Bloody day: Three political workers among 10 shot dead

Bloody day: Three political workers among 10 shot dead Altaf Hussain Appeals Donation For Preparing For The Long March Being Held In Islamabad Inkeshaf* ASWJ-Karachi k ziada tar Karkunan ko MQM k area me Target kia gia.MQM me Shia dehshtgrd ghus k Sunni Nojwano ko Target krte he. Joint MQM, TMQ public gathering tomorrow ============= ‘Foreign nationals’: Petition filed to stop Qadri, Hussain By Our Correspondent Published: January 1, 2013 Petitioner has alleged that both ‘foreign funded’ political parties are trying to destabelise Pakistan. LAHORE: A petition has been filed in the Lahore registry of the Supreme Court, asking the court to stop Tahirul Qadri and Altaf Hussain from political activities in Pakistan because they are both “foreign nationals and unable to become members of parliament”. Watan Party chairman Zafarullah Khan has filed the petition, which names the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Pakistan Awami Tehrik as parties headed by foreign nationals. Hussain heads the former and is a UK national while the latter is headed by Qadri, a Canadian national. Khan says in the petition that they no longer have allegiance with Pakistan but are functioning on foreign dictates. The petitioner has said that Qadri is not a “sagacious, righteous and honest man” – the qualities that a man who wishes to be elected to public office should have as laid down by Article 62 of the Constitution. In 1990, Justice Akhtar Hassan Commission had found that Qadri had arranged an alleged murder attack on himself and had then accused the Punjab government of doing so, Khan has said in the petition. Qadri, the petition says, is now threatening to bring down a democratic set up. By doing so, he is violating Articles 6, 8, 9, 62, 17, and 67 of the constitution, says Khan. The petition states that Qadri has committed treason by “inciting” the army and “inviting” the judiciary to be part of the caretaker set up. The petition asks Qadri to denounce the foreign nationality and stop his “foreign-funded” NGO Minhajul Quran to prove his loyalty to Pakistan. He can then register his political party, submit its accounts and hold intra-party elections. Khan has alleged that both ‘foreign funded’ political parties were trying to destabelise Pakistan. Their efforts, he said, would delay the elections. Published in The Express Tribune, January 1st, 2013. =============== The last sun of the year 2012 has set in Pakistan along with many happy and bitter memories. The nation is looking toward the first sun-dawn of 2013 tomorrow with hopes and expectations. The last sun of 2012 set the earliest in Sialkot at 5:06 pm and set the last in Karachi at 5:52 pm. Many made special preparations to bade good-bye to the last sun of 2012. People went to Pir Sohawa and other mountainous areas in federal capital Islamabad to bade good bye to the last sun of 2012. In Karachi, the administration has closed the routes leading to the seashore. People are ready to welcome the new year 2013 at midnight tonight and there would be fireworks as usual. In twin cities of Islamabad-Rawalpindi police is being put on high alert to meet any unpleasant situation. Additional police contingents are posted ar markets and other places. Directives are being issued to police to stop youths from one-wheeling. ============= Updated : Monday December 31 , 2012 8:29:31 PM MQM and Tahreek Minhaj-ul-Quran would jointly organize a public gathering tomorrow at 3 pm at Jinnah Ground Azizabad. MQM chief Altaf Hussain and Chief of TMQ Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri would deliver an important and a thoughful speech to the participants of the public meeting. They would also make important decisions about the peoples long march on Islamabad jointly by the two parties on January 14. The preparations for the meeting by the MQM are underway with enthusiasm and final shape is being given to the dice and the stage at the vast Jinnah Ground. By Our Correspondent Published: January 1, 2013 A car that was burnt when two groups clashed in Saddar's Bazarta lines on Monday. PHOTO: RASHID AJMERI/EXPRESS KARACHI: Three political activists and a member of the Shia community were among 10 people killed as another violent year concluded. The situation turned ugly in Saddar’s Bazarta Line where the death of a political activist, Abdul Sattar, allegedly by the firing of a policeman sparked violence that led to the burning down of a building housing the office of a Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader. Four men tried to snatch the official sub-machine gun from Khurram when he was walking home in Saddar police lines. “I only fired in self defence. If I hadn’t, they would have snatched my official gun and even killed me,” Khurram told The Express Tribune. “I don’t know somebody died or not. I also don’t know if the victim was one of the attackers or just a passerby.” Khurram is posted with the Security Zone police in Hassan Square. On his complaint, the Saddar police have registered a case against four suspects. Sattar was associated with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), said SHO Ghulam Nabi Wago, who was suspended following the riots. Suspects fired gunshots and set fire to two shops, four vehicles and also the office of PPP leader Imtiaz Khattak. The fire partially damaged the two-storey building. The riots spread to Sharae Faisal as a large number of women took to the streets. The protesters set fire to tyres and a tree, suspending traffic. “A short while before Sattar died, activists of MQM and PPP had a fight,” SHO Wago said. “While Sattar apparently died from Khurram’s firing, the activists thought he was gunned down by PPP activists.” Half a dozen suspects were detained by the police. A PPP worker, Nawazish Ali, was found dead shortly after Sattar’s death, DSP Malik Ehsan said. The victim was a close aide of Imtiaz Khattak and had been shot multiple times. Separately, an activist of MQM’s unit 143, Salahuddin Samad, 58, was shot dead in Buffer Zone. Bilal Baloch was found dead in Dhobi Ghat, Pak Colony police said. Meanwhile, a man belonging to the Shia sect, Jawad Hussain, 45, was gunned down in Orangi Town. Two men also shot and injured a prayer leader, Maulana Shaukat, in New Karachi. A milk shop owner, Mushtaq Rajput, 46, was shot dead and his nephew, Qasim, 25, was injured in Gizri. In Ayub Goth, a couple and two women were shot dead inside their house. Published in The Express Tribune, January 1st, 2013.

Bomb attack on Shia pilgrim buses kills 35, injures 25 in Mastung

#karachi:Athar Shah&Uzair Shah,Imambargah Shaheedan Karbala Feature Colony k trustee Lej ki firing sy Murghi Khana Malir pr Shaheed #Karachi:Shahed Ather Shah ki body Imamia J1 Area,Korangi Shft,N.Janaza kal bad_Zohryn Shahidan_Karbala Landhi m hogi R>sm.ali #ShiaGenocide صرف ایک دن میں 35 مومنین بم دھماکے کا نشانہ بن کر شہید ہوگئے!! معلوم نہیں ہم کہا جارہے ہیں؟ کب تک خیالی اور خوابوں کی دُنیا میں رہینگے، کب تک ہم فقظ خود ساختہ نعروں کا جواب دیتے رہینگے؟ کب تک ہم non-issue کو issue اور issue کو non-issue بناکر ایک مظلوم قوم کو بیوقوف بناتے رہے گے!! ہم مایوسی نہیں پھیلا رہے، مایوسی تو اُس وقت ہوگی جب ہم کہے کہ شیعہ تم سے کچھ نہیں ہونے والا گھر بیٹھ جاو، مگر ہم تو کہہ رہے ہیں کہ تم بہادر قوم ہو تمھیں خوابوں کی دُنیا میں بھیج دیا گیا ہے!! یاد رکھو! کوئی باہر سے نہیں آئے گا ہمیں خود اپنے خطے میں اپنے آپ کو محفوظ کرنا ہوگا، یہ خیالی دُنیا سے باہر نکلو اور حقیقت سمجھو!! ہم شیعوں کو تو پوری دُنیا کے مذاہب کے لوگوں کو تحفظ دینا ہے اُن کو مذہبی آزادی دینی ہے مگر ہم یہ کام اُس وقت کرسکتے ہیں جب ہم خود محفوظ ہو، By AFP Published: December 30, 2012 Remotely-triggered bomb hit convoy of three buses. PHOTO: EXPRESS MASTUNG: A car bomb attack on buses carrying Shia pilgrims to Iran killed 19 people and injured 25 in Mastung on Sunday, officials said. The remotely-triggered bomb hit a convoy of three buses in Mastung district and set one of them ablaze, said Tufail Baluch, a senior government official in the district. “At least 19 people have been killed and 25 injured. All of them were Shia pilgrims,” he told AFP, adding most of those killed were burnt to death. “The bomb was planted in a car. The condition of some of the injured is critical,” Baluch said. Some 180 Shia pilgrims were on their way to Iran in the buses when the bomb ripped through one of them, said Akbar Hussain Durrani, a senior government official in Quetta. One bus carrying some 45 pilgrims was badly damaged, he said. Mastung is some 30km south of Quetta. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. ====================== Tintinnabulations of a vandalised future Posted: December 18, 2012 in Cross Posted, Newspaper Articles, Terrorism/Extremism Tags: Ahmed Ludhianvi, ASWJ, Clean drinking water, Lashkar e Jhangvi, LeJ, pakistan muslim league, pakistan muslim league nawaz, PML-N, polio, politics, Punjab, Punjab Government, Rana Sana Ullah, Raza Rumi, Salman Taseer, Shahbaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif and his admirable running of Punjab, Sipah-e-Sahaba, SSP 0 Editor’s NOTE: The following op-ed, penned by me, was published in Daily Times on December 17, 2012. I’m pleased to cross-post the article on my blog from Daily Times without any editing. (Ali Salman Alvi) Any government can remain in check if the opposition played its role vigilantly and the ruling party’s lapses are reported by the media. However, when media fails to report on sensitive but rampant cases, and the opposition is no better when they come in power but do only lip service to make their position look intact to voters and justified to their critics, it is the responsibility of society to make a note of the ongoing political, social and economic atrocities. For instance, more than 475 Shias have been killed this year in Pakistan to date, with this number increasing every day. The opposition is nowhere to be seen and the indifference of mainstream media to the gravity of the issue is making matters worse. Whilst I hold the federal government responsible for the law and order situation in Pakistan, I cannot give a clean chit to the provincial governments, which ought to provide security to their citizens. A few days ago, my friend Raza Rumi wrote an op-ed titled, ‘Shahbaz Sharif and his admirable running of Punjab’ that was printed in a national daily. Apart from admiring Mr Sharif for the good things done by his government, he expressed his concern about the rise of extremism and militancy owing to the fragile implementation of law in the province in the following words: “There is a perception that the PML-N is soft on extremist and sectarian groups, due to reasons of electoral adjustment and perhaps, ideology as well. This is a serious omission, which might haunt the party if it comes to power in the next election, as there will be no excuse of a ‘hostile’ federal government and its failures to curb terrorism.” I, strongly but respectfully, disagree with the notion that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) leniency towards groups like Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (now working under the label of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat [ASWJ]) is a mere perception. The ‘lovey-dovey’ liaison of the PML-N and ASWJ/SSP is nothing new. The PML-N has time and again sought the SSP’s support to contest elections and the latter has rarely disappointed the former. In the recently concluded by-elections in which Punjab saw a thumping win for the PML-N, the ASWJ announced to support the PML-N’s candidate, Haji Nawaz Chohan, in Gujranwala’s constituency PP-129. The announcement came from the ASWJ’s district president Arshad Hameedi at a religious seminary as the latest display of public affection between the two parties. Electoral alliances are not aimed at charity; these alliances are established as a trade-off between two parties and they are motivated by a shared ideology. In February 2010, the provincial law minister, Rana Sanaullah, visited Jhang on a by-election campaign for a provincial assembly seat. He was seen interacting with Ahmad Ludhianvi of the ASWJ as he took the hardliner cleric to a drive in his open top jeep with official patronage. Is it appropriate for a provincial law minister to take a radical cleric with him on an election campaign? Did Mr Sharif take any action against his law minister for giving an unprecedented protocol to the head of an organisation that considers Shias as infidels? In an interview expressing his biggest concern, the slain former Punjab governor, Shaheed Salmaan Taseer said, “I worry about terrorism. The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz)‚ which is in government in the Punjab‚ has old linkages with and a natural affinity for extremist organisations like Sipah-e-Sahaba‚ Lashkar-e-Jhangvi… Let’s face it: terrorists need logistical support from within — somebody funds them‚ somebody guides them‚ and somebody looks after them — and that support is coming from the Punjab… You can’t have your law minister [Rana Sanaullah] going around in police jeeps with [outlawed Sipah-e-Sahaba’s] Ahmed Ludhianvi‚ whose agenda is to declare Shias infidels and close down their places of worship‚ and then say you want harmony in this province. You can’t have the chief minister [Shahbaz Sharif] who is also the home minister‚ standing at Jamia Naeemia pleading with the Taliban to please not launch attacks in the Punjab because he shares the same thinking against the US as they do. What message does this send out to the local magistrate and police officer?” As per the report, ‘Pakistan: The Militant Jihadi Challenge’ by the International Crisis Group published in 2009, “The recent upsurge of jihadi violence in Punjab, the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP), the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Balochistan’s provincial capital, Quetta, demonstrates the threat extremist Sunni-Deobandi groups pose to the Pakistani citizen and state. These radical Sunni groups are simultaneously fighting internal sectarian jihads, regional jihads in Afghanistan and India and a global jihad against the West… The Pakistani Taliban, which increasingly controls large swathes of FATA and parts of the NWFP, comprises a number of militant groups loosely united under the Deobandi Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) that have attacked not just state and western targets, but Shias as well. Their expanding influence is due to support from long-established Sunni extremist networks, based primarily in Punjab, which have served as the army’s jihadi proxies in Afghanistan and India since the 1980s. Punjab-based radical Deobandi groups like the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) and its offshoot Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LJ) provide weapons, recruits, finances and other resources to Pakistani Taliban groups…The SSP and LJ are also al Qaeda’s principal allies in the region.” Mr Sharif’s government needs to see the writing on the wall. Promoting, appeasing and pandering to such extremist outfits can win the PML-N an extra seat or two in the next elections but in the long run, it will be devastating for the fabric of our society and the law and order situation in the province. According to another media report, the PML-N and ASWJ has struck a deal on electoral adjustments in the provincial and National assemblies in the upcoming general elections. It is just a matter of time before the two parties end up contesting elections together. I agree that the good things being done by the government must be appreciated but at the same time, we must not condone government officials festering extremism this or that way. On the other hand, in February this year, the Supreme Court of Pakistan expressed its resentment over the performance of the Punjab government when the court was told that several water filtration plants had not yet been completed in the province despite being started many years ago. Non-existent or insufficient infrastructure for clean water and sanitation poses serious health risks. In countries like ours, up to 80 percent of all environmental diseases are because of lack of clean and safe drinking water. Less than 50 percent of Pakistan’s most populous province Punjab has access to piped drinking water. Less than 30 percent of the rural population has access to safe drinking water. Assisting the apex court on polio and hepatitis, Professor Dr Faisal Masood and Professor Dr Javed Raza Gardezi informed the court that the poor and unprivileged class is bound to drink contaminated water because this is all they are being offered. The absence of clean drinking water is resulting in increased infectious diseases like polio and diarrhea. Punjab government is far from being an admirable one. CM Shahbaz Sharif and his running of Punjab can be best described as the old adage goes “Among the blind, the squinter rules.” Instead of dumping billions of rupees running a parallel education system (Danish Schools) Mr Sharif could have made the existing system more viable. We must appreciate the positive steps being taken by the incumbent government but we should avoid going over the top in praise of a government that has many serious questions to answer. Source: VIEW : Tintinnabulations of a vandalised future — Ali Salman Alvi =============== Pakistan militants kill 41 in mass execution, attack on Shi'ites Sun, Dec 30 05:51 AM EST 1 of 2 By Jibran Ahmad PESHWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani militants, who have escalated attacks in recent weeks, killed at least 41 people in two separate incidents, officials said on Sunday, challenging assertions that military offensives have broken the back of hardline Islamist groups. The United States has long pressured nuclear-armed ally Pakistan to crack down harder on both homegrown militants groups such as the Taliban and others which are based on its soil and attack Western forces in Afghanistan. In the north, 21 men working for a government-backed paramilitary force were executed overnight after they were kidnapped last week, a provincial official said. Twenty Shi'ite pilgrims died and 24 were wounded, meanwhile, when a car bomb targeted their bus convoy as it headed toward the Iranian border in the southwest, a doctor said. New York-based Human Rights Watch has noted more than 320 Shias killed this year in Pakistan and said attacks were on the rise. It said the government's failure to catch or prosecute attackers suggested it was "indifferent" to the killings. Pakistan, seen as critical to U.S. efforts to stabilize the region before NATO forces withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of 2014, denies allegations that it supports militant groups like the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani network. Afghan officials say Pakistan seems more genuine than ever about promoting peace in Afghanistan. At home, it faces a variety of highly lethal militant groups that carry out suicide bombings, attack police and military facilities and launch sectarian attacks like the one on the bus in the southwest. Witnesses said a blast targeted their three buses as they were overtaking a car about 60 km (35 miles) west of Quetta, capital of sparsely populated Baluchistan province. "The bus next to us caught on fire immediately," said pilgrim Hussein Ali, 60. "We tried to save our companions, but were driven back by the intensity of the heat." Twenty people had been killed and 24 wounded, said an official at Mastung district hospital. CONCERN OVER EXTREMIST SUNNI GROUPS International attention has focused on al Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban. But Pakistani intelligence officials say extremist Sunni groups, lead by Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) are emerging as a major destabilizing force in a campaign designed to topple the government. Their strategy now, the officials say, is to carry out attacks on Shi'ites to create the kind of sectarian tensions that pushed countries like Iraq to the brink of civil war. As elections scheduled for next year approach, Pakistanis will be asking what sort of progress their leaders have made in the fight against militancy and a host of other issues, such as poverty, official corruption and chronic power cuts. Pakistan's Taliban have carried out a series of recent bold attacks, as military officials point to what they say is a power struggle in the group's leadership revolving around whether it should ease attacks on the Pakistani state and join groups fighting U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan. The Taliban denies a rift exists among its leaders. In the attack in the northwest, officials said they had found the bodies of 21 men kidnapped from their checkpoints outside the provincial capital of Peshawar on Thursday. The men were executed one by one. "They were tied up and blindfolded," Naveed Anwar, a senior administration official, said by telephone. "They were lined up and shot in the head," said Habibullah Arif, another local official, also by telephone. One man was shot and seriously wounded but survived, the officials said. He was in critical condition and being treated at a local hospital. Another had escaped before the shootings. Taliban spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan claimed responsibility for the attacks. "We killed all the kidnapped men after a council of senior clerics gave a verdict for their execution. We didn't make any demand for their release because we don't spare any prisoners who are caught during fighting," he said. The powerful military has clawed back territory from the Taliban, but the kidnap and executions underline the insurgents' ability to mount high-profile, deadly attacks in major cities. This month, suicide bombers attacked Peshawar's airport on December 15 and a bomb killed a senior Pashtun nationalist politician and eight other people at a rally on December 22. (Additional reporting by Saud Mehsud in DERA ISMAIL KHAN and Gul Yousufzai in QUETTA; Writing by Katharine Houreld; Editing by Michael Georgy and Ron Popeski) ===============

Sex, drugs and rock and roll: Australia's other boom

Sex, drugs and rock and roll: Australia's other boom Sat, Dec 29 21:25 PM EST

In remarks broadcast on television, Sindh Assembly Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza claimed that Shahrukh Jatoi had been deported from Australia to Pakistan, because he had beaten up a teacher in his university.

By James Grubel CANBERRA (Reuters) - Forget Australia's mining boom. The nation's strong economy, high currency and wages have made it a magnet for sex, drugs and rock and roll. Foreign sex workers, drug smugglers and global rock acts are all targeting Australia to cash in on an economy growing at 3.1 percent when other developed nations are struggling to expand at all. The alternative boom has emerged as Australian average full-time wages hit $72,500 a year, and with the Australian dollar trading stubbornly above parity with the U.S. dollar for the past two years. That has made Australia even more profitable for fly-in and fly-out rock acts and prostitutes, and especially for drug traffickers who are taking bigger risks with the hope of windfall profits.

"Offshore organized crime syndicates perceive Australia to have a robust economy and to have been less affected by the global financial crisis than other jurisdictions," said Paul Jevtovic, the Australian Crime Commission's executive director of intervention and prevention.

DRUG PROFITS Australian police made 69,500 illicit drug busts in the year to June 30, 2012, the highest in a decade, and have made record arrests in the first six months of this financial year. In recent months, police have intercepted drugs hidden in a 20-tonne steamroller and heavy machinery, in a large wooden altar, and they have broken up a drug ring involving smugglers in Australia, Japan and Vietnam. One of the biggest smuggling operations was a failed bid to bring in more than 200 kg (440 lb) of cocaine across the Pacific Ocean from Ecuador on a 13-metre (40-foot) yacht, found grounded on a small atoll in Tonga with a dead crewman aboard. Australian police, who work closely with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and authorities throughout Asia and the South Pacific, said the high prices paid in Australia and the strong dollar all helped make the country attractive for smugglers. Crime statistics show why some are willing to risk up to 20 years in prison. The Australian Crime Commission, which examines trends and works closely with police agencies, said heroin and MDMA, also known as ecstasy, sell for about eight times more in Australia than in Britain and the United States, though Australia is a much smaller market. Crime Commission data given to Reuters shows a kilogram of cocaine is worth about $2,400 in Colombia, $12,500 in Mexico, and $33,000 in the United States. The same kilogram of cocaine is worth $220,000 in Australia. ROCK REVIVAL Once a remote destination for big rock acts, Australia has been flooded with talent over the past year and faces a steady stream of musicians, including heritage acts, in 2013. The strong dollar has made Australia the ideal place to perform for musicians wanting to make money at a time when touring rather than album sales is the main driver of income, with many acts charging a premium in a cashed-up economy. In the first half of 2013, Australia will see tours by Bruce Springsteen, Pink, Guns N'Roses, Ringo Starr, ZZ Top, Thin Lizzy, the Steve Miller Band, Deep Purple, Santana, Status Quo, Robert Plant, Neil Young, Carole King, Paul Simon and Kiss. The high ticket prices have upset some fans, who question why an artist like Springsteen charges $220 for a premium ticket in Australia, when the same ticket to the same show in Connecticut in October cost $90. "You can't tell me it costs more than double per head to stage a concert here in Australia," said music fan Robin Pash, who has just returned from the United States, where he saw Springsteen and a series of acts for what would be considered bargain prices. Entertainment journalist Jonathon Moran, however, said the higher prices reflected the higher cost in Australia, although Australia's strong dollar did make it more attractive to perform downunder. "More people want to come here, and Australian audiences are comparatively well off and can afford the tickets," Moran, from Sydney's Sunday Telegraph, told Reuters. SEX AND THE BOOM Sex workers are also cashing in on the boom, particularly in remote mining towns, where the world's oldest profession is the latest to adopt fly-in, fly-out work practices. And more overseas sex workers are heading for Australia. A 2012 report for the government in the most populous state, New South Wales, found a marked rise in the number of female sex workers from Thailand, Korea and China since 2006, with 53 percent of sex workers from Asia and a further 13.5 percent from other non-English-speaking countries. The report, by the University of New South Wales, found a median hourly rate of A$150 for sex services in Australia's largest city of Sydney, although sex workers can charge double that in remote mining towns full of cashed up men. In the gold mining town of Kalgoorlie in the Western Australia state, the Red House brothel, which has operated since 1934, advertises services starting at A$300 an hour. Proprietor Bruna Meyers said women in her establishment earned up to A$4,000 a week at a busy time, or about three times the average full-time Australian wage. "The girls who come here are mainly from over east (eastern Australian states). They come in, sometimes for two or three weeks at a time. Some are just girls who are travelling around the world," Meyers told Reuters. ($1 = 0.9652 Australian dollars) (Editing by Ron Popeski

Karachi Cantt station blast kills 5, injures 48

Karachi Cantt station blast kills 5, injures 48 By Web Desk Published: December 29, 2012 Injured have been taken to a nearby hospital. PHOTO: SCREENSHOT KARACHI: Five people were killed while around 48 sustained injuries in a blast near Cantt station, Karachi, Express News reported on Saturday. Police and rescue officials reached the blast site soon after the incident. Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) officials said the blast occurred in a passenger bus after two CNG cylinders exploded back to back. Police officials said one of the cylinders was placed on the top of the bus. There have been conflicting reports regarding the nature of the blast as the bus driver claimed no cylinders were fitted in the vehicle. The bus caught fire after the blast. The injured – mostly with burn injuries - were taken to a nearby hospital. Some are reported to be critically injured. Buildings and vehicles close to the site were also damaged. Interior Minister Rehman Malik has sought report on the blast from IG Sindh. Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon also reached the blast site. In a similar incident earlier, one person was killed and five injured when the CNG cylinder of a public bus exploded on the Abul Hasan Ispahani Road. The bus was filling gas at a CNG station when the blast occurred. This is a developing story and will be updated accordingly.

Iraqi Sunnis stage big anti-government rallies

http://youtu.be/dp3mG1iiVrc Top News Iraqi Sunnis stage big anti-government rallies Fri, Dec 28 08:42 AM EST 1 of 3 By Kamal Naama and Raheem Salman RAMADI, Iraq (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of protesters from Iraq's Sunni Muslim minority poured onto the streets after Friday prayers in a show of force against Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, keeping up a week-old blockade of a highway. Around 60,000 people blocked the main road through the city of Falluja, 50 km (32 miles) west of the capital, setting fire to the Iranian flag and shouting "out, out Iran! Baghdad stays free" and "Maliki you coward, don't take your advice from Iran". Many Sunnis, whose community dominated Iraq until the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, accuse Maliki of refusing to share power and of favoring Shi'ite, non-Arab neighbor Iran. Protests flared last week after troops loyal to Maliki, who is from the Shi'ite majority, detained bodyguards of his finance minister, a Sunni. Activists demands include an end to the marginalization of Sunnis, the abolition of anti-terrorism laws they say are used to target them, and the release of detainees. "I came to Falluja to express my support for their demands. I hope we proceed to Baghdad," said 48-year-old Faiq al-Awazi. Demonstrations were also held in the northern city of Mosul and in Samarra, where protesters chanted "the people want to bring down the regime", echoing the slogan used in popular revolts that ousted leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen. Speaking at a "reconciliation" conference broadcast on television, Maliki said: "It is not acceptable to express something by blocking roads, inciting sedition and sectarianism, killing, or blowing the trumpet of war and dividing Iraq". The protests are likely to add to concerns the civil war in neighboring Syria, where majority Sunnis are fighting to topple a ruler backed by Shi'ite Iran, will drive Iraq back to the sectarian slaughter of 2005-07. Militants linked to al Qaeda appear to be regrouping in Anbar and to be joining rebel ranks across the border in Syria. Protesters in the city of Ramadi in Anbar province raised pictures of Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, who has lined up against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and has sparred increasingly often with Maliki. In Iraq's Shi'ite south, a small anti-Erdogan protest was held in the holy city of Najaf, 160 km (100 miles) from Baghdad. Sunni complaints against Maliki grew louder a week ago following the arrest of Finance Minister Rafaie al-Esawi's bodyguards hours after Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd seen as a steadying influence, was flown abroad for medical care. For many, that was reminiscent of a move to arrest Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi one year ago, just when U.S. troops had withdrawn. Hashemi fled into exile and was subsequently sentenced to death in absentia. Maliki has sought to divide his rivals and strengthen alliances in Iraq's complex political landscape before provincial elections next year and a parliamentary vote in 2014. A face-off between the Iraqi army and Kurdish forces over disputed oilfields in the north has been seen as a possible way of rallying Sunni Arab support behind the prime minister. (Writing by Isabel Coles; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

Forensic examination reveals that Sipah Sahaba behind murder of both Sunni and Shia in Karachi

A facebook page of Pakistani Deobandis incites violence against Shias. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=583288468354829&set=a.144973082186372.28395.144428562240824&type=1 Source: The following news report is adapted, with minor editing, from daily Dawn, to illustrate Sipah Sahaba’s role in murder of Shia Muslims and moderate Sunni clerics. Karachi: As the city descends into fear amid a renewed wave of killings, the police authorities see one or more organised groups behind what was earlier being called ‘tit-for-tat Deobandi vs Shia sectarian attacks’ as forensic investigations into nearly 90 cases found that same weapons had been used in targeting people from different sects and political parties, it emerged on Thursday. A top police official confirmed to Dawn that under forensic findings it seemed ‘crystal clear’ that the recent wave of killings had nothing to do with Sunni-Shia (or more precisely Deobandi-Shia) sectarian rivalry rather it was an attempt to ‘destabilise the city peace’ to achieve ‘certain targets’. More than 300 Shia Muslims and up to twenty Deobandi affiliates of the Sipah Sahaba have been killed in Karachi alone in 2012. However, the forensic examination of weapons used in the murder of Shia Muslims and some Deobandi clerics suggests that same weapons were using in attacks on Shias and moderate Deobandi clerics. This confirms the lang asserted belief that Takfiri Deobandi militants of Sipah Sahaba (operating as Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat ASWJ or Lashkar-e-Jhangvi LeJ) are not only killing Shias, Sunni Barelvis and Ahamdis, they are also killing moderate Deobandi clerics opposed to their violent agenda. Some of the attacks on Deobandi leaders of Sipah Sahaba are also attributed to the intra-Sipah Sahaba rivalry between Malik Ishaq Deobandi group and Ahmed Ludhianvi Deobandi group. The recent revelation confirms that Takfiri Deobandi militants of Sipah Sahaba Taliban (SST) are target killing both Shia and Sunni Muslims in order to manufacture and incite Sunni-Shia sectarian violence in Pakistan. Only a few weeks ago, a Deobandi militant of Sipah Sahaba was caught red handed in New Karachi after he killed a prayer leader in an Ahle Hadith (Salafist) mosque. A few months ago, Police in Peshawar revealed a printing press in which Sipah Sahaba Deobandis were publishing blasphemous books against the Sahaba (Companions of the Prophet) attributed to Shia clerics. In the past, Sipah Sahaba Deobandi militants have killed Sunni Deobandi and Sunni Barelvi clerics such as Maulana Hasan Jan Deobandi, Maulana Nizamuddin Shamzai Deobandi, Maulana Sarfraz Naeemi, Maulana Saleem Qadri, Maulana Abbas Qadri, Maulana Akram Razvi etc. According to informed sources, Pakistan army, ISI in particular, is perturbed by this revelation by the Karachi Police and is currently pressurizing them to deflect the attention from Sipah Sahaba (ASWJ) to foreign conspiracies (USA, Israel, India etc). According to Sindh IG Fayyaz Ahmed Leghari told Dawn. “Killers are neither Sunni or Shia. It’s a third force (Takfiri Deobandis). The current targeting of Shias and also some attacks on Deobandis have nothing to do with Sunni-Shia sectarian differences. If they were the cause, you would have been witnessing violence in every street of the country.” Asked about reasons for his confidence about the ‘third force’ (i.e., Takfiri Deobandi enemies of both Sunni and Shia) involved in the killings, he based his conclusion on findings of forensic investigations into a number of recent incidents that had earlier been described as sectarian killings. “For instance, we have found that the weapon used in one targeted attack was also used in another,” said IG Leghari. He explained that on Nov 29, a young couple, Dr. Iqbal Hussain and Dr. Dilshad Kaneez Fatima who were employees of the Karachi Institute of Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine (KIRAN), was gunned down near Safoora Goth and the following day another man, Nazar Abbas, was killed on Shaheed-i-Millat Road whose 12-year-old daughter, Mehzar Zehra, was wounded in the attack. The police investigators and the media then suspected sectarian motives for both attacks as all the victims belonged to the Shia sect, he said. However, he added, the Dec 3 killing of a seminary teacher off Abul Hasan Ispahani Road and forensic analysis of spent bullet casings one after another incident told a different story. “On Dec 3, Maulana Mufti Mohammad Ismail Deobandi of Madressah Ahsan-ul-Uloom was shot dead, off Abul Hasan Ispahani Road. Interestingly, the forensic examination in all these cases suggested that the same weapon was used in all three shootings,” said IG Leghari, reiterating that it was for this reason that the police believed “it’s not the sectarian violence or shooting on an ideological basis”. Karachi has experienced a high number of anti-Shia target killing in 2012. Many people belonging to the Shia sect — with a significant number of them from same families — lost their lives to the menace. Similarly, a relatively lesser number of men belonging to the Sunni Deobandi sect, including seminary students and teachers, were killed in incidents of firing in different parts of the city. While no serious effort from government quarters was witnessed to track the attackers and expose their motive, the Sindh police forensic division has made some progress on these lines. “We have digital images of over 7,000 empties [spent bullet casings],” said Additional IG forensic division Muneer Sheikh. He said: “After a forensic analysis so far in some 90 cases this year we have found weapons of different calibers used in the multiple killings. Modern technology is being used for the analysis of every spent bullet casing according to global standards of forensic investigations,” he added. There is a great possibility that many of the weapons used by Deobandi militants of Sipah Sahaba were given to them as a part of Pakistan army’s Jihadist training for cross-border Jihadist operations in Kashmir and Afghanistan. In that case, relevant quarters in the ISI may be rightly worried by the current revelation and may try to suppress it.

Reports of Army Deployment in DHA, Clifton, FTC

It's reported on twitter

Delhi gang-rape victim dies in Singapore hospital

Delhi gang-rape victim dies in Singapore hospital Get short URL email story to a friendprint version Published: 29 December, 2012, 02:12 TAGS: Crime, Scandal, Law, India People wait at the Mount Elizabeth hospital in Singapore, on December 29, 2012 (AFP Photo / Roslan Rahman) The female victim of a brutal gang-rape on a Delhi bus has died in a Singapore hospital. Her assault sparked massive demonstrations against sexual violence across India. The 23-year old student “died peacefully” early on Saturday, said a statement by Singapore's Mount Elizabeth hospital, where she was treated for multiple internal injuries. "We are very sad to report that the patient passed away peacefully at 4.45 am (local time) on 29 Dec 2012," Kelvin Loh, the hospital’s chief executive said. "Her family and officials from the High Commission of India were by her side. The Mount Elizabeth Hospital team of doctors, nurses and staff join her family in mourning her loss." Loh said the woman had remained in an extremely critical condition since Thursday when she was flown to Singapore from India. "She had suffered from severe organ failure following serious injuries to her body and brain. She was courageous in fighting for her life for so long against the odds but the trauma to her body was too severe for her to overcome." The young women and her male companion were attacked on a public bus on December 16 by six men who raped her and brutally beat them both. They also inserted an iron rod into her body causing severe organ damage. Both were then stripped and thrown off the bus. The horrendous incident in the Indian capital sparked violent weeklong demonstrations, with protesters demanding greater security for women and urging the death penalty for the suspects. The death of the Delhi rape victim comes after another victim of sexual assault in India committed suicide after police and suspects from an influential cast pressured her to drop the case. The teenage girl was found dead Wednesday night after swallowing poison. She was assaulted during the festival of Diwali on November 13 in the Patiala region, Punjab, according to officials. ========================================================= Body of India rape victim arrives home in New Delhi Sun, Dec 30 05:43 AM EST 1 of 26 By Adnan Abidi and Devidutta Tripathy NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The body of a woman whose gang rape provoked protests and rare national debate about violence against women in India arrived back in New Delhi early on Sunday and was quickly cremated at a private ceremony. The unidentified 23-year-old medical student died from her injuries on Saturday, prompting promises of action from a government that has struggled to respond to public outrage. She had suffered brain injuries and massive internal injuries in the attack on December 16, and died in hospital in Singapore where she had been taken for treatment. She and a male friend had been returning home from the cinema, media reports say, when six men on a bus beat them with metal rods and repeatedly raped the woman. The friend survived. Six suspects were charged with murder after her death. A Reuters correspondent saw family members who had been with her in Singapore take her body from the airport to their Delhi home in an ambulance with a police escort. Ruling party leader Sonia Gandhi was seen arriving at the airport when the plane landed and Prime Minister Mannmohan Singh's convoy was also there, the witness said. The body was then taken to a crematorium and cremated. Media were kept away but a Reuters witness saw the woman's family, New Delhi's chief minister, Sheila Dikshit, and the junior home minister, R P N Singh, coming out of the crematorium. Security in the capital remained tight after authorities, worried about the reaction to the news of her death, had on Saturday deployed thousands of policemen and closed some roads and metro stations. Protesters still gathered, in New Delhi and other cities, to keep the pressure on Singh's government to get tougher on crime against women. Last weekend, protesters fought pitched battles with police. On Sunday, lines of policemen in riot gear and armed with heavy wooden sticks stood in front of metal barricades closing off roads in New Delhi. Morning traffic was light. DOUBTS The outcry over the attack caught the government off-guard. It took a week for Singh to make a statement, infuriating many protesters. Issues such as rape, dowry-related deaths and female infanticide rarely enter mainstream political discourse in India. Analysts say the death of the woman dubbed "Amanat", an Urdu word meaning "treasure", by some Indian media could change that, although it is too early to say whether the protesters calling for government action to better safeguard women can sustain their momentum through to national elections due in 2014. Newspapers raised doubts about the commitment of both male politicians and the police to protecting women. "Would the Indian political system and class have been so indifferent to the problem of sexual violence if half or even one-third of all legislators were women?" the Hindu newspaper asked. The Indian Express acknowledged the police force was understaffed and poorly paid, but there was more to it than that. "It is geared towards dominating citizens rather than working for them, not to mention being open to influential interests," the newspaper said. "It reflects the misogyny around us, rather than actively fighting for the rights of citizens who happen to be female." Most sex crimes in India go unreported, many offenders go unpunished, and the wheels of justice turn slowly, according to social activists, who say that successive governments have done little to ensure the safety of women. Commentators and sociologists say the rape has tapped into a deep well of frustration many Indians feel over what they see as weak governance and poor leadership on social issues. New Delhi has the highest number of sex crimes among India's major cities, with a rape reported on average every 18 hours, according to police figures. Government data show the number of reported rape cases in India rose by nearly 17 percent between 2007 and 2011. For a link to the poll, click http://www.trust.org/trustlaw/news/special-coverage/g20women/ (Additional reporting by Ross Colvin and Diksha Madhok; Writing by Louise Ireland; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Robert Birsel)

Chinese Takeaway is Certain

Beyond the Headlines: Dec. 25, 2012 Protesters in Ramadi hold a picture of Finance Minister Rafa al-Essawi a day after his security forces were rounded up by anti-terrorism forces in Baghdad. The protests claim the acts are without due process and are outside the law. (JAMAL NAJI/Iraq Oil Report) Beyond the Headlines highlights key incidents and developments that didn't make the past week's news, giving readers a ground truth view of Iraq. Our custom research division regularly publishes a far more extensive version of this feature, called Beyond the Headlines Premium. To purchase access, or to commission customized research, please contact us. For sample reports, please click here. By Staff of Iraq Oil Report Published December 25, 2012 Halfaya farmers protest PetroChina HALFAYA – Farmers in Missan province staged a protest in front of PetroChina's offices in Halfaya, claiming their land had been acquired without the payment of any financial compensation. Protesters say their land has been seized in order to allow the development of the Halfaya oil field, operated by PetroChina - a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC). They called on the Missan Provincial Council to take up their case and bring it to the ... ============= Author biggordy Vi Message Hi everyone, compliments of the season to you all. I have a little time on my hands at the moment and I’ve been doing my own research – not only on Kurdistan but on Iraq as a whole. I’ve been thinking out of the box on Boxing Day. This is a long post so hopefully you will have the time to read it and find it worthy of doing some more research yourself on the subject of the Chinese in Iraq. I don’t have the eloquence of a BBBS or a Scaramouche however this may get them interested enough in the topic of the Chinese to post one of their blockbusters. I saw on this iii board recently that the CNPC had made its first shipment of oil from Halfaya in a new supertanker with a capacity of 2 million barrels. I decided to research this news and other news about Iraq oil exports to China. I wanted to try to understand what the Chinese are up to at the moment with regards to Iraq since newsflow on the iii board about them is relatively quiet. I especially wanted to do so with a view to a potential Chinese takeover of GKP so I suggest that you read the referenced articles and you think about their strategy. From my research I was able to see that Halfaya is a new port project developed by the Chinese which was completed 15 months ahead of schedule. Big things are planned for further stages. Iraq has recently been struggling to achieve full price for its oil due to strong competition and technical issues ( more later). Nevertheless it is still achieving an average sale price for its oil of around $105/barrel. By applying that price to one supertanker worth of crude the value becomes $210m. I then converted that price to GKP’s market cap – Monday’s closing sp of £1.64 or $2.64 multiplied by 876m shares - $2.32bn. GKP’S market cap equates to only ELEVEN supertankers worth of crude!!!! Now that equates to 22 million barrels of oil at sales price ( I fully appreciate this is not the profit oil element but bear with me). GKP currently has a share in recoverable oil of approximately 2.7 billion barrels – you can make your own estimate of how much they currently have and how much they are likely to have when all exploratory drilling is complete but this figure is in the ballpark. 2.7 billion barrels converts to 1350 tankerloads. Now, if I was Chinese I would be thinking about THE PRIZE and the importance of my imports from Iraq (I’m pretty sure they are light years ahead of me in their thinking and planning). China needs to secure many billions of barrels worth of oil. The USA, in fact the Americas, and Russia are now self sufficient in oil and China knows the most important thing for them is to have enough oil to secure their continued GDP growth of 8%. During the first year following the Iraqi elections the Kurds were often referred to as Kingmakers in terms of who would rule Iraq. I haven’t heard the term recently and it now appears that M&S rule Iraq and its oil with an increasingly strong arm approach. They have successfully thwarted any attempts to introduce a vote of no confidence in their leadership and some forecasters think they will continue to do so until the next national elections in 2014. M&S have become much more aggressive towards the Kurds and talks of an Oil and Gas Law have been on the backburner for several weeks. Oil exports from Kurdistan have all but stopped and there seems no likelihood in the short term of them being resumed. There has even been talk of Maliki running for a third term and his behaviour has become more and more dictatorial. All of this has had a major impact on share prices of Kurdish oilies and GKP in particular. Iraq is currently exporting annually around 2.62 billion barrels of oil of which 0.42 billion goes through the Ceyhan pipeline to Turkey. Exports to at least 6 different Chinese entities (China Offshore, Petrochina, Sinochem, TOTSA TOTAL, Unipec, Zhenhua Oil ) are currently around 0.52 billion and are forecast to increase by over 8% next year. Chinese state refiner Sinopec will nearly double the amount of term crude it buys from Iraq next year to 270,000 bpd as it looks to replace oil from Iran, sources said. I’m not sure if Sinopec and CNPC are alternate names for any of these six and if TOTAL is the French version. In the south the western majors are leaving in droves and seem totally disinterested in bidding for new licences since they perceive the risks to their employees to be too high for a minimal return. Whilst there is talk of new contracts in the south ( similar to Kurdish PSC’s) Shari and co seem to be taking an eternity to recognise that they have to improve the contracts on offer to make it worth the risks for the majors to invest. The Russians have already declined to buy WQ from Exxon and the Chinese look like they may be the last of the majors standing. Iraq’s customers are concerned about variable oil quality not being up to the export spec required and one of the reasons appears to be that due to the erratic flow of Kurdistan oil into the Kirkuk stream and the start up of new fields in the south. These concerns about price and quality persist, deterring some buyers. Now where is all this leading me to you may ask? If you are Chinese and wanting to secure oil supply for the next couple of generations then the stars are starting to align in your favour. I mentioned kingmakers and now its time for aces. IMHO Chinese hold more aces than anyone else right now and they may well start to show them. First Ace - Let’s assume that the Chinese want to emerge from the shadows to takeover GKP and indeed a few more Kurdish oilies. We know TK loves a Chinese take-away and there is a suspicion that some non-disclosures in the cc are related to the Chinese ( some of whom attended court for a day – why?). They may already have bought a sizeable portion in the high teens percent through the six companies mentioned above. Nobody outside of China and possibly the KRG and GKP really knows since they only need to declare a holding of 3% but each of these companies could own 2.99%. The Chinese are smart and if they are going to make a bid for GKP then they will strike when the market least expects them to which is probably when they reckon that the sp is at lowest. They will have been watching the cc and may have formed the same opinion as the majority of readers on this bb that GKP are likely to either win the case or be exposed to a relatively small award to Excal – let’s say the legal costs and award amount to £50m – or 6p on the sp. This is peanuts in the grand scheme of things to the Chinese and is more than built into the sp already. The Chinese will also want to strike when they think they can get the lowest T/O price. If they are reading these bb’s they may form the opinion that GKP shareholders are likely to accept a lower offer than the £8/share previously rumoured to have been rejected. Why not try £5 / share since the impatient investors have been waiting too long already and don’t have the stomach to wait around for another 15 months until the elections happen when there is a chance, but no guarantee, that there will be a govt voted into office who are likely to pass an O&G Law. Second ace – M&S are in a very vulnerable position in light of electricity shortages in south Iraq, 30+% unemployment, accusations of corruption, Arab Spring, Syria and fall outs with Kurdistan and most of the western world oil majors. They are struggling to hold it together and it wouldn’t take much more to topple them. Who could do it? The Turks, Kurds and western oil companies are trying albeit progress is slow. Well if the Ceyhan pipeline is blocked by the Turks/Kurds then bang goes an export rate of 0.4 billion barrels a year. It doesn’t look like the Kurds are going to switch on the supply of their own oil any time soon. If the Chinese were then to threaten M&S with technical issues in the oil they supply or maybe the new tanker needs to go into dry dock for major repairs there is the possibility that another 0.5 billion a year could slow up. If the export run rate falls below 2.0m barrels a year then M&S are not going to last much longer in power. Now if the Chinese played their first ace and told M&S to usher the O&G Law through Parliament within a month I for one think that this would happen on time ( no biscuits – jfdi) - M&S have very little option. Third Ace – China alone has the ability to not only guarantee they will buy 0.5 billion barrels of Iraqi oil they can also guarantee to buy 5 billion barrels in the longer term if the Iraqis allow them to produce it using existing licences in the south. With an O&G law in place and new contracts – similar in profitability terms to the Kurdistan PSC’s the Chinese would have a huge incentive to get the oil flowing both in the south and in Kurdistan. The main issue in the south is security however one hears very little about attacks on Chinese in the south. The Chinese are not to be messed with and there is no troubled history or fundamental reasons for any of the factions to tackle them. Fourth Ace –the Chinese have the ability to provide infrastructure and electricity cheaper and faster than any other country on the planet. They can demonstrate how they have done this not only in China but also in other developing countries. Whilst the Turks may be able to demonstrate how well they have done in helping develop Kurdistan there is very little chance of them being allowed to do so in southern Iraq due to history and security issues. The Chinese could negotiate lucrative contracts to help rebuild Iraq and at the same time negotiate payment guarantees using the oil they are buying from Iraq. The ancient civilisations in the world have been bartering their goods for ever. There is no need for money – better to trade oil for goods and services. The Chinese would not be exposed to the non payment issues the Kurds are experiencing – they would simply stop buying oil until Iraq settles. With the pricing and quality issues Iraq is currently experiencing no doubt the Chinese could negotiate better long term oil pricing than they could get from the rest of the worlds suppliers. So before you sell more GKP shares ask yourself who holds all the aces in GKP and indeed Iraq – the long term investors or the shorters. If you think that the technical analysts are right and likely to help drive the sp down to £1.40 then feel free to help them do so. If you think that an RNS saying that a Chinese company has bought more than 3% of GKP (or indeed a take-over offer) could come at any time then hang on in there. The upside could be measured in £’s/share whilst the downside is more likely to be measured in pence per share. I have googled “Iraq oil exports to China” and “oil exports from Basra to China” in my research and suggest you do the same. There are many interesting articles including one from the Oman Times and there are also official Iraqi oil export statistics. Happy hunting and a have a good New Year – we may celebrate two shortly the western one and the Chinese one!

Three Afghans dead in new blast at U.S. base in Afghan east

Wed, Dec 26 07:16 AM EST 1 of 2 By Elyas Wahdat KHOST, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed three people in an attack on a U.S. base in Afghanistan on Wednesday, the same base that is believed to be used by the CIA and which a suicide bomber attacked three years ago killing seven CIA employees. The Afghan Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in the eastern town of Khost, saying they had sent a suicide bomber driving a van packed with explosives to the base. "The target was those who serve Americans at that base," said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. Afghanistan's NATO-led force said the bomber did not get into the base nor breach its perimeter. Police said the three dead were Afghans who were outside the base, which is beside a military airport. The al Qaeda-linked Haqqani network, widely regarded as the most dangerous U.S. foe in Afghanistan, is active in Khost province, which is on the Pakistani border. After more than a decade of war, Taliban insurgents are still able to strike strategic military targets, and launch high-profile attacks in the capital, Kabul, and elsewhere. Three years ago, an al Qaeda-linked Jordanian double-agent killed seven CIA employees and a Jordanian intelligence officer in a suicide bombing at the same base in Khost, known as Forward Operating Base Chapman. It was the second deadliest attack in CIA history. Afghan police official General Abdul Qasim Baqizoy, the Khost police chief, said no CIA agents were hurt on Wednesday. Afghan authorities are scrambling to improve security across the country before the U.S. combat mission ends in 2014. Besides pressure from the Taliban, U.S.-led NATO forces also face a rising number of so-called insider attacks, in which Afghan forces turn their weapons on Western troops they are supposed to be working with. On Monday, an Afghan policewoman killed a U.S. police adviser at the Kabul police headquarters, raising troubling questions about the direction of the war. It appeared to be the first time that a woman member of Afghanistan's security forces carried out such an attack. On Tuesday, Afghan officials said the woman has an Iranian passport and moved to Afghanistan 10 years ago. There was no suggestion that Iran was involved in the attack on the American. Officials suspect she may have been recruited by al Qaeda or the Taliban, and had intended to also kill Afghan police officials. (Reporting by Elyas Wahdat; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Robert Birsel)

Russian pipeline blast, quake strike 2014 Olympics host Sochi

Russian pipeline blast, quake strike 2014 Olympics host Sochi Wed, Dec 26 01:53 AM EST MOSCOW (Reuters) - A gas pipeline blast followed by a mild earthquake has struck Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi, which will host the 2014 Winter Olympics, a local government spokeswoman told Reuters on Wednesday. Irina Gogoleva of Russia's Emergencies Ministry said no one was hurt and there was no apparent damage to the city's infrastructure after a 5.2 magnitude earthquake was reported at 0242 local time on Wednesday (2242 GMT on Tuesday). "The Emergencies Ministry servicemen scoured through the city districts, bridges and electrical cables, there was no damage," Gogoleva said, adding that the epicentre of the quake was some 150 kilometres (93 miles) off Sochi in the Black Sea. In an unrelated incident, a gas pipeline that feeds a local power station exploded a couple of hours before the quake. Gogoleva said the power plant had switched to fuel oil and the city was receiving electrical power. She said the reason for the blast was unknown. Sochi, the first Russian city to have been awarded the Winter Olympics, is located on the coast close to Georgia, with whom Russia fought a brief war in 2008 over two breakaway regions. The wider volatile Caucasus region is a major source of political tension. (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Paul Simao)

PAKISTAN will never get freedom from Makhdooms, Shahs

President’s Hala visit to benefit Makhdooms From the Newspaper | 7 hours ago HYDERABAD, Dec 25: President Asif Ali Zardari’s visit to Hala on Tuesday may politically benefit the Makhdooms, put into an uncomfortable position by their allies by forming a local political alliance. In his first visit to the Makhdooms house in Hala on Tuesday, he spoke to a gathering of notables, including local politicians, parliamentarians of the Pakistan People’s Party, ministers Naveed Qamar, Pir Mazharul Haque and Syed Murad Ali Shah. He praised the Makhdooms in the light of their long association with the PPP since their father, Makhdoom Mohamm-ad Zaman Talibul Maula, joined the PPP. He said Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Amin Fahim’s son Jamiluz-zaman would together serve the people of Hala. He said the PPP would get votes on the basis of its performance. Host Amin Fahim, his brother Dr Rafiquzzaman and Jamiluz-zaman were also present. Mr Fahim had reached Hala on Monday night. It was his first appearance in his hometown after the formation of the Awami Ittehad Alliance, formed recently against the Makhdooms by local politicians associated with the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional and other parties. A 30-member delegation of notables and local politicians also called on the president. They included Sajjadanasheen of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai’s shrine Syed Nisar Hussain Shah. It is also learnt that former PML-F MPA Jalal Shah Jamote announced joining the PPP in the president’s presence. Dada Hashim Samoon – who has joined the Awami Ittehad Matiari – also announced his support for the Makhdooms. Others who announced their support for them included Jiandal Shah, a relative of Syed Shah Mohammad Shah, senior vice president of the Sindh United Party. SUP local leaders are also part of the alliance. Likewise, Sarfaraz Rahu, son of Nazeer Rahu, a close aide of Amin Fahim, attended the lunch though his father did not. “Our alliance is intact,” says Mohammad Ali Shah Jamote, convener of the alliance. According to him, Dada Hashim Samoon was pressured by Hyderabad SSP Farid Jan Sarhandi to announce his support for the Makhdooms. “He did it accordingly as he had no other option,” he adds. He says Jalal Shah Jamote joined the PPP considering that he would contest for PS-44, which Jalal Shah had won in 2002. Raees Nazeer Rahu, Raees Ali Ahmed Nizamani, once trusted men of the Makhdooms, did not attend the function.—Staff Correspondent ================ Politicking: Gohar Ayub, son to join PML-N this week By Muhammad Saqadat Published: December 26, 2012 Despite being one of the few close aides of Nawaz Sharif, Gohar parted ways when he was jailed and exiled. HARIPUR: Former national assembly speaker Gohar Ayub Khan and his son Omar Ayub have finalised a date to formally join the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N). Omar said on Tuesday that they would formally be announcing their move on December 27 at a press conference in Raiwand. He also said that Raja Faisal Zaman, the son of late Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) senior minister Raja Sikandar Zaman, would also be joining the PML-N. Youngest son of Field Marshal Ayub Khan, Gohar won elections through the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) when the Islami Jamroohi Ittehad (IJI) came to power after controversial elections. Gohar, being a close associate of Nawaz Sharif, was then elected as the Speaker of the National Assembly. From 1993-1997 he served as Deputy Opposition Leader during the second tenure of the late Benazir Bhutto-led PPP government. He was then appointed the foreign minister in Nawaz Sharif’s cabinet after the 1997 elections, but was removed from the position by General (Retd.) Pervez Musharraf in October 1999. Despite being one of the few close aides of Nawaz Sharif, Gohar parted ways when he was jailed and exiled. He later joined the Pakistan Muslim League – Quaid (PML-Q) and fielded his son Omar on a PML-Q ticket in NA-19 Haripur as he did not have a bachelor’s degree at the time. Omar, although a political novice, defeated Pir Sabir Shah, the sitting provincial president of PML-N with a heavy margin and was chosen as minister of state for finance in the cabinet of then-prime minister Shaukat Aziz. However, the changing political dynamics eventually cost Omar his family seat during the 2008 elections and he lost to PML-N candidate Sardar Mushtaq Khan with a margin of over 40,000 votes, coming third. Both father and son continued to remain affiliated with the PML-Q that eventually divided into two more factions and being close relatives of the head of the PML-Q (Likeminded), Salim Saifullah Khan, jumped into his boat. About three months ago, when the leadership of PML-Q (Likeminded) and PML-N agreed on a seat adjustment and announced Omar as joint candidate for the next elections, the sitting MNA Sardar Mushtaq said he would join the Pakistan Peoples Party instead. This cleared obstacles that Omar and his father faced. They also convinced Nawaz Sharif to soften his stance on accepting those who left the party at earlier dates. Sources say that the PML-N chief had no other option but to accept Omar as he has no electable candidate for NA-19 after the defection of Sardar Mushtaq to PPP. It has yet to be seen how effective Omar will prove for Nawaz Sharif as Dr Raja Amer Zaman, the elder son of late Raja Sikandar Zaman, is also considered as strong candidate from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. Although it has yet to be seen if the PML-N can win the seats required for forming the next government, Nawaz Sharif’s ‘backtracking’ from his previous stand of not accepting those who had abandoned him indicates that he is to win maximum seats. Published in The Express Tribune, December 26th, 2012. ===========

This is how Rangers occupied Karachi: Old Golimar library taken over by Rangers

Old Golimar library taken over by Rangers

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From the Newspaper | Shazia Hasan | 6 hours ago KARACHI, Dec 25: The Sindh Rangers have moved into the Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai Library in Old Golimar that was recently renovated by the Sindh government some six years after it was burned down during riots. The library’s renovation some three months ago meant a lot for the students of Old Golimar. Not only did it serve the people of that area, it also catered to students coming from Pak Colony, Jahanabad, Garden East and Garden West. First opened on Feb 14, 1977, by the then Sindh Chief Minister Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, the library housed around 4,500 books with several old manuscripts of the Holy Quran. In addition, it had a collection of toys for children which they called Khilona Library. Other than the library, this place housed the Site Town Nadra office, a bank branch and utility store. But on Aug 26, 2006, this significant place of learning fell victim to loot and plunder in the form of anti-government protests following the murder of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti along with all the other places within a half kilometre of the Pak Colony police station. The protests continued for over two hours during which the library was set ablaze. Books not burnt to ashes were taken away. Then on the insistence of the people of Site Town, Sindh Minister for Katchi Abadis Nadeem Ahmed Bhutto wrote to Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah for the restoration of the library with the Nadra office, bank and utility store on the premises. Now after renovation work has been carried out on the building, there is a barrier restricting the public from entering the building as the premises has been taken over by the Sindh Rangers. Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s ex-MPA Fareeda Baloch is one of the people affected by the unfortunate incident spelling disaster for the library in 2006 when hooligans pushed out her car from the library parking lot and torched it. “What to say of my car,” she said speaking to Dawn on Tuesday. “I was just shocked at the stupidity of the people taking part in the vandalism. Many of them were residents of Old Golimar, joining in the rioting. In the process they only hurt themselves by losing such a good library,” she said. “Yelling slogans of Jeay Baloch, they burned down everything they could lay their hands on — tables, chairs, children’s toys and the biggest treasure of all, the books,” she added. “There is as it is a dearth of education here. In such circumstances the library was a very important fixture especially for those who wanted to study and make something of themselves here. By burning it down, they have only hurt their children’s future. “Earlier, they said that the building was damaged beyond repair and it will have to be demolished but then it was renovated but what use is that as it has been taken over by the Rangers? It is a library. I ask what business do the Rangers have there?” she said. “There are mighty influential people with links to the government living in the area even now, but no one seems to care or question what has become of the Bhitai library.” Later, the Pakistan People’s Party PS-92 General Secretary Ghulam Rasool Raikani explained how the Rangers got possession of the library in the first place. “It was around when the renovation work was under way that they would park their vehicle right outside saying that it was a designated spot for ensuring security. As time passed, they started sitting inside as the gates would be ajar while the work was going on. Then one day their DSR held a meeting with us seeking the premises for their use. We explained to them that the place was reserved for a library,” he said. “But around three months back, they just barged in and even broke all the padlocks inside to take over the rooms as well. They are men in uniform, what they say now is that their presence is needed in the area. But people are still getting killed here despite their being around,” Mr Raikani added. When contacted, Sindh’s Minister for Katchi Abadis Nadeem Ahmed Bhutto told Dawn that under the prevalent law and order situation in Old Golimar, the Rangers could not be evicted from the place. “It’s our bad luck that the library is not being used as such. But the presence of Rangers is also needed in this rather sensitive area as we can’t allow the gangs to freely roam about there,” he said. “Therefore, I have approached the interior minister and the CM, reminding them that they had invested government money in the library, and to help us look for a long-term solution to this problem.” Meanwhile, when Dawn called the Sindh Rangers to know who had endorsed their moving into the Bhitai Library and if they were there on a permanent or temporary basis, their spokesman said he was not sure what locality and which library we were talking about, but he would forward the questions to higher authorities.

Chritsmas Day Shooting in Karachi: 25 dead; funerals postponed due to Wahabi thugs on streets

REUTERS/FILE KARACHI: An attack on Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) leader on Tuesday sparked violent protests in several areas of Karachi, reported Express News. Protesters pelted stones and burnt tyres and vehicles in various areas including Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Nagan Chowrangi, Waterpump, Lasbela, Patel Para and Korangi Expressway. ASWJ leader Maulana Aurangzeb Farooqui was attacked by unidentified gunmen earlier during the day outside a madrassah in the Gulshan-e-Iqbal area. The attack left six others dead, including four police officials. According to ASWJ spokesperson Akbar Saeed Farooqui, the injured leader was now out of danger after being treated at the Liaquat National hospital. Following the incident, the party had urged workers and supporters to remain calm and not stage violent protests. ============= Mourning day: City braces for closure as ASWJ calls strike By Our Correspondent Published: December 26, 2012 The police van accompanying ASWJ’s Aurangzeb Farooqi bore the brunt of the attack on Tuesday. Four policemen died in the attack while another was injured. PHOTO: ONLINE KARACHI: As the city went through another bloody attack and its fiery fallout, Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat, formerly the banned Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, called for a strike on Wednesday (today) against the assassination attempt on its leader. A day of mourning will also be observed across the province. If the murder attempt on Aurangzeb Farooqi, which claimed the lives of six people, was not enough, unidentified assassins shot dead at least 12 more people across Karachi, taking the death toll on Tuesday to 18. The Karachi chief of the banned SSP had narrowly escaped a murder attempt when motorcycle-riding attackers ambushed his convoy in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. ASWJ spokesperson Akbar Saeed Farooqui told The Express Tribune that the ASWJ has appealed to the transporters and the business community to support its strike call to make it successful. The ASWJ has asked its workers not to take law into their hands. The representatives of transporters and business associations, however, said they had not decided to support the strike call and would decide “after assessing the situation”. Violence erupts The attack on ASWJ chief had sparked violent protests in several areas of Karachi, including Nagan Chowrangi, New Karachi, North Karachi, Nazimabad, Lasbela, Abul Hasan Isphani Road, Sohrab Goth, Malir, National Highway, Patel Para, Mehmoodabad, Baloch Colony, Korangi and Gulberg areas. As main thoroughfares were blocked by protesters and unidentified men fired aerial shots, all commercial activities were suspended in the affected areas. Public transport vehicles disappeared from the roads as violence erupted. “We stopped our vehicles around 5pm as mobs blocked the roads,” said Syed Mehmood Afridi, the Karachi Transport Ittehad general secretary. The public transporters union has instructed its drivers not to operate their vehicles on Wednesday due to the volatile situation in view of the strike called by the ASWJ. “Public buses will not come out until the situation normalises,” he said. “We will observe the situation in the morning and then decide whether to run our buses or not.” Targeted attacks Earlier, two SSP workers, Abdul Hafeez and Ghulam Haider, were shot dead in Orangi Town when they were on their way to attend a workers convention at Nagan Chowrangi. Also in Orangi Town, two men of the Shia community, Nadeem Akhtar and Syed Shahid, were gunned down. DSP Zahid Hussain said Akhtar was also associated with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement but may have been killed over sectarianism. In Lines Area, two more men of the Deoband sect, Rozi Khan and Naimat Khan, were killed while another, Ateeq, was wounded in a targeted attack outside a mosque. DSP Usman Bajwa also linked their murder to sectarian violence. An alleged criminal, Zainul Abideen, was killed by the bullet of his accomplices as the group made its escape after firing at an imambargah in New Karachi. DSP Chaudhry Akhtar said the man was associated with the SSP and was booked in two murder cases. Near Radio Pakistan, 26-year-old Mazhar Zaheer was gunned down, Preedy police said. The body of Ghulam Hussain, 35, was found from a garbage dump within the Nabi Buksh police limits. A young man, who has yet to be identified, was shot dead in Kamil Gali, Kharadar police said. Gulshan-e-Iqbal police found a bullet-riddled body of a man, who has yet to be identified. Similarly, Eidgah police also found the body of a young man, which was shifted to the Edhi morgue at Sohrab Goth. Shia funeral The funeral of two Shia brothers, slain a day earlier in Nazimabad, was held at the Rizvia Imambargah. The participants also staged a protest and torched a passenger bus. Published in The Express Tribune, December 26th, 2012. ====================================== RT @nadiaanwar89: I was crossing the bridge when I heard fire shots on ASWJ leader..That was scary... After 2 mins of firing I saw cops & ambulances on d spot FavoriteRetweetReplyFollow heavy and relatively dangerous firing being reported from Nashtar Basti, old sabzi mandi, #Karachi Why the hell ASWJ leader had police protection. Every tom dick and Harry seems to have police protection except common men who pays for it Karachi | a minute ago KHI: ASWJ K Karkunan Ghulam Haider Aur A.Hafeez Ke Nema E Janaza Aaj Bad Magrib Masjid e Farooq e Azam Islam Chowk Orangi Mey Ada Ki Jayegi. karachi | a minute ago =============== Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) کراچی … سندھ پولیس میں اعلیٰ سطح پر تبادلے اور تقرریاں کی گئی ہیں، عام تعطیل کے باوجود نوٹیفکیشن آج ہی جاری کئے جانے کا امکان ہے۔ نمائندہ جیو نیوز طلحہ ہاشمی کے مطابق سندھ پولیس میں اعلیٰ سطح پر تبادلے اور تقرریاں کی گئی ہیں جس کے مطابق شاہد حیات کو ڈی آئی جی ساوٴتھ جبکہ آصف اعجاز شیخ کو ڈی آئی جی ویسٹ تعینات کردیا گیا ہے۔ کافی عرصے سے تقرری کے منتظر علیم جعفری کو ڈی آئی جی ایسٹ مقرر کیا گیا ہے جس کی انہوں نے جیو نیوز سے گفتگو میں تصدیق کی ہے جبکہ جاوید اوڈھو کو ڈی آئی جی کھارا در تعینات کردیا گیا ہے۔ 25 دسمبر کی عام تعطیل کے باوجود سندھ پولیس میں تبادلے اور تقرریاں کی گئی ہیں اور امکان ہے کہ اس کا نوٹیفکیشن بھی آج ہی جاری کردیا جائے گا۔ ذرائع کے مطابق سندھ پولیس میں اعلیٰ سطح پر مزید تبادلے اور تقرریاں ہونے کا امکان ہے۔ کراچی … گلشن اقبال کے علاقے میں نامعلوم موٹر سائیکل سواروں کی فائرنگ سے اہلسنت والجماعت کے رہنما اورنگزیب فاروقی زخمی ہوگئے، تاہم ان کی حالت خطرے سے باہر ہے، واقعے میں جاں بحق افراد کی تعداد 5 ہوگئی، 3 پولیس اہلکار، ڈرائیور اور ذاتی محافظ شامل ہیں۔ شہر میں آج فائرنگ کے واقعات میں جاں بحق افراد کی تعداد 10 ہوگئی ہے۔ ترجمان اہلسنت والجماعت کے مطابق گلشن اقبال میں موتی محل کے قریب نامعلوم افراد نے مولانا اورنگزیب فاروقی کی گاڑی پر فائرنگ کی جس کے نتیجے ان کے 3 پولیس محافظوں سمیت 5 افراد جاں بحق ہوگئے ان میں اورنگزیب فاروقی کا ذاتی محافظ اور ڈرائیور بھی شامل ہے، جبکہ واقعے میں اورنگزیب فاروقی، ایک محافظ اور پولیس زخمی ہوئے تاہم رہنما اہلسنت والجماعت کی حالت خطرے سے باہر ہے۔ ترجمان اہلسنت والجماعت اکبر سعید نے اورنگزیب فاروقی پر فائرنگ کے واقعے کی شدید مذمت کی ہے۔ گلشن اقبال میں فائرنگ کے واقعے کیخلاف ناگن چورنگی پر مشتعل مظاہرین نے احتجاج کیا جس کے بعد علاقے میں کاروبار بند ہوگیا جبکہ پولیس کے مطابق عائشہ منزل پر مشتعل افراد نے ایک بس کو آگ لگا دی۔ فائرنگ کے واقعے کے بعدگلشن اقبال کے علاقے میں خوف و ہراس پھیل گیا، اسٹیڈیم روڈ پر مشتعل افراد کی ہنگامہ آرائی کے باعث ٹریفک معطل ہوگیا۔ذرائع کے مطابق جاں بحق ہونے والے تینوں پولیس گارڈ ہیں جبکہ ایک اور زخمی اے ایس آئی کی حالت تشویشناک ہے۔دوسری جانب شہر کے مختلف علاقوں میں فائرنگ کے دیگر واقعات میں بھی 5 افراد جاں بحق ہوئے ہیں اور آج ہلاکتوں کی تعداد 9 ہوگئی ہے۔ کراچی میں فائرنگ کا پہلا واقع شاہ فیصل کالونی میں پیش آیا جہاں نامعلوم افراد نے ایک شخص کو قتل اور ایک کو زخمی کر دیا۔ اورنگی ٹاوٴن سیکٹر 5 میں نامعلوم افراد کی فائرنگ سے مذہبی جماعت سے تعلق رکھنے والے 2 افراد جاں بحق ہوگئے، اورنگی ٹاون میں ہی فائرنگ کے واقعات میں ایک شخص ہلاک ایک زخمی ہوا جبکہ لانڈھی میں فائرنگ سے 3 افراد زخمی ہو گئے۔ DHARNA in #Karachi by Religious party extremists near Shahra-e-Faisal WTF FavoriteRetweetReplyFollow RT @mqmshahfaisal: Redrawing #Karachi: #MQM files review petitions against SC verdict http://t.co/cFUiYJpG Karachi | a minute ago RT @WasayJalil: Happy Marry #Christmas to all in #Pakistan n around the world on behalf of QT #AltafHussain #MQM #Karachi #Lahore #Punjab Karachi | a minute ago Some so called religious party's people opening gunshots on civilians and in open air to terrorize. Ot protest they call. #Karachi Karachi, Pakistan | a minute ago #Karachi: Aaj Halaakto Ki Tadad 15 Ho Gai, 3 Gariya Jala Di Gai. Mukhtalif Elaqo Me Firing, Karobar Band. 5:55pm #Craupdate# Karachi, Pakistan | a minute ago Shara-e-faisal/National Highway blocked at 3 spots, Awami Markaz, Natha Khan goth and Malir city #Karachi" Karachi | a minute ago firing near Hassan Square, Essa Nagri areas, #Karachi KARACHI,PAKISTAN. | a minute ago RT @WasayJalil: Happy Merry #Christmas to all in #Pakistan n around the world on behalf of QT #AltafHussain #MQM #Karachi #Lahore #Punjab Karachi | a minute ago From Hill Park, overlooking the sunset and Shahrah Faisal in #Karachi http://t.co/6OCfupEf Karachi, Pakistan | a minute ago Seems I'm going to miss the biryani dawat at Nazimabad today. #Karachi #crisis Karachi, Pakistan | a minute ago RT @Sam_pk: @flucky83 Shara-e-Faisal blocked due to protest #Karachi" Karachi | a minute ago Gunshots on civilians #Karachi Stay safe people Karachi, Pakistan | a minute ago RT @ArabiqPrince: Violence erupted in #Karachi in connection with maulana farooqui assasination, stay safe #Karachites Karachi, Pakistan | a minute ago #Karachi itta sara traffic! shara e faisal! Happy Birthday Quaid! Merrrrrryyy Christmass! Karachi, Pakistan | a minute ago Shara-e-Faisal blocked due to protest #Karachi FOLLOW MULTINEWSPK SEND ON 4O4O4 KARACHI,PAKISTAN. | seconds ago #Karachi: Aaj Halaakto Ki Tadad 15 Ho Gai, 3 Gariya Jala Di Gai. Mukhtalif Elaqo Me Firing, Karobar Band. KARACHI PAKISTAN | a minute ago @flucky83 Shara-e-Faisal blocked due to protest #Karachi" Karachi | a minute ago RT @BilalZKhan: Gloria Jeans. #Xmas #Off #Karachi http://t.co/HJiMLyRj Karachi | a minute ago Shara-e-faisal/National Highway blocked at 3 spots, Awami Markaz, Natha Khan goth and Malir city #Karachi #Karachi: Shahrah e Faisal Drig Road Pay Car Nazre Atish. @Feroz Ali Kamdi 6:40pm ============ Karachi, Pakistan | a minute ago اے این پی کی دہشت گردی کیخلاف متحد ہونے کی اپیل | Dawn Urdu #karachi http://t.co/ndDPPYyu via @dawn_com KARACHI | a minute ago Firing In Abul Hassan Ispahni Road ,Several Injuries Expected , #SSP & #ASWJ Terrorists Are Destroying Public Property In #Karachi Karachi Pakistan | a minute ago Today's dead count 17 confirmed #news #Karachi Karachi | a minute ago بھارت میں ساحل سمندر کی ریت سے بنائے گئے سینٹا کلوز کے مجسمے http://t.co/dMZxSR7P #Pakistan #Karachi Karachi,pakistan | a minute ago کارکن طاہرالقادری کی 14جنوری کی کال کیلئے تیار رہیں، الطاف حسین http://t.co/rd0Fqkem #Pakistan #Karachi Karachi,pakistan | seconds ago RT @TrendsKarachi: 'lala' is now trending in #Karachi http://t.co/uT2vOlpA Karachi | a minute ago RT @TanvirH: #Karachi has been acting strange today. Situation tensed in different areas. Transport strike tomorrow. PAKISTAN | a minute ago RT @TanvirH: #Karachi has been acting strange today. Situation tensed in different areas. Transport strike tomorrow. Karachi , Pakistan | a minute ago 'lala' is now trending in #Karachi http://t.co/uT2vOlpA a minute ago #Karachi has been acting strange today. Situation tensed in different areas. Transport strike tomorrow. Karachi | a minute ago Firing In Abul Hassan Ispahni Road ,Several Injuries Expected , #SSP & #ASWJ Terrorists Are Destroying Public Property In #Karachi Karachi , Pakistan | a minute ago RT @SocietySector90: #MQM #KARACHI #SOCIETYSECTOR #ALTAFHUSSAINBHAISAID PICTURE http://t.co/L8ThfLOH 2 minutes ago RT @SocietySector90: الطاف حسین ڈاکٹرطاہرالقادری کی بات چیت۔۔#MQM #KARACHI a minute ago #Karachi Civil Hospital Kay Qareeb Firing 1 Shaks Janbahaq, Landhi Moinabad Mai Ahtijaj Road Block KARACHI PAKISTAN | a minute ago RT @SocietySector90: الطاف حسین ڈاکٹرطاہرالقادری کی بات چیت۔۔#MQM #KARACHI a minute ago #Karachi: Landhi Mansehra Colony Main Firing Say 1 Shaks Halak. Edhi info 8:02pm KARACHI PAKISTAN | a minute ago Amazing day at the beach followed by the usual #karachi chutiyapa on the way back at Maripur. Thanks @T_Durrani for the amazing hut! Karachi | a minute ago RT @akchishti: so 13 madarssa's all affiliated to ASWJ were used to bring #Karachi to stand-still - no- law enforcement agency to counter rioters. Karachi | seconds ago How are the halaat in #Karachi right now? Got to go to a wedding.. ============ RT @YusraSAskari: Revelry over, please spare a thought for #Karachi - 21 killed today and a strike call for tomorrow! #GodHelpUs Islamabad/Rwp/gujar khan | a minute ago RT @YusraSAskari: Revelry over, please spare a thought for #Karachi - 21 killed today and a strike call for tomorrow! #GodHelpUs Karachi, Pakistan | a minute ago RT @YusraSAskari: Revelry over, please spare a thought for #Karachi - 21 killed today and a strike call for tomorrow! #GodHelpUs Karachi, Pakistan | a minute ago #AltafHussain condemns wounding of Maulana Aurangzeb Farooqi in a murderous attack #Karachi #Pakistan http://t.co/JXbkFKgo via @Dailymotion Karachi Pskistan | a minute ago #Karachi Depleted team likely to play Japan in Asian CT http://t.co/ffCraJr2 Karachi | a minute ago RT @allaboutmqm: Video: #MQM Quaid Altaf Hussain condemns wounding of Maulana Aurangzeb Farooqi in a murderous attack #Karachi... http://t.co/vQvDLqI4 Karachi | seconds ago Oo Yar!! Kal #Bcom ka paper hoga ya nahi? Aik cheez to confirm krdo koi? Plzzz #UoK #Karachi Karachi, Sindh | a minute ago RT @allaboutmqm: #MQM Senator Tahir Mashhadi in WAQT Straight Forward on #Karachi's territorial boundaries & Delimitation orders... http://t.co/LcDKDUgl Karachi | a minute ago RT @akchishti: so 13 madarssa's all affiliated to ASWJ were used to bring #Karachi to stand-still - no- law enforcement agency to counter rioters. Karachi, Pakistan | a minute ago Video: Colourful programme held at 90 ( Nine Zero ) MQM #Karachi on the eve of #Christmas #Pakistan http://t.co/qBB3dnHE Malir Karachi Pakistan | a minute ago RT @SahilMQM: Colourful programme held at #NineZero #Karachi on the eve of #Christmas #MQM #Pakistan http://t.co/3oxbXn9h via @DailymotionUSA Detroit, MI, USA | a minute ago RT @YusraSAskari: Revelry over, please spare a thought for #Karachi - 21 killed today and a strike call for tomorrow! #GodHelpUs Karachi, Pakistan | a minute ago Colourful programme held at #NineZero #Karachi on the eve of #Christmas #MQM #Pakistan http://t.co/3oxbXn9h via @DailymotionUSA Karachi Pskistan | a minute ago RT @YusraSAskari: Revelry over, please spare a thought for #Karachi - 21 killed today and a strike call for tomorrow! #GodHelpUs Underground | a minute ago #Happy #Birthday to the nation's father, #Quaid-e-Aazam #Muhammad Ali #Jinnah. #merryhomeschool @CNN #KARACHI #PAKISTAN Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan | a minute ago RT @YusraSAskari: Revelry over, please spare a thought for #Karachi - 21 killed today and a strike call for tomorrow! #GodHelpUs somewhere | a minute ago Happy Holidays: Pope calls for ‘end to bloodshed’ in Christmas message http://t.co/EE1mjxVC #Pakistan #Karachi Karachi,pakistan | a minute ago Russia unveils $25 bln oil link to Pacific http://t.co/trLAQeKF #Pakistan #Karachi ============ http://t.co/rtK4lQnV#karachi #pakistan KARACHI | a minute ago RT @MULTINEWSPK: #Karachi: Orangi qabsa say 2 afrad ki Nashen baramad. +Lasbala firing 1 halak. +Landhi babar market firing 2 zakhmi. seconds ago RT @MULTINEWSPK: #Karachi: Orangi qabsa say 2 afrad ki Nashen baramad. +Lasbala firing 1 halak. +Landhi babar market firing 2 zakhmi. Karachi , Pakistan | a minute ago RT @TanvirH: We Won yayyy... now back to reality. #Strike #TargetKilling #Cng #Karachi a minute ago China rare earths producer, Baotou Steel, extends output halt http://t.co/bjlY3hBs #Pakistan #Karachi Karachi,pakistan | a minute ago RT @APMSOSECTORD: #MQM Nisar Panwar in DAWN Awam Ki Baat: Discussion on Social & Economical Issues of Liaquat Market Malir #Karachi a minute ago #Karachi: Orangi qabsa say 2 afrad ki Nashen baramad. +Lasbala firing 1 halak. +Landhi babar market firing 2 zakhmi. KARACHI,PAKISTAN. | a minute ago ڈیفنس: معمولی تنازع پر پولیس افسر کا بیٹا قتل http://t.co/HnOLvWH0 #Pakistan #Karachi Karachi,pakistan | 2 minutes ago نیشنل بینک آئی پی گیس پراجیکٹ فنانس کرسکتا ہے،عدنان عادل http://t.co/7Fpicej6 #Pakistan #Karachi Karachi,pakistan | 2 minutes ago ٹیکسٹائل برآمدات 8 فیصد اضافے سے 5 ارب 40 کروڑ ڈالر ہوگئیں http://t.co/RsgpQlpz #Pakistan #Karachi Karachi,pakistan | 2 minutes ago جولائی تا نومبر: غذائی تجارت کا خسارہ31 کروڑ ڈالر کم ہوگیا http://t.co/UqmgVex5 #Pakistan #Karachi Karachi,pakistan | 2 minutes ago غذائی تحفظ یقینی بنانے کیلیے کوشاں ہیں، معظم جتوئی http://t.co/CMJ88oqn #Pakistan #Karachi Karachi,pakistan | 2 minutes ago پروین شاکر، عورت کے استحصال کی داستان http://t.co/2kqoYXZ5 #Pakistan #Karachi Karachi,pakistan | a minute ago پنجاب کا سیاسی دنگل http://t.co/xtIxOGfz #Pakistan #Karachi Karachi,pakistan | a minute ago ملائیشیا کو پاکستانی برآمدات 28 کروڑ ڈالر سے تجاوز http://t.co/vZSNGIJX #Pakistan #Karachi Karachi,pakistan | a minute ago ضعیف الاعتقادی اور نوسرباز جعلی عامل http://t.co/HNxiPbER #Pakistan #Karachi Karachi,pakistan | a minute ago سوپ انڈسٹری نے گیس لوڈ شیڈنگ کو خطرہ قرار دے دیا http://t.co/O2h2yH3W #Pakistan #Karachi Karachi,pakistan | seconds ago RT @WasayJalil: Happy Merry #Christmas 2all in #Pakistan n around the world on behalf of QT #AltafHussain #MQM #Karachi #Lahore #Punjab seconds ago RT @ZaibaRizvi: @msislam_50 Allah Keray ho jaay bhai .. we are fed up with this made dog #Karachi #MQM #Altaf a minute ago RT @allaboutmqm: #MQM Senator Tahir Mashhadi in WAQT Straight Forward on #Karachi's territorial boundaries & Delimitation orders... http://t.co/LcDKDUgl

Shaukat Raza Mirza, MD of PSO, and driver shot dead

26-07-200 KARACHI July 26, 2001: Managing-Director Pakistan State Oil (PSO) Shaukat Raza Mirza was shot dead in an ambush by two unidentified masked men near the PSO House in Clifton, here on Thursday, police said. The gunmen seriously wounded his driver Suleman, who later died at a local hospital, the police said. Having left his Kehkeshan Colony residence at 8:25 am, the 62-year-old Mirza was proceeding towards the PSO Head Office in his silver-coloured chauffeur-driven BMW car (ABP-818). As soon as the car reached the junction of Chaudhry Khaliq-uz-Zaman Road and Adam Road, a few hundred yards away from Frere Police Station, two masked gunmen, on a motorbike, intercepted it. One of the gunmen shot him in his neck, an eyewitness told senior police officers. While Mirza slumped on the seat, the chauffeur tried to rush the car towards the PSO House, the eyewitness said, adding that during his bid, the car dashed into the rear part of a minibus and came to a halt. The gunmen came closer to the car and opened fire indiscriminately, resulting in the death of the PSO MD and severe injuries to his driver. The assailants fled from the crowded scene, another eyewitness said. A police mobile shifted the two to Jinnah Post-graduate Medical Centre and informed the police high-ups of the incident. While confirming the incident, SP Clifton Muneer Shaikh said that the cause of the killing was not yet clear. Hospital sources said that Mirza was brought to the hospital dead, and his chauffeur Suleman succumbed to his wounds while a team of senior doctors was trying to save his life. "Both the victims sustained bullet wounds in their necks and chests, which caused their deaths," said a doctor. Some sources are linking the killing to the planned retrenchment of over 1,000 PSO employees under a voluntary retirement scheme. Surprisingly, Mirza was killed the same way the KESC MD, Malik Shahid Hamid, was killed in November 1997 near his Clifton residence. It is also believed that Mirza had ordered the reopening of some very serious corruption cases, as did Malik Shahid Hamid and both had to lose their lives. Shaukat Raza Mirza took charge as MD PSO in February last. Before this, he was the president of Engro Chemical. One of Pakistan's leading business executives, Mirza was the man behind the success story of Engro Chemical Pakistan, having masterminded the conversion of the Esso Fertilizer into the employees-owned Engro Chemical Pakistan. Mirza was also the president of Bahbud, a non-governmental organisation working for poor women. He was also on the board of directors of Pakistan Refinery Limited and chairman of the board of Engro Chemical Pakistan Limited and International General Insurance Company. Mirza was also the chairman of Oil Companies Advisory Committee in Pakistan and a member of the Commonwealth Business Council, set up in 1998 to encourage international trade and investment within Commonwealth and to create dialogue for public and private sector roles. Mirza started his career with Esso Standard Eastern as a mechanical engineering after graduating from Engineering University Lahore. He was also the holder of master's degree in chemical engineering from Birmingham University, UK. He also attended a post-graduate programme in chemical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA. Before Joining PSO, Mirza served Exxon Chemical International for 25 years with a shining career. After a series of assignments in the US and Hong Kong, he became president and general manager Exxon Chemical International Supply Company Hong Kong in 1979. In 1988, he was appointed as president and chief executive officer of Exxon Chemical Pakistan Limited. In 1991, he successfully led an employee buy-out of Exxon equity in the company in partnership with international and local financial institutions and the company was renamed as Engro Chemical Pakistan Ltd. Mirza retired from Engro Chemical in July 1997. In 1988, Mirza was appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer of Exxon Chemical Pakistan Limited. In the wake of the incident, PSO's share price fell Rs 1.20 or 0.9 per cent to Rs 122.35 on Thursday. Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Usman Aminuddin and Secretary Petroleum Abdullah Yousuf have expressed profound grief over the tragic demise of Mirza. Chairman PSO M Salim and other staffers have also expressed condolence over the sad demise of Shaukat Mirza. Meanwhile, the Namaz-e-Janazah of the victim was offered at Imambargah-e-Yasreb Defence after Maghrib prayers, following which he was buried at Gizri graveyard. He leaves behind his wife, a son and two daughters. The Frere police have registered a murder case on the complaint of his son, Shahrukh Ali Raza Mirza, against unknown accused. Jhangvi group says it is responsible KARACHI, July 30 2001: The Lashkar-i-Jhangvi has claimed responsibility for the murder of PSO managing director Shaukat Mirza and the defence ministry official, Syed Zafar Hussain. In a joint press statement on Monday, chief of Lashkar-i-Jhangvi Riaz Basra and Lashkar's divisional chief , Lal Mohammed have claimed responsibility for both the killings. They also warned that any government functionary resorting to abuse of power would face the same fate. "We had urged the President, General Pervez Musharraf, not to implement the death sentence awarded to Sheikh Haq Nawaz as it could prove harmful for the integrity of the country but the government went ahead with its plan to appease a neighbouring country," said the statement. They said they would not shun their struggle, come what may, added the statement.-NNI TJP slams muder of Saukat Mirza HYDERABAD, July 29 2001: A large number of Tehrik-i-Jafria Pakistan workers staged a demonstration in front of the press club here on Sunday to protest against the murders of Shaukat Raza Mirza, managing director of PSO, in Karachi, Syed Ziaul Hassan and other Shiite leaders in the country. Speaking to the demonstrators, who were led by Sindh TJP secretary general Syed Kazim Hussain Shah Naqvi, Allama Mohammad Ali Jarwar, Allama Altaf Hussain Al-Hussaini, Allama Ahmed Ali Memon, Allama Imdad Ali Nasimi and Nizamul Haideri, condemned the murders of the prominent Shiite leaders throughout the country. They said they should not be compelled to retaliate, and appealed to Allama Sajjad Ali Naqvi and Allama Hassan Turabi to order the Shiites to launch a civil disobedience movement throughout the country. They demanded the immediate arrest of the killers of their leaders and ban "terrorist" organization. Need a Web site? Get YourOwnWebsite.com FREE! More than 1000 Websites templates, Unlimited Hosting Starting at $1.45 Powered by: Geocities.ws

DSP Orangzeb lost his son: Dual Standards & Dual Nationalities

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KARACHI: Shahrukh Jatoi – prime suspect in Shahzeb Khan’s murder case – has apparently surrendered himself to officials at Pakistan’s consulate in Dubai, Express News reported on Monday. Shahrukh had reportedly escaped to Dubai after allegedly killing Shahzeb Khan in Karachi. Shahzeb was murdered on December 25, 2012 over a petty dispute in Karachi’s Defence area allegedly by Shahrukh. Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry took suo motu notice of the killing and ordered police to arrest the suspects. Police managed to apprehend Siraj Talpur, his brother Sajjad Talpur and their cook. However, they failed to arrest Shahrukh. In a bid to force Shahrukh to return to Pakistan, or turn himself in, police had taken his father, Sikander Jatoim into custody. Police, who had sent a delegation to Dubai, had claimed that Shahrukh had been arrested in the emirates and would be repatriated as soon as legal formalities are fulfilled. ================== Shahzeb murder suspect Shahrukh Jatoi traced in Dubai By S. Raza Hassan and Wajih Ahmad Shaikh | S. Raza Hassan | — File Photo by Online KARACHI / LAHORE: The main suspect in the Shahzeb murder case, Shahrukh Jatoi, is in Dubai but the UAE government is in no hurry to detain him apparently because of a lack of coordination between foreign offices of the two countries, sources told Dawn on Wednesday. Dubai police might arrest him in a few hours if there was proper coordination between the two governments, the sources said. They said till now just a request had been sent by Pakistan Interpol to its counterpart in the UAE. Interpol offices around the world received similar requests every day and the local authorities decide about action to be taken. They said the UAE government had confirmed that the accused was still in Dubai. “The UAE authorities have given us a written statement confirming that Shahrukh Jatoi is present in Dubai,” a source said. Shahrukh Jatoi’s name had been put on the Exit Control List of the UAE, the source told Dawn, quoting officials of the UAE interior ministry. Since there was no sense of urgency on the part of the UAE government, they would proceed according to their own pace, the source said. “They (Dubai police) will not arrest the accused unless legal formalities under local laws are completed,” said another source. Dubai police have officially announced in the local media that they had not arrested Shahrukh because there were legal formalities to be followed before his arrest. A ‘diffusion notice’ bearing a sense of urgency compared to red warrants has been issued by the Central Bureau, Islamabad, (Interpol Office, Pakistan) for the arrest of the accused. Following the issuance of the ‘diffusion notice’, AVCC SP Niaz Ahmed Khosa left for Dubai to take custody of the accused. On Wednesday, witnesses identified other accused, including Siraj Talpur, in a court. Siraj Talpur, his brother and one of their employees had been arrested from the interior of Sindh a few days ago. Meanwhile, a division bench of the Lahore High Court granted on Wednesday protective bail for one day to Sikandar Jatoi, the father of Shahrukh Jatoi. The bench comprising Justice Sheikh Najamul Hassan and Justice Mahmood Maqbool Bajwa, granted the bail against bail bonds of Rs1 million. The petitioner appeared before the court along with his counsel Chaudhry Shehram Sarwar, and stated that the Supreme Court had taken a suo motu notice of the murder of Shahzeb Khan, who was shot dead in Karachi on Dec 25. The counsel pleaded that the petitioner wanted to appear before the apex court to record his statement but there was a possibility of his arrest. He also argued that his client had no link with the alleged murder, but police implicated him with mala fide intentions. The counsel had sought protective bail for at least three days, but the court granted it for one day and directed the petitioner to appear before the Supreme Court. ==== Jatoi’s uncle has rejected allegations against his nephew. At a press conference held in Sukkur, Subedar Khan Jatoi, the brother of Sikander Ali Jatoi whose son Shahrukh Jatoi is a key suspect in the case, claimed the allegations against his nephew were false. He maintained Shahrukh did not know either Shahzeb or Nawab Siraj Talpur, the second suspect in the murder. SUKKUR: The uncle of one of the suspects in Shahzeb Khan’s murder has rejected allegations against his nephew. At a press conference held in Sukkur, Subedar Khan Jatoi, the brother of Sikander Ali Jatoi whose son Shahrukh Jatoi is a prime suspect in the case, claimed the allegations against his nephew were false. He maintained Shahrukh did not know either Shahzeb or Nawab Siraj Talpur, the second suspect in the murder. Elaborating his version of the incident, Subedar Jatoi claimed that on December 24 – the day Shahzeb was murdered – his nephew Shahrukh had been driving back home from a McDonald’s outlet in Karachi’s Seaview locality when he was held up near the Country Club by a quarrel between some people. He said Shahrukh, who according to him had been studying in Australia and was spending a 10-day vacation in Karachi, was attacked by the quarrelers initially but was allowed to leave later. According to Jatoi, while Shahrukh returned home subsequently, sometime later some other men killed Shahzeb near the locality. He asserted that his nephew and Talpur were nominated in the FIR for ‘no apparent reason’. Jatoi claimed Shahzeb’s father DSP Aurangzeb was related to Pakistan Peoples Party leader Nabil Gabol. He maintained Shahrukh was implicated in the case on Gabol’s insistence, adding that the latter wished to malign Shahrukh’s father Sikander Jatoi politically. Lashing out at DSP Aurangzeb, he demanded the case be investigated by someone ‘considerably honest’. He asked the government and judiciary to conduct an inquiry into the matter so that both the victim and the innocent party receive justice. =============== Karachi: Darakshan Main Firing Se Janbahaq Hune Wale DSP Orangzeb Ke Betey Shahzaib Ko Qatal Karne Walu Ke Naam Siraj Talpur Aur Shahrukh Jatoi Hain Janwar Hi The, Inke Liye Agar Umeed Hai Police Bhi Janwar Ban kar Inko Road Per Goliyan Mar Ke Phenk De, Tou Phir Main Salam Paish Karunga Un Afsaran Ko, Lekin Aisa Huga Nahi,Sab Bas Hath per Hath Dharay Bethe Rahein Aur Apni Apni Bari Ka Intezar Karein, Kia Pata Shayad Ajj Main Apke Samne Betha Hun, Kal Na Hun... Hah... Kia Kehsakhte Hain Inhe Yar Main Nahi Karta, 15 Operate Karne Wale Official Log Hain, Wo Police Wale Hain, Main Police Main Nahi Brother Main Ye SITE Khud Bana Kar Bethawa Hu 2008 Se Kaam Karaha Hun Social Media Per, Bas Banali Yar, Qaum Ki Kidhmat Ka Shauk Hai Jabhi, Mere All Over Pakistan Police Main Taluqat Hain, Jinse Main Logo Ki Madad Karta hun ================= =========== Murdered in cold blood: For Sindh's feudals, Karachi lives come cheap By Our Correspondent Published: December 27, 2012 Despite the fact that Shahzeb’s father himself is a police officer, there is little the police have done so far to catch the murderers. PHOTO: FILE KARACHI: Shahzeb Khan didn’t even get time to change the clothes he wore to his sister’s valima. He was in his dark grey dress shirt and trousers when four 9mm bullets pierced through his car – a gleaming blue Swift which was an early birthday gift from his parents, and entered his body, eventually killing this popular 20 year old. The car which had somersaulted after the shooting near Mubarak Masjid in Karachi’s upmarket Defence area on Tuesday morning, now stands silent opposite the Darakhshan Police Station, a sad reminder of what the spoilt young sons of feudal landlords can do if they or their friends are challenged. Ironically, Shahzeb Khan, the only son of his parents, was shot dead because of a small argument. He and his sister had just returned to their home in the Country Club Apartments from the wedding when a servant living in the building teased his sister. Shahzeb raised his voice against the harassment. But this did not sink in well with the harasser’s master, one Nawab Siraj Talpur. A fight broke out soon after, but Shahzeb’s father, DSP Aurangzeb, jumped in and quickly resolved the dispute, and the two men left on a good note. Everything seemed normal. Soon after, Shahzeb decided to have tea with his friends. But the feud wasn’t over in Talpur’s mind till then. As an oblivious Shahzeb drove in his car near Mubarak Masjid, Talpur and his friend Shahrukh Jatoi followed him, along with Jatoi’s armed guards. Police say that in an act of cold-bloodedness, they then allegedly fired four bullets into Shahzeb’s car, leaving him severely injured, and eventually dead. Soon enough after the incident, the two criminals and their families conveniently escaped to Sukkur. Despite the fact that Shahzeb’s father himself is a police officer, there is little the police have done so far to catch the murderers. The devastated father of the young victim, Aurangzeb, clad in mourning black clothes, said taking lives in the city had become so easy for people who have strong political backgrounds and power. “I had settled the dispute. Then why was my son killed like this. This is the brutal reign of the feudals. They don’t spare anyone.” FIR 519 under murder case 302 has been registered at the Darakhshan Police Station against the two accused and their guards. Initially, the family had a hard time registering the case owing to political pressure coming from other end. However, Investigation officer Murtaza told The Express Tribune that a joint team under SI Chaudhry Nafees had been formed to look into the case. Some say this is a mere formality and nothing will come of this. “We have requested the FIA to put the names of the accused on the ECL.” The officer said that such open use of arms across the city had become common. “For students and young adults, carrying guns has become a trend. Fights break out and the first thing children do is take out guns on one another. Parliamentarians and influentials travel in the city with their guards pointing guns at others and no one can do anything. Their children do the same.” The tragic death of this media sciences student at Greenwich University sent shockwaves. Loved ones who remember Shahzeb for his cute smile, created a page “In Memory of Shahzeb Khan” to seek justice for the act. In just thirteen hours since the page was created, 2,500 people had joined, with dozens leaving messages of ‘I’ll miss your smile, RIP and you were a real soldier, you stood up for the wronged.” Close university friend Saad Jan, who had just arrived from visiting his friend’s grave said that Shahzeb was the person who would always stand up for others. Another friend, Fahad Wakeel said that he was always remembered for his good nature. Shahzeb’s uncle, Jahanzaib said: “For him everything ended with a smile. Even when he was leaving from the valima, and I saw him for the last time, he smiled and joked with my daughters and went away, leaving us forever.” The police suspect that the boys aged 20 or 23, are on their way to Sukkur. So far two people, alleged to be Jatoi’s guards, have been arrested. But even the police are now taking sides. SSP Investigation Faizullah Karejo said that the boys knew each other and were in a fight from before. “The parents had to intervene and everything was settled,” he said. “However, the boys started to fight again and Jatoi shot Shahzeb four times as he sat in his car to go to a friend’s house.” He added that Jatoi was in the city for winter break and is studying in Malaysia. Published in The Express Tribune, December 27th, 2012. ============== Zardari-linked feudal son fugitive after killing popular Karachi youth Shahzeb Khan December 28, 2012 By: Ahmar Mustikhan Subscribe . Shahzeb Kha, a popular Karachi yourth was killed in cold blood by a Sindh feudal's son linked to President Asif Ali Zardari Credits: Siasat.pk 1 Email . Policy & Issues newsletter + . . Related topics •Karachi . Advertisement Common citizens in Pakistan's commercial capital of Karachi appear to have no safety of life as they reel under the corrupt, feudal-dominated Zardari government, a recent cold-blooded murder has bared. Shahzeb Khan, 20, belonged to a family of police officers and was son of D.S.P. Aurangzeb Khan in Karachi. His late grandfather Shahjahan Khan was a famous police officer in Hyderabad. However, his killer Shahrukh Jatoi, son of Sikandar Jatoi, a Sindhi feudal connected to President Asif Ali Zardari, has not been arrested yet despite passage of three days. Jatoi murdered Shahzeb Khan in cold blood, according to Pakistan media reports. The killer's father Sikandar Jatoi was a feudal landlord from Sukkur but later became a "very rich contractor with all government officials in his pocket" after his friendship with Zardari. The extremely handsome Shahzeb Khan was said to be immensely popular among the youths of Karachi. A Facebook page "In memory of Shahzeb Khan" had more than 34,000 members by Friday evening U.S. northeast time and hundreds of people were joining it every minute. . Shahzeb Khan. "Deeply disturbed to learn about the tragic cold blooded murder of young Shahzeb Khan in Karachi by kin of some 'influential' people," Imran Khan, chief of the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf Imran Khan tweeted Friday. "A classic example of how our ruling elite violates laws inc murder," Khan added and urged his supporters to participate in the protest rally at the Karachi Press Club 3 pm Sunday. A similar peaceful protest rally is being held at the Liberty Round About in Lahore on Sunday at 3 pm. Shahzeb Khan was returning from his sister's wedding to the family Country Club apartment in the Seaview township on Christmas night when he and another sister were harassed by Shahrukh Jatoi's friend Nawab Siraj Talpur. An argument ensued between the youths but D.S.P. Aurangzeb Khan and family elders of the Jatoi intervened to calm the youngsters. However, after a few hours Shahrukh Jatoi shot dead Shahzeb Khan about 500 yards from the Country Club apartments. The victim was closely related to member of the national assembly, Nabil Gabol. Meanwhile, President Zardari officially passed on the mantel of the leadership of the ruling Pakistan People's Party to his son Bilawal Zardari aka Billy Zardari on Thursday. Billy Zardari is said to be gay and this would be the first time a major political party in Pakistan will be led by a gay man. ========== Outpouring of rage: Shahzeb’s murder shakes national conscience By Our Correspondents Published: December 29, 2012 Till Tuesday night, only a few hundred knew who Shahzeb was. Now, the deceased young man has become a symbol of change. KARACHI: Shahzeb Khan’s murder has attracted a groundswell of support on social media, piquing and unifying at the same time the interests of rights activists and key political blocs in the country. Till Tuesday night, only a few hundred knew who Shahzeb was. Now, the deceased young man has become a symbol of change. On Tuesday morning, Shahzeb was shot dead, allegedly by Shahrukh Jatoi over a petty argument, just as he returned from his sister’s wedding. His friends and family started a Facebook page in his honour. As condemnations poured in from the micro-blogging website Twitter, the contours of a justice movement for Shahzeb began to take shape on social media. Since then, the movement has gained quite a following. Talha Alam, a close friend of the deceased, said the movement was initiated not only for Shahzeb but for all those who have suffered at the hands of politically stronger factions of the society that both own and know how to use weapons. Speaking about the outpouring of mass support, Alam said: “We are overwhelmed with the response. It is good to see that while he was our friend, for others he has become an icon for change against injustice.” Alam recalled how he had lost another friend, Ali Shah, in a gun attack carried out out two years ago by members of the same caste. The case, however, was dropped due to political pressure. “We will speak out nonetheless. No one has the right to kill our friend like this; no one has the right to kill anyone like this. We will keep fighting till the culprits are captured,” Alam said. Muhammad Hassan, a blogger wrote, “We don’t realise, that someday, our siblings or relatives (can be the victims). The only way to stop these perpetrators is to be united. Please don’t let the sacrifice of this young boy go to waste.” Human rights lawyer Ansar Burney, nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan and musician Salman Ahmad have all lent their support to the campaign, with the Ahmad tweeting, “While we struggle to move mountains of deception and deceit, do also remember Justice for Shahzeb Khan and Junoon for Change.” Key political outfits such as Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf have also thrown their weight behind the movement. MQM’s Rabita committee issued a press statement urging human rights activists to protest against Shahzeb’s murder and demanded President Asif Zardari and Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf to take notice of the issue. Shahzeb’s peers are planning a peaceful protest against his murder on Sunday afternoon at the Karachi Press Club, demanding suo motu action from the chief justice. Action against the accused The names of key suspects in Shahzeb Khan’s murder were put on the exit control list (ECL) and Shahrukh Jatoi’s photo has also been uploaded on Sindh police’s unofficial Facebook page. In remarks broadcast on television, Sindh Assembly Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza claimed that Shahrukh Jatoi had been deported from Australia to Pakistan, because he had beaten up a teacher in his university. A team of investigators, led by Darakshan Station Investigation Officer (SIO), Aslam Khakrani, has been dispatched to different areas of the province. “We haven’t caught anyone as yet but hopefully we will be successful,” SIO Khakrani told The Express Tribune. Sources privy to the matter told The Express Tribune that the police have also detained at least three suspects, including Siraj Talpur’s servant, who harassed Shahzeb’s sister. “Since the suspects’ families are influential, they obviously have links with the media,” Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Investigations Faizullah Karejo told The Express Tribune. “We think some people from the media are passing on information to the suspects,” Karejo said, adding that the police were also trying to trace the families of the suspects who are also in hiding. Published in The Express Tribune, December 29th, 2012. ============= Shahzeb Khan's suspected murderer fled to UAE: Express News By Web Desk Published: January 5, 2013 Express news receives documents that show Shahrukh Jatoi fled to UAE. PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN/ THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE/FILE Prime suspect in the murder of Shahzeb Khan, Shahrukh Jatoi could have managed to escape to the UAE soon after the incident, sources told Express News on Friday. Express News correspondent Rehan Khan said that per documents received from the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA), Shahrukh Sikander Jatoi indicated that he may have fled to the UAE on December 27, 2012. Shahzeb had allegedly been killed by Shahrukh on December 25. It was previously believed that Shahrukh, whose name has been included in the exit control list (ECL) may have managed to escape to Australia, where he had been pursuing higher education. On Friday, the Supreme Court lauded Express News anchor Shahzeb Khan’s show To the point, for tracing out the suspects and covering the incident. Police too were in action on Friday with at least three known locations of the Jatois in Karachi being raided. In Hyderabad, at least one cement factory after police raided the premises in search of Shahrukh. =============== Shahzeb Khan murder case: Prime suspect traced to Arab businessman’s mansion By Faraz Khan / Rizwan Shehzad Published: January 10, 2013 Police officials escort other accused at the district and sessions court hearing. PHOTO: ONLINE KARACHI: Police are waiting for the completion of legal formalities to repatriate Shahrukh Jatoi – the prime suspect in the Shahzeb Khan murder case – from Dubai, The Express Tribune learnt on Wednesday. Shahrukh has been living at a sprawling 30-acre residence of a prominent Arab businessman in Dubai, according to police. The businessman is most likely his father Sikander Jatoi’s business partner in his chemical manufacturing company in the UAE. “We are fulfilling legal formalities to bring him back,” a member of the police team, told The Express Tribune by phone from Dubai. “Soon, he will be in front of the court.” Shahrukh fled to Dubai on December 27, two days after Shahzeb, the son of a DSP, was murdered over a petty dispute. Another police officer said Shahrukh had used someone else’s boarding pass as the air ticket issued in his name was cancelled at the last minute. At the Dubai airport, Shahrukh showed his own passport and visa to immigration officials. Police officials said the prime suspect cannot be tried under the Anti-Terrorism Act as he is still legally a minor. They explained that Interpol cannot issue a red warrant for him unless a court convicts him. Shahrukh would be brought back home via a search notice, which has already been issued by Interpol. Identification parade Meanwhile, three other suspects – Siraj Talpur, his brother Sajjad Talpur and their servant Ghulam Murtaza – have been identified as the accused in a district and sessions court on Wednesday. Two prosecution witnesses identified them during an identification parade held by a judicial magistrate. On Tuesday, an anti-terrorism court had remanded them into police custody for 10 days for completion of investigations in the case. Inspector Mobin, who was investigating the case, told journalists outside the court, “The witnesses told the judge that they had seen Siraj Talpur firing at Shahzeb Khan, who received bullet wounds and fell down. Meanwhile, Sajjad Talpur and his servant came and shouted that he (Shahzeb) was just injured, not dead. On this, Siraj fired more gunshots, killing Shahzeb on the spot.” The investigating officer told journalists that the identity of the prosecution witnesses could not be disclosed for the purpose of their security. While Siraj’s role was described by officials, Shahrukh’s role was unclear. LHC grants bail Also on Wednesday, Shahrukh’s father Sikander was granted one day of protective bail by the Lahore High Court. The court directed the accused to furnish bail bonds worth Rs1 million. Sikander’s attorney informed the bench that his client wanted to appear before the Supreme Court to record his statement. He prayed to the court to grant him protective bail because he feared the Karachi police would arrest him during his appearance before the apex court or on his way to Islamabad. Sikander maintained that he was being implicated in the case on political grounds. (WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY OUR CORRESPONDENT IN LAHORE) Published in The Express Tribune, January 10th, 2013.