[Tolo News] Two leading presidential candidates, Abdullah Abdullah ... the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against Karzai. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun... and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, have asked President Karzai to officially serve in the next government, Karzai's Spokesman Emal Faizi said on Monday in an interview with TOLOnews.
Faizi added that the president has not accepted the offer and will only cooperate with the next government unofficially.
"The two leading candidates met with the president and asked about the role he wants to play in the next government," Faizi told TOLOnews. "But the president will share his decade long experience with the next government as a retired president only."
President Karzai did not officially endorse any particular candidates in the elections held on April 5 2014.
Both Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani have expressed interest in Karzai's active role in the next government.
"President Karzai has served the country for 13 years; he has much experience," Abdullah Abdullah said."I discussed the matter with him; he is not willing to occupy an official post in the next government. But if we win the elections, we will certainly seek his suggestions."
Moreover, Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai has said that he would consider an official office for Karzai, upon winning the election.
"If we win, we would make an official office for him as the former president. A special budget will be allocated so that he could present his views on national, regional and international issues," Ashraf Ghani said. "I will consult him because he is one of the most important politicians in Afghanistan."
Political analysts and politicians have also encouraged the next president to seek President Karzai's advice.
"It is important to learn from President Karzai's experience," former Minister of Commerce Mohammad Amin Farhang said. "There are also some other candidates who have much public support. The next president should listen to their perspectives too although he is not obliged to accept them."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
he knows where the boodle is
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/25/2014 10:57 Comments ||
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#2
That and the potentially-generous consulting fees.
[Tolo News] The Independent Elections Commission (IEC) announced Thursday evening the third round of partial results with Abdullah Abdullah ... the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against Karzai. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun... in the lead.
Head of IEC Ahmad Yousaf Nuristani revealed Abdullah leading with 43.8 percent, Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai trailing behind with 32.9 percent and Zalmai Rassoul ... former foreign minister and a very close confidant of Hamid Karzai. Before serving as foreign minister Rassoul also spent seven years laboring as a national security adviser to the president. An ethnic Pashtun born in Kabul, Rassoul was the valedictorian of his class at the illustrious Franco-American school in Kabul, Lycee Istiqal. He has an MD from the Paris Medical School in France..... still behind with 11.7 percent.
Today's partial result announcement consisted of 82.59 percent of votes nationwide.
Presidential candidate Abdul Rab Rasool Sayyaf ...Afghan Salafist warlord, owned by Saudi Arabia. He was the guy who invited al-Qaeda to come into Afghanistan and make themselves at home... is in fourth with 7.0 percent, Qutbuddin Helal carrying 2.8 percent, Gul Agha Sherzai ...former governor of Kandahar province. the Taliban got their start protecting people against him... with 1.6 percent, Daoud Sultanzoy with 0.5 percent and Hedayat Amin Arsala in last with 0.2 percent.
Total votes for today's partial result was 5,857,442; roughly six million.
The breakdown of the votes is as follows: Abdullah with 2,564,284; Ghani with 1,928,153; Rassoul with 652,116; Sayyaf with 409,879; Helal with 165,567; Sherzai with 96,407; Sultanzoy with 27,312; and Arsala with 13,724 votes.
Nuristani said there are 1,719 polling sites that are still being investigated. He adds that it is too soon to determine whether a runoff will take place or not.
"We cannot comment whether the election will go into a runoff, but we are ready if it does," he said. "The delay with preliminary results will not affect the final outcome."
Nuristani also added, that more frauds were conducted by IEC staff and that they will be dealt with by the legal and judicial institutions.
Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan's Chairman, Nadir Nadiri, said that the audits of suspicious ballots should be performed before presidential candidates and observers.
Leading presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah said in an interview with TOLOnews that he is waiting for the announcement of preliminary results.
He criticized the IEC and their reasoning behind delaying preliminary results saying, "Their reason behind it is not satisfactory."
"The remaining 17 percent will have a great impact on the final outcome of elections," Abdullah said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
AbdullahË›
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/25/2014 10:58 Comments ||
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#2
damn symbol fail
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/25/2014 11:00 Comments ||
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[An Nahar] Sudan called on Thursday for an investigation into the "liquidation" of its nationals in a South Sudan oil town, where the U.N. has accused rebels of killing hundreds of civilians.
"The foreign ministry condemns liquidation of the Sudanese nationals in Bentiu and calls for urgent investigation," the official SUNA news agency said in an SMS alert.
The United Nations ...the Oyster Bay money pit... Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said on Monday that both South Sudanese and Sudanese -- some from Sudan's Darfur region -- were killed in "assassinations" after rebels took Bentiu, the capital of South Sudan's oil-rich Unity state, from government forces last week.
In the main mosque alone, "more than 200 civilians were reportedly killed and over 400 maimed," UNMISS said. Civilians including children were also massacred at a church, hospital and an abandoned U.N. World Food Program compound, it said.
"They (the rebels) searched a number of places where hundreds of South Sudanese and foreign civilians had taken refuge, and killed hundreds of the civilians after determining their ethnicity or nationality," a U.N. statement said.
In Khartoum, Sudan's foreign ministry front man Abubakr al-Siddiq told Agence La Belle France Presse it was not yet clear how many of the victims were Sudanese.
"Let us say dozens," he said, adding Khartoum is in contact with the U.N. over the incident.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2014 00:00 ||
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Some rogue instructors in the Ugandan army have been accused of training a number of Al-Shabaab fighters using African Union Mission on Somalia (AMISOM) facilities in Somalia, a Ugandan newspaper has revealed. New Vision, a government owned newspaper says the army instructors trained 10 Al-Shabaab fighters using AMISOM facilities following instructions from their commanders.
Two commanders, Major Frank Kawero and Captain Hassan Wantimba are being court martialed in Kampala.
Lance Corporal Jackson Byabagambi, currently a witness in the case against the two accused officers, told the General Court Martial presided over by Brigadier Moses Ssentongo on Tuesday that the Al-Shabaab fighters were trained at the Aljazeera training ground. Byabagambi said the Al-shabab fighters were trained following instructions from Watimba.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/25/2014 00:00 ||
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[Egypt Independent] Malian prosecutors have charged 2012 coup leader Amadou Sanogo with complicity to murder over the discovery of a mass grave of loyalist soldiers, judicial sources said on Thursday.
Sanogo, who is already in jug facing accusations of complicity in kidnapping, was charged with the new offence after being interrogated before a court for the first time at the start of the week, his lawyer Me Tiessolo Konare told AFP.
Sanogo, whose March 2012 coup plunged the west African country into chaos, and several of his men are on trial for crimes including liquidations and abductions.
A week after his arrest in November 2013, a grave was discovered near Bamako with 21 bodies thought to be those of high-ranking soldiers loyal to toppled president Amadou Toumani Toure.
Four other bodies were found two weeks later, as Sherlocks interrogated Sanogo and some of his allies.
A close aide to investigating judge Yaya Karembe, who placed Sanogo in jug in late 2013, confirmed that the new charge, which carries a possible death sentence, related to the discoveries.
Sanogo's coup toppled what had been heralded as one of the region's most stable democracies and precipitated the fall of northern Mali to Al Qaeda-linked groups until a French-led military operation forced them out.
In the months after the coup and a failed counter-coup in April 2012, Sanogo's then-headquarters in Kati were the scene of abuses and killings carried out against soldiers seen as loyal to Toure.
Politicians, journalists and civil society leaders were also victims of the junta's brutality.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2014 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] Military reasserts dominance over Islamist gunnies in peninsula, after months of extensive violence.
Egypt's military said Thursday that it has gained "complete control over the situation" in the Sinai Peninsula, where Islamist gunnies have been carrying out attacks against security forces for several months.
Violence has spiraled in the Sinai since last July when the army toppled President Mohammed Morsi ...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator... of the Moslem Brüderbund, prompting snuffies who had primarily focused on attacks against neighboring Israel to also turn their attention to Egyptian police and military targets.
"There is obvious stability in Sinai despite rumors that there are still terrorist elements and tunnels in north Sinai," said Major General Mohammed al-Shahat, who heads Egyptian forces in the peninsula, in comments carried by state news agency MENA.
A recent Rooters investigation found that a few hundred snuffies -- a mix of Egyptian Islamists, imported muscle and disgruntled youth -- are successfully playing a cat-and-mouse game with Egypt's army and are nowhere near defeat.
Days after the report was published, Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who has since resigned his post to run for president, removed the top military official in the Sinai and appointed Shahat to replace him.
Sisi, who ousted Morsi in July following protests against his rule, is widely expected to win presidential elections scheduled for May 26-27.
Shahat spoke to news hounds on the 32nd anniversary of the final Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai, which its forces had invaded in 1956 after Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal.
He said the army had destroyed more than 1,500 tunnels that ran under the frontier between Egypt and the Gazoo Strip, which borders North Sinai, in an attempt to stop the illegal flow of arms.
The Sinai is a largely lawless 61,000 sq km (24,000 sq mile) area wedged between the Suez Canal to the west and Israel and Gazoo to the east.
Militant attacks in Sinai, Cairo and other cities since July have killed around 500 people, mostly coppers and soldiers, according to the government.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
04/25/2014 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] British police are launching a nationwide bid to prevent young people from traveling to Syria to take part in the fighting there.
Metropolitan Police officials said Thursday they are increasingly concerned about the number of young people intending to go to Syria to join the conflict. Police say the number of Syria-related arrests in Britannia has risen, with 40 reported in the first three months of 2014 compared with 25 in all of last year.
That's all? Even little Holland is doing better than that... for a given value of better, of course.
Signs that North Korea may be preparing for another nuclear test have once again led to feverish speculation what the North is or is not capable of.
The Defense Ministry here claimed Wednesday that the North appears to have improved its capacity to miniaturize nuclear warheads so they can be fitted on to missiles. The nuclear payload needs to be reduced to less than 1,000 kg and the diameter to less than 90 cm to fit on a missile.
The ministry based its claim on assessment from South Korean and U.S. intelligence services.
"The North has reduced the nuclear payload to about 1,500 kg, but not less than 1,000 kg, which means that its nuclear weapons aren't warfare-ready yet," a ministry spokesman said. "But we presume that the North’s three previous nuclear tests have enabled it to improve technology to increase nuclear yield and make the payload smaller."
Meanwhile, experts said it seems unlikely that the North will conduct a nuclear test to coincide with U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Seoul this Friday and Saturday.
Based on "limited commercial satellite imagery," specialist website 38 North at Johns Hopkins University said recent operations at the test site in Punggye-ri, North Hamgyong Province "have not reached the high level of intensity -- in terms of vehicle, personnel and equipment movement -- that occurred in the weeks prior to past detonations. Moreover, other possible indicators present before the North Korean nuclear tests in 2009 and 2013… have not been spotted."
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/25/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] North Korea has apparently sealed a tunnel at its nuclear test site, a government official said Thursday ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody... 's arrival in Seoul for a two-day visit.
South Korea's defense ministry warned earlier this week that the North could be preparing to carry out a fourth nuclear test, citing increased activity at the Punggye-ri site.
"It is believed that North Korea has placed detonator, fissile material and measurement devices in the tunnel and sealed it," the official, who declined to be identified, said Thursday in a briefing for foreign news media.
He said the information was based on unspecified intelligence reports.
Experts are divided over whether a test is imminent and the defense ministry warning on Tuesday came with the caveat that Pyongyang might be pretending to prepare a detonation to raise tensions during Obama's visit.
The government official said he could not say precisely when the tunnel had been sealed.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
wonder how many politically disloyal family members were sealed in?
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/25/2014 11:17 Comments ||
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#2
wonder how many politically disloyal family members were sealed in?
Fuel for cremation being in short supply, probably a few.
[Ynet] The Netherlands said Wednesday more than a hundred Dutch citizens left the country in 2013 to fight as jihadists in Syria and 10 of them have died - including one who was a jacket wallah.
The annual report published Wednesday the country's AIVD intelligence agency included a report on potential threats to Dutch national security posed by the jihadists. It says approximately 30 of them have been to Syria and returned home since Syria's civil war began four years ago.
The agency says it is cooperating with other agencies to try to slow the flow of Dutch youth to Syria, and with local governments in tracking those who return.
#1
Makes you laugh how the media make out they are French,British or Dutch.They are first/second generation Muslim country background as in the British case Pakistan.
Posted by: Paul D ||
04/25/2014 5:43 Comments ||
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#3
As per #2, unfortunately Baby Assad + Regime is isolationist - the Hard Boyz will eventually just go around Syria to avoid Assad's wrath.
Putin = Russia rightly fears the Global Nuclear Jihad - ALL BETS ARE OFF ONCE THE HARD BOYZ ACQUIRE ROUTINE OR UNRESTRICTED ACCESS TO NUKES-WMDS.
Anti-US Globies in the West desire for the Great Powers, espec the remaining Global "Sole" Superpower USA, to unilaterally give up power-n-influence/authority to Lessors so that the latter can rise to [rough] "parity" in righteous fair-n-balanced "diversity". These Lessors are broadly desired to be the Principal(s) = Leader nations in so-called OWG Global Federal Unions. as related or higher.
DO THESE ANTI-US GLOBIES AS A CLASS HAVE IRAN, THE SAUDIS = ANTI-IRAN SUNNI STATES, + HIGH-RANKING LEADERS WIDIN RADICAL ISLAM UNDER THEIR AGENDA - DITTO AS PER CHINA + OTHER GEOPOL WANNABE? IFF NOT, THEN THESE GLOBIES MAY DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY BE ACHIEVING ONLY THEIR OWN DEFEAT IFF NOT UTTER DESTRUCTION BY EMPOWERING + ARMING THOSE OPPOSING OR HOSTILE GOVTS-STATES, MOVEMENTS, ETC. WHOM WOULD DESTROY THEM AT FIRST CHANCE.
As per the US-VS-RUSSIA in the Ukraine Crisis, + US-VS-CHINA [Nuclear Islam?] in East Asia + Pacific, just how much is the US expected to safely give up to Russia + Rising China + Rising Iran, etal, such that America's National, Geopol Security is NOT degraded or threatened, let alone destroyed???
IFF THE GLOBIES CANNOT ANSWER THE QUESTION, THEN AMERICA = AMERIKA, + EVERYTHING IT HOLDS DEAR, IS IN MORE MORTAL OR EXISTENTIAL DANGER THAN WE REALIZE.
[DAWN] A hacker who became an informant for the FBI directed hundreds of cyber attacks against the websites of foreign governments, including Brazil, Iran, Pakistain, Syria and Turkey, the New York Times ...which still proudly displays Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... reported Thursday.
It was unclear whether the FBI explicitly ordered the digital attacks, but court documents and interviews suggest "that the government may have used hackers to gather intelligence overseas," the Times wrote.
The figure at the center of the case is Hector Xavier Monsegur, who had become a prominent hacker with the activist group Anonymous, which has staged cyber assaults on MasterCard, PayPal and other commercial and government targets.
Monsegur was tossed in the slammer I ain't sayin' nuttin' widdout me mout'piece! by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and became an informant, helping the law enforcement agency identify other members of Anonymous.
Monsegur instructed a fellow hacker, Jeremy Hammond, to extract data from a long list of foreign government websites. And then that information -- which included bank records and login details -- was uploaded to a server "monitored" by the FBI, the Times reported, citing court papers.
The vast target list for hacking added up to more than 2,000 Internet domains, including the Polish Embassy in Britannia and the electricity ministry in Iraq, according to an uncensored court document cited by the Times.
Monsegur and Hammond had previously worked together to sabotage servers for Strafor Global Intelligence, an intelligence consultant firm based in Austin, Texas.
"After Stratfor, it was pretty much out of control in terms of targets we had access to," Hammond told the Times in an interview from a federal prison in Kentucky, where he is serving a 10-year sentence for the Stratfor attack and other hacking.
Hammond said he and Monsegur learned of a vulnerability that could be exploited in web-hosting software called Plesk, which permitted backdoor access to thousands of websites.
A court sentencing statement said that Monsegur directed other hackers to pull data from Syrian government sites, including banks and various ministries, according to the Times.
"The FBI took advantage of hackers who wanted to help support the Syrian people against the Assad regime, who instead unwittingly provided the US government access to Syrian systems, said the court statement quoted by the Times.
Monsegur's location is unknown and his sentencing hearing has been delayed repeatedly, fueling speculation that he remains an informant for the US government, the Times wrote.
The report reinforces allegations that the US government has exploited flaws in Internet security to spy on foreign targets.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
A recruited source goes BAD on the Bureau? Who knew ?
[DAWN] As the government team prepares for another meeting with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP), many of the foreign Death Eaters based in and around North Wazoo feel they are facing an uncertain future and are not only seeking assurances from their hosts but are also weighing options for moving out to others places, like Afghanistan and Syria, to continue their 'jihad'.
This emerged during a series of interviews conducted by this corespondent with scores of foreign murderous Moslems, mainly around North Waziristan, on getting exclusive access to various groups and to some of the most wanted runaways in the country.
"Most of us do not think that the talks would succeed. But if there is give and take from both sides then we fear the government would try to isolate us. Our hosts did take us into confidence before the talks started, but we feel the government would put them in a tight spot and their options may be limited," said Azzaam, a senior member of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU).
But some of the foreign Death Eaters also see the developments as an opportunity.
"Jihad is not restricted to a single land. We have the flexibility to move around. At the moment most brothers realise that one of the noblest jihadi fronts is Syria," said Sheikh Abdul Salam, a Saudi national based here.
"Iran is one of the belligerents in the blessed land of Syria and it is right next to Pakistain," he said, while arguing about the "importance" of dragging Iran into a direct confrontation with Pakistain.
Another Arab fighter in Mir Ali Bazaar said he was interested in moving to Syria, but added that he had been unable to make arrangements to shift along with his large family.
"My mother's condition makes it difficult for me to pursue the difficult land route. Perhaps as part of the talks, if the government of Pakistain provides us with a safe passage then a number of people in a situation similar to mine could fly out," he said.
At the same time, a member of the TTP shura claimed that a large number of imported muscle had already left. "I can tell you that 8,000 mujahideen, mostly Arabs, Chechens and Uzbeks, have shifted to Syria," he said.
When cross-questioned about the big figure, he asserted that he was speaking with knowledge and authority. He pointed out that almost all of them had taken the land route while sneaking through Iran where a number of them have been jugged Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! It's difficult to verify this figure, and it is not clear how many more foreign Death Eaters are still holed up in North Waziristan and other parts of the tribal territory.
When asked about the issue of imported muscle, TTP front man Shahidullah Shahid was reluctant to talk on the subject. "We are holding talks with the government with all sincerity and we hope for a positive outcome that is in the interest of Islam and Pakistain," he said.
While Afghanistan would seem as the more convenient place to shift, many of the imported muscle have their sight on Syria. "There are many sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) about the virtues of Syria, so naturally many of the mujahideen look that way," said Khalid Saif al-Muhajir, TTP's head of media.
But the Saudi national, Sheikh Abdul Salam, points out another aspect. "It is not about which land is easy for us to relocate to. You have to look at it strategically. The next big fight across many Mohammedan lands would be between us and the Rawafidh," he said, using a pejorative term to describe Shias.
In the meantime, for those imported muscle choosing to stay in Pakistain, there is help on offer from another front -- the staunchly sectarian Lashkar-e-i-Jhangvi. "All these people have left their lands for jihad. We cannot betray them. If the government tries to make things difficult for these mujahideen then they will find us standing by them," said a member of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi ... a 'more violent' offshoot of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistain. LeJ's purpose in life is to murder anyone who's not of utmost religious purity, starting with Shiites but including Brelvis, Ahmadis, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Rosicrucians, and just about anyone else you can think of. They are currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of al-Qaeda ... who features on the list of most wanted Death Eaters in Pakistain.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
The muslims live for Jihad/dying young.
Posted by: Paul D ||
04/25/2014 6:05 Comments ||
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#2
the "importance" of dragging Iran into a direct confrontation with Pakistain
Yes, yes!!!! It's very important to get the two of them fighting each other!!!! Balochistan demands it.
[DAWN] The chief commissioner and the senior superintendent of Islamabad police have refused to remove the name of Abdul Aziz, the former Lal Masjid Khateeb, from the fourth schedule of the Anti Terrorism Act (ATA).
They have argued that the holy man not only created security issues but also tried to demoralise the army.
This argument was presented in their response submitted to the Islamabad High Court, which is hearing a petition from the holy man asking that his name be removed from the fourth schedule.
The fourth schedule is a section of the ATA under which some one who is suspected of terrorism is kept under observation; it is mandatory for him to register his attendance with the local police regularly. The federal government on August 3, 2005, had put Maulana Abdul Aziz ...nutball holy man who runs the Lal Masjid in the heart of Pakistain's capital. After instigating a rebellion against the state in 2007, he was caught trying to sneak away dressed in a burka. He rejects democracy as un-Islamic, which it probably is... on the fourth schedule for his alleged anti-state activities.
The notification stated, "The chief commissioner Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) has received information that Maulana Abdul Aziz, resident of Lal Masjid, is affiliated with and involved in activities related to the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistain ...a Sunni Deobandi organization, a formerly registered Pak political party, established in the early 1980s in Jhang by Maulana Haq Nawaz Jhangvi. Its stated goal is to oppose Shia influence in Pakistain. They're not too big on Brelvis, either. Or Christians. Or anybody else who's not them. The organization was banned in 2002 as a terrorist organization, but somehow it keeps ticking along, piling up the corpse counts... , which had been banned by the federal government in 2002."
However, there is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened... the issue is now being heard in the IHC and the chief commissioner and SSP Islamabad told the court that the petitioner's (Maulana Aziz) "anti-state activities are well known in Islamabad Their response adds that, "the petitioner continued anti-state activities after placing his name in the fourth schedule and finally he created major law and order situation in the capital city in... 2007" because of which the "Army had to be summoned under the relevant provisions of the constitution".
Among other charges, the response states, "On February 22, 2004 petitioner convened a meeting of prominent Ulemas in Lal Masjid and a 'Fatwa' was issued against the Pakistain Army on carrying out "Wana" operation against terrorists."
The two officers describe the 'Fatwa' as "seditious in nature" that demoralised the armed forces.
The reply says that Maulana Aziz was removed from the position of Lal Masjid Khateeb after he admitted signing the 'Fatwa'.
It alleged that Maulana Aziz challenged the writ of the government by establishing a state within state; announcing the establishment of a Shariah Court (SC) and inviting people to approach it; kidnapping local residents and foreign nationals as well as forcibly shutting down markets.
The document also says that from 2000 to 2007, 40 cases were registered against the holy man in various cop shoppes for delivering hate speeches against the government.
The reply pointed out that Maulana Aziz's name was placed on the fourth schedule and legally he was allowed to challenge the decision within a year; the "request is time barred" now.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] Participants of a tribal jirga in the thriving provincial capital on Wednesday supported peace talks between the government and banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain but expressed serious reservations about the composition of the official committee comprising senior bureaucrats.
During the event, which took place at the main hall of the Governor's House, Senators, MNAs, political agents and elders from seven tribal agencies and six frontier regions were unanimous in demanding restoration of peace, rehabilitation of displaced persons and revival of the customary administrative structure, including maliks and political agents.
Provincial governor Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan also addressed the jirga.
Malik Qadir Khan, an elder of Madakhel tribe from volatile North Wazoo Agency, said peace couldn't be restored in the country until tribal people were involved.
Other elders expressed scepticism about the future of peace talks between the government and TTP saying the process won't achieve desired results until the people of Fata were involved in it.
Some participants regretted the government hadn't involved parliamentarians from Fata in negotiations with the Taliban.
They criticised the government for ignoring sacrifices and hardships of the rustics, who had to flee their homes due to militancy and the subsequent military operations.
Provincial governor Sardar Mehtab told participants that the successive governments and tribal mindset were responsible for overall backwardness of and lawlessness in Fata.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] The Geo TV station has been taken off-air in some parts of the country, cable operators said Thursday.
The defence ministry on Tuesday urged the national media regulator to cancel Geo TV's broadcasting licence after it aired allegations that the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency was behind an attempt to kill top anchor Hamid Mir.
On Thursday cable operators said they had blocked transmission of Geo in some residential areas managed by the military.
Pakistain's armed forces run cantonment areas in many cities and towns and have a property arm, the Defence Housing Authority, which provides upmarket housing for serving and retired personnel.
"I have received information that Geo is not being shown in the Defence and cantonment areas of Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Kohat, Hasan Abdal and Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. ," Sheikh Ijaz, the secretary general of Cable Operators Association of Pakistain, told AFP.
But he said there had been no general order from the Pakistain Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) to interrupt the channel's transmission.
"Pemra has not issued any instructions to shut down Geo TV. We will not advise our members to shut down any channel until Pemra sends us a written instruction to do so," Ijaz said.
An operator in the southwestern city of Quetta said security officials told him not to show Geo in their areas, affecting 35 per cent of the city.
"The Frontier Corps and pro-military tribal elders are putting pressure on us to not show Geo at least in the military areas," Babrak Khan, Quetta's leading cable operator, told AFP.
In the northwestern city of Peshawar, a resident in the upmarket Hayatabad locality said Geo had been off air in his area since Wednesday.
No cable operator confirmed a blockade in the country's largest city Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... , where Mir was attacked.
The defence ministry's letter accused Geo of a "vicious campaign libellous and scandalous in nature" and said the channel was trying to undermine the integrity of an important state institution.
Mir has in the past criticised the Taliban and also Pakistain's armed forces, and media campaign group Reporters Without Borders said he had told it on April 7 that the ISI was "conspiring... to cause me harm."
Pakistain's freewheeling private media has increasingly shown itself willing to challenge the military, once considered off-limits to criticism.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2014 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[DAWN] Sectarian killings rose by more than a fifth in Pakistain last year, a leading rights group said Thursday, warning of an alarming increase in violence against religious minorities.
The independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistain (HRCP) said 687 people were killed in more than 200 sectarian attacks last year, a rise of 22 per cent on 2012.
The group warned that ongoing peace talks between the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... and the hardline forces of Evil of the Pak Taliban could make minorities even more vulnerable.
Around 97 per cent of Pakistain's 180 million population is Mohammedan, the vast majority Sunnis.
Violence against Shia Mohammedans, who make up around 20 per cent, has been growing in recent years, much of it led by krazed killer sectarian groups such as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi ... a 'more violent' offshoot of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistain. LeJ's purpose in life is to murder anyone who's not of utmost religious purity, starting with Shiites but including Brelvis, Ahmadis, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Rosicrucians, and just about anyone else you can think of. They are currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of al-Qaeda ... (LJ).
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2014 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[DAWN] Senior journalist Hamid Mir, who was maimed after being targeted in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... , still holds the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) responsible for orchestrating the attack.
This was conveyed on Thursday by his brother while speaking to the media outside the Aga Khan Hospital, where the maimed journalist is being treated for his injuries.
Amir Mir also stuck a further defiant tone stating that Geo TV network and his brother had faced the similar circumstances when former military ruler Gen (retd) Pervez Perv Musharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... had imposed an emergency in the country and shut down TV channels in 2007.
The journalist is defiant in countering all efforts of suspending Geo TV's transmission, he said.
Amir said that the senior anchorperson had informed some visiting intelligence officials about the threat he was facing from the ISI. He said that his brother was aware of the agency's method of threatening journalists and media houses for "biased reporting" of certain national issues.
He said the ISI officials were apparently unhappy about his brother's famous talk show, Capital Talk, being broadcast on Mama Qadir's long march over missing Baloch persons. Mir said the agency was also unhappy of Hamid Mir's criticism aimed at the ISI in different Capital Talk shows.
The senior journalist was concerned on the government's failure to hand over written proof of ISI's threat to his life, said his brother, adding that he was also concerned about the probe of a planted bomb underneath his car in November 2012.
He said that Hamir Mir has vowed to foil all these conspiracies being orchestrated against him and his family members at an appropriate time.
His fight is for illusory sovereignty and security of Pakistain, restoration of peace, eradication of terrorism, rule of law and freedom of speech which cannot be suppressed, said Hamid Mir's brother.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2014 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
He must know by now that the ISI use Jihadis/terrorism to carry out their dirty work.
Look at General Beg and Hamid Gul for the mindset amongst the Pak Army/ISI hierachy.
Posted by: Paul D ||
04/25/2014 5:50 Comments ||
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#2
Compare that to our hair-farms whose biggest problems are whether or not their latte is on time and if their Obamacare report wasn't sycophantic enough for the administration.
[DAWN] Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif narrowly escaped a shoe hurled at him during the inauguration of a three-day South Asia Labour Conference in Lahore, DawnNews reported
What kind of pathetic insult misses its target so completely?
The shoe-hurler turned out to be a journalist who aimed the shoe at Shahbaz but missed his target. The shoe landed near the stage instead where the CM was sitting.
He was taken into custody by the police after Shahbaz made his departure from the hotel where the conference was taking place.
However, a woman is only as old as she admits... the Punjab CM ordered authorities to release his attacker.
The journalist, who threw the shoe, also held a banner that demanded the arrest of those involved in the attack on senior journalist Hamid Mir. Speaking to media later, he said he had vented out his anger by throwing the shoe.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2014 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] The directors of five United Nations ...aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society... agencies that provide humanitarian aid to Syria said Wednesday their appeal for $6.5 billion in emergency funding for 2014 has been mostly ignored.
With only $1.2 billion pledged, the agency heads are renewing their December appeal and emphasizing that the humanitarian situation is deteriorating by the day as the 3-year-old civil war escalates in many areas.
The December appeal "has gone largely unanswered" for a crisis affecting 9.3 million people, said a joint statement by UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos, UNICEF director Anthony Lake, UN refugee commissioner António Guterres, World Food Program director Ertharin Cousin and World Health Organization director Dr. Margaret Chan.
[An Nahar] Controversial amendments to Jordan's anti-terrorism law seek to curb the influence of homegrown al-Qaeda affiliated jihadists fighting the regime of the kingdom's northern neighbor Syria, analysts said.
New articles added to the law approved by MPs on Tuesday deem "joining or attempting to join armed or terrorist groups, or recruiting or attempting to recruit people to join these groups" acts of terrorism.
They also outlaw "acts that would expose Jordan or Jordanians to the danger of acts of aggression, or harm the kingdom's relations with another country."
Hundreds of Jordanian jihadists have joined hardline Salafist tough guys in Syria fighting Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Supressor of the Damascenes... 's regime.
Three years into the conflict, many of these battle-hardened Jordanians are returning home, causing deep concern in Amman.
"Jordan is surrounded by jihadist groups and there is a serious terrorist threat to the kingdom," Oraib Rantawi, head of Amman's Al-Quds Center for Political Studies, told Agence La Belle France Presse.
"I think terrorism might find a suitable environment in Jordan. This environment is still isolated and limited, but at the same it is connected to regional developments, including Syria."
Jordan passed its first anti-terrorism law in 2006, the year after three bombings targeting hotels in the capital killed 60 people.
But the kingdom still faces challenges as the bloodshed in Syria shows little sign of abating.
Amman has repeatedly expressed fears the conflict could spread across its borders, and has on several occasions aired its concerns over the regional impact of jihadists fighting Assad.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Israel said on Thursday it was halting negotiations with the Paleostinians following their unity deal with the Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, rulers of Gazoo, as faltering U.S.-backed peace talks approached their deadline.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed the agreement between the rival factions as a move that "kills peace," but senior Paleostinian official Saeb Erakat blamed the demise of the process on Israeli settlement activity.
On Wednesday, the Paleostine Liberation Organization (PLO) -- internationally recognized as the sole representative of the Paleostinian people -- and the Gazoo Strip's Islamist Hamas rulers signed a reconciliation agreement.
Under the deal, they agreed to form a "national consensus" government under Abbas within weeks.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2014 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Hamas
Once was forgetting. This is boldness, wiping out the beard of the "Palestinian Authority" to reveal Yasser Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organization in all its vicious glory.
[Ynet] The United States would have to reconsider its assistance to the Paleostinians if Islamist group Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, and the Paleostinian Liberation Organization form a government together, a senior US administration official said on Thursday.
"Any Paleostinian government must unambiguously and explicitly commit to nonviolence, recognition of the state of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations between the parties," the official said, speaking to Rooters on condition of anonymity.
Until January 2017 our president has his phone and his pen.
#2
"Any Paleostinian government must unambiguously and explicitly commit to nonviolence, recognition of the state of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations between the parties,"
[Ynet] Ghazi Hamad tells Ynet that Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, and Fatah have still to discuss policy on Israel, but group would accept state within '67 borders.
Temporarily, at least.
Hamas has not yet decided whether it will maintain its preferred policy of violent resistance to Israel following the announcement of a unity agreement with Paleostinian rival Fatah, a bigwig in the organization told Ynet on Thursday.
Ghazi Hamad, Hamas' deputy foreign minister in its Gazoo government, was speaking a day after the two organizations signed a far-reaching reconciliation agreement, ostensibly ending more than six years of brutal internecine fighting.
"We will discuss this -- among other issues -- at the negotiations between Fatah and Hamas," Hamad said.
He said, however, that Hamas is certain that Israel lacks any desire to reach an agreement with the Paleostinians.
"We are all convinced Israel doesn't want peace, it doesn't want to see a Paleostinian state."
Nonetheless, he said, Hamas would accept a Paleostinian state within the 1967 borders, adding that Israel's agreement on this issue could lead to a drastic shift in the conflict.
"As we have said, we want a Paleostinian state with the 1967 borders, Ghazi Hamad, the deputy foreign minister in Hamas's Gazoo government, told Ynet. "If (Israel) is willing to accept this, the entire situation will change."
The deal includes a demand for Hamas to abide by previously signed agreements with Israel, but Hamad balked Thursday at the notion that the group recognize Israel.
"Recognition will be between two states," he told Ynet. "You don't need organizations to recognize Israel. It's enough that the Paleostinian Liberation Organization -- the representative of the Paleostinian people -- recognizes the State of Israel. Besides, (Israel) has yet to recognize the rights and borders of a Paleostinian state."
Hamad also dodged the issue of Hamas support for Fatah's current participation in the grinding of the peace processor with Israel, saying that the issue had yet to be decided.
"Our conduct on the political situation will be decided after negotiations with Fatah, which will aim to unite our agenda," he said.
[Ynet] Fearing rise in violence if peace talks fail, Central Command practices riot control tactics, response to terror attacks.
Bracing for an outbreak of violence should peace talks with the Paleostinians collapse, the IDF on Wednesday morning held an impromptu military exercise by the Central Command to practice possible scenarios of escalation in the West Bank.
Details of the exercise were released by the IDF Spokesperson's Unit just one hour after Fatah and Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, signed a reconciliation agreement in Gazoo, which aims to end more than six years of bitter infighting.
As part of the exercise, a brigade stationed in the Etzion region of the West Bank practiced using riot control measures to deal with local disturbances and possible terror attacks.
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said that the exercises "applied to the deployment of IDF forces in surprise scenarios." The front man stressed that similar exercises "have been carried out by the IDF in various sectors over the last few years.
IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz visited army divisions taking part in the exercise, and had a working meeting with the GOC Central Command, Major General Nitzan Alon; Commander of the Judea and Samaria Division, Brigadier General Tamir Yadai, and Commander of the Etzion Brigade, Colonel Amit Yamin.
Gantz later spoke to the soldiers participating in the exercise, providing professional guidance and sharing advice accrued through decades in the service. A broad range of units participated in the exercise, including infantry battalions, emergency crews and medical corps, as well as officers from the Border Police.
The exercise, held in the Bethlehem region, was just one in a series of extensive drills meant to prepare efficient contingency plans for the Central Command in the case of a spontaneous or organized spike in violence in the West Bank -- which the IDF expects to happen in response to the failure of the peace talks.
Military sources refuse to call this possibility a "Third Intifada", because they suspect that any new wave of violence in the West Bank will differ to what they saw 10 years ago.
Another brigade exercise took place in the same region just a few weeks ago, when Gantz surprised the soldiers with an unnanounced early morning drill. The exercise lasted for three days and included a series of scenarios of extreme violence, some without any warning from Military Intelligence.
These scenarios included suicide kaboom on a bus of school children at Gush Etzion Junction, turbans firing upon vehicles, the use of explosives at IDF forces, and a violent demonstration within Bethlehem.
Speaking Wednesday, Gantz told the soldiers of the Lavi Battalion, who are responsible for security in the Etzion region that troops must be ready for an outbreak of violence.
"In total there is a seemingly stable atmosphere with terrorist incidents and disturbances here and there, but this reality requires us to constantly operate in two layers -- in routine security actions in problematic areas, and on the other hand, we must be prepared for the possibility of a broader escalation like we practiced today," he said.
Major General Alon added, "It could be that an escalation will slowly develop, and it could come in one explosive event."
[An Nahar] Syria has nearly completed surrendering its chemical weapons stockpile, a joint task force in charge of the operation said Thursday, as U.N. Security Council members called for a fresh probe into alleged gas attacks.
"Today's operation brings the total of chemical material removed and destroyed to 92.5 percent," the combined Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons-U.N. task team said in a statement.
Damascus had pledged to have all of its stockpile removed from the war-ravaged country by Sunday. The weapons are then due to be destroyed by June 30.
The consignment of chemicals were delivered to the main Syrian port of Latakia, from where it will be removed by cargo ships for delivery to the U.S. Navy vessel Cape Ray for destruction.
Syrian authorities also "destroyed buildings, equipment and empty mustard gas containers," the OPCW-UN statement said.
"A majority of (storage and productions) sites are now closed," the joint mission said.
"I welcome the significant progress of the last three weeks and I strongly encourage the Syrian authorities to conclude removal operations as part of their efforts to achieve the June 30 deadline," the mission's chief Sigrid Kaag said.
In New York, Security Council members on Wednesday called for new claims of a chlorine gas attack in a rebel bastion in Syria to be probed after Kaag briefed them behind closed doors.
Joy Ogwu, Nigeria ambassador who holds the rotating presidency, said members "expressed concern ...meaning the brow was mildly wrinkled, the eyebrows drawn slightly together, and a thoughtful expression assumed, not that anything was actually done or indeed that any thought was actually expended... about alleged reports about the use of chlorine gas in some of the towns, which left people dead and injured, and called for an investigation into this incident."
La Belle France and the United States allege that Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Horror of Homs... 's forces may have unleashed industrial chemicals on a rebel-held village in central Hama province earlier this month.
There have been conflicting accounts of the alleged chlorine attack on Kafr Zita, with the government and the opposition trading blame.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2014 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
#1
And how long will it take pencilneck to recreate his CBW stockpile?
#4
You're not supposed to ask questions, Thing, just feel warm and fuzzy about Champ's fabulous success in this foreign-policy endeavor. Another feather in the cap of his legacy!
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/25/2014 15:27 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Snowy, remember that Syria's "pledge" counts as half.
[An Nahar] Lebanese Forces A Christian political party founded by Bashir Gemayel, who was then bumped off when he was elected president of Leb... leader Samir Geagea ... Geagea was imprisoned by the Syrians and their puppets for 11 years in a dungeon in the third basement level of the Lebanese Ministry of Defense. He was released after the Cedar Revolution in 2005 ... stressed Thursday that he will stay in the presidential race "until the end" regardless of the candidacy of Free Patriotic Movement Despite its name a Christian party allied with Hizbullah, neither free nor particularly patriotic... leader MP Michel Aoun ...a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hizbullah... .
"I will carry on with my nomination until the end and this has nothing to do with General Aoun's candidacy," Geagea told LBCI television, during a weekly show dedicated to interviewing the major presidential hopefuls.
Reminiscing the 2005 period, Geagea said he "seriously thought of nominating Aoun for the presidency in 2005, because he was the only candidate back then."
"But that was rejected by the LF's brass hats," he added.
Commenting on the controversy over his nomination, Geagea said: "My past is not absurd, my past is part of Leb's past. Some parties want to launch unjust accusations against me and I had apologized because war is ugly, regardless of its form."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2014 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Signs that North Korea may be preparing for another nuclear test have once again led to feverish speculation what the North is or is not capable of.
North Korea
Wazoo
Pervez 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Samir Geagea
Michel Aoun
