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India-Pakistan
Govt to implement 'comprehensive strategy' to curb incidents like Sialkot lynching
2021-12-07
[GEO.TV] The federal government has decided to implement a comprehensive strategy to curb violence after a mob lynched a Sri Lankan national in Sialkot.The foreigner, Diyawadanage Don Nandasri Priyantha, was working at a factory in Sialkot. Hundreds of people, including workers from the factory, had tortured him to death last week and later burnt his body over blasphemy
...the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence to a deity, or sacred objects, or toward something considered sacred or inviolable. Some religions consider it to be a crime. In Pakistain you can commit blasphemy by looking cross-eyed at a Koran...
 allegations.

The decision to implement the strategy came during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan
...aka The Great Khan, who is the lightweight's lightweight...
 in Islamabad, where the overall security situation in the country came under review, a statement from the PM's Office said.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Jawed Bajwa, National Security Advisor Dr Moeed Yousaf, Chief Minister Punjab
1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots....
Sardar Usman Buzdar, senior military and civil officers were in attendance.

"The meeting expressed serious concern over the cruel act of killing of Sri Lankan national Mr Priyantha Diyawadanage in Sialkot and expressed the resolve to bring the perpetrators to justice," the statement said.

The participants of the meeting were of the view that individuals and mobs cannot be allowed to take the law into their hands and such incidents cannot be tolerated, the statement said.

"Therefore, a comprehensive strategy shall be implemented to curb such incidents and strict punishments to all the perpetrators shall be ensured," the statement said.

The participants praised the bravery and courage of Malik Adnan who endangered his own life to save Diyawadanage and conveyed deepest condolences to the family of the dear departed.

REMAINS SENT OFF TO COLOMBO
The remains of the factory manager were sent off to Colombo earlier today. Sri Lankan embassy officials arrived at the hospital to escort Kumara's body to the airport and laid flowers over it.

Priyantha's last rites will be performed upon the arrival of his body in Sri Lanka.

Twenty-six suspects arrested in connection with the lynching of the Sri Lankan factory manager have been remanded into police custody.

The police presented the suspects before an anti-terrorism court earlier in the day and requested their remand for interrogation.

During the hearing, the names of the suspects were called out to mark their presence. All the suspects responded to their names except for one, named Shoaib alias Gonga (speech impaired).

The investigation officer informed the court that Shoaib is speech impaired.

The police requested the court to grant 15-day remand of the suspects for interrogation which the court accepted and ordered the investigation officer to present them on December 12.

So far, a total of 131 suspects have been arrested in connection with the Sialkot lynching case.

THE INCIDENT
Priyantha, working as a manager at a private factory in Sialkot, was lynched on Friday by a mob after being accused of blasphemy.

The gruesome incident was dubbed by PM Imran Khan as "a day of shame for Pakistain".

Workers of a garment industry, located on Sialkot’s Wazirabad Road, had alleged that the foreigner had committed blasphemy. He was subsequently lynched and his body set on fire.

The mob had also vandalised the factory and blocked traffic, according to the police.

The brutal murder drew widespread condemnation from senior government functionaries, including the prime minister and president, as well as the military's top leadership, who promised to bring all those involved to the book.
Related:
Sialkot: 2021-12-05 Good Morning
Sialkot: 2021-12-05 Second prime suspect in Sialkot lynching incident arrested
Sialkot: 2021-12-05 Time bombs planted in society will continue to explode if not defused: Fawad
Link


India-Pakistan
3 dead, several injured as Jinnah Express hits freight train near Hyderabad
2019-06-21
[DAWN] Three people were killed and several others injured when a passenger train, the Jinnah Express, hit a freight car near Hyderabad on Thursday.

One of the dear departed was identified by a colleague as the driver of the Jinnah Express, Aslam Chandio. The other two were identified as Syed Noman Ali and Yasir Bashir.

The injured were shifted to Liaquat University Hospital's city branch for treatment.

Earlier, at 7pm, locomotive traffic remained suspended on the up- and down-country tracks as the tracks had not been completely cleared of the wreckage and debris.

Passengers remained stranded at the Hyderabad and Kotri railway stations due to the delay.

Later that evening, in a video statement to address the incident, Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said that the tracks had been cleared for traffic and the passengers had been sent on their way.

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India-Pakistan
PAT chief hosts like-minded political party leaders
2014-06-26
[DAWN] Pakistain Awami Tehrik (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri
...Pak politician, and would-be dictator, founder and head of Tehreek-e-Minhajul Quran and Pakistain Awami Tehrik. He usually resides in Canada, but returns to Pakistain periodically to foam at the mouth and lead demonstrations. Depending on which way the wind's blowing, Qadri claims to be the author of Pak's blasphemy law. Other times he says it wasn't him...
 on Wednesday called for a meeting of all the like-minded parties on June 26, DawnNews reported.

A meeting between chief of the Awami Moslem League, Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, leaders of the Pakistain Moslem League — Quaid (PML-Q) Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, and Qadri was underway at the latter's Lahore residence.

During the meetings consultations and discussions were held over the next plan of action to be taken regarding the formation of an anti-government grand alliance, which would be announced tomorrow on June 26.

Earlier during the day, chief of Tehrik-e-Subah Hazara Baba Haider Zaman and Pakistain Peoples Party leader Shaukat Basra and Makhdoom Shahabuddin also called on Dr Qadri and discussed the prevailing situation and the future course of action to be taken.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement
...English: United National Movement, generally known as MQM, is the 3rd largest political party and the largest secular political party in Pakistain with particular strength in Sindh. From 1992 to 1999, the MQM was the target of the Pak Army's Operation Cleanup leaving thousands of urdu speaking civilians dead...
 (MQM), Majlis-e-Wahdatul Moslemeen (MWM), PML-Q and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) have agreed to Qadri's invitation and will be attending the meeting.

The meeting headed by Dr Qadri will discuss a future joint action by all the parties.
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India-Pakistan
Peace talks can't progress if drone attacks continue: govt
2013-11-12
[Pak Daily Times] The government told the National Assembly on Monday that the dialogue process with the Pak Taliban cannot move forward if drones attacks continued unabatedly.

Speaking on the floor of the House, Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan stated: "If drone attacks continue, the talk of dialogue would merely be an illusion." However,
if you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning...
 he remained silent on the issue of blocking the NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis....
 supplies if drone attacks continued. This has been a demand of 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) Chairman Imran Khan
... aka Taliban Khan, who who convinced himself that playing cricket qualified him to lead a nuclear-armed nation with severe personality problems...
, and he reiterated it in the House later when he took the floor.

Nisar said that the dialogue can also not be pursued if the government works for it vigorously and the other side, an apparent reference to Pakistain Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP), keeps on refusing to it. "This cannot happen if we devote ourselves to talks and the other side escapes from it," Nisar said. He claimed that there still are elements in the TTP that are in favour of talks with the government despite the fact that United States' killing of Hakimullah Mehsud has severely damaged the dialogue process.

The interior minister admitted that the atmosphere is not ripe for dialogue after the killing of Mehsud, but he added that the government would strive to move forward on this front. "Now we have to pick up the pieces," Nisar said, adding that the government would have to analyse how the next four to six weeks turn out to be. He said that for the sake of the country, the political and military leadership have to get on the same page.

The interior minister also touched upon the debate triggered by Jamaat-e-Islami
...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores...
 (JI) chief's statement regarding deaders and termed it damaging at this critical time. "Any kind of controversy related to the armed forces is worse than poison for Pakistain," he remarked. Showering praise on the armed forces for rendering sacrifices in the war against terrorism, Nisar said that the morale of the army should not be lowered by such controversies.

Criticising former military dictator Pervez Perv Musharraf
... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ...
's "misuse of the army", the minister said the armed forces are not an individual, but an institution, and in the case of talks with the Taliban, the military had exercised great restraint and created an environment conducive to talks, despite ongoing terrorist attacks. Taking the floor, Imran Khan invited all the political forces to join him to block NATO supplies on November 20 as a mark of protest against drone strikes, receiving only the support of Jamaat-e-Islami and Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed.

"We are not waging a war by blocking the NATO supplies but only exercising our right as a mark of protest against these strikes," Imran said. The PTI chief expressed disappointment over the public reaction on the drone strike that killed Hakimullah Mehsud, saying that he was hoping the entire nation, including the media and opposition, would be on the same page and that we would show a stern reaction to America. However,
if you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning...
 he noted that this did not happen.

Imran blamed the United States for what he said was "droning" of Pakistain's grinding of the peace processor when a drone strike took out Mehsud hours before dialogue was to commence. "I felt dejected when people called me the supporter of snuffies when I termed the attack attempt to sabotage the (peace) process," he said. Imran underlined the need for Pakistain to present a united front so that drone strikes are discontinued. He opined that the attacks had only served to divide Paks.
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India-Pakistan
Nawaz returns to power
2013-05-12
Remembering that this is a historic situation for Pakistan: from one elected government to the next without a military coup interceding. However, it does remain to be seen how long the Army of the Pure can restrain themselves before taking over again.
[Pak Daily Times] The Pakistain Mohammedan League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Saturday emerged as the leading political party in the general election, with 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)'s 'tsunami' heading towards the second largest gainer, along with the Pakistain People's Party Parliamentarians (PPPP), the former ruling party in the Centre.
Poor, sad Pakistain. The choice is between the rapaciousness and ineptitude of the PPP, the rapaciousness and incompetence of PML-N, and the lunacy of PTI.
The PTI, of course, never having won enough votes to be able to practice serious rapacity. but they and their formerly handsome figurehead live in hope.
The electoral gains of mainstream political parties -- the PML-N, the PTI and the PPPP -- varied from province to province, as the former overwhelmed the rivals in Punjab and the PTI dominated Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central...
 (KP) and some areas of Punjab. The PPPP dominated the rural parts of Sindh by retaining a majority of its seats in the province.

The ANP, the former ruling party of KP, remained the big loser, as it appeared to lose its grip completely on the province at the hands of the PTI. The MQM's lead on most of the seats in urban parts of Sindh that it secured in the last general election. According to preliminary results of the general election, the PML-N kept its grip on its stronghold in Punjab by dominating a majority of seats, except a few upsets in Rawalpindi, where it faced defeat at the hands of PTI and Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed of the Awami Mohammedan League.

The PTI, making a dent in the stronghold of the PML-N and grabbing some seats in the province, secured big electoral gains in KP where it uprooted the Awami National Party and the PPPP, especially 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.
 and Swat.

The polls results indicate the PML-N leading with more than 110 seats against its political rivals, particularly in Punjab, whereas the PTI seems to have secured around 40 seats, particularly in KP, Rawalpindi division and Islamabad.

The PPPP appears dominating its stronghold Sindh where it is retaining a majority of its seats. In Balochistan
...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it...
, the National Party (NP) was going ahead, with the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party -- led by Mahmood Khan Achakzai -- and the JUI-F overtaking their rivals in the Pashtun belt of the province.

PTI's Chairman Imran Khan
... aka Taliban Khan, who who convinced himself that playing cricket qualified him to lead a nuclear-armed nation with severe personality problems...
 was heading towards a big electoral victory in an individual capacity, as the poll results suggested that he had won the NA-1 Peshawar seat. 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...
, Shahbaz Sharif and Hamza Shahbaz Sharif secured their seats, whereas Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan was comfortably leading in one of the constituencies.

PPPP bigwigs in Punjab -- former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Manzoor Wattoo, Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar and Arbab Alamgir -- lost the seats to their rivals.
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India-Pakistan
'Intelligence agencies had a role in Lal Masjid operation'
2013-02-21
[Dawn] Testifying before the Lal Masjid Commission on Tuesday, a witness presented new information about the perceived role of intelligence agencies in the events leading up to the 2007 operation.

He suggested that the government had not given due support to those working to avoid a military confrontation.

Nadeem Ahmad is the chairman of Khubaib Foundation, a Turkish-funded relief organization that took part in rescue and relief operations during and after the Lal Masjid operation.

He told the court that before the military operation, he had tried to convince Ghazi Abdul Rasheed -- the brother of Maulana Abdul Aziz, the Khateeb of Lal Masjid -- to avoid a confrontation with the government, and Ghazi Rasheed told him that an intelligence agency had given its support to the mosque administration.

According to Mr Ahmad's testimony, Ghazi Rasheed felt that, with the support of an intelligence agency, the Lal Masjid administration would be able to "topple" Pervez Perv Musharraf
... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ...
's government and enforce Sharia law in Pakistain.

However,
you can observe a lot just by watching...
 Mr Ahmad reports that Maulana Fazalur Rehman, the chief of the JUI-F, claimed that the intelligence agencies were deceiving the holy mans and playing them false.

The Maulana alleged that a "dispute" between two spy agencies was behind the matter.

Justice Shahzado Sheikh, the lone judge on the Federal Shariat Court's Lal Masjid Commission, also took statements from government representatives, although former president Pervez Musharraf and prime minister Shaukat Aziz failed, for the third time, to appear before the court.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been asked to serve them notices yet again through the embassies.

Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, who was the federal railways minister in 2007, cited his unrelated portfolio and "not very cordial" relationship with Shaukat Aziz when telling the court he "had had no mandate" to influence the government on the situation.

He claimed, since the matter was not brought into the federal cabinet, he did not know who ordered the military operation.

Abdul Shakoor Tahir, then-Chief Coordinator for PTV, told the commission that he had planned the "special transmission" on the Lal Masjid operation.

He said, however, that the interview with a burqa-clad Maulana Aziz had not been his initiative. Justice Shahzado Sheikh turned finally to Shanaz A. Riaz, Director-General of the Federal Directorate of Education.

The court asked her to suggest possible reforms, including scientific education, that could help influence madressah culture and reduce the likelihood of such incidents in the future.
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India-Pakistan
DPC announces long march schedule against Nato supply resumption
2012-07-08
[Dawn] An All Parties Conference (APC) held under the umbrella of Difa-e-Pakistain Council (DPC) on Saturday has come to an agreement on different issues regarding national autonomy, security and integrity.

However,
a clean conscience makes a soft pillow...
 the priority will be given to get the US forces out of the region, vacated all air bases of Pakistain and blocked the drone attacks.

The DPC has announced its long march schedule against NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis....
 supply reopening according to which the march will commence from Lahore at 10:00 am on Sunday. The participants will stay in Gujrat at night and will march towards Islamabad via Rawalpindi.

The APC held here at a local hall on Saturday was attended by representatives of as many as fifty political and religious parties. Among them eminent were Jamaat-e-Islami
...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores...
 (JI) chief Syed Munawar Hassan
... The funny-looking Amir 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...
, Jamaat-ud-Dawa
...the front organization of Lashkar-e-Taiba...
 (JuD) chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed
...who would be wearing a canvas jacket with very long sleeves anyplace but Pakistain...
, Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, General Hamid Gul
The nutty former head of Pakistain's ISI, now Godfather to Mullah Omar's Talibs and good buddy and consultant to al-Qaeda's high command...
, Maulana Fazlur Rahim, Maulana Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, Khadim Hussain Dhillun, Allama Ibtisam Ilahi Zahir, Hafiz Abdul Ghaffar Ropri, Ameer Hamza, Qari Muhammad Yaqub, Maulana Abdur Rauf Farooqui, Abdur Rahman Makki and others.

Addressing the gathering and later speaking to media representatives, DPC chairman Maulana Samiul Haq deplored that US once again had openly flouted the security and autonomy of Pakistain by recent drone strikes in North Wazoo that killed 24 people on Friday.

He lamented that the government had sold Pakistain's illusory sovereignty and autonomy for $1.1 billion while the US and its allies were suffering a loss of billions of dollars per day.

He said the US had at once paid back Pakistain in shape of drone attacks and "gifted" Pakistain with 22 bodies including women and kiddies. If Parliament and Supreme Court had defended Pakistain, the situation will not have become so miserable, he added.

Maulana Sami-ul-Haq regretted that DPC invited other politicians including PML-N president 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...
, PTI Chairman Imran Khan
... aka Taliban Khan, who who convinced himself that playing cricket qualified him to lead a nuclear-armed nation with severe personality problems...
, JUI-F leader 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 ...
 and others to come forward for the 'defence' of the country but no one attended the APC. If anyone wants to lead the movement, we are ready to work his leadership, he offered.

He categorically denied the notion that DPC was working under the patronage of military or secret agencies and it had no political objectives.

The JI chief while addressing the APC, warned that if the nation will not get united on the issue, Pakistain will become a slave country. He deplored that the rulers had passed over the Parliament resolutions and ignored the apex court decisions.

He strongly reacted to the statement of PM's Interior Advisor Rehman Malik
Pak politician, Interior Minister under the Gilani government. Malik is a former Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) intelligence officer who rose to head the FIA during Benazir Bhutto's second tenure. Malik was tossed from his FIA job in 1998 after documenting the breath-taking corruption of the Sharif family. By unhappy coincidence Nawaz Sharif became PM at just that moment and Malik moved to London one step ahead of the button men. He had to give up the interior ministry job because he held dual Brit citizenship.
 said the government itself never obeyed any law.

He reiterated his demand that government should pull out from "War on Terror" for formulation of independent foreign policy. He said the country was being pushed toward anarchy in order to block Pakistain's nuclear program.

The host of the APC Hafiz Muhammad Saeed appealed to the masses to get united in order to transform Pakistain into a real autonomous and sovereign country.
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India-Pakistan
Pagara forsees martial law
2009-03-10
Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) chief Pir Pagara on Monday said the country had not seen a real martial law so far, warning that it could now see one in reality. He was talking to reporters after meeting Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed.

Both leaders agreed that the lawyers' long march would not help bring a change in the country.

Rasheed told reporters that he did not foresee the removal of President Asif Ali Zardari through any democratic process.
Won't go willingly, eh? Maybe if you offered him twenty percent ...
Pagara said a real mini-martial law had been imposed but it was limited to Lahore. The veteran PML-F leader said the future of democracy would be bleak if politicians did no lead the nation wisely.
The future of democracy in Pakistain is bleak even if they do lead wisely ...
He said the PML-Q leaders Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Pervaiz Elahi should opt for exile otherwise they might face the consequences. Pagara said the government was trapped in the current crisis and foreign financial aid was the only way to strengthen the position of the government.
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India-Pakistan
11 suicide bombers enter Rawalpindi
2008-01-19
Eleven suicide bombers had entered Rawalpindi to target politicians and sensitive installations, Online news agency reported on Friday. “Former federal ministers, including Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed and Ejazul Haq, and senior policemen are on the suicide bombers’ hit list,” Online’s sources said.

Dawn News television channel said Nawaz Sharif, Javed Ashraf Qazi and Ejazul Haq were likely to be hit. The channel said police had confirmed their security had been enhanced. It said intelligence agencies had confirmed the presence of suicide bombers in various cities. Online said the suicide bombers might target police installations, and Imambargahs or Majalis. Geo News television channel reported that the Interior Ministry had warned security agencies of possible terrorist attacks on police installations. Another channel reported that the terrorists had filmed several buildings for the attackers to examine possible entry or exit points.
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Afghanistan/South Asia
Bomb Kills 10, Injures 20 in Quetta
2004-12-10
A powerful bomb exploded near an army truck in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta on Friday, killing at least 10 people and injuring more than 20, officials said. The bomb, weighing at least nine pounds, had been attached to a bicycle, officials said.
Will the Cycles Of Violence never stop?
The blast in the center of the city wrecked the army truck and at least eight other vehicles. At least 10 shops in a business district were also damaged, witnesses said. Human body parts and blood were splattered around the busy square, which was sealed off by the security forces. "It was a mighty explosion," said Abdullah, a witness who gave only one name. "I saw people screaming and running and the dead and the wounded strewn on the road." Several victims were killed on the spot, and others died in hospital, doctors said. "We have information that 10 people, including a Pakistan army soldier, have been killed in the blast," Major-General Shaukat Sultan, a military spokesman, told Reuters. Four soldiers were among the wounded, he said.

Naeemullah Khan said his father, a shopkeeper, was killed in the blast. "He was badly wounded and was covered with blood. I rushed him to hospital, but doctors couldn't save his life," he said, wailing. Information Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed denounced what he called "a heinous act of terrorism." He said it was too early to allot blame for the blast, but added: "The people responsible will not go unpunished.
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Afghanistan/South Asia
US Helicopters Helping to Battle Wazibillies and Foreign Pests
2004-03-24
From Jihad Unspun, so you know it's true...
... up to five Cobra attack helicopters were used, along with 15 Pakistani gunship helicopters in the operation. They were being dispatched from the Wana and Jandwa airbases. It should be noted that American helicopters have flown many times from across the border during the last five days. .... A senior Pakistan army officer has said that an American helicopter fired on a car and wounded the three passengers in it. .... an American helicopter fired 12.7 bore machine gun on the vehicle which wounded the three men who were from the tribe of Mdakhel tribe. .... One of the most gruesome incidents involved the deaths of thirteen people from the same family. These people were traveling in a van to a safe place away from where the battle was raging. The passengers included children of 2, 3 and 5 years of age. The helicopter gunship killed all thirteen of them while the rest of the passengers of the van were seriously wounded. More than a dozen other cars in the vicinity were also damaged. .... Pakistan called in F-16 fighters for the first time Saturday, after using F-7’s for the past 5 days and heavy artillery was also used again. ....

Unknown attackers blew up the bridge connecting Wana to Meran Shah. All traffic on the Wana Meran Shah road has come to a halt. The Pakistan army has put the Meanwali airbase on red alert for possible use of that base for operations against the Mujahideen. According to Pakistani Propaganda minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, .... American helicopters were indeed being used in the operation but there no American servicemen in them, contrary to information we have received for other sources. .....
The new Apache Mk. 2 helicopter drones make their appearance ...
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India-Pakistan
Musharraf survives bomb attack
2003-12-25
Perv, I keep telling you, you gotta thin the damned crop!
Would-be assassins launched a two-pronged suicide attack against a convoy carrying Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf Thursday, the second attempt to kill him in the last 12 days. Musharraf escaped unharmed, the Pakistani Information Ministry said. The president was traveling from Islamabad, to his home in Rawalpindi, just outside the capital, when two vans tried to enter the convoy -- one at the front of the convoy, one at the rear. Both vans exploded, police said. At least seven people died in the attack and at least 17 were wounded. Musharraf’s car was damaged when the windshield was shattered, Pakistani officials said. In addition, two vehicles at the end of the president’s motorcade were badly damaged. Police said Musharraf safely escaped the attack and fled to his home.
We’ve already seen the rest

Followup, from al-Jizz...
Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf has narrowly survived a second assassination bid this month. Suicide car bombers attacked his motorcade on Thursday, killing at least 12 besides themselves. Officials said the two cars used in the attack were driven out of two petrol stations just 200 metres from a bridge on a main road in the city of Rawalpindi where Musharraf escaped a bombing on 14 December. The powerful blasts scattered debris and body parts over a wide area and damaged the windscreen of the president's armoured Mercedes, but he was unhurt, they said.
"Chaudry! Get those body parts off the windscreen, wouldja?"
"I think they're embedded, Mr. President Sahib!"
"The President and all his companions are safe and sound," said Major-General Shaukat Sultan. An aide said Musharraf, who had been heading home, was "in good spirits".
"Heh heh! The bitches missed me again! I'm alive and they ain't!"
However, Musharraf who came on television immediately after the 14 December attempt had not yet appeared in public more than six hours after the second attempt.
"Chaudry, hurry up, scrubbing that organic matter off me! I gotta go on the teevee and reassure the populace!"
"It was an assassination attempt," said Information Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed.
Oooh. Thanks for that information, Mr. Minister. We'd never have figured it...
"Two suicide attackers in two cars tried to hit the president's vehicle. God has saved him. Three cars of the cavalcade, including the president's car, were damaged." Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Rauf Chaudary said at least 14 people had been killed, including at least two bombers, and 18 people were wounded. A soldier and three policeman were among the dead. Some police officers in the motorcade were hurt and a diversionary open-topped Mercedes at the tail end of the motorcade was blown across the road by the blasts.
The Bad Guys only have to succeed once, though...
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