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India-Pakistan

Lal Masjid operation: SC moved for registering cases against 22 persons

2012-05-09

[Dawn] A former nazim ...small time big shot, the chief elected official of a local government in Pakistan, such as a district, tehsil, union council, or village council... of Jamia Hafsa on Monday approached the Supreme Court seeking direction to the police to register cases against 22 persons, including former President Pervez Perv Musharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... and ex-Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz for their alleged role in the killing of innocent people and desecration of the holy Koran during the Lal Masjid operation in the year 2007. On May 4, separate complaints were lodged by 11 people against the 22 persons with the Aabpara police. The police registered the complaints in its daily diary and issued separate numbers to the complainants. The police also sent the complaints to its prosecution department for legal opinion. When contacted, Advocate Tarqi Asad, the counsel for petitioner Maulana Abdul Qayyum, the former nazim and teacher of the seminary, said a request was also made to the apex court to take up the matter on Tuesday (today) when another identical petition would be heard. The petition named as respondents the secretary interior, inspector general of Islamabad police and the station house officer (SHO) of Aabpara. The court was requested to order the SHO to register criminal cases against those responsible for the deaths of the innocent persons and desecration of the holy Koran. "Deaths caused during the operation were in violation of Articles 9, 10, 10-A and 14 of the constitution. Besides, desecration of the holy Koran is against the sentiments of Mohammedans and a violation of Article 20," the petition said. It stated that as per finding of the apex court on October 2, 2007, 103 bodies had been recovered from the premises out of which only 16 could be identified. The remaining were handed over to their families, but 12 of them were not accepted due to lack of identification. The petitioner added that as per statements of principal Majida Younus alias Umme Hassan and a former student of Jamia Hafsa, Ayesha, recorded in the same court order, about 1,300 orphan students were on the premises who remained untraceable. "The number of those killed was very high but only 103 deaths were admitted by the respondents." The petitioner stated that in the court's order it was also admitted that 662 persons were tossed in the clink Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! and later released. "But the fact is that most of them were never released and they were either killed or are still in detention." The claim can be verified from the statement of one of the legal heirs of the victims, Ghulam Mohammad that he had seen his son when he was tossed in the clink Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! but his whereabouts was never known afterwards. The petitioner claimed that another man -- Muzammil Shah -- had informed the court during the last hearing that his son Mohammad Ali was alive till July 6, 2007, but after that nothing was known about him. In view of the order, legal heirs of the victims had been filing applications with the police and civil authorities from time to time requesting them to register criminal cases against the responsible persons. However, if you can't say something nice about a person some juicy gossip will go well... they were told that only the Ministry of Law and Justice could allow registration of such cases. The petitioner pleaded that FIR be registered on charges of murder and desecration of the holy Koran against the former president and prime minister as well as Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, former federal and state ministers Mohammad Ali Durrani and Tariq Azeem, former religious affairs minister Ijazul Haq, former interior minister Aftab Ahmed Sherpao, former foreign minister Khurshid Kasuri, former Chief Minister Punjab Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, former environment minister Faisal Saleh Hayat, director crisis management cell Javaid Iqbal Cheema, General (retired) Javed Majeed, then director general (operation) Rangers General Hussain Mehdi, former secretary interior Syed Kamal Shah, former IGP Islamabad Iftikhar Ahmad, former deputy commissioner Islamabad Chaudhry Mohammad Ali, former SSP Islamabad Capt (retired) Zafar Iqbal, former chief commissioner Islamabad Khalid Pervaiz, former DIG Islamabad Shahid Nadeem Baloch, former DG ISPR Waheed Arshad, former chairman CDA Kamran Lashari and those who participated in the operation. Besides, the petitioner also prayed the court to set aside the December 27, 2011, agreement signed between Umme Hassan and the government under which the victims' families would not make any claim or get any case registered against anyone in future.

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India-Pakistan

China to give squadron of J10-B fighters to Pakistan

2011-07-31

ISLAMABAD: Taking bilateral defence relations to a new high, China will give Pakistan a squadron of the advanced J-10B fighter aircraft, a media report said. The offer was made by senior Chinese military leaders to visiting Pakistan Army's Chief of General Staff, Lt. Gen. Waheed Arshad, the Urdu daily Jang reported on Saturday, quoting defence sources. The J-10B fighters are equipped with the latest weapons and Pakistan will be the first country, after China, to have these advanced aircraft, it said. During his visit, Lt.Gen.Arshad was assured that the defence relationship between the two countries will reach new heights and China's efforts for the safety and security of Pakistan will be never-ending. During his visit, Waheed called on General Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of general staff of People's Liberation Army and other officials including Lt. General Ren Haiquan, the vice president of the National Defence University.

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India-Pakistan

7 troops, 23 militants dead in Mohmand clash

2008-01-15

Fighting in Mohmand Agency on Monday killed 23 militants and seven soldiers, triggering panic amongst locals, officials and residents said. Military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told Daily Times, “It was an ambush on a paramilitary convoy.” He said seven soldiers and 23 militants were killed. The convoy was ambushed while travelling from Gath to Ghalanai. Security forces pounded Safi tehsil. Tribal sources said no casualties were reported. “Locals also joined the soldiers against the militants, destroying two vehicles,” Arshad added. Taliban commander Faqir Hussain was killed in the battle, sources said. The clash triggered panic in the locals, with residents claiming many were fleeing for safer places. Denial: Taliban spokesman Maulvi Omar denied any fighters were killed, saying they had killed seven soldiers and taken 17 prisoner, Reuters reported. “We’ll not stop fighting until the government withdraws forces and ends operations in tribal regions and Swat.” Not that it has anything particularly to do with the above, but... In South Waziristan, a Wazir tribal council decided to assemble a 600-tribesmen-strong force to fight foreign militants and those harbouring them. A tribal elder in Wana said they would give three days “for anyone providing shelter to foreigners to stop,” warning of retaliation otherwise.

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India-Pakistan

Pakistani troops killed in clash

2008-01-14

At least seven Pakistani soldiers have been killed in a clash with pro-Taleban militants in a tribal area near the Afghan border, the military says. Twenty-three tribal militants were also killed in the fighting in Mohmand agency, the army said. Fighting broke out after militants ambushed the troops, it said. Sounds like the home team didn't fare well in their first match with the furriners visitors. Attacks by pro-Taleban militants in Pakistan's north-west have soared in the past year, but Mohmand agency has seen relatively little of the violence. "The militants attacked a security forces convoy and the forces responded with the help of local people, killing 23 of the attackers," military spokesman Maj Gen Waheed Arshad told the AFP news agency. Reports said the army convoy was travelling to Mohmand's main town of Ghalanai when it came under attack. Residents said the security forces responded with artillery fire and helicopter gunships were called in, Rooters news agency reports. Gunships and artillery are nice as long as you know how to use them. And where to point them. Doesn't sound like that happened, unless the Talibunnies dragged their bleeding buddies off the game field.

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India-Pakistan

Soldiers withdrawn from key posts in North Waziristan: Jirga negotiating new peace deal

2008-01-13

The army has withdrawn soldiers from key checkposts in North Waziristan and a tribal jirga is negotiating a peace deal between pro-Taliban militants and the government, official sources and military spokesman said on Saturday. “The situation has improved and the withdrawal of troops from certain checkposts is part of the re-alignment,” Major General Waheed Arshad told Daily Times as barriers and strict checking at checkposts were abolished, according to eyewitnesses. Paramilitary takeover: “These posts are now manned by paramilitary soldiers. Barriers to movement have also been removed and the strict checking of people at these places has stopped,” sources said on condition of anonymity. Earlier, the Taliban announced a unilateral ceasefire till January 1, which was later extended to January 20. A tribal source reported that a tribal jirga was ‘shuttling’ between the Taliban and government authorities to broker another peace deal. “There are signs that the two sides are working on something similar to a peace deal. But we don’t know how close they are to the deal because of secret negotiations,” a tribal source close to the jirga told Daily Times on condition of anonymity. Over 50 killed: Also on Saturday, security officials said that Pakistani troops had killed more than 50 Taliban militants on Wednesday after fighting off an attack on a military fort in South Waziristan. Chief military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told AFP that militants suffered “heavy casualties in the encounter” but said he had no official figures.

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India-Pakistan

Troops defeat militant attack in S Waziristan

2008-01-12

Troops defeated an attack by hundreds of militants in a restive tribal region this week, inflicting heavy casualties, officials said on Friday. The attack came hours after thousands of armed tribesmen met at Wana in South Waziristan on Wednesday, vowing to organise a lashkar to hunt down Al Qaeda-linked militants blamed for killing eight of their kinsmen. “Around 250-300 miscreants concentrated and attempted to attack Ladha Fort and Ladha checkpost on the night of January 9 to 10,” chief military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told AFP. He said the security forces retaliated with artillery and small arms fire. “The miscreants were forced to retreat and reportedly suffered heavy casualties,” Arshad added. Meanwhile, APP reported that the curfew in Swat has been relaxed from 7am to 6pm, except in Bariam Bridge, Wanai Bridge and Piochar Valley. Separately, it was reported that four members of a family were wounded when mortar shells hit their house at Mamond village, some five kilometres west of Khar in Bajaur Agency on Friday morning, an official said. Political tehsildar Sardar Yousaf told APP that a group of militants equipped with rockets and mortar shell attacked Bajaur Scout camp at Badwal Kot around 7.15am on Friday. He said security forces retaliated, but the militants escaped from the scene.

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India-Pakistan

Soldier killed, three injured in Wana clash

2008-01-09

Clashes between security forces and militants in South Waziristan left one soldier dead and three others injured on Tuesday, Online reported. Unidentified miscreants opened fire on checkposts at Tayyarza Force and Chaghmalai Force. Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad confirmed the casualties. Armed men fired rockets and opened fire with automatic weapons at a security forces fort, an official told NNI. Separately, political agents said miscreants also targeted checkposts at Omar Adda, but no loss of life and property had been reported, Online said. Police in nearby Tank city said unidentified men fired several rockets at the city last night, but there was no casualties, NNI added. Kidnapped: Three soldiers were also kidnapped from the Sarokey area of South Waziristan, according to locals. The soldiers from the Waziristan Scouts Force were kidnapped while travelling in a private car, local officials said. Masked armed men stopped the car, forced the soldiers out and took them to an undisclosed location, reported NNI. Authorities blocked all traffic on the road to stop the militants from shifting the soldiers out of the tribal region, locals said. Caretaker Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz Khan says security forces have planned a major operation against Baitullah Mehsud, the linchpin militant commander in South Waziristan. President Pervez Musharraf has blamed Mehsood for Benazir Bhutto’s assassination and accused him of recruiting suicide bombers. One of Baitullah Mehsud’s spokesmen, however, has denied any involvement in Benazir’s assassination.

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India-Pakistan

25 militants killed in S Waziristan

2008-01-03

At least 25 militants have been killed in two days of fighting between security forces and the Taliban in South Waziristan, officials said on Wednesday. Military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad said the Frontier Corps (FC) had ceased fire on the request of a local jirga. Arshad said four FC personnel, who were kidnapped in the Luddha area on Tuesday, had not been recovered so far, adding that 30 to 35 suspects had been taken into custody in this connection. A curfew has been imposed in Parachinar as clashes between Sunni and Shia groups, NNI reported. An army Cobra gunship helicopter crash-landed near Thal, Parachinar, due to a technical malfunction on Wednesday, an ISPR statement said. The pilot and co-pilot were safe.

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India-Pakistan

12 soldiers die in Kohat suicide attack

2007-12-18

Twelve soldiers of an Army football team were killed and another five sustained injuries when a suicide bomber attacked them near the House of Signals of Pakistan Army in Kohat Cantonment on Monday. Initially, police sources said 10 soldiers died in the suicide bombing while six others sustained injuries. Military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad, who is Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), immediately confirmed the death of nine soldiers in the attack. He said four troops were wounded. Later the ISPR put the death toll at 12 late in the evening. Sources in Kohat told The News that the soldiers were attacked while returning to their barracks after playing a soccer match in the nearby playground. The suicide bomber, wrapped in a woollen chaddar, struck when the soldiers reached the Army Public School and College ten minutes past noon. The site of attack is a maximum-security area close to the Army’s House of Signals, which has its centre in Kohat. The second battalion of the Signals is based in this area. Official and local sources in Kohat identified some of the slain soldiers as Mohammad Nawaz, Rashid Khan, Irfan Khan, Rafiq, Shahid, Adnan, Mushtaq and Ghulam Mohammad. Other soldiers killed in the attack couldn’t be identified immediately. The sources named two injured soldiers as Amjad Khan and Shaukat while the remaining three remained unidentified till filing of this report. The injured soldiers were admitted to the Combined Military Hospital, Kohat. It was learnt the military authorities made immediate arrangements to send the bodies, mostly mutilated, of the slain soldiers to their hometowns for burial. The entire cantonment was cordoned off by deploying more troops to check the movement of suspicious people. Police officials avoided comment on the incident as it concerned the Army. A number of efforts to reach them proved futile. Subsequently, police officials requesting anonymity said 10 soldiers were confirmed killed in the explosion initially. Sources told this scribe that around six kg of explosive was used in the blast, which was supported by bolts and ball bearings to cause more casualties. It was also suspected that the explosive was Russian-made. The age of the bomber was stated to be around 20. The blast is second of its kind in Kohat during the past five months. On July 19, at least 16 persons — including 11 soldiers, a prayer leader and two minors — were killed and same number injured in suicide blast inside a mosque near Pathan Lines, Kohat Garrison during Ish’a prayers. The same day, seven other security personnel were killed in another suicide blast outside the Police Training Centre in adjoining Hangu district. It merits a mention here that seven persons were killed and several injured in a similar attack on ASC Centre in Nowshera on Sunday. The Peshawar airbase was also attacked with four rockets a few days back while a woman was killed when the explosives she was carrying exploded near an Army check-post in Peshawar Cantonment last week. Another suicide attack, targeting law enforcers, took place in Swat a few days back in which several persons were killed and injured. A late evening press release of the ISPR said in Rawalpindi that 12 security forces personnel embraced Shahadat and two others were injured in the Kohat suicide attack. At approximately 1210 hrs, a suicide bomber blew himself up near the Signals Training Centre Sports Ground. Nine security forces personnel embraced Shahadat on the spot while five were injured including three critically. Later the three critically injured also succumbed to their injuries. The suicide bomber was also killed in the incident. Online adds: Terming the Kohat bomb blast a highly gruesome, President Musharraf on Monday expressed his deep grief and sorrow over the loss of innocent lives of security forces. “We will not let terrorists disturb the stability and integrity of the country at any cost, President Musharraf said in a statement when he received news of the incident in Vehari. The government is taking down to earth steps to expose the culprits of humanity (terrorists), he said. He said that blood of security forces would not go waste. He directed the concerned authorities to take good care of the injured and provide them with optimum medical facilities. He said that the mastermind involved in the blast would not be spared as such culprits are not humans. He further said that such elements were trying to create lawlessness for their own motives adding strict action would be taken against such culprits. While expressing condolence with the bereaved families, the president prayed to Almighty Allah to rest the departed souls in eternal peace and give courage to the family members to bear the irremediable losses.

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India-Pakistan

Pakistani forces arrest 17 militants in Swat

2007-12-18

(KUNA) -- Pakistani security forces have arrested 17 Taliban-linked militants, including close associates of wanted radical cleric Maulana Fazlullah as the part of ongoing operation against militants in northern Sawat valley. Forces arrested 17 militants on Sunday from different parts of Sawat valley, said military spokesman Waheed Arshad. He said all arrested militants were close allies of Maulana Fazlullah, also known as "Mullah Radio." Police sources said the arrestees includes brother and uncle of Fazlullah, as well as five foreigners of Afghan and Uzbek origins. The spokesman said that since the military took command of the operation in Sawat, more than 330 militants had been killed and near 200 arrested. Maulana Fazlullah, known as "Mullah Radio" for broadcasting fiery speeches over his illegal private FM radio station, has called for a holy war against the Pakistani government and security forces. President Musharraf imposed a state of emergency in the country on November 3 because of judiciary interference into executive affairs and also deteriorating security situation in Sawat. The president, while lifting the state of emergency, said that the valley had been cleared of militants and all objectives of emergency had been achieved.

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India-Pakistan

Suicide bomber kills 9 troops in Pakistan

2007-12-17

A suicide bomber blew himself up among a group of Pakistani army recruits returning from a soccer game in northwestern Pakistan on Monday, killing nine of them, the army said. The attacker struck near an army communications center in Kohat, about 30 miles from the city of Peshawar. Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Waheed Arshad said nine troops were killed and four were wounded. The young recruits were walking back to their quarters along a public road when a lone bomber walked up to them and set off the blast. Police said troops had sealed off the area.

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India-Pakistan

5 killed in first ever Nowshera suicide blast

2007-12-16

NOWSHERA: A suicide attacker rammed his explosives-laden bicycle into a military checkpost killing five people and injuring 11 others here on Saturday, Daily Times staff reporter quoted local police and army as saying. Witnesses, however, said eight people were killed. Four of them were army personnel while the rest were civilians, the witnesses added. The attack occurred at a checkpoint near the gate of an army school in Nowshera, AP quoted ISPR Director General Maj Gen Waheed Arshad as saying. AFP, AP and Online put the death toll at 5. District Police Officer (DPO) Mubarak Zeb told Daily Times that six people, including the suicide bomber, were killed as he detonated himself at the entrance of the Army Supply Corps (ASC) centre. “The bomber was riding on a bicycle. He detonated the explosives fastened to his body as he reached the army check post around 9.18am,” said the police officer, adding that 11 more people had sustained injuries in the blast.

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