Pakistan News
Pak appeals in SC against JuD chief Saeed's release
Islamabad: Pakistan's federal government and the authorities of Punjab province on Saturday filed two petitions in the Supreme Court challenging the release from house arrest of of outlawed Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, wanted by India for the Mumbai terror attacks.
Saeed, also the founder of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group, was freed from detention on the orders of the Lahore High Court on June 2 after spending nearly six months in detention.
The court had said the Pakistan government did not produce any evidence to link Saeed to Mumbai attacks.
Saeed and several of his close aides were detained in the wake of last year's Mumbai attacks after his organisation was declared a front for the LeT by the UN Security Council. They were all subsequently freed.
India had expressed concern at the delay by Pakistani authorities in appealing against the release of Saeed.
31 killed in Pak fighting, 26 securitymen die in chopper crash
Islamabad: At least 31 people, including 19 Taliban militants, were killed in fresh violence in Pakistan's troubled northwest today as fighter jets pounded terrorist hideouts in a tribal region where a military chopper crash claimed the lives of 26 security personnel.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for shooting down the Russian-made Mi-17 helicopter which crashed yesterday at Sarah Ghari in Orakzai Agency, about 20 km from the northwestern city of Peshawar.
The army has dismissed the Taliban claims, saying the chopper went down due to a "technical fault". Official sources said all 26 security personnel on board were killed.
Media reports said the helicopter was fired upon by militants after it crashed.
An operation was launched in Orakzai Agency by the security forces soon afterwards, with fighter jets and helicopter gunships targeting Taliban positions destroying three hideouts and killing 12 militants, media reported.
In the nearby Mohmand Agency, seven militants and 12 members of a 'lashkar' or tribal militia were killed in clashes last night. The fighting broke out after the Taliban attacked the homes of the lashkar members.
Seventeen lashkar members were reported missing after the clashes and it is feared that they had been kidnapped by the militants.
Meanwhile, the military said in a statement that seven militants were apprehended and a huge cache of arms, ammunition and equipment was seized during search operations in the restive Malakand division during the past 24 hours.
Six militants were captured during a search operation at Mangaltan valley while another surrendered to security forces in Bahrain. Troops found three tunnels about 60 metres long during a search operation in the Shamozai area. They also seized 15 rifles, 11 SMGs, three pistols, fuses and a roll of detonating cord, ammunition and police bulletproof jackets.
In Mangaltan valley, they found two rifles, grenades, RDX explosives, electric detonators, rations and a large number of camouflage uniforms. Search operations in Surgalai, Parinda Baba Ziarat, Dangram and Kokarai led to the recovery of IEDs, currency of different countries and machine guns.
The army has claimed it has killed over 1,600 militants since its offensive against the Taliban was launched in May.
Pak military offensive not against tribals: Malik
Islamabad, July 04: The military operation in northwest Pakistan is not against any tribal group but targets the Taliban led by Baitullah Mehsud, Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said, stressing that the government has not signed any peace deal with the militants.
He added that there is a need for cooperation between the federal and provincial governments to eliminate the menace of terrorism completely.
He said the militants could enter Punjab province from South Waziristan, a Taliban stronghold, where the security forces are making a final push against the group.
Malik made the remarks after visiting a hospital Friday to enquire into the condition of people who were injured in a blast the previous day, the Online News agency reported Saturday.
The minister said the government has beefed up security in the country to protect the life and property of people.
He said the suicide attacks and explosions by militants cannot deter the government's resolve to eliminate terrorism from the country.
The minister also confirmed reports that Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah has been seriously injured during fighting with the security forces in South Waziristan.
In a related development, Pakistan's Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has finalized a strategy in consultation with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to expedite operation Rah-e-Nijat against Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud in South Waziristan.
Kayani said he briefed the leaders that the militants would not be allowed to flee the area.
He said the next two days will be crucial in the operation and the Pakistani Air Force is playing an important role to destroy the militants' hideouts.
On Thursday, the Pakistan Army moved additional troops to its South Waziristan border with Afghanistan to prevent the Afghan militants from entering the country in the wake of a major offensive by the US soldiers against the insurgents on the other side of the border.
The Online report said that the military operation in the Swat Valley in North West Frontier Province (NWFP) is in the final stage.
Pak's internal threat greater than external
Rawalpindi, July 04: Pakistan Chief of Army Staff , General Ashfaq Kayani has said that the internal threat facing the country was more threatening than the external, and that it needed immediate attention.
“While external threats continue to exist, it is the internal threat to Pakistan that needs immediate attention,” The Daily Times quoted Kayani, as saying.
Addressing the 91st Officers Commissioning Parade at the Pakistan Naval Academy here, Kayani said that Pakistan is facing numerous challenges, but the Army is determined to counter each one of them.
Kayani expressed hope that Pakistan would successfully quell the impending threat posed by the Taliban and other extremist organizations.
“Pakistan is confronted with multifaceted challenges which are complex in nature and their spectrum is both diverse and intense. With the nation’s full support, we will succeed in our fight against terrorism,” he said.
Kayani said Pakistan is committed to global and regional peace, and is against the arm race in the region, but added that country’s military would maintain a balance through a strategy of minimum credible deterrence.
“A strong army is the guarantor of peace and stability,” he said.
No peace with India until Kashmir issue is resolved: Pak PM
Lahore, June 29: Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has said that it is not possible to have peace with India until the Kashmir issue is resolved, and added that Islamabad always wanted cordial relations with all neighbouring countries.
"I want to say again that Pakistan has always wanted to have cordial relations with all neighbouring countries, including Afghanistan, India and Iran, but talks between India and Pakistan without resolution of the Kashmir issue would be fruitless," he told reporters here.
He said a solution to the Kashmir issue was the cornerstone of Pakistan's foreign policy, the Online reported.
Commenting on the drone attacks in the northern areas, Gilani said they were an attack on the integrity of Pakistan and were forcing tribesmen to join extremist elements.
The Daily Times quoted him, as saying that the US was working towards understanding Pakistan's view on the drone attacks.
Gilani said all anti-Pakistan elements were terrorists, and had no religion or geographical boundaries.
Replying to question about Maulana Fazlur Rehman's statement on dialogue with the Taliban, he said that while Fazl was a coalition partner of the government, his views on the Taliban were a personal statement, and added the entire nation wanted peace by eliminating the terrorists forever.
Gilani said the Pakistan Army was taking decisive action against the Taliban in FATA and other tense areas, adding this was not the time for dialogue with extremists.
"Our army is fighting very efficiently against the cowards who strike through ambushes. These anti-social and anti-Pakistan elements are working on foreign agendas," he added. (ANI)
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