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India-Pakistan
TTP chief yet to approve Wali’s appointment
2018-02-15
[DAWN] DERA ISMAIL KHAN: The newly-appointed deputy commander of the Tehrik-e-Taliban
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
Pakistain (TTP), Mufti Noor Wali, will take over his new position in the banned hard boy group after formal approval by TTP chief Maulana Fazalullah, according to sources.

They said the group’s central shura and Mehsud circle Taliban approved Wali’s appointment in a meeting held on Monday.

During the meeting, Qari Azmatullah was made Wali’s naib (deputy).

Forty-year-old Wali hails from Gorgoray area of Sararogha tehsil and belongs to Mechikhel, a sub-clan of the Mehsud tribe.

He was a seminary student and remained a qazi (judge) of Sharia court established by the founder chief of TTP, Baitullah Mehsud. The sources said Wali had taken part in attacks in Wazoo and Afghanistan.

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India-Pakistan
Hoti sees foreign hands behind terrorism
2009-11-22
[Dawn] NWFP Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti reiterated the involvement of foreign hands in the current wave of terrorism in the province and asked the federal government for the use of diplomatic channels in this regard.

Talking to the media after a meeting on law and order situation here on Saturday, he said that the resurfacing of Malana Fazallullah has proved the involvement of foreign hands. However, he said that the implementation is being carried out through the people from our own country.

He said that the terrorist incidents were planned somewhere outside Pakistan but implemented through people known as Taliban and terrorists in our country.

Replying a query, Hoti said that foreign policy is domain of the federal government and provincial governments could make recommendations in it.

He said information regarding funding of the terrorism would be shared with the countries concerned.

To a question regarding the fleeing of the chief of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Swat chapter, Maulana Fazalullah, he cast doubt on the identification of his voice. He expressed surprise that the fugitive Fazallullah considered himself to be safe in Afghanistan.

Hoti questioned as to why Fazallullah, the supposed king of Swat, had fled to Afghanistan instead of fleeing to Bajaur. The presence of Fazalullah in Afghanistan is better proof and argument to allegations made against Pakistan, said Hoti.

The CM said that a task force constituted in this regard would hold meetings twice a month and a meeting on the provincial level would be held after two months.

Hoti disclosed that wedding halls of the provincial metropolis have been directed to complete their functions before midnight. 'The closure of the weeding halls means closure and completion of function before the deadline,' he clarified. He said that an austerity plan was also under consideration.

The CM also announced doubling of the compensation to the martyrs of police from Rs1.5 million to Rs3 million. He said the whole nation was united against terrorism and saluted the bravery and courage of the law-enforcement agencies in battling terrorism. He said that a Rs22 billion development package for NWFP was also on the cards.--
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India-Pakistan
Taliban are threat to mankind-Wajid Shamsul Hasan
2009-05-07
[Associated Press of Pakistan] Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK Wajid Shamsul Hasan has described Taliban as threat not only to his country but to mankind as well and said they need to be eliminated.
He was speaking at a discussion organised by the member of British Parliament Lord Nazir Ahmed in the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday on the situation in Pakistan, the Sharia law, the Taliban and terrorism.

The High Commissioner said that in view of the dangers facing Pakistan, every citizen of the country must rise to the occasion and challenge this scourge of Taliban.

He said there was a need to distinguish between Taliban and Islam, and Taliban do not deserve to call themselves Muslims as they are killing the members of their own religion.

He paid tributes to Pakistan Army in its endeavour to establish the writ of the government in the troubled areas of Swat, Buner and Lower Dir and said the country has suffered immensely in terms of men and material in this conflict.

The High Commissioner called for inquiry by the UN into the funding of the Taliban, acquisition of sophisticated weapons and heavy duty vehicles.

Noted British journalist and member of the Respect Party Yvonne Ridley said the West must stop demonising Pakistan whose people are moderate and peace loving.

Pakistan Deputy High Commissioner Asif Durrani stressed on solving the Middle East issue as Al-Qaeda's global threat was related to that region. He brushed aside claims that Taliban pose danger to Islamabad.

Lord Ahmed spoke of the historical links between Pakistan and Britain and the said British Pakistani Diaspora has the moral responsibility to assist their land of origin in its hour of need.

A number of councillors of Pakistani origin including Mushtaq Lasharie, Hamza Malik, Riaz Mirza, Pervez Chaudhry and Sikander Lodhi also spoke on the occasion and called for removing the misperception about Pakistan while making efforts to promote and strengthen democracy.

The meeting also passed a resolution calling on Maulana Sufi Mohammad, Maulana Fazalullah, HajI Muslim and other leaders of the Tehrik-e-Taliban to lay down their arms and co-operate with the State authorities to provide good governance, justice and development in the region.

The British elected councillors of Pakistani origin also called upon the NGOs to help rebuild villages that have been destroyed in the drone attacks and by the Taliban.

The resolution called on the British Government to exercise influence on American government to stop drone attacks on Pakistan and the Tribal leaders in the FATA region to drive out foreign fighters who are using Pakistani soil to launch attacks inside Afghanistan.

The document further called on Pakistan Government to establish a national peace, dialogue and reconciliation centre in Islamabad and in FATA and Baluchistan to promote peace and harmony.

The resolution urged the British Pakistani and Kashmiri communities to help in rebuilding peace and stability in Baluchistan, FATA and Malakand regions by providing financial and logistic support.

It requested all the political leaders to unite for the supreme national cause of unity in Pakistan and refrain from playing politics at this critical juncture.

The British councillors strongly condemned the attacks on women and girls in schools by extremists as well as those on the police, law enforcing agencies while recognising the suffering of the civilians in FATA areas.

The UN was urged to address the issue of three million Afghan refugees in Pakistan and assist their return home.
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India-Pakistan
Sufi to meet national peace jirga today
2009-02-21
Tehrik Nifaz Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) chief Maulana Sufi Muhammad will hold talks with members of the national peace jirga in Deolai area of scenic Swat valley today (Saturday).

According to sources, third round of peace talks between TNSM and Tehrik Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was held on Friday at an undisclosed location in Matta. Both sides made positive progress, while Maulana Fazalullah presented his demands to Maulana Sufi Muhammad for talks with the government. Sources said that Maulana Fazlullah has set several conditions for talks which include complete enforcement of Sharia in Malakand Division, withdrawal of security forces from Swat, release of prisoners, indemnity for Taliban and compensation of losses they had suffered during military operation.

Maulana Fazlullah, Haji Muslim Khan and Maulana Shah Doran and other important members represented the TTP while TNSM comprised of its chief Maulana Sufi Muhammad, Maulana Alal, Amir Izzat Khan, Maulana Iqbal Khan and other members. TNSM spokesman Amir Izzat Khan said that important announcement is expected from Maulana Fazlullah anytime today. Sources further said that TNSM peace rally reached Deolai area of Kabal from Matta where chief of the national peace jirga Syed Inam-ur-Rehman and other members were called to discuss Swat peace.
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India-Pakistan
Four soldiers among 10 killed in suicide attack
2007-12-26
(AKI/DAWN) - A suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a Pakistan army convoy on Sunday, killing four soldiers and six other people in the troubled Swat valley in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP). The attack occurred in the Mingora area of the valley. According to official sources, 29 people were injured. The convoy was returning after carrying out operations against militants in various areas.

Official sources said that soon after the attack, security forces cordoned off the area and even police personnel were asked to keep away. The curfew in place in the valley had been relaxed in that part of the Swat district because of Eid al-Adha or the Muslim Feast of Sacrifice. Civilians were also hit as the bomber struck the convoy on a busy route. Witnesses said the vehicle used in the attack was completely destroyed while an army van, a rickshaw and a lorry were damaged. Officials said the place was strewn with bodies and human limbs. “We are still ascertaining the exact cause of the explosion, but preliminary information collected by us suggests that it was a suicide bombing,” said an official of the Mingora police station.

Pakistani forces launched a major offensive in Swat Valley in October against Islamic militants loyal to the hardline cleric Maulana Fazalullah who has tried to bring Taliban-style Islamic laws to the region. The army said it had detained four of the cleric's followers hours before Sunday's attack. Sunday's attack follows one on Friday in which more than 50 people were killed after a suicide bomber blew himself up in a mosque near Peshawar, also in NWFP.
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India-Pakistan
Five soldiers injured in Waziristan attack
2007-09-26
Five security personnel were injured in an attack on a security checkpost in North Waziristan, while three children were injured in a landmine explosion in the volatile Bajaur tribal region near the Afghan border, officials and local residents said.

According to reports,
Local Taliban fired rockets on the Thall outpost, injuring four army soldiers and one paramilitary soldier.
local Taliban fired rockets on the Thall outpost, 15 kilometres from Miranshah, at 10.30pm on Monday, injuring four army soldiers and one paramilitary soldier. “They are seriously wounded and were airlifted to Bannu for treatment,” local administration sources said. They said security forces had returned fire and no casualties had been reported.

In another incident, unidentified people fired eight rockets on a security checkpost on Mir Ali Road. The attackers managed to escape and no loss of life was reported, reported Online.

Landmine victims: Meanwhile,
One of the three children injured in a landmine explosion in Khar is in critical condition, while another lost both legs in the explosion. It is not known whether the militants planted the landmine or a tribal feud caused it.
one of the three children injured in a landmine explosion in Khar, regional headquarters of Bajaur Agency, is in critical condition, while another lost both legs in the explosion, medical officials told Daily Times. It is not known whether the militants planted the landmine or a tribal feud caused it. The explosion occurred in Mamoond tehsil and the political administration has arrested five people in connection with the incident. More arrests are expected, the administration added.

Police station attacked: Also on Tuesday, militants attacked the Matta police station with rockets and guns, sources said. The incident occurred around 3am. However, no casualties were reported on either side, Daily Times learnt.

In another incident,
Militants ransacked two restaurants in the Khwaza Khela bazaar. They manhandled the restaurant owners and the staff, saying watching TV was ‘haraam’ in Islam.
militants ransacked two restaurants in the Khwaza Khela bazaar. They manhandled the restaurant owners and the staff, saying watching TV was ‘haraam’ in Islam. They also warned the restaurant staff of dire consequences if they switched on their TVs again. Reports from the area said the restaurant owners had not filed any First Information Report in the police station because they were frightened the militants might retaliate by attacking them.

Maulana ally injured:A private TV channel reported on Tuesday that unidentified people had injured a close ally of Maulana Fazalullah, who runs a private FM radio channel in Swat. The report filed by Online states that unidentified persons fired on Akbar Ali in Mam Dheer, an area of Kebal tehsil. He was shifted to Saidu Sharif hospital immediately in critical condition, before being shifted to an unknown location by his allies.
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India-Pakistan
Nuggets from the Urdu press
2007-08-27
Osama Bin Laden died in Pakistan
Daily Jang, quoting from the American magazine Online, reported that Osama bin Laden died of typhoid last month in Pakistan. The Saudi head of state and the President of France were secretly briefed, but the Pakistani government and the agencies didn’t confirm the news. The last time Osama appeared in a video tape was in 2004, and after that only a few audio tapes (of poor voice quality) have appeared, claiming to be the voice of Osama.

Stomach belt created panic in a bus
As reported in daily Express, a bus conductor saw a passenger with a belt under his shirt and started screaming, “Suicide bomber!” Panic ensued, and passengers jumped from the windows of the bus. In Mianwali, a local madrassah student, Hafiz Mohammad Shahzad, boarded a bus for Bannu wearing a belt under his shirt. When panic broke out, he showed his belt to the people. It was meant to reduce a sagging tummy.

Why are Shujaat and Ijaz ul Haq targeted?
Sarerahe wrote in daily Nawa-e-Waqt, that the female students of Jamia Hafsa claimed that they kidnapped the Chinese women of the massage parlor and Aunti Shamim at the behest of Ijaz ul Haq and Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain. Chaudhry Shujaat and Ijaz ul Haq have disguised their original brand and have coloured themselves to join enlightened moderators. Why didn’t the female students target the surgeons of this operation? Instead, they targeted these two leaders, because Chaudhry Shujaat is a religious man and Ijaz ul Haq is the son of a pious man.

Cambridge producing terrorists
As reported in daily Khabrain, it is usually assumed that religious seminaries are centers of terrorism, but all the Al Qaeda groups who have been busted so far have not had anyone educated from these madrassahs. Osama bin Laden and Dr Aymen Al Zawahiri studied from Western universities and reacted against American policies. Indian national Kafil Ahmad, who rammed his jeep into Glasgow airport, was a PhD from Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge.

Thief let off on the recommendation of MPA
As reported in daily Nawa-e-Waqt, police arrested thieves red handed, stealing pipes from a factory in the Kot Abdul Malik area. Police left the head of the gang after sifarish from a local MPA, Gul Agha. The factory owner demanded that the head of the gang should be arrested again.

Radio license for Al Qaeda supporter
As reported in daily Jang, the PPP demanded an FM radio license from the governor of NWFP. The governor has given a radio license to the son in law of Sufi Mohammad, Maulana Fazalullah, who is poisoning people’s minds against democratic forces. The PPP wanted a radio channel to spread its party program to the people.

Crocodile tears of religious leaders
As reported in daily Khabrain, Maulana Abdul Aziz said through his lawyer that no religious leader, including Wafaq ul Madaris, is entitled to file a writ petition in the Supreme Court on the behalf of Jamia Hafsa and Lal Masjid. He said that these people were responsible for our problems, and now want to destroy our case to achieve their political goals. The chairman of the ulema council, Hafiz Mehmood Ashrafi, said that those who were calling the Ghazi brothers American agents are trying to take control of Jamia Fareedia and the Lal Masjid and are shedding crocodile tears to prove themselves innocent.

Blasphemy against Holy Quran
As reported in Daily Pakistan, in Holland a member of parliament and leader of the Freedom Party, Gate Bailders [that'd be Gert Wilders], demanded the banning of the Holy Quran in Holland, and compared it with the book of Hitler. His remarks have insulted Muslims, and the Public Prosecutor will decide whether to take Gate Bailders to court.

Why didn’t Al Qaeda raise the Kashmir issue?
In daily Nawa-e-Waqt, famous columnist Haroon ur Rashid asked why Osama bin Laden and Aimen al Zawahiri never raised the issue of Kashmir? Is it because they have links with a certain sect, which is still against the creation of Pakistan? Do they have links with India, and are part of an international conspiracy against Pakistan?

Lawyers beat up Khalil Malik
As reported in Daily Pakistan, Khalil Malik, the owner of a paper and a presenter on PTV, was severely beaten by lawyers in Rawalpindi. He made derogatory remarks against Chief Justice Chaudhry during the movement for his restoration. A case was logged against him by the Bar Association. He came to appear in the case against him and female lawyers showed him their shoes. He surrendered and gave an unconditional apology before the court, and lawyers withdrew their case against him.

Who was Abdullah Mehsud?
Tanvir Qaiser Shahid reported in Daily Pakistan, that Abdullah Mehsud, after failing to join the Pakistan Army, went to Karachi and was admitted on the recommendation of Mufti Shamzai, to Jamia Banoria, a famous seminary of the Deoband school. He was a favourite student of Mufti Jamil Ahmad. Both Mufti Shamzai and Mufti Jamil were supporters of the Taliban and were advisors to Mullah Omar. Abdullah went to Afghanistan and was Mullah Omar’s lover personal guard.

Government received billions for Lal Masjid
As reported in daily Jang, Maulana Sami ul Haq, head of Jamiat ulema Islam (Sami), said that the Lal Masjid operation was done on American instructions. He said that Pakistan received 10 billion dollars for this operation. He said that the presence of arms in madrassahs is propaganda. He said that we are trying to bring madrassahs into mainstream national life.

Urdu wasting students’ time
As reported in daily Khabrain, the Minister of Education, Qazi Javed Ashraf, said teaching Urdu is waste of time and that our cricketers get in trouble when they speak in English. He said that the subject of Islamiyat, which doesn’t teach brotherhood, patience and true Islamic traditions, should not be taught. Addressing a teacher training workshop, he said that female teachers would be employed for co education up to primary level schools.

Chinese kidnapping to avenge murder
As reported in Daily Pakistan by Tanvir Qaiser Shahid, Mufti Jamil was killed in Karachi along with Maulana Taunsavi of Khatam-e Nabowat in 2004. Mufti Shamzai had already been gunned down by unknown assailants. Two days after the killing of Mufti Jamil, two Chinese engineers were kidnapped, along with their Pakistani driver, Shaban, and Constable Asmatullah. Three of the kidnappers were Afghan, with two Mehsud tribemen. The leader of this group was Abdullah Mehsud.

Naeem Bukhari beaten by Lawyers
As reported in daily Nawa-e-Waqt, famous lawyer and TV host Naeem Bukhari, who wrote a letter to Pervez Musharraf against Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, was beaten by lawyers in Rawalpindi. Naeem Bukhari said that he was ready to apologise, but the lawyers insisted that he should beg forgiveness in his underwear in front of the Bar Association members.

PPP can’t have contacts with the government
Nazir Naji wrote in daily Jang, that Pakistan is divided into two classes: rulers and the oppressed. Historically, the oppressed are represented by the PPP, while the ruling class is represented by the establishment. When there is a chance for the PPP to come into power, the establishment starts yelling and throw all kinds of allegations at the PPP. Those who level allegations think of serving the establishment as their right, but when Benazir contacts Musharraf then she becomes the target of allegations.
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India-Pakistan
Fazalullah calls for Pakistan uprising
2007-07-10
PAKISTAN took the battle against Islamic extremists to its borderlands with Afghanistan yesterday, as violence spread from a tense stand-off with militants sheltering in a mosque in the capital, Islamabad.

Troops were rushed to the Malakand and Dir districts of the North West Frontier Province after firebrand cleric Maulana Fazalullah declared holy war on the Government for its handling of the Red Mosque stand-off and called for a nationwide Islamic uprising.

Pakistani opposition leaders added to President Pervez Musharraf's woes yesterday by calling for his resignation and for former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif to be permitted to return to the country.

In a joint declaration issued at the end of a weekend conference in London, the All Parties Conference said General Musharraf's military rule had "brought Pakistan to the edge of a precipice, leading to strife, chaos and the threat of disintegration".

The call came as General Musharraf weighed up the cost of a full-scale assault against the Red Mosque. However, he decided to give clerics more time to persuade defiant militants to lay down their arms and surrender the mosque they have defended against thousands of government troops.

Some clerics have attempted without success to persuade the militants' leader Abdul Rashid Ghazi to end the siege peacefully since the crisis erupted.

Local media reported solid support in hundreds of madrassas (religious schools) in the NWFP for Fazalullah's call to arms to back the Islamabad extremists.

Many of the madrassa students still in the mosque are from the frontier regions that openly support al-Qa'ida and the Taliban.

Fazalullah's Movement for the Enforcement of Islamic Laws is one of Pakistan's most powerful, and has thrived despite attempts by General Musharraf to proscribe it for its alleged links to al-Qa'ida and the Taliban.

His call for jihad echoes a statement made to a Pakistani reporter yesterday by Ghazi.

Declaring that he would prefer "martyrdom" to surrender, Ghazi said he believed his death and that of the other militants would spark Islamic revolution in Pakistan.

Most analysts believe the looming showdown represents a tipping point in the future of Pakistan and the global war against Islamic radicalism linked to al-Qa'ida and the Taliban.

There is no doubt the forces of Islamic fervour in Pakistan are watching the Islamabad stand-off with intense concern, and that a bloody showdown could lead to even greater problems for the Government.

Pakistani officials claim many of those still in the mosque are "terrorists who are wanted within and outside Pakistan", including members of Harkat Jihad-e-Islam, a proscribed group which is suspected of killing Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.

The Government has also claimed the mosque is harbouring Chechen and Arab members of al-Qa'ida, which Ghazi denies.

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