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India-Pakistan

Samar Bilour: My political role is the best revenge on terrorists

2021-05-24

[DAILYTIMES.PK] Samar Bilour is a woman of many things — the widow of martyr Haroon Bilour, daughter-in-law of martyr Bashir Bilour and the first woman elected as MPA on a general seat in 18 years. She is the provincial information secretary of the Awami National Party founded by Abdul Wali Khan in 1986. Part of the PPP-led cabinet 2008-13. The ANP is considered left wing, advocating for secularism, democratic socialism, public sector government, and economic egalitarianism.... (ANP). Recently, she exchanged her views on political, social, apolitical, and societal issues with Daily Times. The first question was about the ANP’s future political strategy after leaving the Pakistain Democratic Alliance (PDA). She rules out rejoining the alliance "because we have been feeling squeezed in the PDM for a while". She regrets the way her party was served a show cause notice and then excluded from committees, meetings, etc. The ANP left the PDM after its senator supported PPP’s Yousaf Raza Gilani in the Senate for the opposition leader’s office. Samar, however, cleared the ANP and the PPP are more natural allies but so far they are not in a new alliance currently. The ANP supported PML-N candidate Miftah Ismail, which was a decision by the ANP Sindh chapter, she explained. Samar has been criticizing the PTI government both in the assembly and on social media. "I’m very very disappointed in the performance of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government. As you are aware, that I was not a practicing politician until July 10 2018 when my husband passed away in a suicide kaboom, and then a couple of months later when I joined active politics, the PTI has totally transformed everything — from the police to the education sector to sanitation." The government has even not spared the assembly. "The CM does not come (to sessions); the same is the case with ministers and secretaries. It is a very distressing state of affairs when a premier law-making body of the province is so toothless and so powerless that the people sitting inside are powerless. "Corruption is rampant and there are no checks and balances." In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, no matter the people of the opposing parties, they would participate in each other’s happiness and sorrows, and you know not cross certain lines.

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India-Pakistan

Osama was Pakistan's 'guest' when US forces killed him: Ex-Pak defense minister reveals

2015-10-14

[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The top Pak authorities were well informed regarding the presence of al-Qaeda terrorist network founder the late Osama bin Laden ... who is now neither a strong horse nor a weak horse, but a dead horse... was in a fortified compound 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.... , a small military town less than a 100 kilometres from Pakistain's capital Islamabad. We kinda guessed that. The deniability loses plausibility when he's lodged within walking distance of the national military academy. A leading Indian TV news channel quoting Pakistain's former defense minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar reported that the senior Pak authorities were not only aware of Osama's presence in the country but he was in fact a state 'guest'. Speakign to IBN Live, Mukhtar admitted that the bigwigs, including the then President Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari ... husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, who has been singularly lacking in curiosity about who done her in ... and army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani ... four star general, current Chief of Army Staff of the Mighty Pak Army. Kayani is the former Director General of ISI... knew about it. He told the channel in an interview "The people who were part and parcel of the whole action like the President of Pakistain, the Armed Forces Chief, the Joint Chief of Staff and the agency people, they were all activated and they were all waiting for orders for them to come out with their teams and provide all the information which they should have done earlier." Mukhtar further added "Some people knew, people in the Pakistain Army as well as people in the other forces they also knew it and they were on the lookout for somebody of the stature of Osama bin Laden." This comes as the Pak officials have consistenly denied denied having information about Osama's presence in the country but the remarks by Mukhtar is considered as a big disclosure since he was heading the crucial ministry of defence during the tenure of the then prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani between 2008 and 2012. Bin Laden was killed following an operation by US NAVY SEALS 2 May 2011 in the north-western city of Abbottabad. The Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Seymour Heresh, also wrote earlier in May this year that Paks had been essentially holding bin Laden captive at the Abbottabad compound for years and his location was disclosed by a Pak intelligence official who tipped off American operatives hoping to claim the $25million bounty on the terror leader -- not from interrogation of an al-Qaeda courier.

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India-Pakistan

Former Pakistani PM returns necklace donated by Turkey's first lady

2015-06-30

[Hurriyet Daily News] The former prime minister of Pakistain has returned a necklace donated by The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... 's first lady, Emine Erdogan, in 2010, adhering to the federal investigation agency's (FIA) notice, Pakistain's Dunya News has reported. Former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had been ordered to return a necklace worth an estimated 200,000 Pak rupees which had been donated by Emine Erdogan in 2010, when her husband, Recep Tayyip Erdogan ... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him... , was still Turkey's prime minister, for flood-stricken people in Pakistain. However, there's more than one way to stuff a chicken... the necklace was later reported to have disappeared. On June 26, Gilani eventually returned the necklace to Pakistain's Public Records (NADRA) as he had previously pledged, while it was still unclear when it would be returned to Turkey. Pak Interior Minister Chaurdhry Nisar Ali Khan had ordered the FIA to investigate the disappearance of the necklace, and during the probe Gilani had admitted he was holding the necklace.

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India-Pakistan

Gilani assures to surrender Turkish First Lady's necklace by Friday

2015-06-27

[NATION.PK] Former Prime Minister of Pakistain Youasf Raza Gilani, assured Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), to return the necklace of Turkish First Lady, on Friday. While recording statement to FIA, he assured that Faisal Kareem Kundi will submit the necklace soon. On June 21, FIA served a legal notice to former Prime Minister of Pakistain Yousaf Raza Gilani, on the issue of Turkish First Lady necklace. According to the sources, the FIA has given 48 hours ultimatum to ex premier to return that necklace, otherwise legal action will be taken against him under Section 403. Section 403 of Pakistain Penal Code-PPC suggests that "whoever dishonestly misappropriates or converts to his own use any 'movable property; shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both". Earlier, then Prime Minister of The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... wife had donated her necklace for the victims of floods 2010 in Pakistain, which was purchased by NADRA in 1.5 million rupees. About four weeks ago, interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan ...Currently the Interior Minister of Pakistain. He is the senior leader of the Pak Moslem League (N) and a close aide to Nawaz Uncle Fester Sharif. He is noted for his vocal anti-American railing in the National Assembly. However (comma) Khan told the U.S. ambassador that he was in fact pro-American but he and the PML-N would have to be critical of US actions in order to remain publicly credible. Khan cited his wife and children's US citizenship as proof, which means he's lying to one side or the other and probably both. He wears a wig, but you probably guessed that. since hair doesn't grow naturally in that shape or texture... had raised the issue that necklace of Turkey's first lady has lost, therefore he asked for the inquiry.

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India-Pakistan

Ali Haider Gilani says his kidnappers not from TTP: Nisar

2014-04-26

[DAWN] Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Friday confirmed to a private TV channel that the government has received video footage of Ali Haider Gilani in which he said that his kidnappers were not from the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP). Gilani, the son of former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, is also alleged to have said that his family is not taking serious steps for his release. The kidnappers have asked for Rs500 million for Gilani's release instead of the earlier demand of Rs2 billion, said Nisar, adding that the captive can be seen bounded by chains in the video. This is the first time that any contact was made by him and his captors with the Gilani family since his abduction in from Multan on May 9, 2013 from outside a Pakistain People's Party office. In the said video, Gilani says that he will be killed if serious steps are not taken for his release. Meanwhile, ...back at the fist fight, Jake ducked another roundhouse, then parried with his left, then with his right, finally with his chin... Newsweek quoted a security official in its news report, who said that Gilani questioned his family. "Why are you people not paying the ransom to the gunnies to get me released from their custody?" Gilani asked in the video. The official further added that Gilani appeared haggard and was handcuffed. "He looked very weak and requested his family to pay the money as soon as possible."

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India-Pakistan

Taliban peace talks break down

2014-02-18

[Pak Daily Times] The much-hyped controversial peace talks with Taliban broke down on Monday following execution of 23 FC soldiers captured from Shongari checkpost in 2010 by a terrorist outfit calling itself Mohmand Agency ... Named for the Mohmand clan of the Sarban Pahstuns, a truculent, quarrelsome lot. In Pakistain, the Mohmands infest their eponymous Agency, metastasizing as far as the plains of Peshawar, Charsadda, and Mardan. Mohmands are also scattered throughout Pakistan in urban areas including Karachi, Lahore, and Quetta. In Afghanistan they are mainly found in Nangarhar and Kunar... Taliban -- in a devastating blow to the PML-N government's 'last-ditch' efforts to bring peace to the terror-stricken nation through negotiations. The four-member government negotiating committee immediately cancelled a scheduled visit to Akora Khattak for a meeting with the Taliban committee. "It is a unanimous decision. I myself phoned Yousaf Shah and informed him that we are not coming," advisor to prime minister and coordinator of government committee Irfan Siddiqui told journalists. "We do not want to play meetings," he said, and added that the martyrdom of FC personnel is a highly condemnable act that cannot be tolerated. "We regret to say that things are not moving in the right direction. Peace talks are purposeless after the sad and condemnable murders," Siddiqui said. A meeting will be convened on Tuesday (today) to discuss the future course of action, he added. Another member of the committee, Rahimullah Yousufzai, said it was necessary for them to discuss the killings of FC soldiers with the government before any further interaction with the TTP negotiators. He said it was not yet confirmed whether TTP had ordered the killings or someone else did it just to spoil the grinding of the peace processor. Rustum Shah Mohmand, another member of the government negotiating team, said putting the talks back on track will be a huge challenge. "There is only one way, what I think, to salvage the grinding of the peace processor: the main body of TTP dissociates itself from the statement of Omar Khalid Khurasani. Or, if they declare he is not an integral constituent of their movement and that he has given the statement in his personal capacity or (may be) to sabotage the grinding of the peace processor," he opined. Mohmand said the grinding of the peace processor had entered into a 'blind alley'. "Only an unconditional ceasefire by Taliban and release of Shahbaz Taseer, son of slain Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer, and Ali Haider Gilani, son of former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, could help the cause." The Taliban negotiating team has, however, regretted that the Akora Khattak meeting could not take place. "We were close to reaching an understanding on ceasefire but it is sad that the government committee called off the meeting after considering us as Taliban," Yousuf Shah told a presser. Taliban committee is only a negotiating team, he said and added, "We are not separate from the government committee. They should not consider us Taliban." He said the two committees should have held the meeting to jointly work out ways to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in future as well as restoration of peace in the country. "We regret that government team did not come for a meeting today. We could have done a fruitful discussion on restoration of peace," he said. He said military operation will only bring more bloodshed, displacement and terrorism to the country. "It's not a solution," he said, and added that both committees need to re-establish contacts and launch renewed efforts to end violence in the country. The other committee member, Professor Ibrahim, said both sides should exercise patience and restraint. He said they could not defend Taliban as many hands were active in the region. He said Taliban committee was acting only as negotiators and it should not be made a party. He said they wished an early ceasefire could be agreed but it looked difficult after the latest developments. Maulana Samiul Haq ...the Godfather of the Taliban, leader of his own faction of the JUI. Known as Mullah Sandwich for his habit of having two young boys at a time... chaired the Taliban committee meeting, attended by Maulana Yousaf Shah and Professor Ibrahim Khan.

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India-Pakistan

I am not accountable: Gilani

2013-07-19

Never thought you were, buddy, never thought you were... LAHORE: Former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has said that the constitution provides complete immunity to the prime minister and therefore he is not accountable to any law enforcement agency for what he did as the chief executive of the country. Gilani said he had performed his duties as the prime minister in good faith and had taken all decisions on summaries submitted by the ministries and divisions through the Establishment Division. According to press release issued from the Bilawal House on Thursday, the former premier asserted that only parliament could do or undo the immunity because it was the mother of all institutions in a parliamentary system of democracy. He reiterated his stance that he was not answerable to law enforcement agencies for the decisions he took as the prime minister because of the immunity provided in the constitution. He said that he took the stance in the court regarding the availability of immunity to the president of Pakistan but his plea was not accepted and he was disqualified. The former premier said that the letter which his successor Raja Pervez Ashraf wrote to the Swiss authorities as prime minister noted that the president enjoyed complete immunity inside as well as outside the country. Gilani said that people were wondering as to why only the cases relating to President Asif Ali Zardari, himself and his family were being pursued, while the implementation of the Asghar Khan case had been put on the back burner. He claimed that the PPP suffered defeat in the elections due to pre-poll rigging. Gilani said his disqualification, cases against the president and many other things were the visible examples of such rigging.

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India-Pakistan

Police raids Nowshera but misses Ali Gilani

2013-05-17

[Bangla Daily Star] Nowshera police, in an operation yesterday, have rescued an individual, Abdul Wahab, who claimed that the son of former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani was being held captive along with him, DawnNews reported. Acting on information received from an intercepted satellite-phone call from Wazoo tribal region, which mentioned the name of Ali Haider Gilani, police conducted a raid in Marhati area in a compound which was reportedly owned by an Afghan national Moolah. DPO Nowshera Waqar Ahmed was quoted as saying that based on this information, Nowshera police had started a massive operation in Misri Banda area of Akora Khattak tehsil in Nowshera district to rescue Ali Haider Gilani. Ali Gilani's private secretary and guard were killed in the incident. According to Dawn.com's Zahir Shah, DSP Jahanzeb also confirmed that the operation is still ongoing and that two suspects were enjugged Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! during the first raid in which Wahab was rescued. The alleged kidnappers belong to Afghanistan. Police has launched a frantic search in the area to recover Ali Gilani who is believe to be kept in the same area.

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India-Pakistan

Police still clueless about Ali Haider's whereabouts

2013-05-11

[Pak Daily Times] Even after launching a sweeping investigation, the police have not yet been able to find a clue of Ali Haider Gilani, the son of former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, who was kidnapped by gunnies at an election meeting. Ali Haider, who is contesting election from PP-200, was snatched soon after addressing a corner meeting in Farrukh Town in the limits of Seetal Marri Police Station. Witnesses said the gun-wielding attackers forced him into a car and were gone in no time, but before taking Ali Haider away, they bumped off his personal secretary Mohyuddin Bhutta and a bodyguard. According to sources, police were investigating this high-profile abduction case on these three lines: either it could be a result of personal vendetta; someone may have kidnapped him to rake in tons of ransom; or Taliban seized him to dent Pakistain People's Party's (PPP) election campaign. The Taliban have not grabbed credit for the kidnapping, but the group has targeted the PPP as well as other secular and religious parties throughout the election campaign.

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India-Pakistan

Gilani's Kid Abducted as Campaign Nears End

2013-05-09

[NY Times] Unidentified gunnies kidnapped a son of former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Thursday, according to media reports, throwing an already violence-ridden election campaign into more tumult. Should we be concerned about this or should we nod and remind Gilani that what goes around comes around? The motive behind the kidnapping remained unclear, but suspicion immediately focused on the Pak Taliban and banned sectarian krazed killer groups. Talibs have issued several threats to political candidates, especially those belonging to liberal and secular parties, and have targeted political rallies with suicide and remote-controlled bombings.

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India-Pakistan

No one can defeat PPP in polls: Gilani

2013-04-29

[Pak Daily Times] Declaring that no one can defeat the Pakistain People's Party in the election, PPP Senior Vice Chairman and former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Sunday that his party would give marvellous results in polls. Addressing a public meeting at Dera Makhdoom Zahoor Shamsi, he said the PPP leadership had always rendered great sacrifices for the people and the country. He said the PPP was hit by terrorism and was stopped from running its election campaign, but the party believed in elections. Gilani said the former PPP government ended a sense of deprivation among the people of 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... and also provided employments to the people during its five-year tenure. He said the PPP believed in democracy and the rule of law. He said that the former PPP government had taken initiatives to end scheduled power outages, and its results would come in the years to come. Gilani said that elimination of unemployment and ignorance from the country was the PPP's manifesto, and added that it wanted a progressive and prosperous Pakistain.

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India-Pakistan

Perv admits secret deal on drone strikes

2013-04-13

ISLAMABAD: Former president Pervez Musharraf acknowledged his government secretly signed off on US drone strikes, reports the CNN. It is the first time a top past or present Pakistani official has admitted publicly to such a deal. Pakistani leaders long have openly challenged the drone programme and insisted they had no part in it. Musharraf’s admission, though, suggests he and others did play some role, even if they didn’t oversee the programme or approve every attack. Ex-president insists govt signed off on strikes ‘only on a few occasions when the target was absolutely isolated and no chance of collateral damage’ In an interview this week in Islamabad, CNN said Musharraf insisted Pakistan’s government signed off on strikes “only on a few occasions, when a target was absolutely isolated and no chance of collateral damage.” Still, his admission that Pakistani leaders agreed to even a limited number of strikes runs counter to their repeated denunciations of a programme they long claimed the United States was operating without their approval. The drone strikes – which the nonpartisan public policy group New American Foundation estimates have killed at least 1,990 people in Pakistan, including hundreds of civilians – are unpopular in Pakistan. “Today, the world superpower is having its own way, without any consent from Pakistan,” former interior minister Rehman Malik had said last month. Despite such pronouncements, there’s been speculation that the story might have been different behind the scenes. In a cable sent in August 2008 and later posted online by Wikileaks, then-US ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson mentioned a discussion about drones during a meeting that also involved Malik and then-prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani. “Malik suggested we hold off alleged Predator attacks until after the Bajaur operation,” Patterson wrote. “The PM brushed aside Rehman’s remarks and said, ‘I don’t care if they do it as long as they get the right people. We’ll protest in the National Assembly and then ignore it.’ “ Unmanned U.S. drones began launching attacks in Pakistan in 2004, by which time Musharraf had been president for five years after taking power in a bloodless coup. He said that Pakistani leaders would OK US drone strikes after discussions involving military and intelligence units and only if “there was no time for our own ... military to act.” This happened “only rarely,” CNN quotes Musharraf as saying. But sometimes, he said, “you couldn’t delay action.” “These ups and downs kept going,” he said. “It was a very fluid situation, a vicious enemy, ... mountains, inaccessible areas.” Musharraf said that one of those killed by US drones was Nek Muhammed, a tribal leader accused of harbouring al Qaeda militants in Pakistan’s western border region. At the time, in June 2004, Pakistan intelligence sources said Muhammed died after Pakistani forces launched a missile at a house where he was staying.

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