (KMU) Act 2006.

They not only leaching students and parents of their hard-earned money, but also played with the future of the innocent students, said the accountability body.

It was also discovered that the accused Chairman NIMS Dr Muhammad Aziz Khan admitted students who were ineligible for admission into the institute, purely for monetary gains.

The unlawful admissions were made prior to the institute's recognition as envisaged in the Pakistain Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC) Ordinance 1962 and the Apex court's 2007 decision prohibiting the training of medical students by an unrecognised institution.
Link


India-Pakistan
Musharraf demands elections under army
2012-01-22
[Pak Daily Times] All Pakistain Moslem League (APML) President Pervez Perv Musharraf
... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ...
 says he doesn't want to return to Pakistain with the help of any foreign power, army or the ISI.

He was addressing a seminar titled 'Pakistain First', organised under the aegis of the Pakistain Ex-Servicemen Society.

He said polls should be held under the army, adding that the interim government should be set up as early as possible.

He said that no one could stop him from coming back to Pakistain.

"The people have been fed up with both political parties and they are looking for a third power. I want to provide them the same third power, for which they are waiting. Cases were made against me on political grounds," he said.

The former president said he had strengthened the Strategic Planning Division and the missile system as an army chief, besides upgrading the three armed forces and bringing JF-17 Thunders for the air force.

Musharraf said he had given top priority to the defence of the country, which would always remain on the top. He said the elements working to weaken the military and the ISI are foes of the country.

On the occasion, Ex-Servicemen Society President Air Commodore (r) Farooq Ahmed said it was Pervez Musharraf's constitutional right to return to the country. He said the government is responsible for providing him security, as he was a former head of the state.

As many as 168 retired officers of the three services including former chairman joint chiefs of staff committee General (r) Muhammad Aziz.
Link


Bangladesh
Islamic bodies raise some objections
2009-11-09
[Bangla Daily Star] Terming secularism irreligious, Islami Shikkha Rakkha Jaitya Committee, a forum of Islamic organisations, yesterday said most pious Muslims in the country are concerned about some issues in the draft education policy.

"There is nothing called secularism in the world. It's a vague term that refers to irreligious beliefs," said committee convener Maulana Muhiuddin Khan at a views-exchange meeting with the education minister on the draft education policy.

The committee demanded replacing the words "secular and gonomukhi (people-oriented)" with 'religious values and employment-oriented (karmamukhi)' in the policy.

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said the government would not keep anything in the education policy that go against Islam, madrasa education or religious values.

He said madrasa education, which has a long glorious past, would be modernised.

A 25-member delegation of the committee submitted to the minister a set of recommendations that include replacing the word "sense of secularism" with "piety and sense of morality" in the policy.

The committee leaders also suggested replacing "introduction to four main religions in Bangladesh" with "introduction to own religion" in chapter-7 of the policy.

They also proposed keeping primary education up to class five, inclusion of basic education on religions of all faiths from class one and providing salaries, allowances and other facilities to teachers at independent Ibtedai madrasa and establishing Islami Arabic University.

The committee leaders also proposed excluding Lalitkala from the policy, claiming it goes against the religious values of the majority of people.

They suggested replacing Lalitkala with "religion and moral education" in class one and two and, "health science" from class three to eight as additional subjects.

The recent speeches of the chief of education policy formulation committee has hurt the sentiment of the people, said Muhiuddin Khan, also vice chairman of Islami Oikya Jote.

"The people of this country are extremely annoyed at the remarks," he said.

The committee convener however said they believe that a certain quarter is trying to portray the government's effort in a bad light.

Committee member AFM Khalid Hossain claimed madrasa education is a specialised form of learning. There would be problems if any attempt is made to modernise it, he added.

The minister said they will consider all opinions with due importance before finalising the policy by December.

Committee Member Secretary Maulana Muhammad Azizul Haque Murad also spoke.
Link


India-Pakistan
Seven suspects along with suicide jackets arrested in Karachi
2009-08-24
[Geo News] Seven suspects associated with banned outfits and allegedly involved in attacks on former president Pervez Musharraf and prime minister Shaukat Aziz have been arrested from Baloch Colony area along with suicide jackets and explosives, DIG CID Saood Mirza said here on Sunday.

Addressing a press conference, the DIG CID said that police raided a place near Defence View and arrested seven accused identified as Muhammad Aziz alias Salman, Muhammad Shahzad alias Pehlwan alis Munna, Ghulam Muhammad alias Umer, Shahbaz alias Mian, Khalil Toori, Alam Zeb alias Hazifa and Shakil alias Hunzila.
He sounds like he should be very large and Teutonic...
Three suicide jackets and over 15 kilograms explosives, 4 kalashnikovs, 4 pistols and gas masks besides over 2 kg heroin and other items were recovered.

DIG CID Masood Mirza said one of the arrested identified as Shahzad alias Munna alias Pehlwan was involved in carrying out the attack on former president Pervez Musharraf and prime minister Shaukat Aziz. He said another accused Khalil Ahmed is the brother of Qasim Toori, arrested two years ago.
Link


India-Pakistan
Mehsud's deputy, two aides re-arrested after bail
2008-09-13
Authorities re-arrested terrorist commander Baitullah Mehsud's deputy and two other aides after an anti-terrorism court in Kohat released them on bail, officials and the local Taliban said on Friday.

The three suspected terrorists were re-arrested under the Frontier Crimes Regulation and detained in the Kohat prison, they said. An anti-terrorism court (ATC) granted bail to the men, whose release has been a key Taliban demand since their arrest in July. The court told them to submit surety bonds of Rs 200,000 each. Mehsud's deputy Rafiuddin is from Waziristan Agency. Two other suspected terrorists are Afghan national Muhammad Aziz and Naveed Alam from Hangu.
Link


India-Pakistan
Mehsud's deputy, 2 other militants granted bail
2008-09-12
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) granted bail to three Taliban militants whose release was one of the local Taliban's key demands from the government since the men were arrested in July, officials said on Thursday. The officials said that one of the released men, Maulana Rafiuddin from Waziristan Agency, was Baitullah Mehsud's deputy commander. The other two were Muhammad Aziz, an Afghan national, and Naveed Alam from Hangu. While allowing bail to the three men, ATC Judge Muhammad Ayub asked them to submit bail bonds of Rs 200,000 each.
Link


Afghanistan/South Asia
Pakistan: US asked to vacate two key air bases
2002-01-12
With the Indian Air Force moving its fighter squadrons close to Pakistani areas, Islamabad has asked the United States to vacate the two airfields of Jacobabad and Pasni for its use in the event of a war with India. With tensions between the two neighbors taut, Pakistan too moved its air units to the two airports, after requesting the Americans to confine themselves to Shamsi and Dalbandin airports. Though Pakistan is co-sharing the facilities at Jacobabad, and Pasni at present with the Americans, defense officials feel the need for the exclusive use of these two air bases. Talks were held in this regard.

The discussions were held between the US Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard Myers and his counterpart Gen. Muhammad Aziz Khan and the Joint Staff Headquarters in Rawalpindi late last month, officials said. Army and Air Force Special Forces of the US military, besides troops from 101st Airborne division, are currently posted at four Pakistani bases. Jacobabad and Pasni are two of the many operational bases used by Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in all emergencies and the recent Indian military mobilization has forced Pakistani military leaders to requisition both airports from the US Central Command.
Link


Afghanistan/South Asia
Nuggets from the Urdu press
2005-01-28
Al Zawahiri in Pakistan?
According to daily Insaf, Aiman al Zawahiri the mastermind of Al Qaeda and number two after Osama bin Laden could be located in Pakistan, either in Sindh or Balochistan in the protection of some sardar. Other members of Al Qaeda who have made their way into Pakistan have come down from North Waziristan and have been hiding in Dera Ghazi Khan and Dera Ismail Khan. These members of Al Qaeda are as follows: Ali bin Muhammad Askar (Sudan), Matlab al Sabah (Saudi) Basir Tankati (Egypt), Muhammad Aziz (Kuwait), Muhammad Saleh bin Musa (Yemen), Muhammad Aniq al Basit (Egypt), Abu Talha (Egypt), Abdul Sabhan Asiri (Saudi), Abdul Ali bin Hisham (Saudi), Abu Salman Musa (Syria), Abdur Rehman Didan (Yemen), Muhammad Abdul Basit (Egypt), and Ahmad Abdul Alim Jafari (Egypt). The paper quoted Arab sources.

Altaf Hussain and MMA
According to daily Insaf MQM chief Altaf Hussain spoke on the phone to an audience at the Lahore Press Club and said he was not ghaddar (traitor) and that if the MMA wanted to agitate against Musharraf it should first leave the government in Balochistan and the NWFP. He kept pronouncing MMA as mamma (breast). Daily Nawa-e-Waqt reported Altaf Hussain as saying that 60 percent of the government was military. He said generals became feudal landlords after retirement. He said in 1965 India did not attack but Pak army did and was defeated. At Kargil it suffered another defeat and was too scared to collect its own dead bodies.

Bangladesh hates India
Writing in Khabrain, Kuldip Nayar said that anti-India feeling was high in Bangladesh and it started when founder Sheikh Mujib was still in power. When he talked to him Mujib said that Bangladeshis were grateful but the anti-India feeling was being created by spiteful rumours. In Bangladesh most people thought that rice was being smuggled to Calcutta. Later BNP of Khaleda Zia decided to join up with Jamaat Islami in order to gain street power. Now there is violence in the name of religion and religion is used to make people anti-Hindu and anti-India. One person who has written a book on why the Hindus were running away was now under threat from terrorists who had returned from Afghanistan and were spearheading the BNP's new policy.

'We want to destroy Aga Khan Foundation'
According to Nawa-e-Waqt the men who destroyed the Aga Khan Service Centre in Chitral were caught. They turned out to be members of the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (earlier reported as members of Harkatul Mujahideen whose leader Fazlur Rehman Khaleel had just been released from prison). The two arrested terrorists said they wanted to end the work of Aga Khan Foundation in Chitral. Photos of Osama bin Laden and Afghan Jihad were found in their custody.

Where charity ends up
Daily Jang reported that charity funds disbursed for calamity stricken areas usually went into the wrong pockets. After the 1973 floods, Swedish matches, cooking oil and blankets were sold in the market. Similarly calamity funds after floods in Mekran were disbursed to local government supporters and voters of the government in Mekran. After the tsunami, charity funds going to the area will see new luxury houses coming up in countries from Indonesia to Somalia.

No friendship with Hindus and Jews
Former teacher of journalism Mr AR Khalid stated in Nawa-e-Waqt that in Islam the only enlightenment and roshan khayali was the way Allah had shown under which there was no good in befriending Jews and Hindus. No other madadgar (helper) and raziq (giver of food) was to be accepted save Allah. And the world would have to be considered a temporary abode.
Link


Afghanistan/South Asia
Musharraf elevates ISI chief to top post
2004-10-03
Consolidating his hold on the military, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on Saturday appointed chief of the country's powerful spy agency ISI General Ahsanul Haq as chairman of the joint chiefs of military staff after promoting him to the rank of four-star general. He also promoted Karachi corps commander Ahsan Saleem Hayat, who escaped an assassination attempt by militants in June, and appointed him as vice chief of army. While General Haq will be replacing General Muhammad Aziz Khan, General Hayat will be taking over from General Yousaf Khan, who is also retiring. The appointments by Musharraf, who has given strong and open hints in the recent weeks to continue in uniform, were seen as key to retain his hold on the army if he were to continue as president and chief of army till 2007.

The appointments were seen as a first phase of a major exercise of reshuffle of top commanders by Musharraf to prepare the army for a 'paradigm shift' in thinking and orientation to fit into the modern, progressive and welfare Islamic state he envisaged. A major reshuffle of corps commanders was expected to follow in the coming days. Significantly, Musharraf has recently said he would await the retirement of the Gen Aziz and Gen Yousaf before announcing his decision whether to continue as chief of army or not. The retirement of Gen Aziz without extension was seen as significant as he had played a key role as corps commander in the 1999 Kargil conflict, which ended up in a major debacle for Pakistan. Hailing from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (POK), Gen Aziz was known for his strong views against India. Both the retiring generals were appointed by Musharraf to their posts hours before the US military action in Afghanistan, weeks after the 9/11 attacks in 2001, which prompted Pakistan to reverse its pro-Taliban policy. The two superceded the then ISI Chief Gen Mahmood and Deputy Chief of Army Staff Gen Usmani, considered as
pro-Taliban Generals, who resigned in protest. Haq has superseded at least seven Lt Generals, while Gen Hayat is listed as number four in the army's seniority hierarchy. The superseded generals whose retirement was almost due was expected to quit to pave the way for a major reshuffle in the top echelons of the army. Pakistan's 500,000 strong army has around 12 Lt Generals, eight of which were listed as corps commanders, heading some of important divisions of the army.
Link



Warning: Undefined property: stdClass::$T in /data/rantburg.com/www/pgrecentorg.php on line 132
-12 More