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India-Pakistan

Swat militant leader Shah Dauran deader than Tut

2009-12-27

[The News (Pak) Top Stories] Maulana Shah Dauran, deputy leader of the Swat chapter of the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), died after a protracted illness and has been buried in the Damadola area in Bajaur Agency. Official and tribal sources were sure that one of the most wanted Swat militants and the closest aide of Swat Taliban chief Maulana Fazlullah was dead. Military authorities and government ministers had in the past made claims that Shah Dauran had died in the Army action. But The sources said Shah Dauran, who was reportedly hiding somewhere in Bajaur, was suffering from kidney disease and injuries suffered by him during the fighting in Swat had become gangrenous. all those claims lacked evidence. The sources said Shah Dauran, who was reportedly hiding somewhere in Bajaur, was suffering from kidney disease and injuries suffered by him during the fighting in Swat had become gangrenous. The sources also said he was probably suffering from cancer for sometime. His condition deteriorated due to lack of proper medication in the remote tribal region. According to the sources, Shah Dauran died somewhere in the Mohmand Agency on December 17. He was reportedly being shifted by the militants to the Khyber Agency through unfrequented routes for better medical treatment but he expired on the way and his body was taken to the Taliban-infested Mamond area in Bajaur. His funeral prayers and burial took place in Damadola on December 18. It was learnt that Taliban commanders and militants from Swat and Bajaur attended the funeral. Sources in the intelligence agencies said they were sure that Shah Dauran was dead as it was confirmed by those who were personally aware of the funeral and his burial in Bajaur. Shah Dauran hailed from Qambar village in Swat where he ran a Madrassa. He joined the Taliban group in 2007 and soon became an important member of its Shura. He was a hardliner and was known for his hawkish views.

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India-Pakistan

Fazlullah concedes Taliban weakened in Swat

2009-09-12

[The News (Pak) Top Stories] Following the arrest of his five important Shura members, the Swat Taliban head, Maulana Fazlullah, on Friday conceded that his organisation had been weakened. In a recorded message conveyed by his spokesman Salman to The News late Friday evening from an undisclosed place in Swat, he said: "The Taliban movement is presently in a state of illness. When you are ill, your activities are curtailed. That is what has happened to Taliban organisation, but it would bounce back." In his recorded message, Maulana Fazlullah spoke hurriedly in Pashto. At times, it was difficult to understand his words. It wasn't easy to tell that the voice indeed was of Maulana Fazlullah even though it generally sounded familiar. Salman, who has taken over as the spokesman for the Swat Taliban after the arrest of Muslim Khan, said the brief recording was delivered to him on Friday. Maulana Fazlullah mentioned the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) founder Baitullah Mehsud in his message and stressed that all Pakistani Taliban wished to die like him. "Like Baitullah Mehsud, all Taliban fighters want to embrace martyrdom. Getting arrested while fighting for a cause is no big deal for the Taliban," he maintained. He said the Taliban in Swat and Malakand would continue their struggle for the enforcement of real Shariah and offer every sacrifice to achieve this goal. According to Maulana Fazlullah, the Taliban possessed "Fidayee" power and those in doubt should ask Russia, the US and Nato about the Taliban prowess. The whereabouts of Maulana Fazlullah, who is the son-in-law of the detained Tehrik Nifaz Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) leader Maulana Sufi Muhammad, is unknown. The government has been claiming that he was wounded in an earlier military action. There have also been reports backed by government officials that he was under siege in a mountainous area in Swat and could no longer move to some other place. Maulana Fazlullah made it clear that he and his men had lost trust in the Pakistan Army after it allegedly invited his organisation for peace talks and arrested the five negotiators. He said a need may arise again for the government and the military to talk to the Taliban, but the Swat Taliban had decided once and for all not to hold any negotiations with the rulers. His message came on the day the Pakistan Army Spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas announced that Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan and commander Mahmood Khan, both carrying head-money of Rs 10 million each, had been captured along with three other Shura members Fazle Ghaffar, Abdur Rahman and Sartaj in a military operation in the suburbs of Mingora in Swat. The previous night, the Swat Taliban had alleged that their five Shura members were invited for peace talks by the military authorities in Mingora eight days ago and then taken into custody. Acting Swat Taliban spokesman, Salman, insisted that the Taliban negotiators were tricked and made prisoner after being shifted first to Peshawar and then Islamabad. He disclosed that Major Abdullah, an official of the Military Intelligence (MI), had contacted the Taliban to offer talks and that Kamal Khan, a Swat resident belonging to Deolai village and living in the US, had played the role of mediator. Meanwhile, the acting Swat Taliban spokesman, Salman, added that for three days the talks proceeded well between the five-member Taliban delegation and the military authorities. "The talks reached a stalemate when the Army officers demanded that the Taliban must surrender their commanders who sabotaged the previous peace agreements by refusing to dismantle roadside checkpoints and by sending fighters to Buner. The Taliban negotiators pinpointed violations of the peace accord by security forces and the government," he explained. Maj Gen Athar Abbas rejected reports of any peace negotiations with the Taliban. He said there could be no talks with terrorists. He added that those wanting to surrender should lay down arms before security forces or law-enforcement agencies. In reply to a question, Taliban spokesman denied that their deputy leader Maulana Shah Dauran had been killed in military operation. When told that no audio recording of Shah Dauran had been heard for some weeks now, he pointed out that audiotape of Maulana Fazlullah too had been made available after a long time for "strategic reasons". Salman accused the government of executing Taliban prisoners and said footage and other evidences would be made available to the media to substantiate the charges against security forces and the police. He claimed up to 200 prisoners, including 30 Taliban, had been executed and their bodies dumped in different parts of Swat. Security forces and the government, it may be added, have already rejected the allegations of killings of militants who were taken prisoners. The military spokesman had also rejected a report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) in which allegations of extrajudicial killings were made.

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India-Pakistan

Wanted Swat Taliban list reissued with corrections

2009-06-12

The NWFP government quietly corrected the mistakes made in its earlier list of the wanted Swat militants and placed a new advertisement in the newspapers on Tuesday, offering higher amount of head money for the capture of the 21 top Taliban commanders. A minimum of Rs10 million as head money was offered for the capture, dead or alive, of 20 Taliban commanders from Swat. Earlier, amounts ranging from Rs1 million to Rs4 million were announced for the capture of these 20 men. The decision to raise the head money was apparently made to tempt informers and improve the chances for the capture of the wanted militants. For Maulana Fazlullah, the head money remained the same, i.e. Rs50 million. In fact, the federal government had raised it to Rs50 million after realising that the amount of Rs10 million being offered by the NWFP government was too small to lure bounty hunters. In the new list advertised by the provincial government, the name of Taliban commander Liaquat has been removed as he was already in jail but the authorities were unaware of this fact. The name of Maulana Rasheed Ahmad has also been omitted because he had left Swat a year ago after being cleared by the intelligence agencies and freed by a court. Since May 2008, he had been teaching at a seminary in Turangzai village of Charsadda, a fact vouchsafed by elders of the area and leaders belonging to the JUI-F. The government also did not publish the picture of militant commander Qari Mushtaq after having committed a blunder by putting the photo of the wrong person, banker Mohammad Mushtaq, in the previous advertisement. The government still does not have the picture of Qari Mushtaq and the place for the photo in the advertisement was left blank. The government also added a few names to the wanted list. One is Fakhar Alam alias Mufti Aftab, who was a member of the Taliban court and whose picture was published, another is Maulana Mohammad Alam Binori alias Khalil, and the third is Omar Rahman alias Fateh. Their names were missing in the earlier list. There were no photos of Khalil and Fateh in the advertisement. Others in the list were also listed in the earlier advertisement. They included Muslim Khan, Maulana Shah Dauran, Mahmood Khan, Akbar Hussain, Sher Mohammad Qasab, Sirajuddin, Bakht Farzand, Mian Gul Ghafoor, Nisar Ahmad, Lal Din alias Baray Mian, Anwarullah alias Anwar, Bashir Ahmad, Sultan Hussain, Ibne Amin, Shahinshah from Shah Dheray and Maulana Mohammad Amin.

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India-Pakistan

Head money for Fazlullah increased to Rs 50 million

2009-05-30

The government on Friday increased the head money for Mullah Fazlullah, the commander of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Swat, from Rs 5 million to Rs 50 million. The government has also announced reward for those who would assist in the arrest of other Taliban leaders in Swat and Mingora. Head money of Rs 10 million was also announced for Muslim Khan, Fazalullah's spokesman. Bounty of Rs 10 million each has also been announced for Taliban leaders Shah Dauran, Mehmood Khan, Akbar Hussain, Sher Muhammad Qasab, Sirajud Din, Bakht Farzand, Mian Gul Ghafoor, Nisar Ahmed, Lal Din alias Baray Mian, Anwarullah alias Anwar, Bashir Ahmed, Sultan Hussain, Rashid Ahmad and Ibn-e-Amin. Meanwhile, NWFP Information Minister Iftikhar Hussain said it was not sure if Fazlullah was dead or not. He was commenting on media reports that said Fazlullah could already be dead. "There is no confirmation whether he is dead or not. It's only a rumor."

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India-Pakistan

Taliban agree to 'partial' cable broadcast in Swat

2009-04-08

The Taliban have agreed to allow the partial broadcast of cable TV in Swat and operators have started to make arrangements to resume the service in Mingora city eight months after it was banned. "We have been allowed to resume cable TV service by Taliban leaders with certain conditions," cable operators told Daily Times by phone from Mingora city. They said the decision to allow the broadcast was taken on Sunday after a delegation of cable operators met Maulana Shah Dauran, an influential leader of the Taliban in Swat. Around 500,000 Mingora residents were denied access to information through news channels for eight months after the Taliban banned the service and bombed a local cable network. According to cable operators, the new arrangement allows for the broadcast of 17 channels. These channels are all either Pakistani news or Islamic channels, and no western news or entertainment channels have been allowed. "The infrastructure of the service was damaged during the militancy and we have to provide cable and boosters again, which requires technical expertise from Peshawar," cable operators, requesting anonymity, said. However, despite the lifting of the ban by the Taliban, several cable operators are unsure about resuming their business. A cable operator said that resuming the service "is risky" as the Taliban could change their mind at any time. "These people are quite moody," he added. Residents of Mingora, meanwhile, have welcomed the move.

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India-Pakistan

12 militants among 18 killed in Swat

2009-01-17

Amid reports that militants had destroyed a house owned by the ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan in Madyan Chaktari area, 18 more people, including 12 militants and three security forces' personnel, were killed in different parts of the volatile Swat Valley on Friday. A press release of the ISPR-run Swat Media Cell (SMC) claimed that 12 militants were killed and many others injured in a clash in Chamtalai area of Khwazakhela Tehsil. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Swat chapter leader Shah Dauran also claimed killing several security forces personnel in the clash. "Several troops were killed and five vehicles were destroyed in the attack," he claimed on his illegal FM radio. The security forces later clamped a curfew in Khwazakhela and started shelling suspected hideouts of militants. Similarly, two people were killed when unidentified gunmen started indiscriminate firing in Qambar area of Mingora Tehsil. The deceased were identified as Arsalan Khan, a retired ASI, and Shareef Khan, reportedly a relative of Shah Dauran, a TTP commander in Swat. In another incident, unidentified gunmen dragged Ameer Zeb, a police constable, out of his house in Charbagh and shot him dead. Also, in Alamganj area of Khwazakhela Tehsil, a man identified as Dost Muhammad was killed when a mortar shell allegedly fired by the security forces hit his house. Curfew remained enforced in Manglawar area for the third consecutive day. Meanwhile, the militants destroyed a house owned by the ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan in Madyan Chaktari area. The militants reportedly planted explosives in the house, completely destroying it. No loss of life was reported in the incident as the house had been abandoned by the family of Asfandyar Wali. In another development, the building and premises of the district courts at Gulkada in Mingora were vacated after rumours of the presence of a suicide bomber there.

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India-Pakistan

Swat residents subjected to many 'dos and don'ts'

2009-01-12

"We are living under duress these days," a Swat-based educationist said of the people living in the restive valley of Swat. He said this while condemning the recent threats from Taliban for closure of girls' schools in Swat. However, after repeated talks, the Taliban have agreed to allow girls' education at government and private institutions until class IV, he said. He was referring to a recent meeting with the Taliban, who announced a ban on girls' schooling from January 15. In a routine lecture on a banned FM channel, Commander Shah Dauran had warned parents to stop sending their daughters to school. Over the past two weeks, many families left the valley fearing a bleak future for their children. Apart from the education sector, which has suffered constantly in the settled and Tribal Areas, the people of Swat have been subjected to many 'dos and don'ts' in recent months. Hairdressers have been forced to stop shaving beards. 'We are not shaving beards' and 'Don't visit us to get your beards shaved' announce handwritten notices displayed at every barbershop in Mingora, headquarters of the restive Swat district. Markets: Taliban have also banned women from markets. "Women are not allowed in this market," reads a banner installed in front of a three-storey market, which was once called 'Women's Market'. "We were dealing in women's garments and cosmetics and were doing a reasonable business. However, we cannot even earn enough money to pay the rent and electricity charges of the shop since the ban has been imposed on women's entry in the market," said a shop owner. Another shop owner said he had not seen a woman in the whole Mingora Bazaar in the past month. "They [Taliban] have ordered the killing of women seen in market areas," he said. Despite being a remote area, Mingora city was once known for offering best medical facilities. However, many of them, especially female doctors now prefer to go to other cities following threats from the Taliban. Nurses: Nurses serving in government and private hospitals are the only women employees who have not received any threat in Swat. However, fearing a ban, they have started to wear veils to avoid being noticed by the Taliban. The market of dancing girls, also known as the Bundh Bazaar, has also been closed following the recent killing of a female dancer. The area, once known for its glistening lights and sound of music from every house, remains dark now. Many of the girls have left the famous street for cities like Karachi and Lahore, while others have shut their businesses.

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India-Pakistan

Taliban kill dancing girl in Pakistan

2009-01-11

The bullet-ridden body of Shabana in the centre of Mingora's Green Square sent two clear messages to the locals in the Swat Valley's largest town: "un-Islamic vices" will no longer be tolerated, and the Taliban is now effectively in control. Shabana's body was found slumped on the ground, strewn with bank notes, CDs of her dance performances and pictures from her photo album. In case anyone had not grasped the message the local Taliban commander Maulana Shah Dauran broadcast a warning on one of its FM radio stations in the valley: his men had killed her and if any other girls were found performing in the city's Banr Bazaar they would be killed "one by one". This weekend the last of the bazaar's dancing girls, many of whom had trained under Shabana's wing and lived in her house, were seen loading their belongings on to trucks and fleeing to the relative safety of Karachi and Lahore, where their talents remain in great demand. The banishment marks a key turning point in the battle for the Swat Valley between Taliban militants and the Pakistan Army. It followed recent orders to close down girls' schools in the valley, shut shops selling music CDs and films, and edicts on barbers to stop shaving beards. The performances of the dancing girls in Banr Bazaar had been one of the city's last "vices", but in the narrow street where, until last week, they plied their trade, signs were posted on doors stating: "We have stopped dancing, please do not knock on the door." The street now closes at 8pm and only those who live there can leave or enter. More than 1,000 girls have now fled, though some who remained told The Daily Telegraph that Shabana had paid the price for publicly defying the Taliban's radio mullahs and that she had ignored personal warnings to stop the performances and the training of young dancers in her home. "On the eve of January 2, some men knocked at the door and asked for a dance party," said Shabana's father Qamar Gul. "She instantly agreed and opened the room and asked the men to wait while she prepared herself." When she returned the four men said: "Let us start." They seized her at gunpoint and told her they were going to slit her throat. Shabana begged repeatedly while crying for help but they dragged her out of the house, took her to the Green Square and shot her. Fayaz, a Banr Bazaar resident, said he had now moved to a safer part of the city, and only arranges dance events for selected known clients. He said dancing could earn about 50,000 rupees (£415) a night, but the business was now finished. The Taliban had denounced the dancing as prostitution, he said, but only 1 per cent of the community was involved. Farzana, a Banr Bazaar dancer who has moved to Peshawar, said: "We are here for a temporary period. We entertain only selected people and not everyone because we are threatened even in Peshawar. Several of our colleagues have already shifted to Lahore and Karachi, but Banr Street is where we opened our eyes, passed our youth and have acquaintances and fans." She tearfully broke into verse: "This street, this house, don't come here again - now I have left the place, so there is no one for you."

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India-Pakistan

Troops capture Fazlullah's base

2007-12-07

Seize weapons, computers and liquor bottles from Imam Dheri madrassa complex Security forces captured Imam Dheri, headquarters of pro-Taliban militant leader Maulana Fazlullah, and the Khwazkhela area in Swat, officials said on Thursday. The army also blew up the houses of Fazlullah and his spokesman Maulana Sirajuddin, besides seizing several weapons, computers and some bottles of liquor from the site, army officials said. The liquor was believed to be seized at militants’ checkposts from people. Right. It wasn't in the mullah's liquor cabinet. Nope. Earlier, Troops backed by tanks and gunship helicopters advanced towards Imam Dheri and seized control of a madrassa run by Fazlullah, and an adjacent mosque without any resistance. troops backed by tanks and gunship helicopters advanced towards Imam Dheri and seized control of a madrassa run by Fazlullah, and an adjacent mosque without any resistance. De-mining experts have started combing the area for landmines and booby traps. In Khwazkhela, the troops have taken control of a police station from the militants and handed it over to the local police. The local administration in Swat announced a four-hour relaxation in curfew from 4pm to 8pm on Thursday. The army took local reporters to Imam Dheri in the afternoon. Major General Nasir Janjua, commander of the Swat operation, told the reporters that the troops had operated very carefully in Imam Dheri to avoid any structural damage to the mosque-madrassa complex. An unknown number of militants fled the towns before they were overrun. About 400 troops and police moved in, and found the complex abandoned, AP reported. The troops also dismantled a prison set up by militants inside a girls’ primary school in Matta and freed dozens of people, an intelligence official told AFP. There are reports that Fazlullah’s deputy, Maulana Shah Dauran, had been killed in a gunbattle late on Wednesday, provincial government spokesman Amjad Iqbal said.

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India-Pakistan

'Temporary ceasefire' in Swat

2007-10-30

Pro-Taliban militants and security forces agreed a temporary ceasefire in Swat district on Monday after four days of clashes in which up to 60 militants have been killed. “There is a temporary (truce) arrangement,” NWFP Inspector General Police Sharif Virk told Daily Times on Monday. Both sides were holding fire and no clashes were reported in the district. District Coordination Officer Arshad Majid told AFP that the ceasefire came into effect at 8:00am. FM radio announcement: A deputy to cleric Maulana Fazlullah announced the ceasefire on his unlicensed FM radio station. “The ceasefire was reached to facilitate wounded persons’ treatment,” Maulana Shah Dauran said. He did not say how long the ceasefire would last. “Later on we will hold negotiations with the government on establishing Sharia” in the region, he said. Sources said militant leaders approached Federal Minister Amir Muqqam to suggest a temporary ceasefire. “I have told these people that unless they lay down their arms the government cannot discuss peace with them,” the minister told Daily Times. Officials and sources close to militants said the truce was reached to allow both sides to gather their dead. Despite the truce, helicopters flew over areas controlled by the militants for surveillance, security sources told Daily Times. “We flew the copters to monitor their movement,” they said. Casualties: NWFP Home Secretary Badshah Gul Wazir told AFP there were “reports around 60 miscreants were killed in three days of fighting. The toll could be higher.” He told AP that a total of 20 security forces and civilians were killed since Friday. Another eight troops and four police were missing, he said. “Movement in the area is still restricted and we are still gathering details to confirm the exact number of casualties among miscreants,” he said. Dauran, Fazlullah’s deputy, said five people, including three militants, a woman and a child, were killed during the clashes. “They targeted innocent people,” he said. Army spokesman Major-General Waheed Arshad also said up to 60 militants had been killed. He had no reports of casualties among security forces, although residents saw at least nine dead paramilitaries. Sirajuddin, a spokesman for Fazlullah, said they had killed 30 troops near Charbagh and would hand over the bodies only after the army releases an unspecified number of prisoners. Civilians flee: Residents of Imam Dheri, where Fazlullah’s headquarters are located, Barbanda, Manglor and adjoining villages used the lull in fighting to move to safe places, witnesses said. Residents of Kot Manglor told AP that paramilitary troops had asked them to leave the village. Ali Rahman, a local police official, told AP that about 600 people fled the conflict zone on Monday, many crammed into buses and others on foot. Television footage showed villagers wading across a river and struggling across fields clutching bags of possessions. Wazir told APP he had issued directives to the Swat district administration to make accommodation arrangements in Mingora for people displaced due to the fighting. Around 200 residents of Manglor also held a rally in support of peace, calling on both the Taliban and the government to settle their differences through negotiations.

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India-Pakistan

18 troops dead in Swat blast

2007-10-26

We had this story yesterday. Here's more detail on it. At least 20 people including 18 troops died and 35 others were injured in a blast aimed at a vehicle carrying Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel in the troubled Swat district on Thursday, police said. The blast took place at Nawan Killi, about a kilometre from Swat city, Mingora, at around 2:45 pm. It set off an explosion of ammunition carried inside the military truck, triggering bullet fire. A senior official told Daily Times on condition of anonymity that it was probably a suicide attack, in which the bomber rammed his car into the truck carrying around 45 security personnel. A senior official told Daily Times on condition of anonymity that it was probably a suicide attack, in which the bomber rammed his car into the truck carrying around 45 security personnel. “At least 20 people including 18 security personnel died in the attack and 35 others sustained injuries, nine of them civilians,” he said. NWFP Home Minister Shazada Gustasap said it was not clear whether it was a suicide attack. “Investigations are underway and will find those behind the attack on the military convoy,” he said. He said the government was trying to avoid a military operation in the district, but would launch one if necessary. 30 killed: Swat Nazim Fazlur Rehman told AFP that 30 people had died in the blast. An injured FC soldier, Naeem Khan, told Daily Times that he could not say whether it was a suicide attack or a planted bomb. “The nature of the blast is not clear and it is being ascertained. There was ammunition in the truck which caused the damage,” Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Cheema told AFP. ‘Fazlullah not involved’: A close aide of Maulana Fazlullah, a powerful rebel cleric who advocates jihad and Taliban-style rule in the region, told Daily Times by phone that the cleric’s supporters were not behind the blast. “We have nothing to do with the blast and our talks with the chief minister are continuing. The blast is the planning of those who want to destroy the law and order situation in Swat,” said Maulana Shah Dauran. The blast also damaged 25 shops, a service station, a CNG station and a petrol pump. Nearly 20 injured people were rushed to the Saidu Teaching Hospital and three seriously troops were airlifted to Peshawar or Islamabad. All markets and bazaars were closed after the blast and police sealed the exit and entry points of the city. The army announced on Wednesday that it was sending in 2,500 additional troops to Swat to maintain law and order. Fazlullah warned in a speech the same day that his supporters would retaliate if security forces attacked them.

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India-Pakistan

Mohmand Talibs behead 6 'criminals'

2007-10-13

Pro-Taliban militants publicly beheaded six alleged criminals and flogged lashed three others on Friday, officials and witnesses said. But who are we to accuse them of savagery or even barbarism? They haven't even eaten anybody. At least not yet. That we know of, anyway. In the primitive lawless Mohmand tribal district bordering Afghanistan, rebels chopped off the heads decapitated six members of a kidnap-for-ransom gang after a blood-soaked feud, local government official Miraj Khan said. Are there any feuds in Pakistain that aren't blood-soaked? Is there anyone in the entire country who's capable of confining bad feelings to trading the occasional dirty look? The official said the altercation started when militants on Thursday night raided the house of the gang’s chief in connection with the death of one of their colleagues. He was just one of the guys until he bumped off one of them... The gang leader opened fire, killing four of the militants. However, they went to the matresses and later killed him and his Mom and Dad and brothers and sisters five of his family members, burned his house down and seized another six of his followers. “The militants on Friday publicly lopped off the heads beheaded all six of them while holding funeral prayers for their own colleagues,” Miraj told AFP. Gonna have to serve them in the afterlife, are they? That's always a good move, theologically speaking. The Sumerians used to do that, too. The Sumerian crescent moon god was rather appropriately named Sin. We still see his symbolism around here and there, often in Arabia. Other phases of the moon were Nanna the full Moon, and Asim-Babbar, the new moon. Nanna was born to Ninlil when Enlil raped her, which is an old cultural tradition in that part of the world. Ninlil decides the fate of the dead, presumably because she was sullied, however unwillingly. Nin, by the way, is the Sumerian word for "lady." "En" is the word for gent (or "lord"), so Enlil and Ninlil were pretty primal dieties. Sharia court punishes: Meanwhile, pro-Taliban cleric Maulana Fazlullah’s private Sharia court punished three alleged criminals by lashing them in public, eyewitnesses said. “After the government’s indifference, we have set up our own private Islamic court to dispense justice to the people and today is the beginning of the struggle for a cherished goal (enforcement of Sharia),” Sirajuddin, spokesman for Maulana Fazlullah, told Daily Times after the court’s first Islamic punishment was executed in Swat district. Hurrah! It's floggings! According to the spokesman, the three alleged criminals were caught “red-handed” while trying to kidnap two women from Matta Tehsil last month. Shamroz, Bukhtiar and Muhammad Sher were awarded 25, 20 and 15 lashes each, respectively. Kidnapping your lady love is, of course, known as "romance" in them thar parts. Maulana Shah Dauran, head of the private Islamic court, read out the crime the three men allegedly committed as well as the punishment they had been awarded, adding that the punishment was “reformatory” and not under the penal code. Eyewitnesses said the three men had neither pleaded guilty nor innocent before they were lashed. Maulana Fazlullah’s armed guards warned the media against photographing or taping the punishment. District administration concerned: Swat District Coordination Officer Syed Muhammad Javed said the district administration was contacting the cleric to ask him to stop making such punishments. A security official in Peshawar said he had reported to the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal government in September last year that the cleric could pose a serious threat if he were left unchecked, but “the provincial government simply ignored the warnings”. “The district administration no longer exists.” Calling justice: Meanwhile, on Thursday, Maulana Fazlullah’s armed brownturbans masked men held a flag march in Khawazakhela Tehsil to announce to the general public that they could be contacted for redress of their problems, because “the district administration no longer existed”. “These are the cellular phone numbers to contact for any dispensation of justice,” the masked men were quoted as telling the residents. They also warned CD-shop owners to stop their “un-Islamic” business immediately.

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