Capital securities transaction of a MOL manager

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broadford bay: Let's hope he knows something that will also turn out to be to our advantage! Mr. József Simola, Chief Financial Officer of MOL Group bought 2 pieces of MOL GROUP FINANCE USD bond expiring on 26 September 2019 with nominal value USD 200,000 at 105.75 % on the OTC market on 21 December 2012. The transaction was made with the assistance of Erste Befektetési Ltd. as investment service provider and following the financial deal Mr. József Simola owns 2 pieces of MOL GROUP FINANCE USD bond. Publish date: 2012-12-21 Must have had a good XMas bonus! Mr. József Simola, Chief Financial Officer of MOL Group bought 2 perpetual exchangeable capital security, issued by Magnolia Finance Ltd, exchangeable into “A” Series MOL Ordinary Shares with nominal value EUR 100,000 at 69.85% on the OTC market on 18 December 2012, with the assistance of Concorde Securities Ltd. as investment service provider. After the transaction Mr. József Simola owns 3 Magnolia securities. For further information, please contact: Investor Relations + 36 1 464 1395 facsimile: + 36 1 464 1335 Publish date: 2012-12-18 Be pleasant if gkp's directors bought some shares in such a way that an RNS was released. Of course, right now they are not interested in the share price rising...but after the case, a bit of a vote of confidence from directors would be nice to see.

Exchangeable Security: An investment instrument that grants its holder the right to trade it at some point in the future for a fixed number of shares of common stock of a firm, other than the issuer. An exchangeable security is one that is redeemable for the securities of another issuer, such as a subsidiary or affiliate of the issuer. The exchange may be at the option of the issuer or at the option of the holder of the security. Exchangeable securities are often issued by corporations that are involved in a takeover. The acquiring company wished to purchase the target company, but may need money to advance the transaction. The acquiring company can sell an exchangeable security, giving the owner of the exchangeable security the right to a specified number of shares in the target company after a specified date. If the transaction (acquisition) is successful, the exchangeable security can be traded for shares of the target company. Definition of 'Perpetual Preferred Stock' A type of preferred stock that has no maturity date. The issuers of perpetual preferred stock will always have redemption privileges on such shares. Issued perpetual preferred stock will continue paying dividends indefinitely. Perpetual preferred stock also has a cumulative version that accumulates dividends from one period to the next. Both types of stock are designed for relatively conservative long-term investors. ============ biggordy :Matty, I also think it worth mentioning that the closing sp of £1.64 values GKP at 85 cents/barrel which is lower than if M&S rules for previously discovered oil were to apply and the oil is valued at $1 a barrel. I bet if Ashti were to offer the GKP contracts to M&S they would pay the going rate in the south for unexplored oil which if my memory serves me well is $5.50. I'm holding until the end game no matter how long it takes. Matty Miller : We currently have about 2.7 Billion Barrels of declared reserves altho this should be higher and doesn't include the recent discovery at Sheikh Adi-2... The market is valuing these assets at 53.2p a barrel or about 1/10 of any take over price. Patahi-millionaire mick, a look at the companies website and news will tell you all you need to know. If you can't be bothered to commit to basic research, don't bother us with such inane questions.. ---------------------------------------- It's beyond belief as to why some people ask those questions when it just requires a little basic research. Unbelievable.

Afghan policewoman kills coalition contractor in Kabul: NATO

Afghan policewoman kills coalition contractor in Kabul: NATO Mon, Dec 24 05:44 AM EST 1 of 4 By Mirwais Harooni and Hamid Shalizi KABUL (Reuters) - An Afghan woman wearing a police uniform shot dead on Monday a civilian contractor working for Western forces in the police chief's compound in Kabul, NATO said. The incident is likely to raise troubling questions about the direction of an unpopular war. It appeared to be the first time that a woman member of Afghanistan's security forces carried out such an attack. There were conflicting reports about the victim. A spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said a U.S. police adviser was killed by an Afghan policewoman. Then ISAF said in a statement only that it was a "contracted civilian employee" who was killed. Mohammad Zahir, head of the police criminal investigation department, described the incident as an "insider attack" in which Afghan forces turn their weapons on Western troops they are supposed to be working with. He initially said the victim was a U.S. soldier. After more than 10 years of war, militants are capable of striking Western targets in the heart of the capital, and foreign forces worry that Afghan police and military forces they are supposed to work with can suddenly turn on them. The policewoman approached her victim as he was walking in the heavily guarded police chief's compound in a bustling area of Kabul. She then drew a pistol and shot him once, a senior police official told Reuters. The police complex is close to the Interior Ministry where in February, two American officers were shot dead at close range at a time anger gripped the country over the burning of copies of the Muslim holy book at a NATO base. "She is now under interrogation. She is crying and saying 'what have I done'," said the official, of the police officer who worked in a section of the Interior Ministry responsible for gender awareness issues. TIPS FOR TROOPS The insider incidents, also known as green-on-blue attacks, have undermined trust between coalition and Afghan forces who are under mounting pressure to contain the Taliban insurgency before most NATO combat troops withdraw by the end of 2014. Security responsibilities in a country plagued by conflict for decades will be handed to Afghan security forces. Many Afghans fear a civil war like one dominated by warlords after the withdrawal of Soviet occupying forces in 1989 could erupt again, or the Taliban will make another push to seize power if they reject a nascent peace process. At least 52 members of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force have been killed this year by Afghans wearing police or army uniforms. Insider attacks now account for one in every five combat deaths suffered by NATO-led forces in Afghanistan, and 16 percent of all U.S. combat casualties, according to 2012 data. Hoping to stop the increase in the attacks, Afghan Defense Ministry officials have given their troops tips in foreign culture. They are told not to be offended by a hearty pat on the back or an American soldier asking after your wife's health. NATO attributes only about a quarter of the attacks to the Taliban, saying the rest are caused by personal grievances and misunderstandings. Last year, there were 35 deaths in such attacks. (Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Robert Birsel

Factbox: Dr. Tahir-ul-Qadri Plan leading ultra-consitution body to vet Candidates as in Iran

Now it will be easy for CJP to kick who ever he doesn't like, The fate of Dr. Tahirul Qadri commission will be no better then Sydal commission against Riaz Malik. Off-coure it will end up to be lead by a Judge , a NAB General, Mulla or Militant or Military Commander. Until and unless, the nation will not unite under an honest and senior cleric likes of Ayatollah Khomeni. He didn't explain his past association with military regime. His plan will ultimately leading to establishment of ultra consitution insitutuion to filter/ vet candidates like in Iran (which is being condemned by Western Democracies), now question arises who will lead it: CJP is no more trusted as he released several Taliban criminals and the day Bilour died, he released Lal Masjid Mullas, so tell me who will be that Massihah to honestly measure honesty of future candidates? Wihout knowing full solution he is leading so-called 4 million march into a blind corner.

Dr. Qahirul Qatili Revolution: The Engine Food and Fuel, Oil , Waater and Grease all are funded by no other then ISI, MI, CIA, DIA, Saudi & Qatar Funds, the same funders and sponsors who fund Taliban's friendly factions and neo beardles TTP faction of PTI.

http://ummatpublication.com/2012/12/24/news.php?p=pic-09.jpg ================= Postponement of general elections Qadri gets the ball rolling * Minhajul Quran chief says Article 254 allows elections to be delayed beyond stipulated time period of 90 days * Gives govt deadline of Jan 10 to implement electoral reforms By Kashif Hussain LAHORE: Internationally renowned Islamic scholar Dr Tahirul Qadri has given a deadline of January 10, 2013, to the federal government to implement electoral reforms and follow the constitution, and has threatened to hold a rally of four million people towards Islamabad on January 14 if the demands were not fulfilled. Dr Qadri is a former parliamentarian and chief of a chain of religious institutes across the world named Minhaj-ul-Quran and also heads a political party named Pakistan Awami Tehreek. He made the announcement while addressing a massive public meeting at Minar-e-Pakistan under the slogan “Siyasat Nahin, Riyasat Bachao” (Save the state, not politics) on Sunday in which thousands of people from across Punjab participated. During his speech, Dr Qadri also thanked MQM chief Altaf Hussain for sending a 50-member delegation to the gathering, led by Farooq Sattar and Haider Abbas Rizvi. He also paid tribute to renowned nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan and announced that he (Dr Qadeer) would be coming to Lahore with him very soon. Before formally starting his address, he also offered condolences over the assassination of ANP leader Bashir Ahmed Bilour in a bomb blast in Peshawar on Saturday. He said that his agenda was to correct, not postpone the general elections, but it is a fact that there is no bar in constitution under its Article 254 to extend the date of elections for 90 days, if needed. He said that he will oppose army interference in the democratic process because he is against any kind of dictatorship and committed not to support army takeover in the country. Dr Qadri said that he did not hold this public meeting on the directions of any secret security agency nor did he use foreign funds, and all expenditures for it were met from the funds generated by his religious institution’s –Minhaj-ul-Quran – volunteers only. He termed corruption as one of the major reasons for poor economy. Qadri said his agenda was not to get cancelled the upcoming elections but to ensure electoral reforms that guarantee fair and transparent polls. He urged establishment of an interim setup after taking all stakeholders into confidence, and stressed that members of judiciary and army, not political leaders, should be engaged in caretaker government. He said that Article-3, 62 and 63 should be implemented before the next general elections. He said that he would free people of Pakistan from the clutches of landlords and feudal lords. =========== Iran can give new social system to the world: Religious leader Islamabad, Oct 4, IRNA -- A Pakistani religious leader on Thursday said that Iran as president of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) can give new social system to the world based on Islamic principles. کد خبر: 80355295|تاریخ خبر: 2012/10/04 Speaking to IRNA Senior Vice President of Pakistan Awami Tehreek, Agha Murtaza Poya said that presidency of NAM is a great responsibility on Iran which is truly a non-aligned state. “Western social systems have been failed and there is need for the replacement of secularism,” he noted. Awami Tehreek leader went on to say that presidency of NAM is an honor for Iran. “Iran from the very first day of Islamic Revolution has been a declared non-aligned state,” said the religious scholar. He said that father of the Islamic Revolution Imam Khomeini had led the Iranian nation in difficult times. “Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei is also following the teachings of Imam Khomeini and has been able to establish Iran as a powerful state of the world,” he added. Agha Murtaza Poya said that Iran has always followed a principled position on world issues. “West is trying to provoke Iran but the Islamic Republic has not responded to their tricks,” he said. The religious leader was of the view that because of the steadfastness of Iran, Russia and China are supporting the Islamic Republic on all international issues especially on Syria. “They have rejected the Euro gangsterism which is infact a tribute to Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said. He said conspiracies to weaken Islamic Revolution have been failed miserably. He said that Muslims have to revive the spirit of Islam to counter ant-Islam conspiracies of West and Iran can play a very important role in this regards. Agha Murtaza Poya was hopeful that the world under Iran’s NAM presidency will soon witness major developments. He said that United Nations (UN) is just implementing the American and Zionists regime’s agendas. The intellectual said that United Nations will be finished soon and NAM will emerge as a strong international organization that will protect the rights of all nations in the world. He said Iran can give new social system to the world based on Islamic principles as the secularism has been failed. Expressing his views on the statement of US Republican candidate Mitt Romney that US is going through economic crunch, Agha Murtaza Poya said that the US is facing economic crisis because of the unrealistic policies they have been following. **1412 انتهای پیام /* ========================= MQM, Tahirul Qadri join hands for ‘million-man march’ By Abdul Manan Published: December 28, 2012 Tahirul Qadri acknowledges supporters at Minar-e-Pakistan. PHOTO: NNI LAHORE: The Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) and Minhajul Quran International (MQI) have decided to join forces and agreed on Thursday to hold the promised “million-man march” jointly to press for a neutral caretaker set-up and free, fair and transparent elections. Although the MQM has agreed to Dr Tahirul Qadri’s stance of carrying out the long march, the final decision in this regard will be taken in their next meeting which is scheduled to be held on Saturday in Karachi. MQM’s high-level delegation, led by Farooq Sattar met with MQI founder Qadri at his office and both leaders contemplated on the prospects of staging a long march on January 14. Those who attended the meeting said that Qadri will visit MQM’s headquarters in Karachi on Saturday to deliberate over the execution of the long march plan, and discuss further options available if the government responds to their demands by January 10. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Farooq Sattar said that both the leaders have agreed that the upcoming general elections should be on time and should be free from corruption. In order to achieve this target, Sattar said, both parties want to see a neutral caretaker set-up which should be impartial and autonomous, one that the nation trusts. Qadri endorsed Sattar’s point of view, and said the two parties will continue consulting each other regarding the January 14 march. The long march would be a joint venture between MQM and his party, Qadri said, and that it would bring in electoral reforms. Sattar from Lahore Airport Earlier, speaking to the media at the Allama Iqbal Airport, Sattar alleged that Secretary Election Commission was biased and wanted to destroy the peaceful atmosphere of Karachi. He said that the election commission’s secretary was being partial and wanted to change MQM’s mandate in Karachi. Sattar demanded that the chief election commissioner (CEC) should investigate the attitude of the ECP secretary and remove him from his position. Published in The Express Tribune, December 28th, 2012. ================= Will launch a 'political drone attack in three days': Altaf Hussain By Web Desk Published: January 6, 2013 Altaf Hussain urges workers to prepare themselves. PHOTO: MQM KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain has claimed that he will launch a “political drone attack” on Tuesday January 8, 2013. In a statement released by the MQM early on Sunday morning, Altaf hoped that once he launches his drone attack in the next 72 hours, no one in Pakistan can launch a counter political drone attack. The MQM chief urged his party workers to prepare themselves for the strike and for its after effects. The release though did not elaborate on the nature of the attack, nor the intended target of the strike. The MQM has been caught in between storms. The party has pledged to support and travel to Islamabad as part of Minhajul Quran International chief Dr Tahirul Qadri’s long march on Islamabad. =============== An edited version of Ayesha Siddiqa’s analysis of Tahir-ul-Qadri’s thesis Note: The following piece is cross-posted from Express Tribune with some edits to take care of some minor omissions in the original piece. A closer look at Tahirul Qadri’s thesis - by Ayesha Siddiqa Almost everyone seems to want a piece of Tahirul Qadri — [at least some pro-Deobandi-Salafist elements in the military] establishment to use him to derail the democratic process and most political parties that are partnering with him for a mix of political and strategic reasons. The [military] establishment-produced parties like the PML-Q want Qadri to fulfil the objective of countering the PML-N in Punjab. But then there are others like the MQM who want him for a host of reasons such as tapping into the imagined [or real] Sunni Barelvi support base of the MQM to gain advantage in elections but also to subvert the [Sipah Sahaba] Taliban influence, particularly in Karachi where it is a problem for the MQM. Tahirul Qadri’s capacity is both imagined and [real]. The Sunni Barelvi vote [the largest sect in Pakistan with 50% Sunni Barelvi, 20% Deobandis, 20% Shias and 10% Ahle Hadith] has not always followed closed-group dynamics, which means that it not all Sunni Barelvis may support Qadri. Furthermore, its financial capacity is also exaggerated. This is borne by the fact that thus far, one of the biggest gripes of Sunni Barelvi mullahs was that their madrassas and mosques were being forcibly occupied by Deobandis (more than Ahle Hadith and Salafis) as they had greater money to spend. So far, Maulana Fazl Kareem, a Faisalabad-based Barelvi cleric, represented some form of consolidated Barelvi ideological interests but he could not make a huge dent because he never got truly handpicked by any external or internal establishment nor did he have the benefit of financial resources. Therefore, it is kind of sudden and strange to see Barelvis come into money. Anyone asking for Qadri’s accountability is not wrong, though it is equally important to have accountability across the board. It makes for good advertisement when Qadri claims that he received funding from followers from around the world but that in itself means nothing. As for huge public support, [while agencies can easily put processions together, the Qadri show was much bigger than agencies capacity]: According to Ayaz Amir, writing in The News: Mockery on target can be devastating. Mockery out of place sounds hollow, rebounding on the perpetrator. It is easy to parody a self-styled Sheikh-ul-Islam in long dress and well-rounded cap. It is less easy to parody a disciplined gathering stretching from the Data Darbar to that side of the River Ravi. Armchair samurais may think mobilising a vast crowd like this is easy. It isn’t. And money alone, even tons of it, can’t ensure the desired outcome. People in the mass can be stupid, the collective wisdom of the masses a piece of fiction politicians and media gurus love to play with. But about one thing, and this is strange, people are not stupid. They walk to an event — could be any event, political gathering or pop concert — only when their hearts lead them. Of course one event — as was proven by Imran Khan’s public show last year –does not a summer, or an upheaval, make. Bubbles form easily and as easily burst. How tall Imran Khan stood on the evening of Oct 30, 2011. Compared to those proportions he looks diminished today. Lasting power…without it politics, or indeed anything, is nothing. So it is foolish to draw any final conclusions from Allama Professor Dr Tahirul Qadri’s massive public show — and for once the word massive is not out of place — on Dec 23. Will it lead to anything or was it just a freakish flash of lightning across the winter skies? The jury has to be out on this. However, the Islam he preaches, this being not a small point, is of the kind with which most Pakistanis, and even westerners, can relate, above sectarianism and the right antidote to the stuff made famous by the Taliban. Ours is a stunted tree. No amount of water or fertiliser can make it straight. Preaching secularism, as I often do, won’t get anyone very far because on this soil this doctrine will never take root. Does anything sound gloomier than the echo of this word ‘never’? An incurable destiny, what can be gloomier than that? At any rate, only something like the moderate version of the faith that the professor preaches has any hope of succeeding. But I am running ahead. (Source:The News) Referring to why different political parties are suddenly following Qadri, the MQM has other reasons as well such as neutralising the Deobandi militants i.e., Sipah Sahaba Taliban (SST) in urban Sindh. In Karachi, the party, for instance, has a severe problem of the growing influence of the Deobandi militants of the Sipah-e-Sahaba/the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) and the Jaish-e-Mohammad. According to a Police Special Branch report, some of the ‘under watch’ Deobandi seminaries are concentrated in Mohajir areas as well, such as Baldia, Nazimabad, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Jamshed Town, Orangi, Gadap, and others. The Rohingya and Bengali populations in Mohajir-dominated areas are quite inclined towards jihadism and Deobandi ideology. This means that while the MQM may still hope for election victory, it is not as strong as it may hope to be when it comes to social and strategic-political issues. It has little influence on stopping the killing of Shias. The party can also not take the risk of taking on the Deobandi/Ahle-Hadith ideological groups head on. On the other hand, it hopes to minimise the ideological influence through partnering with Tahirul Qadri. The anti-corruption drive may be nothing else but a ploy to use politics to counter the popular jihad narrative. This, however, raises an important question about whether Qadri can influence the jihadi discourse especially through his 600-page Fatwa on Terrorism and Suicide bombing. http://criticalppp.com/archives/2334 Comprising 18 chapters, the fatwa tends to offer a new theory of rebellion and state response to this phenomenon in a Muslim state and society. Even though Tahirul Qadri stated in the Lahore jalsa that he would support people in their agitation against the drones, the fact is that he has condemned all terrorists to death in his fatwa. He considers modern-day terrorists as Kharijis, a group of people that, according to Qadri, existed since the time of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) and created fitna (chaos) in society and thus should be eliminated at all costs. There is no forgiveness for the Kharijis or modern-day terrorists in Qadri’s work, which may make his partnership with Imran Khan rather questionable as the PTI wants to talk to, not kill, the Taliban. Speeches by Dr. Tahir-ul-Qadri on Takfiri Khariji Terrorists (Deobandi and Salafist militants of Sipah Sahaba, Taliban, Al Qaeda etc) Hadith about Takfiri Khawarij- Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri Dr.Tahir ul Qadri Fatwa – Terrorists Suicide Bombers are Khawarij Dr Qadri warns Pakistan, USA, Saudi Arabia to stop funding and supporting Salafist-Deobandi Takfiris CNN AMANPOUR FATWA (HQ) by TAHIR UL QADRI against Terrorism and Suicide Bombings Traits of the Khawarij and their followers The legal-theological opinion by Qadri shows that there is a consensus in Islam on the Khariji which did not exist in Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) time but came about during the reign of the Fourth Caliph Hazrat Ali (RA) and challenged his authority. The fatwa indeed is historical and presents the opinion of many earlier jurists to establish its thesis regarding the legality of the use of force by non-state actors in an Islamic state. However, the author has used Ibn Taymiyyah, one of the most prominent Islamic scholars of the Hanbali school of thought (revered by most Deobandi and Salafist militants) who has driven the thinking of the Taliban, at least five times without any reference to the scholar’s core argument. Indeed, this is to create an impression of a consensus which is not the case. The problem with this approach is that a strong counterargument cannot be constructed without engaging with the argument first. There is immense propaganda campaign against Tahirul Qadri not only due to sectarian reasons (by Deobandi and Salafist lobby) but also due to political reasons (e.g., by PML-N which previously used its influence on judiciary to malign Dr. Qadri). Dr. Qadri’s arguments are clearly not convincing hard core Takfiris or even Deobandis who are fed on an equally manipulative work by others such as Masood Azhar Deobandis’s three-volume justification of jihad, which, in turn, is styled on a research thesis of a modern Saudi Wahhabi scholar. What Qadri Barelvi condemns as terrorism and Azhar Deobandi applauds as jihad is actually an undecided debate in Islam, between Sunni Sufis and Shias on side and Deobandi and Salafists on the other, on the legality of violence and rebellion. Historically, the entire debate revolves around efforts by jurists to make history and politics consistent with theology, thus creating a highly technical and symbolic discourse on the subject. The debate anchors on two particular verses from the Holy Quran on rebellion. The complexity arose because of the involvement of many of the Holy Prophet’s (pbuh) close associates in rebellion on its discourse – although they never indulged in violence against innocent civilians and government officials in their rebellion. Resorting to indiscriminate violence and breach of moral conduct has been a characteristic of Kharijis and Takfiris. Contrary to Ibn Taymiyyah’s support of rebellion against an illegitimate Islamic state, Qadri does not allow any form of rebellion to an extent. Considering the very thin line in the fatwa between licit and illicit rebellion, it is easy to understand that Qadri does not believe in violent rebellion against the political system. While one may disagree with Dr. Qadri’s political approach, a peaceful long march cannot be compared to violent insurrection against the State by Deobandi militants of Sipah Sahaba Taliban. =================

Bashir Bilour killed in Peshawar suicide blast

Abida Hussain: 2:19 AM (9 hours ago) I first met Bashir Bilour (May his soul rest in Peace) for the first time in 1978 when Khan Abdul Wali Khan was released from Hyderabad jail. He was young and obliging and Nasim Bibi and Khan Abdul Wali Khan relied heavily on him,as did his elder brother Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour. Bashir was the quintessential political worker,accessible and helpful and he earned his spurs as a representative and as Senior Minister in the current KPK Govt he worked with energy and dedication and did not flinch in the face of danger. His has been the most high profiled political asassination since that of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and does not bode well for peaceful conduct of elections, which are around the corner. Perhaps the ANP has not been given enough credit by the Pakistani public for their courage and resolve in combatting the forces of darknes that threaten to engulf us. Abida Hussain *** This Message Has Been Sent Using BlackBerry Internet Service from Mobilink ***

Nadia Mirza Indeed Basheer Bilour Shaheed was an iron man against the terrorism. Without dragging myself into political debate I must say he has sacrificed his life for peace and prosperity. He never been scared of threats he received. May Allah rest his soul in peace. Nadia Mirza. Tv Journalist. CNBC Pakistan . Sent from my BlackBerry® Smartphone provided by Ufone

Haroon Siddiqi Dunya TV: In my eyes, Bashir Balour was the only brother who had great respect amongst the political parties and the journalist community. It is a very sad demise, one thing was noted that in an official statement it said that "Bashir Bilour ke shahadut per afsos ka izhar" how can one be saddened over SHAHADAT? Shahadat is the best form of death. May ALLAH ALMIGHTY give the grieved family strength to over come a great loss and may his soul rest in peace. Regards,

APP: Foreign Desk The death of Bashir Bilour is no doubt a great loss not only to the Pukhtun community, ANP but to all those broadminded people who wanted to get the country out of the flames of militancy and extremism. Though Bashir Bilour (Shaheed) is no more with us in our march towards making Pakistan a modern social welfare state but as a resilient nation and sons of the soil we are determined to end this war to its logical conclusion and to get rid of these handful of militants and terrorists who has converted our peaceful land into a pile of explosives. The ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan has rightly said that " If extremists and terrorists can unit from Kabul to Karachi then why not the Pakistan nation stand united against these evil forces." The time has come for all Pakistanis to come forward and consider this war their own war and confront these elements of darkness from the front and eliminate them. May Allah Almighty rest the departed soul of Bashir Bilour in peace and grant courage to his family members to bear the loss with equanimity. Aameen. Mohammad Ilyas Kha...@gmail.com © Associated Press of Pakistan © NO UNAUTHORIZED USE, COPYING OR DISTRIBUTION Please cite APP as source - Plagiarism is a crime Foreign Desk Tel +92 51 2890662 Fax +92 51 2606091

Bashir Bilour killed in Peshawar suicide blast By Web Desk / Riaz Ahmad / AFP Published: December 22, 2012 Blast in Qissa Khawani Bazaar kills nine people and injures 17. Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility. PHOTO: FILE . PESHAWAR: A suicide blast in the Qissa Khawani Bazaar area of Peshawar killed KP Senior Minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour along with eight others and injured at least 17 people on Saturday, reported Express News. Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack. The country will observe a day of mourning on Sunday, December 23. The national flag will fly at half mast. Bilour’s funeral will be held on Sunday afternoon at Sher Khan Stadium. Live updates have ended. 9:40pm PM Raja Pervez Ashraf has announced one-day mourning on Sunday across the country over the death Bilour, reported Radio Pakistan. KP government has announced three days of mourning with the flag standing on half mast in remembrance of Bashir Bilour. Funeral prayers for Bilour will be offered at 2:00 pm, December 23 at Sher Khan Stadium. 9:30pm Bomb squad experts said the suicide bomber detonated his explosives when the ANP meeting was at its peak. “The suicide bomber walked into the house where the meeting was taking place and detonated his vest,” Shafqat Malik, chief of the Bomb Disposal Squad, told AFP. Four policemen were among the wounded. 9:10pm The Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility for the suicide attack, according to a spokesperson. ANP Chief Asfandyar Wali Khan mourned Bilour’s death and said it was a great loss for the country. Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira spoke of Bilour’s bravery and commended his efforts in the war against terrorism, as reported by Radio Pakistan. PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif, MQM leader Altaf Hussain, and PTI leader Imran Khan offered their condolences and condemned the attack. 8:50pm Doctors said Bashir Bilour had severe injuries on his chest and stomach and was on the ventilator as doctors tried their best to save him. Bilour was brought in to Lady Reading Hospital in serious condition as he did not have a pulse and was not even breathing, a hospital official told Express News. The official added that when he was brought in he was in a state of shock and doctors and specialists tried for 1.5 hours to resuscitate him, but he succumbed to his injuries. Haji Noor, his personal secretary, also died in the blast. 8:30pm Federal Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, Bashir Bilour’s elder brother, spoke to Express News and said, “We live in a Pakistan where Maulana Maududi, Maulana Abdul Haq Haqqani had signed on the constitution. We don’t know who is a sinner and who is on the right. Were those who signed on the constitution were they Muslims or are these [terrorists] muslims? We just don’t know!” He added that Bashir never fussed much about security, but he was always accompanied by one or two guards. Ghulam commended Bashir for his bravery. Bashir Bilour’s funeral arrangements will be finalised after his sons return, according to Ghulam. 8:05pm KP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain, while talking to Express News, said that he salutes Bashir Bilour. “He sacrificed himself for the country and he fought against militants,” Hussain added. Hussain reports that he and Bilour used to get 3-4 threats every day. The KP minister demands a tripartite commission between the US, Afghanistan and Pakistan to solve this crisis. 7:40pm Bashir Bilour died from his injuries while being treated at Lady Reading Hospital. Two motorcycles and a car were also destroyed in the attack. This was the third time Bilour had been targeted by terrorists and was on their hit list. 7:30pm Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain confirmed that Bashir Bilour’s condition is critical. President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Pervez Ashraf and Interior Minster Rehman Malik have condemned the attack while Malik also demanded a report from IG Police, KP, reported Radio Pakistan. 7:17pm Provinicial MPA Bashir Bilour is in critical condition after being injured. Doctors are currently operating on him at Lady Reading Hospital. Three of the injured are in critical condition and are in the ICU. Bomb Disposal Squad has determined that this was a suicide blast. 6:40pm Kabli police station SHO Sattar Khan was killed in the blast, along with four others. Police officials reported that the blast went off during an Awami National Party (ANP) rally. Bomb Disposal Squad and more police officials are en route to the scene of the blast. The injured have been moved to Lady Reading Hospital. =============== Enough is enough: ANP to push for political consensus on N Waziristan operation By Kamran Yousaf Published: December 24, 2012

“We have already wasted a lot of time and we strongly believe that terrorist sanctuaries, wherever they exist, must be eliminated,” says Gohar.

ISLAMABAD: In the wake of its leader Bashir Bilour’s assassination, the Awami National Party (ANP) will push for a full-scale military offensive against Taliban insurgents based in the North Waziristan tribal region – believed to be a stronghold of Haqqani Network and their tribal cohorts. According to sources in the ANP, the party plans to propose either an all-party conference or a special sitting of Parliament to evolve a consensus on a strong response to growing militancy in the country. A special meeting of the party’s central decision-making body will be convened tomorrow (Tuesday) in Peshawar to discuss both proposals. Most ANP leaders believe it is high time for a military operation in North Waziristan, sources said. ANP’s central information secretary confirmed that his party will seek a consensus among all political parties for a united front against terrorism. “This is not ANP’s war. This is a battle for survival for all of us … if militants are not willing to reconcile then we have no other option except the use of force,” Senator Zahid Khan told The Express Tribune. He insisted that certain political parties will have to review their “dual policy” and come up with a clear stance against militancy. ANP lawmaker Bushra Gohar, however, was more candid. “We have already wasted a lot of time and we strongly believe that terrorist sanctuaries, wherever they exist, must be eliminated,” she said. When asked, a senior military official said an operation in North Waziristan was not possible without political ownership. He added that the government would have to take the final decision on whether or not to go for an all-out offensive. Despite US pressure, Pakistan has been reluctant to launch a military operation in North Waziristan for a host of reasons. In the past, the military has indicated its willingness to take on the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan – which is based in neighbouring South Waziristan Agency – it has never shown any commitment for a possible action against the Haqqani Network. One reason security officials cite for this policy is that the Haqqani Network pose no immediate threat to Pakistan’s interests. However, some observers disagree with this approach. They insist that while all these groups may operate independently, they complement each other’s actions at the same time. Senior ANP leader and K-P Information Minister Mian Iftikhar also warned against differentiating between “good or bad Taliban”. “All of them (Taliban) are the same so they have to be dealt with accordingly,” he told a private news channel. Published in The Express Tribune, December 24th, 2012. ==================== 40 dead in a week: Violence across Pakistan raises fears for elections By AFP Published: December 24, 2012 "Taliban are on a major onslaught to destabilise the country and create chaos to shake people's faith in the state." PHOTO: REUTERS?FILE ISLAMABAD: A surge of violence in northwest Pakistan culminating in the assassination of a senior provincial minister has raised fears of a renewed Taliban campaign that could threaten national elections, analysts say. The province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the adjacent Federally-Administered Tribal Areas, which border Afghanistan, are on the frontline of the country’s battle against Islamist militancy and are no strangers to violence. But the past week has seen a noticeable rise in bloodshed, with more than 40 people killed in near-daily attacks. These culminated in Saturday’s suicide bombing at a meeting of the Awami National Party (ANP) in Peshawar, the province’s main city. The blast, which killed nine including provincial number two Bashir Bilour, was claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, who said the minister was targeted in revenge for the death of one of the movement’s “elders”. The surge of violence began on December 15 with a spectacular commando-style Taliban attack on Peshawar airport and also featured a car bomb near a local government office in Khyber tribal district that killed 21 people. “The spate of attacks in recent days indicates the Taliban are on a major onslaught to destabilise the country and create chaos to shake people’s faith in the state apparatus,” political analyst and author Hasan Askari told AFP. “It’s part of their broader agenda to undermine the credibility of government and prove that the state apparatus is crumbling.” For the Taliban, killing a high-profile and outspoken critic such as Bilour has a double effect, Askari said: silencing an experienced and fearless adversary and striking fear into those who might think of following in his footsteps. The coalition government led by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) — which also includes the ANP — will complete its five-year term in March and insists elections will be held on time. But no date has yet been announced for polls and there are rumours the ballot could be postponed if the security situation is deemed too precarious. Retired Lieutenant General Talat Masood, a security and political analyst, said the Taliban were stepping up their assaults on political and military targets precisely to create this kind of anarchy. “They will try to disrupt elections because they can flourish when the state is weak — there is a political vacuum and then people lose confidence in the government,” he told AFP. If elections go ahead successfully it will be the first time in Pakistan’s turbulent history that an elected civilian government has completed a five-year term. Both Askari and Masood said the government would find it difficult to delay the vote, paving the way for a bloody campaign period. Thursday is the fifth anniversary of the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, killed in a gun and suicide attack in the garrison city of Rawalpindi after addressing an election rally. Brigadier Saad Khan, a former officer with the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence agency, warned the Taliban may continue their campaign with an attack on events marking the anniversary. These include a major speech by her son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the PPP chairman. Khan described the security situation as grave, saying the militants were “waging a war for Peshawar”. He compared it to the state of affairs before a major military offensive against militant hideouts and training camps in South Waziristan in 2009. “The militants are moving with a plan (of) how and where to attack. They put pressure at one place and move to another,” he said. “It is a dynamic enemy and we are static. We are reactive they are proactive.” He criticised the current strategy for dealing with the militants as “half-hearted” and urged a more concerted effort to defeat them. =========== aw and order challenge: Agencies fear ‘violence’ in poll By Kamran Yousaf Published: December 25, 2012 Terrorist attacks have claimed more than 40 lives in the past week, raising fears of a possible delay in elections. PHOTO: FILE ISLAMABAD: While the government insists the next parliamentary election will be held on time, intelligence agencies have warned that it could be riddled by large-scale violence hitherto unseen in the country’s poll history, The Express Tribune has learnt. The ominous warning came in the backdrop of a recent upsurge in terrorist attacks, including the assassination of prominent Awami National Party (ANP) politician Bashir Ahmed Bilour and the abortive attack on Peshawar airbase. The parliamentary elections are scheduled for early next year after the Pakistan Peoples Party-led coalition government completes its five-year constitutional term. However, in their assessment shared with the concerned authorities, intelligence agencies said that maintaining law and order during the elections would be a huge challenge, sources told The Express Tribune. According to them, insurgents were plotting attacks against prominent politicians in an effort to disrupt the election process. However, it is not clear whether or not security agencies have advised the government to delay the polls. “The assassination of Bashir Bilour could be the beginning of a new wave of terrorist attacks in the country,” said one intelligence source. Bilour, a senior minister in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government, was assassinated by a Taliban suicide bomber in Peshawar on Saturday in an attack that also killed eight other people. The attack came days after 10 terrorists mounted an audacious attack on the Pakistan Air Force base, adjacent to Peshawar airport. Police and army commandos successfully fought off the attack and killed all the assailants. Terrorist attacks have claimed more than 40 lives in the past week, raising fears of a possible delay in elections. Though the government insists that the elections will be held on time, it has not announced the schedule as yet. The country’s main opposition party – the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz – says it would not accept any delay in the elections. “We don’t trust the government. They are just trying to find lame excuses. The best solution to the law and order problem is to have an early election,” said the PML-N spokesperson Senator Mushahidullah Khan. In a recent television interview, senior PML-N leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan also said that the government appeared to be seeking a delay in election on the pretext of the ongoing unrest in the country. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) also says it would not brook any delay in the elections. “If elections could take place in Iran even when its parliament was bombed, then there is no reason for delaying polls in Pakistan,” said PTI Dr Israr Shah. “We want elections to be held within 90 days no matter what,” he told The Express Tribune. President of the Punjab chapter of PPP Mian Manzoor Wattoo said on Sunday that an interim government would be installed on March 17 to conduct the elections. Political observers say a strong caretaker set-up could ensure a peaceful election. “There is still time left in the polls and one hopes the situation will improve,” said Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, who heads an Islamabad-based think tank working for the strengthening of democracy in Pakistan. However, he warned that if militants continued to target high-profile leaders, this would certainly discourage people to come out for voting. If this happens, Mehboob argues, the whole election process will be considered as flawed. Published in The Express Tribune, December 25th, 2012. =================== Chronicle of carnage: As elections beckon, political violence mounts By Peer Muhammad Published: December 26, 2012 Third week of December witnesses a slew of target killings, sectarian attacks. PHOTO: FILE ISLAMABAD: As the country heads towards the general elections, political violence is on the rise. This month, in the third week alone, 241 people were affected in 41 incidents across the country. Approximately 75 people died and 166 suffered injuries. Although a comparison of the second and third weeks of December reveal that the number of incidents went down from 52 to 41, more people were killed and wounded in the third week. This indicates a clear increase in the lethality of the occurrences. In the second week, 61 people were killed and 51 injured. According to a recent study conducted by the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN), 22 incidents were reported in Sindh, 10 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 6 in Balochistan, two in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), and one in Gilgit-Baltistan. No incident of political violence was reported in Punjab in this week, while the most casualties were reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. During the week, target killings and sectarian attacks riddled the country. Furthermore, bomb blasts remained a prominent militant tactic, injuring 79 people across the country. The Khyber agency was the most violent area during the third week (19 killed, 71 injured), followed by Peshawar (five killed, 46 injured). Two high-profile attacks took place in Peshawar, one in which Provincial Minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour lost his life. He was a key political figure, a voice against militancy in the region. Karachi claimed a spot as the third most violent city, witnessing 25 deaths, and a plethora of targeted attacks, sectarian conflict, and violence against health workers. ANP spokesperson Senator Zahid Khan commented on the rising political violence in the country and said his party has been the biggest victim. However, he added that the ANP still believes in democracy and will not allow the upcoming polls to be postponed. “We have been making sacrifices and will continue doing so for the sake of democracy,” he maintained. Khan also said that the writ of the government is crucial in managing the affairs of the state. According to him, some entities working for anti-state agendas want to postpone elections. He proposed that all political parties sit together and draw up an effective security policy, so that political violence can finally be curbed. Published in The Express Tribune, December 26th, 2012. ===================

Gwadar ambush: Gunmen mow down 11 would-be migrants

Gwadar ambush: Gunmen mow down 11 would-be migrants By Mohammad Zafar Published: December 22, 2012 “We don’t know the exact number of fatalities. We have sent security forces to the area to gather facts,” says Rehmat Dashti. PHOTO: FILE QUETTA: At least 11 would-be economic migrants were shot dead by gunmen in Gwadar district near the Iranian border on Friday. Two double-cabin pick-ups, carrying an unspecified number of economic migrants, were en route to the Iranian border when gunmen ambushed them in Suntsar, a mountainous area some 80 kilometres from Gwadar city, sources told The Express Tribune by phone. “Around 11 people, most hailing from Punjab, were killed,” one source added. The gunmen escaped from the scene unchallenged. Sources said that rescuers and security forces could not reach the site immediately as it was raining and the dirt track leading to the area had become impassable. The region’s top administrator confirmed that some people trying to cross into Iran were killed. “We don’t know the exact number of fatalities. We have sent security forces to the area to gather facts,” Rehmat Dashti, the assistant commissioner of Gwadar district, told The Express Tribune. Dashti did not identify the victims. But the Makran route is frequently used by human smugglers to send economic migrants, mostly from Punjab and Afghanistan, to Europe via Iran and Turkey. Checkpoints of security forces dot the major highways from Bela to Makran up to the Iranian border. This makes such large movement of migrants without the connivance of security forces very difficult. Iranian security forces frequently arrest illegal immigrants, who are subsequently handed over to Pakistani border guards. In other violence, at least two people were killed in a landmine explosion in Kachi district (former Bolan district) on Friday. Muhammad Aslam and his pillion rider were killed when their motorcycle hit a landmine in Haft Wali area. It wasn’t immediately known who planted the landmine. But tribal insurgents frequently target security forces with roadside bombs and landmine in Balochistan, where a deadly insurgency has been raging on since 2004. Also on Friday, at least two persons were wounded in a hand grenade attack in the Jail Road neighbourhood of Quetta. “Unknown men lobbed a hand grenade at a shop on Jail Road, injuring two persons inside,” a police official said. The injured – Bilal Ahmed and Danish, residents of Kalat Street – were shifted to the Civil Hospital. It wasn’t immediately clear why the shop was targeted. Published in The Express Tribune, December 22nd, 2012.

Kuwait drop lawsuits against airlines and want to enter the Iraqi market investment

12/20/2012 (23:00 pm) - The number of readings: 223 - Issue (2682) Kuwait drop lawsuits against airlines and want to enter the Iraqi market investment Baghdad / follow-up term Ministry of Transport announced, on Thursday, dropping Kuwait all proceedings against Iraqi Airways, noting that the agreement is a real new beginning for Iraqi Airways to build a new air fleet. At the same time announced the Kuwaiti Ambassador in Iraq to the insured for a visit close to large economic delegation to Baghdad to strengthen relations between the two brotherly countries. An advisor to the Minister of Transport Karim Nouri for "Alsumaria News", "Advisor to the Minister of Transport for aviation Kifah Hassan Jabbar signed with Chairman of Kuwait Airways Corporation Sami half a definitive agreement to drop all lawsuits and judgments against Iraqi Airways both filed against it in all states world, "noting that" there are lawsuits filed against the company in London. " He Nouri that "the two countries reached an agreement prior to plunge Iraq whereby the amount of $ 500 million in compensation to the airline in exchange for dropping proceedings against Iraqi Airways," noting that "the agreement is the beginning of a historic relationship between the two countries and the beginning of a real Iraqi Airways in building air fleet again. " The Iraqi Council of Ministers authorized the July 18, 2012, Transport Minister Hadi al-Amiri, the authority to negotiate with the Kuwaiti side on the mechanism pay $ 500 million to the Kuwaiti side for the purpose of settling claims on Kuwaiti Kuwait Airways debt. The British authorities have detained, in 25 of last April, the Iraqi plane coming from Baghdad to London after a stop for flights between the two countries as long as 20 years, and was on board 30 passengers of Iraqis and foreigners, including Transport Minister Amer Abdul-Jabbar and director of Iraqi Airways Kifah Hassan, who was detained by the British judicial authorities, because of a lawsuit filed against the Kuwaiti Iraq concerning the damage suffered by the aircraft as a result of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, demanding payment of one billion and 200 million dollars for Kuwait Airways. And demanded the Kuwaiti company before London's High Court to pay Iraq $ 2.1 billion, and asked Kifah Hassan provide detection property company under oath, accusing via lawyer KAC David Schori, Iraqi Airways to refuse to honor its commitments and بالحنث department, fraud and mislead the judiciary. The Iraqi Airways currently manage and operate air transport in Iraq through interoperability with other countries in the world because of the company's non-possession of private jets, though it is one of the founding companies of the Organization of the International Air Transport Association (IATA). For his part, the Kuwaiti Ambassador in Iraq to the insured for a visit close to large economic delegation to Baghdad to strengthen relations between the two brotherly countries. He told the National Iraqi News Agency, "The Kuwaiti investor wants to enter the Iraqi market and in all sectors, especially the housing sector because of its pioneering experience in this area that was at the local level or at the level of foreign investment." The insured "that hinders investment in Iraq is the bureaucracy and red tape, which need to be the real deal and provide facilities in order to open the Iraqi market to the investor in general and Kuwait in particular." "The Kuwaiti investor and years ago entered into the Iraqi market, but individually and what we need in the coming period is the entry of investors and companies in order to contribute to the building of Iraq and to promote joint relations."

The limitations of delimitation

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The limitations of delimitation By Mazhar Abbas Published: December 21, 2012 The ECP will start redrawing Karachi’s constituencies most likely by the end of December – this comes as a ray of hope for some parties and makes others nervous. Can the delimitation of Karachi’s constituencies also bring about a change in the political scenario of Pakistan’s largest city of some 20 million people? And will it be for better or worse? This has no easy answer, but many political forces are pinning their hopes on the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which is likely to start by the end of December. Karachi, which had seven National Assembly (NA) seats in 1970, has grown so much that its representation at the centre tripled to 20 seats by the 2008 elections. Indeed, the number of MNAs representing Sindh and hence Karachi may go up further if delimitation takes place after a census or population count. Karachi’s major political party, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), though not opposed to delimitation, wants it done after a census, which has not been held since 1998. It stands alone in this demand as parties such as the Awami National Party (ANP) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) have rejected this stance. For its part, the JI is seeing delimitation as an important way for it to regain lost glory in Karachi in the next elections. The party was, thus, delighted with the Supreme Court’s October 6, 2011 order in the suo motu case for the ECP to undertake delimitation. The JI used to be part of the MMA that had helped it almost make a comeback in city politics when it won six seats in 2002. This, MQM leaders had conceded, has been a major setback for them since the party entered national politics in 1988. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), who also has stakes in Karachi, would not mind fresh delimitation but insists, like the MQM, that this should be done after a census so that the number of seats should also be increased. The PPP has decided to support the MQM given their five-year coalition rule together in Sindh. The PPP has been the second major force in Karachi since 1970, and despite having few seats it has considerable support, particularly on the outskirts of the city. Though the PPP won two out of seven NA seats and six PA seats from Karachi and took a major share in local government, city politics has never been its priority. The ANP, which won two Sindh Assembly seats in 2008 (PS-93, PS-128) for the first time ever, believes it could cover more ground if the constituency boundaries were properly drawn. However, with the emergence of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the strong 2.5 million Pakhtun vote is likely to be divided in the next elections. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has not much of a stake in Karachi, though they do have pockets of support from where they have and could win again. These are the major political forces fighting for the “crown of Karachi”. Out of them, the MQM is the only force to have taken the maximum number of seats since 1988, followed by the PPP and JI. Prior to the entry of the MQM, Karachi was the city of the JI, Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan and PPP. The JI won two local bodies elections, in 1979 and 1983, and they got to choose a mayor. The MQM won the local government polls in 1987, 1993 and 2005. The PPP has not been far behind and could have won the mayoral elections in 1979, had two of its councilors not been kidnapped. Thrice it has won deputy mayor seats and it held major towns in the post-Musharraf elections. The next two months are crucial for this volatile city. The JI is going to aim to derail the MQM by allying with religious parties, followed by a possible accord on seat adjustments… either with the PTI or the PML-N. This is its only hope of getting NA and provincial assembly representation, as it has never won an election on its own. This explains why it has engaged both the PML and PTI at the national level. It is important to analyse the historic background of the rise of the MQM as a powerful ethnic force in the name of Mohajirs and the subsequent political marginalisation of religious parties such as the JI and JUP in Karachi. It would be interesting to see the “limitations of delimitation” and that too without a census. But it would be safe to wager that the MQM is still likely to emerge as the single largest party in the city despite any such changes. The writer is the director of current affairs at Express News and has previously worked with ARY News. Published in The Express Tribune, December 21st, 2012.