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India-Pakistan

US embassy official arrested in Islamabad

2018-05-10

[DAWN] ISLAMABAD: The chief security officer (CSO) of the US embassy was placed in durance vile Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! for alleged abetment in a crime and assaulting and harassing the police. The Kohsar police arrested the suspect from the parking area of the district and sessions court Islamabad, an official told Dawn. He had allegedly threatened and assaulted the police officials besides trying to help a US diplomat escape from police custody after a fatal traffic accident. On April 8, US Defence and Air Attaché Col Joseph Emanuel jumped the red light on Margalla Road and hit two young men riding a cycle of violence. One of them died and his pillion rider was injured. The CSO reached the spot - Zoo Chowk - and threatened the police officials for holding the diplomat. Besides, he also put up resistance against the police to help the diplomat escape, said the police. Investigating officer of the case Inspector Arshad Ali told Dawn that the victim’s father had lodged a complaint with the police against the CSO. In response, an inquiry was conducted which found the CSO guilty. Later, he was nominated in the FIR already registered in the case. Assistant Inspector General of Police (operations) Asmatullah Junejo told Dawn that the victim’s father had also complained to the inspector general of the police that the CSO came to the Kohsar cop shoppe with gunnies and harassed and threatened the police and took away the diplomat along with him. SHO Kohsar Inspector Khalid Awan in his statement also said the security officer had visited his office and harassed him and his staff.

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India-Pakistan

Police arrest AJK 'faith healer' accused of raping, blackmailing women followers

2017-07-22

[DAWN] A fake pir (faith healer), who is accused of blackmailing numerous women after raping and filming them, was on Friday remanded to police custody till July 29 by a trial court in the capital of Azad Jammu and Kashmire (AJK). The accused, Mian Mohammad Tanzeem, 55, had reportedly been running his extortion racket in a densely-populated area of Muzaffarabad for more than a decade. He was finally netted by the police after an informant tipped off City Police SHO Rashid Habib Masoodi with evidence of his reprehensible activities. The police secretly surveilled the accused for two days before finally raiding the three-room "Aastana Aaliya", his den, on Thursday afternoon after securing permission from sub-divisional magistrate Asim Khalid Awan. The aastana was part of the accused's house, but his family seems to have disassociated themselves from him due to his activities, SHO Masoodi told Dawn. The first room of the aastana was a reception and waiting room; the second room was where the accused met his victims, while the third was a luxurious bedroom where the accused had installed three hidden cameras. The accused, who would also practice quackery and black magic, would lure female followers into visiting him alone, administer sedatives to them and then rape them in the bedroom, SHO Masoodi said. He would film his victims with the hidden cameras installed in the room and then blackmail them on their next visit. He would ask for money and gold in return for his silence, the police official added. Police said the fake pir would avoid targeting local followers and instead would prey on women from other districts. "Most of his victims were therefore from other districts, such as Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Attock and Mirpur," the SHO said. The accused would force his victims, with the threat of releasing their videos, to lure more women to his place. SHO Masoodi said that the fake pir did not offer much resistance when the police raided his place. "Initially he asked us why we were raiding his place. When he was told that the police possessed substantial evidence about his abhorrent practices, he instantly confessed to his crimes," he said. The fake pir also handed over a laptop which carried substantial incriminating evidence of his activities. Police have booked the man for violation of Sections 419, 420 and 354-A of the Azad Kashmire Penal Code and Sections 6 and 10 of the Zina Hudood Ordinance. The last three crimes are punishable with lifetime imprisonment.

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Home Front: WoT

More than 350 Pakistanis are languishing in US jails

2017-05-07

[DAWN] More than 350 Paks are languishing in US jails under allegations of various offences, ranging from terrorism to violation of immigration laws, revealed a document issued by the Foreign Ministry in response to questions by a senator. Everyone is equal under the law here. If only they'd not broken the law, they would not now be imprisoned. According to the documents, a copy of which is available with DawnNews, 104 Pak citizens were serving prison sentences whereas 253 Paks are under trial. Majority of the prisoners were in jail for violation of immigration laws while others were accused of terrorism, theft, burglary and fraud. Dr. Aafia Siddiqui ...American-educated Pak cognitive neuroscientist who was convicted of assault with intent to murder her U.S. interrogators in Afghanistan. In September 2010, she was sentenced to 86 years in jug after a three-ring trial. Siddiqui, using the alias Fahrem or Feriel Shahin, was one of six alleged al-Qaeda members who bought $19 million worth of blood diamonds in Liberia immediately prior to 9-11-01. Since her incarceration Paks have taken her to their heart and periodically erupt into demonstrations, while the government tries to find somebody to swap for her... , a Pak scientist, was sentenced to prison in 2007 for attacking US soldiers. Khalid Awan was facing imprisonment since 2006 for assisting an Indian terrorist organization, Shehwar Mateen and Abdul Naseer were imprisoned for allegedly planting a bomb, revealed the report. The ministry presented a list of the prisoners, along with the nature of allegations levelled against them. The report clarified that as soon as diplomatic missions are informed about the arrest of a Pak national, immediate consular access is requested and the relevant mission remains in contact with the national in prison and detention centres. The ministry also claimed that regular consular visits are also arranged, adding that the missions also provide possible legal assistance, if requested. "Most of the under trial prisoners/detainees usually sign a waiver at the time of their arrest surrendering their right to consular access with the intention to exhaust all possible legal avenues to stay in the United States even after completion of their sentences," the report said.

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India-Pakistan

Unidentified armed men gunned down US Embassy worker in Islamabad

2015-07-27

[Khaama (Afghanistan)] A worker of the United States Embassy has been bumped off by unidentified gunnies in Pakistain's capital Islamabad. According to police Iqbal Baig who was working with US Drug Enforcement Agency was bumped off at his residence earlier on Sunday morning. Khalid Awan, a police officer who confirmed Baig's killing said that security officials from the US embassy visited the site of the incident. But by the time this report was filed, there were no worlds from the embassy regarding the killing. Iqbal Baig a local worker of the US embassy belonged to the Shia Ismaili minority that has been constantly attacked by gunnies in Pakistain. At least people, including children and women, belonging to Islmaili community were killed in a single attack in Pakistain's business hub of Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... in May. According to reports, the attack was carried out by more than a dozen gunnies near Safoora Chowrangi area of the city on May 13.

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India-Pakistan

Civil society deadline for arrest of cleric ends today

2014-12-26

[DAWN] ISLAMABAD: Civil society activists have decided to reach the Aabpara cop shoppe at 5pm on Friday as the deadline for the inclusion of terrorism sections in the FIR against Maulana Abdul Aziz ...nutball holy man who runs the Lal Masjid in the heart of Pakistain's capital. After instigating a rebellion against the state in 2007, he was caught trying to sneak away dressed in a burka. He rejects democracy as un-Islamic, which it probably is... expired. If their demand to include the ATA sections in the FIR against the holy man was met by 5pm, the protesters would disperse otherwise they would take a decision for the next phase of their protest. It may be noted that after the Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. tragedy, Maulana Aziz, the head of Lal Masjid ...literally the Red Mosque, located in Islamabad and frequented by all sorts of high govt officials. The proprietors, Ghazi Abdul Rasheed and Maulana Abdul Aziz Ghazi, unleashed their Islamic storm troopers on the city, shutting down whorehouses and beating people up who weren't devout enough. The Musharraf govt put an end to the nonsense by besieging the place. Abdul Aziz Ghazi was nabbed while he was trying to escape dressed up like a girl. BBC reported that the corpse count at 173, but other claims, usually hysterical, say there were up to 1000 titzup. Among their number was Abdul Rashid Ghazi. Everyone then said tut-tut and what a nice guy he had been... , gave a controversial statement and said he would neither condemn the killing of the children nor considered them as deaders. Because of the statement, the civil society started a protest against the holy man. For two days, the protests were held in front of the mosque during which the Maulana also reportedly threatened the protesters. As a result, cases were registered against both the sides. On the third day of the protest on December 20, the civil society moved to the National Press Club (NPC) and held a protest there. On December 22, when the protesters gathered outside the Aabpara cop shoppe, SHO Khalid Awan assured them that after getting a legal opinion the sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) would be included in the FIR registered against the holy man on the charge of instigating the citizens for violence and spreading sectarian hatred. On the other hand, the civil society representatives warned that if the ATA sections were not included in the FIR and the holy man was not placed in durance vile Into the paddy wagon wit' yez! , they would again hold a protest in front of the cop shoppe on December 26. Human rights activist Jibran Nasir, the organiser of the protest, told Dawn that the police had sought two days for the fulfillment of the protesters' demand. "The police promised to include the sections in the FIR and arrest the holy man by December 24. We did not hold a protest on December 25 and celebrated Christmas with the Christian community," he said. "If the ATA sections are not included in the FIR and the holy man is not arrested by 5pm on Friday, we will announce our next line of action," he said. "Sections which have been demanded by the civil society are non-bailable, so the Maulana cannot even get bail before arrest. Police have to arrest him," he said. When contacted, SHO Awan said an opinion had been sought from the legal branch which was not a simple process. "File moves from the cop shoppe to the superintendent of police (SP) office and then to the SSP office before reaching the legal branch and comes back in a similar way," he said. "If we got an opinion before 5pm on Friday to include the sections in the FIR, we will do it in accordance with the legal advice. Otherwise we will tell the civil society representatives that the process was lengthy," he said. A police official requesting not to be identified said according to the standard operating procedure, police sought a legal opinion when there was confusion about the inclusion of some sections in an FIR.

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India-Pakistan

SC Suspends Conviction Of Geo TV Owner By Gb Court

2014-12-12

[Dawn] ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court suspended on Wednesday a Nov 25 verdict of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) No. 1, convicting media tycoon and Geo TV owner Mir Shakeelur Rahman and sentencing him to 10 years rigorous imprisonment and Rs300,000 in fines. A three-judge Supreme Court, bench headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, also asked Attorney General Salman Aslam Butt to assist the court on a question raised in the petition to determine the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court over the territory of GB. The date of the next hearing will be decided later. The ATC had sentenced Mr Rahman over the airing of the May 14 episode of Dr Shaista Lodhi?s morning show, Utho Jago Pakistain, where the allegedly inappropriate use of a piece of qawwali prompted rival media groups to initiate a smear campaign against the Geo network, accusing it of committing blasphemy. The petition before the apex court, moved by senior counsel Khawaja Haris Ahmed on behalf of Mr Rahman, asked the court to suspend the ATC?s conviction and stay any warrant of arrest, attachment or confiscation of passport in any territory that was part of the territory of Pakistain. In the volatile environment after the programme aired, 71 FIRs were registered in nearly all major cities of Pakistain, including nine that were filed in GB, under blasphemy. The latest petition contends that under Article 247(7) of the Constitution, the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court was barred only in tribal areas, but not in respect to any part of Pakistain. In terms of Article 1(2d) of the Constitution and on the basis of the ratio laid down in the SC judgment in the 1999 Al-Jihad Trust case, GB was held to be part of Pakistain. Thus, if GB was a part of Pakistain, then the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, especially under Article 184(3) of the Constitution, also extended to the territories, courts, authorities and persons functioning and/or residing in GB as well, the petition pleaded. GB is considered to be a part of Pakistain even by the Supreme Appellate Court of Gilgit-Baltistan and that the courts in GB were considered as courts in Pakistain and the judgments passed by the apex court were also binding on all courts in the territory, the petition pleaded. Moreover, the petition argued, the offences allegedly committed by Mr Rehman fell exclusively within the domain of the Pemra Ordinance 2002, by virtue of over-riding effect given to the provisions in the ordinance. Anti-judiciary banners Meanwhile, ...back at the wine tasting, Vince was about to start on his third quart... a different bench, headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal, on Wednesday ordered Inspector General of Islamabad Police Tahir Alam Khan on Wednesday to appear before it in the second week of January next year. The summons is with reference to the matter of banners that went up in the Red Zone as well as different parts of the capital on the night of May 22. Sponsored by an unknown organization calling itself the ?Farzand-e-Islam?, the banners levelled serious allegations against Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja. On Wednesday, the court criticised Aabpara Station House Officer (SHO) Khalid Awan for his failure to apprehend the culprits behind the banners. The court also rejected a police report, which claimed that freelance journalist Mohammad Rashid was behind the banners. The police report also claimed that Rashid had put up banners also against anchorperson Hamid Mir in the past. Rashid?s email, Facebook and bank accounts had also been examined, but nothing significant turned up, the police report said, adding that a trial court was also conducting proceedings against Rashid and his three accomplices. The apex court, however, reprimanded the police officer for presenting ?false reports? and ordered the Islamabad IGP to appear in person and submit a comprehensive report on the matter.

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Home Front: WoT

NY Court convicts Sikh Separatist

2006-12-21

BROOKLYN, N.Y., Dec. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following two weeks of trial, a federal jury in Brooklyn, N.Y., today returned a verdict convicting Khalid Awan of providing money and financial services to the Khalistan Commando Force (KCF), a terrorist organization responsible for thousands of deaths in India since its founding in 1986. When sentenced by U.S. District Judge Charles P. Sifton on March 7, 2007, Awan faces a maximum sentence of 45 years in prison. The conviction was announced by U.S. Attorney Roslynn R. Mauskopf of the Eastern District of New York and FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Mark J. Mershon of the New York Field Office. KCF was formed in 1986 and is comprised of Sikh militants who seek to establish a separate Sikh state in the Punjab region of India. The organization has engaged in numerous assassinations of prominent Indian government officials -- including the murder of Chief Minister Beant Singh of Punjab in 1995 -- and hundreds of bombings, acts of sabotage and kidnappings. 45 years hard time for the Sikh turbans, obsequieous apologies and loads of baksheesh for Arabian-style turbans. What's wrong with this picture?

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Home Front: WoT

Pakistani accused of assisting Sikh militants

2006-12-06

Federal prosecutors on Monday said a Pakistani living in New York wired money and tried to send foot soldiers to a Sikh militant organisation aimed at violently forcing India’s government into letting the group form its own state. Khalid Awan knew the $25,000 that two Sikh businessmen gave him to transfer to a Khalistan Commando Force leader in 2001 “was for bad things and that innocent people would die,” federal prosecutor Lawrence Ferazani said. Ferazani spoke in Brooklyn federal court during opening arguments of Awan’s trial on counts of providing material support or resources to terrorists, conspiracy to provide material support or resources to terrorists and money laundering to promote terrorism. If convicted on all counts, Awan faces a maximum of 55 years in prison. Awan was detained shortly after the September 11, 2001, attacks as a material witness. While in prison, Ferazani said Awan recruited fellow inmate Harjit Singh to join the Khalistan Commando Force by introducing him to leader Paramjit Singh Panjwar through phone calls from the prison.

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