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India-Pakistan

'Legal help to Hafiz Saeed will strengthen Indian allegations'

2013-03-30

[Pak Daily Times] The Lahore High Court was told on Friday that any legal assistance to Jamaat-ud-Dawa ...the front organization of Lashkar-e-Taiba... chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed ...who would be wearing a canvas jacket with very long sleeves anyplace but Pakistain... in a case in the US would strengthen Indian claims against Pakistain. LHC Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial postponed for April 29 the hearing of petition moved by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, who has sought direction to the federal government to defend him in a US court which issued summons to him, former ISI chiefs and other officials on a lawsuit filed by the relatives of US nationals killed in Mumbai attacks. On Friday, Advocate Ahmer Bilal Soofi, amicus curie (friend of court), argued that the state could interfere only when a citizen is tossed in the clink Book 'im, Mahmoud! in a foreign country. He said that in cases like Mumbai attacks, the government had no role to play. Earlier, Soofi had said that the United Nations ...aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society... had unanimously passed a resolution against terrorism, and Pakistain being a member country was bound to implement its resolutions. He said that India had filed a lawsuit in a US court to establish Pakistain's link with al Qaeda, and providing legal assistance to Hafiz Muhammad Saeed at the government level would strengthen the allegations of the neighbouring country. Meanwhile, ...back at the Council of Boskone, Helmuth had turned a paler shade of blue. Star-A-Star had struck again... Hafiz Muhammad Saeed's counsel, AK Dogar, while referring to the killing of American national Rabbi Gavriel Noah Holtzberg and his wife Rivka by gunnies at the Chhabad House in Mumbai, said their son Moshe and other people have filed nine claims against banned outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba ...the Army of the Pure, an Ahl-e-Hadith terror organization founded by Hafiz Saeed. LeT masquerades behind the Jamaat-ud-Dawa facade within Pakistain and periodically blows things up and kills people in India. Despite the fact that it is banned, always an interesting concept in Pakistain, the organization remains an blatant tool and perhaps an arm of the ISI... , naming Hafiz Muhammad Saeed as its head, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Azam Cheema and Sajid Majid as well as the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), its former DGs Lt Gen Nadeem Taj and Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha and two other people, Major Iqbal and Major Samir Ali, who they allege are part of the ISI.

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India-Pakistan

UN report into Bhutto's murder will be submitted

2010-02-27

[Dawn] UN Commission probing the assassination of Benazir Bhutto says it would submit its findings on 31st March to Pakistan's government, according to DawnNews. The UN had appointed a three-member inquiry commission to determine the facts and circumstances under which Bhutto was assassinated on December 27, 2007. The United Nations Inquiry Commission arrived to discuss security issues with Pakistani authorities earlier this month. The UN investigation had hit a road block as the government denied access to the incumbent Army Chief and other top serving military generals for interrogation. The commission wanted access to the Chief of Army Staff Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, former ISI Chief Lt.Gen Nadeem Taj and former Military Intelligence Chief Lt.Gen Nadeem Ejaz Mian among other top officials of the intelligence agencies. The UN probe commission's terms of reference said 'the government shall comply with the requests of the commission for assistance in collecting the required information and testimony, and shall provide it with the necessary facilities to enable it to discharge its mandate.' In January, the government had turned down a request made by the UN panel to record statements of Gen Kayani, who was Director General of Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) at the time of Bhutto's assassination, head of Military Intelligence and other military officers. The terms of reference of the UN Commission clearly say that the commission can interview anyone, including top military and political leaders. The commission was to submit its report to UN Secretary General in six months, but its mandate was extended by three months. Now the commission is expected to submit its report on March 31st. The UN spokesman said that the commission would submit its report to the UN secretary general and also share it with the government of Pakistan.

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India-Pakistan

New ISI chief considered close to Pak Army Chief

2008-10-01

(PTI) Amid intense US pressure to deliver on the war on terror, the chief of Pakistan's powerful ISI has been shunted out of Islamabad and replaced by Lt Gen Ahmad Shuja Pasha, considered close to the reform-minded Army Chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. Lt Gen Nadeem Taj, on the hit list of US for alleged ties to Taliban extremists and militant groups in the Pak-Afghan border, was replaced by Pasha, who was serving as Director General of Military Operations in the General Headquarters. An army statement yesterday announced the elevation and appointment of Pasha, said to be close to army chief Kayani, to the sensitive post of Director General of the ISI to replace Taj, who was hand-picked by Gen (Retd) Pervez Musharraf, the former Pakistani President. Pasha's appointment was approved by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, who directly looks after the affairs of the intelligence establishment, 'The News' daily reported. Pasha has been overseeing Pakistani military operations against insurgents in the country's restive northwest. He had also commanded troops for the UN mission to Sierra Leone in 2001-2002 and was appointed as an adviser on peacekeeping operations by the world body last year. Taj, a distant relative of Musharraf, has been transferred to head the Gujranwala-based 30 Corps. He was appointed as head of the ISI in September last year, shortly before Musharraf stepped down as Army Chief. The US had been pressing Pakistan hard to replace Taj as late as Sunday night. Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari reportedly met CIA Director Michael Hayden this weekend in New York. What they discussed specifically is unclear but Hayden reportedly provided Gilani with a proposal for "ISI reform" in July, media reports said.

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India-Pakistan

ISI chief, four corps commanders changed

2008-09-30

In a major reshuffle in the Pakistan Army, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt Gen Nadeem Taj has been replaced by newly promoted Lt Gen Ahmed Shujaa Pasha. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the corps commanders of Karachi, Gujranwala, Bahawalpur and Rawalpindi have also been changed. Taj has been appointed Gujranwala Corps Commander. Lt Gen Muhammad Yousaf has been appointed Bahawalpur Corps Commander and his predecessor Lt Gen Raza Muhammad has been appointed Joint Staff Director General at the Joint Staff Headquarters. Lt Gen Shahid Iqbal has replaced Lt Gen Ahsan Azhar Hyat as Karachi Corps Commander, while Hyat has been appointed Inspector General (IG) Training and Evaluation at the General Headquarters (GHQ). Lt Gen Muhammad Zaki has been appointed IG Arms at GHQ and Lt Gen Javed Zia has been appointed Quarter-Master General at the GHQ. Lt Gen Mohsin Kamal has been appointed Military Secretary at the GHQ while Lt Gen Tahir Mehmood has been appointed Rawalpindi Corps Commander. Lt Gen Muhammad Zahid has been appointed the Adjutant General at the GHQ. Lt Gen Muhammad Mustafa has been appointed as Chief of General Staff at the GHQ. Lt Gen Tanvir Tahir has been appointed as IG Communication and IT at GHQ. Lt Gen Ayyaz Salim Rana has been appointed Chairman of the Heavy Industries Taxila in place of Lt Gen Israr Ahmad Ghumman, who will retire in November. Promoted: Earlier, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani recommended the promotion of seven major generals of the Pakistan Army to the rank of lieutenant generals.

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India-Pakistan

Sharifs reach deal with Perv

2007-11-25

Former premier Nawaz Sharif has reached an understanding with the government, whereby he and possibly Shahbaz Sharif may not destabilise the Musharraf regime or boycott the elections, according to sources in government. Also, while Sharif may not personally contest the upcoming general elections, Kulsoom Nawaz and Hamza Shahbaz would be allowed to contest the elections from Lahore, sources told Daily Times on Saturday. Given the parties to the agreement, I'd guess it will be broken substantially within a week. Nawaz, following a meeting with Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, met with senior Pakistani officials and close associates of President General Pervez Musharraf, and agreed that the Sharif family could return to Pakistan as long as the PML-N did not boycott the elections, PML-Q sources told Daily Times. They said the understanding also involves the restoration of some of Nawaz’s business interests in the country and his Model Town residence. ISI DG Gen Nadeem Taj and Brig (r) Niaz, a mutual “friend” of Gen Musharraf and Nawaz, mediated the negotiations in Jeddah. The sources said that Nawaz had also agreed not to destabilise Gen Musharraf’s “transition” to democracy or try to overthrow him. Conviction: According to the understanding, as revealed by PML-Q sources, Nawaz cannot contest the election because of his conviction, as has been stated by Attorney General Qayyum Malik. Shahbaz does not face any conviction but there’s a case of a plea bargain in which he is party as director of Hudaibia Mills and according to some legal experts, this is equivalent to a conviction and hence makes him ineligible. However, caretaker Information Minister Nisar Memon has said that everyone is free to contest the polls, which is causing confusion and all sorts of rumours are being spread about the new understanding between the Sharifs and the government.

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India-Pakistan

Kayani takes charge today

2007-10-08

Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCAS) Gen Ahsan Saleem Hayat and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) Gen Ahsanul Haq retired on Sunday and their successors Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani and Gen Tariq Majeed will take charge as the new VCOAS and CJCSC respectively on Monday (today), Aaj television reported. Lt Gen Nadeem Taj will also take charge as new ISI director general (DG) on Monday.

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India-Pakistan

Musharraf appoints new military spy chief

2007-09-21

General Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan’s president, appointed a new spy chief and made a number of other key military appointments on Friday in a move apparently aimed at retaining influence even after he steps down as head of the army. This year’s round of promotions has been keenly anticipated as Mr Musharraf is going through his weakest phase since coming to power in a coup eight years ago. A nine-member panel of supreme court judges is reviewing six petitions seeking the disqualification of the US-backed general from contesting the presidential election on grounds including his dual position as head of the army and ruler of Pakistan, and the legality of being elected in uniform. A senior ruling party official said this week that Mr Musharraf would retire as army chief by mid-November irrespective of the outcome of his quest for re-election as president. “General Musharraf is obviously trying to consolidate his position within the military,” said Abida Hussain, a leader of the opposition Pakistan People’s party and former ambassador to the US. Major Gen Nadeem Taj was promoted to lieutenant general and appointed head of the Inter-Services Intelligence agency. Gen Taj served as Mr Musharraf’s military secretary at the time of the coup that brought him to power in October 1999. Congratulations on your new position, President-Elect Taj. The moves strengthened speculation that Lt Gen Pervez Ashfaq Kiyani, the former head of the ISI, may be appointed either as chairman of the joint chiefs of staff committee of the armed forces or chief of army staff. Gen Kiyani is recently reported to have negotiated a new power sharing agreement on Gen Musharraf’s behalf with opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. Kiyani may be thinking that he'll be the next strong man, but I'd always put my money on the ISI guy. In another move, Lt Gen Tariq Majeed, commander of the military’s 10th corps was replaced by Lt Gen Mohsin Kamal. In 1999, Gen Majeed ordered his troops to seize the family estate of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. Lt Gen (retired) Talat Masood, a former military commander and respected analyst said the two officers [Gen Kiyani and Gen Majeed] were reputed to be pro-western who would continue to support “Pakistan’s contribution to the war on terror”. Analysts said, the new commanders would immediately face the challenge of lifting morale among troops especially with continuing controversy surrounding last month’s kidnapping of 240 soldiers by Taliban militants in the region bordering Afghanistan. Efforts for getting them released peacefully so far appear to have failed. The military is likely to wield considerable authority from behind the scenes even after Gen Musharraf’s retirement formally brings an end to the military’s eight-year dominance of Pakistani politics. This week Don McKinnon, secretary-general of the Commonwealth, during a visit to Pakistan warned that the long shadow of the military may remain cast over the country for up to a decade even after Gen Musharraf steps down, ending his dual position as military chief and the president.

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India-Pakistan

Musharraf reshuffles army top brass, appoints new ISI chief

2007-09-21

After his pledge to the Supreme Court to quit as army chief if re-elected as president, Pervez Musharraf [Images] on Friday carried out a major reshuffle of top Pakistan army commanders and appointed a new Inter Services Intelligence chief. In the reshuffle, regarded as a prelude to a major one early next month to appoint his possible successor, Musharraf promoted six major generals as lieutenant generals as several slots of top generals, including the number two post -- the vice chief of army and chairman joint chiefs of staff committee would fall vacant on October 7. The nominee for the deputy army chief was expected to be the successor of Musharraf. Maj Gen Nadeem Taj was promoted as Lt Gen and made director general of ISI, the country's powerful spy agency. Gen Taj will replace Lt Gen Pervez Ashfaq Kiyani as ISI chief. Gen Kiyani, who previously held the post of military secretary to former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and is currently involved in talks with her to bring about a political rapprochement between her and the president, is regarded as a top contender to be appointed as Musharraf's successor if he chooses to relinquish the post of army chief. Kiyani could be picked up for either the post of vice army chief or CJCSC. Kiyani accompanied Musharraf during his meeting with Bhutto in Abu Dhabi two months ago. Gen Taj is another of Musharraf's close associates in the army, who flew with him from Colombo to Karachi on the day of the military coup in October 1999.

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