India-Pakistan |
Nuggets from the Urdu press |
2010-06-27 |
America will disable Pakistan!![]() Famous columnist Irfan Siddiqi wrote in Jang that America was at the point of leaving Afghanistan after disabling Pakistan as a state. Its prime objective is not flying its flag on the high mountains of Afghanistan but to rob Pakistan of its nuclear power. Gori Shahzadi (Hilary Clinton) is threatening Pakistan and should be seen in this context. India, Israel and America are weaving a net for Pakistan and the UK is going to be a beater' driving Pakistan into it. Qazi Sahib's advice ![]() Writing in Jang Anwar Ghazi said that Qazi Hussain Ahmad visited his home and told him Pakistan was doomed to be engulfed in terrorism because of the wrong decision Musharraf made to become America's frontline partner. Qazi said Pakistan should abandon America and instead link up with rising (ubharta hua) China and awakening (angrai leta hua) Russia. PM Azad Kashmir versus Chief Editor ![]() Writing in Jinnah Chief Editor Khushnood Ali Khan stated that Prime Minister Azad Kashmir Raja Farooq Haider had accused him of spreading government propaganda against him. Raja Farooq also said that unlike Khushnood, his father was not in the army, hinting that state media was used against AJK PM through a man (Khushnood) whose father was naib subedar. Sardar Farooq versus state security ![]() Daily Jinnah wrote that PM Azad Kashmir Raja Farooq was being defiant (ankhain dikha rahe) against the very agencies who had helped him become prime minister of AJK. Raja Farooq had caused a feud between the Rajputs and others by inducting his Rajput relatives into institutions in his control and had been disloyal to the family of Sardar Qayyum of his party who had been his benefactors. Sardar Farooq, brave man! ![]() Writing in Jang Haroon Rashid stated that AJK PM Sardar Farooq was a brave man in whose breast Allah had sowed no fear. PM Gilani and his AJK adviser Manzoor Wattoo had bowed to security reasons to side with Justice Riaz Chaudhry who was elevated through dubious means that no lawyer in AJK liked. Sardar Farooq proved too tough to subdue so that the powers that be finally agreed to fire the elevated judge as well as the restored judge. Sardar Farooq got Justice Manzur to agree to retire 25 days before the due date to complete the security' manoeuvre. Azad Kashmir sensitive' area ![]() Chief Editor Khushnood Ali Khan wrote in Jinnah that Sardar Farooq was wrong in ignoring the security aspect of AJK. People who cross Wahga border in Lahore are in the eyes of the security agencies but in Azad Kashmir anyone crosses the LoC has to be cleared by three security agencies before a permit is issued. Sardar Farooq issued orders that a permit from the said agencies was not required. Hindu husband didn't become Muslim Famous actress Nur was quoted by daily Pakistan as saying that she was seeking a divorce from his Hindu husband Vikram because he had gone back to being Hindu after marrying her on the pledge of remaining Muslim. She said now he was pressuring her to turn Hindu. She has claimed her big dowry back from him too. Hillary Clinton Safed Daayen' ![]() Writing ion daily Islam Khawar Chaudhry stated that the Safed Daayen (White Witch) of America Hillary Clinton had said that Pakistani officials knew where Osama bin Laden was and has complained that Pakistan was not doing enough. The truth is that Pakistan is shedding blood (khoon ki nadiyan) to please America but Chitti Chamri (White Skin) was not pleased. Blow up the plane!' ![]() Reported in Jang leader of Dobandi madrassa Faruqia in Uttar Pradesh Maulana Nurul Huda was in a plane in Deoband when he talked to someone in Arabic, saying the plane was about to take off, blow it up. A lady suiting next to him called the hostess and told her what he had said, after which he was taken off the plane for investigation. (In Urdu, fly' and explode' have the same meaning.) Christians and Jews are enemies! ![]() According to Jang the Friday sermons in Lahore had the top clerics saying that Yuhood-o-Nasara could not be the friends of Muslims. Hafiz Said of Ahle Hadith Jamaatud Dawa at his Masjid Qadisiya said that the Prophet PBUH was the only superpower in the world, and the Jews and Christians were the enemies. The same message was given by Ahle Hadith leader Ibtisam Ilahi Zaheer. This was followed by Maulana Amjad Muhammad Amjad at Jamia Rehmaniya in Lahore. Taliban are in Jhang! ![]() Reported in Jang contrary to claims by the PMLN government and law minister Punjab Rana Sanaullah, Jhang was the centre-point of the Taliban in Punjab and South Punjab. The police in Jhang in defiance of IG Punjab - who is from Jhang - has filed an FIR against Dr Imran of Jaish Muhammad who had played host to a notorious Taliban terrorist Abdus Samad. The leader was also holding regular meetings with the terrorists in an under-construction madrassa in Ahmadpur Sial. Funds for the terrorists are being collected in Jhang and youths trained and sent out to commit terrorism No Arabic, please! ![]() Head of the International Khatm-e-Nabuwwat Conference Sahibzada Zahid Mehmud Qasimi complained to daily Nawa-e-Waqt that after the government cancelled the Arabic compulsory course in schools, thousands of teachers of Arabic were without jobs. He said the religious parties were united but the political parties - although separated - were both hostile to the religious parties. He said Nawaz Sharif during his sojourn in Saudi Arabia had started learning Arabic. A record of artistic polygamy ![]() Daily Jinnah reported that Pakistani artists were given to marrying more than once. Nur Jehan married Shaukat Rizvi, Actor Ijaz, Yusuf Kan and Captain Ijaz. Salma Agha married Mehmood Sipra, Javed Sheikh, Rehmat Khan and Manzar Latif. Mehdi Hasan and Ustad Salamat Ali took two wives. So did Inyat Hussain Bhatti including actress Khanum. Adnan Sami married Zeba Bakhtyar then went on to wed an Afghan and a Nigerian. Singer Afshan married Ghulam Ali, Masud Butt and Abbas Rahi. Azra Jahan married Tafoo, Umid Ali and Zulfikar Ali. Ghulam Ali was married twice. TV anchor has cold feet ![]() Reported in daily Islam the TV anchor of a channel was holding discussions with Ahmadis and was asked to include the anti-Ahmadi clerics too. The TV anchor was Qadiani-pasand but when he got to know that a grand scholar of Khatm-e-Nabuwwat was on his to the studio he got cold feet and cancelled the show. Farooq Haider and Manzur Wattoo Writing in Jang Rauf Klassra stated the he saw two personalities during the last session of Prime Minister Gilani's Kashmir Committee session. Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir Raja Farooq Haider was sitting on a back seat while Minister for Kashmir Affairs Manzur Wattoo was right in front near PM Gilani. He was struck by the contrast: Farooq Haider was a fearless and upright man while Wattoo had, according to NAB earlier in the week, paid crores of rupees as fine to NAB to avoid being prosecuted for corruption. Adviser sickens before advice ![]() Famous columnist Haroon Rashid recorded in Jang that he had travelled all the way from Islamabad to Lahore to meet Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif and was all ready to give his precious advice on how to run Punjab but suddenly he was taken ill (tabiyat biggar gai) and he excused himself and returned from Lahore without the valuable advice having been transmitted to Mr Sharif. Lakhwi will be out soon! According to Jarrar, Lashkar Tayba terrorist undergoing trial in Pakistan Zakiur Rehman Lakhwi will be let off by the court because the Indian court had acquitted two Indian terrorists Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin in the trial of Ajmal Kasab. (Lashkar Jhangvi terrorists Akram Lahori and Malik Ishaq are said to be all set to be released from jails in Pakistan.) |
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India-Pakistan | |
Omar Saeed Sheikh's hoax calls drove India, Pakistan to brink of war | |
2009-11-27 | |
ISLAMABAD: Omar Saeed Sheikh, a detained Pakistani militant, had made hoax calls to President Asif Ali Zardari and the Chief of Army Staff, Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, in a bid to heighten Pakistan-India tensions after last year's terrorist attacks on Mumbai, investigators have told Dawn. 'Omar Saeed Sheikh was the hoax caller. It was he who threatened the civilian and military leaderships of Pakistan over telephone. And he did so from inside Hyderabad jail,' investigators said.
It was on the night of Nov 26 last year that Saadia Omar, Omar Sheikh's wife, informed him about the carnage in Mumbai. The sources said that the information was passed on to Omar in Hyderabad jail through his mobile phone, which he was secretly using without the knowledge of the administration. All but one of the attackers who India alleged were Lashkar-i-Taiba terrorists were shot dead by security personnel. Saadia kept updating Omar about the massacre through the night and small hours of the morning. On the night of Nov 28, when the authorities had regained control over the better part of the city, Omar Saeed, using a UK-registered mobile SIM, made a phone call to Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee. He told an operator handling Mr Mukherjee's calls that he was the President of Pakistan. Indian officials started verification as part of security precautions and, after some time, the operator informed Omar Saeed (who was posing to be Pakistan's president) that the foreign minister would get in touch with him soon. Omar now made a call to President Asif Ali Zardari and then the Chief of Army Staff. He also made an attempt to talk to the US secretary of state, but security checks barred his way. The presidency swung into action soon after Mr Zardari's conversation with the adventurous militant. President Zardari first spoke to Prime Minister Gilani and informed him about the happenings. He also took Interior Minister Rehman Malik into the loop. In Rawalpindi, Gen Kayani immediately spoke to the chief of the Inter Services Intelligence, Lt- Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha. According to sources, not only President Asif Zardari was taken in by Omar's audacity but the COAS was also baffled by his cheekiness. Gen Kayani, sharing his thoughts with close associates, said he had been bewildered by the caller's threatening tone. But Maj Gen Athar Abbas, the military spokesman, finds the report unbelievable. 'I am not his (Army chief's) operator. I don't know who puts calls through to him, but I think this can't be true,' said an incredulous Athar Abbas. Interestingly, when Omar Saeed Sheikh was making these hoax calls, the Lashkar-i-Taiba (LET) chief was also in Karachi, but it is not known whether Omar Saeed was acting under the guidance of Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi or on his own. INVESTIGATIONS: On the other hand, investigators got into the act without wasting time, coming up with their findings within hours. Their conclusion was that the phone call which came from the Indian external affairs ministry was actually their (Indians') check. They said the calls to President Zardari and the army chief were made from a Britain-registered SIM. Gen (retired) Pervez Musharraf, in his autobiography, had alleged that Omar Saeed was an agent of MI6, the British intelligence agency. The very next morning, Nov 29, Hyderabad jail was raided by intelligence agencies and over a dozen SIMs were recovered along with two mobile sets. Majid Siddiqui, the jail superintendent, was suspended. 'I don't know much but it is true that some mobile SIMs and mobile sets were recovered from Omar Saeed Sheikh when he was in Hyderabad jail. I got him transferred to Karachi jail because that is a far better place for such high-profile terrorists,' Allauddin Abbasi, DIG Prisons, Hyderabad, told Dawn over phone. The authorities had a word with Saadia Omar too. She was advised to 'control' herself. The matter was then placed in the files of secret agencies marked as 'secret'. The Federal Investigation Agency never interrogated Omar Saeed about the Mumbai attacks. Dawn's efforts for getting the viewpoint of Tariq Khosa , the FIA chief, drew a blank. HIGH PROFILE: Omar, currently confined in a high security cell of Karachi Jail, has a long record of militancy, from kidnapping foreigners in Mumbai in 1994 to kidnapping Daniel Pearl in Jan 2002. Omar Saeed Sheikh was freed by India in Dec 1999 as part of a deal that saw New Delhi agreeing to release a number of militant leaders in exchange for the freedom of hostages on board an India plane hijacked to Kabul. Soon after his release from Indian captivity, Omar Saeed developed close relations with the LET leadership, including Zakiur Rehman Lakhwi. He was invited to a training camp in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Kashmir, where he spent a couple of days delivering lectures to recruits. Sources said Lakhwi wanted Omar to join LET and give the organisation an international face. In Feb 2002, Omar was arrested for the murder of US journalist Daniel Pearl. | |
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India-Pakistan |
PM renews pledge to prosecute Mumbai terrorists |
2008-12-11 |
.(AKI) - Pakistani Prime Minister, Yousaf Raza Gillani, has assured India that Islamabad will take action against terror suspects linked to the devastating Mumbai attacks in November. He also said that he was ready to send a Pakistani delegation to India to help police with their investigations. Speaking to the media at Multan Airport on Wednesday, Gillani said that Pakistan was a responsible country and did not want to reach any conclusions without any investigation. Pakistan has confirmed the arrest of two commanders from Lashkar-e-Toiba, Zakiur Rehman Lakhwi and Maulana Masood Azhar, blamed by India for Mumbai attacks last month. But many observers question the government's resolve to investigate the attacks. Pakistan never charged Masood Azhar after he was arrested for a deadly attack on India's Parliament in December 2001. He was later freed. Relations between Pakistan and India have been strained since India accused militant groups of involvement in the Mumbai terrorist attacks in India's financial centre, which killed more that 170 people and injured over 300. "I cannot comment until the investigations are completed. The law-enforcement agencies are holding investigations," Gillani said. The Pakistani prime minister also played down media reports that the Indian air force had been put on high alert and pledged to use diplomacy to defuse tensions with India. |
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India-Pakistan |
Pakistain won't handover Mumbai suspects to India |
2008-12-10 |
(AKI) - Pakistan will not hand over any suspects in last month's Mumbai attacks investigation to India, but will try them under its own laws, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Tuesday, quoted by media. Pakistan has in recent days arrested several members of the outlawed Kashmiri separatist group Lashkar-e-Toiba. India accuses the group of involvement in the Mumbai assault which killed at least 170 people and wounded over 300. "The arrests are being made for our own investigations. Even if allegations are proved against any suspect, he will not be handed over to India," Qureshi said. "We will proceed against those arrested under Pakistani laws." At the request of security agencies, Pakistan on Saturday arrested at an undisclosed location Lashkar-e-Toiba's operational commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhwi, alleged by India to be the mastermind of the Mumbai attacks. Lakhwi will be interrogated by a joint team of agents from the FBI and Pakistan's spy agency ISI. A Pakistani military helicopter gunship on Sunday attacked Lashkar-e-Toiba's headquarters outside the capital of Pakistani-administered Kashmir, Muzaffarabad. The army overwhelmed militants at the camp after 90 minutes and several were arrested. Pakistan's armed forces have reportedly been mobilised to arrest more Lashkar-e-Toiba leaders in Punjab province. The sole surviving gunman from the Mumbai assault, Azam Amir Qasab, reportedly told his interrogators he is Pakistani and was recruited and trained for the attack by Lashkar-e-Toiba. India claims all ten gunmen who carried out the Mumbai attacks were Pakistani. The attacks targeted two luxury hotels, the Taj Mahal (photo) and the Oberoi, a Jewish centre and several tourist sites. |
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India-Pakistan |
Pakistain: Military poised for more militant raids in Punjab, you betcha |
2008-12-09 |
![]() Other top commanders and group members were expected to be arrested late on Monday in military raids on the town of Muredkey, where Jamaatut Dawa (formerly Lashkar-e-Toiba) has its headquarters, as well as Sheikhupura, Faisalabad and other important cities. On Sunday, a military helicopter gunship attacked the group's headquarters in Shawai Nullah outside the capital of Pakistani-administered Kashmir, Muzaffarabad. The army overwhelmed the militants after 90 minutes and several were arrested. Lakhwi was not arrested in the Shawai operation but in another, undisclosed location, at the request of security agencies. He is to be interrogated by a joint team of agents from the FBI and Pakistan's spy agency ISI. An ISI team on Sunday also visited Jamaatut Dawa's provincial headquarters in the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi. ISI officials questioned Jamaatut Dawa staff but did not carry out any search operations. Islamabad has denied any role in the Mumbai attacks which left at least 170 people dead. But some of the gunmen are said to have had links to Pakistani militants. Indian investigators have said that the only gunman captured in Mumbai, Azam Amir Qasab, told them he had been recruited by Lashkar-e-Toiba, and trained at a camp run by the group. Although Pakistan formally banned Lashkar-e-Toiba after Al-Qaeda's 11 September 2001 attacks on the United States and curbed the group's activities, its camps were never closed, according to analysts. |
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India-Pakistan | |||
Zakiur Rehman Lakhwi 'arrested' | |||
2008-12-08 | |||
MUZAFFARABAD: An operation was launched by army personnel on the outskirts of the Azad Kashmir (AK) capital on Sunday, on a site housing some infrastructure currently used by Jamaat-ud-Dawa (Jud), an organisation headed by Hafiz Mohammad Saeed. Sources said over 20 members of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), including its AK chief were arrested. The wanted LeT commander, Zakiur Rehman Lakhwi was also reportedly amongst those arrested.
However, there was no official confirmation from the Interior Ministry or the Inter Services Public Relation (ISPR) on the crackdown, despite frequent requests by the media. Local police and civil administration officials were completely in the dark about the operation and did not hide their ignorance in this regard.
Earlier, before being the ban was imposed, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), founded by Hafiz Saeed, occupied this area. 'I saw an army helicopter hovering over the area and later at around 5 pm I heard two to three loud bangs,' a housewife told Dawn from the area by telephone. Another witness said: 'The helicopter landed at one spot and may have airlifted the people detained or injured during the operation.' There were unconfirmed reports of an exchange of fire between the two sides. The army personnel had also called ambulances from the city hospitals to the area, but witnesses said they returned without any casualties. According to witnesses, army personnel were also intercepting and checking public transport vehicles at Chehla Bandi, bound for the Neelum valley. A JuD official denied any knowledge of an operation against the organisation. | |||
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