3 Pakistanis, 2 Afghans detained with 10,000kg explosives in Kabul

By Reuters
Published: April 21, 2012

Afghan official says the detained men had received training from the Pakistani Taliban.

KABUL: Afghan security forces have detained five insurgents in Kabul, with 10,000 kilograms of explosives they intended to use in a massive attack on crowded areas in the capital, an Afghan intelligence spokesman said on Saturday.

“If this amount of explosives had been used, it could have caused large-scale bloodshed,” National Directorate of Security spokesman Shafiqullah Tahiri told a news conference.

The explosives were found stuffed into 400 bags and hidden under piles of potatoes in the back of a truck on the city outskirts.

“Three Pakistani terrorists and two of their Afghan collaborators who placed the explosives under bags of potatoes in truck were caught,” said Tahiri.

The men, he said, had received training from members of the Pakistani Taliban, who have strong links with the Afghan Taliban.

Afghan officials have long accused Pakistan of using insurgent groups like the Afghan Taliban as proxies in Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s government denies supporting or giving sanctuary to insurgents on its territory.

Insurgents this week launched a coordinated assault on four provinces, targeting diplomatic and government areas of Kabul with rockets and gunfire in what they said was retaliation for abuses of Afghans by US soldiers.

The attacks showed the insurgency’s resilience nearly 11 years since the Afghan Taliban were toppled.

The Afghan Taliban claimed responsibility for the attacks and said it planned similar assaults in coming months.

Groundbreaking ceremony of DHA City Karachi next month

Posted 6 mins ago by admin in Blog, Pakistan Property News | No comments yet Groundbreaking ceremony of DHA City Karachi next month KARACHI – The groundbreaking ceremony of the multi-billion rupees mega project, the DHA City Karachi (DCK), would be held next month. The DHA City Karachi would be a modern, well-planned and a complete city that would offer all basic facilities to its inhabitants. It is located along the Karachi-Hyderabad Super Highway, at a distance of 56 kilometres from the core area of Karachi and 35 kilometres from the airport, and it comprises 11,640 acres. “We are organising the groundbreaking ceremony to kick-start development work on the project from February 2012,” said Lt-Col (retd) Rafat Hussain Naqvi, DHA Karachi’s additional director of public relations. The groundbreaking ceremony would not only enhance the value of plots in the scheme, but also generate employment and economic activity in the area. The DHA recently unveiled the master plan of the scheme that envisaged $3 billion worth investment/expenditures in the DHA City Karachi till its completion by 2030. The development of infrastructure would alone cost $1.1 billion (Rs 100 billion). By the year 2015, the DHA City Karachi will be made livable and plot holders could build their homes and stay there with important amenities. According to the master plan of the scheme, a modern international university, a 1,000-bed hospital and two lakes would be developed at the residential-cum-commercial project. The DHA City Karachi will have its own 500MW power plant, solar, wind energy projects and drinking water facility. DHA Karachi Administrator Brig Aamer Raza Qureshi, DCK Project Director Brig (retd) Muhammad Rafique, Osmani & Co Chairman Inam Ahmed Osmani and Prof EC Kondylis participated in the unveiling ceremony of master plan. In the coming years, the DCK could emerge as an organised and secure modern city, having all basic amenities and recreational facilities. The DHA is in the process of acquiring more land adjacent to the project with the aim to expand the project by 2.5 times than its existing size. Out of a total of 48,521 plots, about 25,143 have been sold and the remaining 23,378 would be offered for sale in the next phase. From the year 2012-15, a short-term plan and from 2015-2020 a medium-term plan would be implemented to continue the development programme. From the year 2020-30 a long-term plan would be put in place to accomplish the task of development of the city Note: For those who want to invest in Canadian Commercial/ Residential Real Estate can contact blogger any time.