[Pak Daily Times] An Afghan terrorist faction, Hezb-e-Islami, has voiced its backing for the construction of a multi-billion-dollar gas pipeline through Afghanistan and even pledged to provide security on a project stalled for over a decade by politics and violence.
Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistain and India this month signed a preliminary agreement to push ahead with the TAPI pipeline, which is supported by Washington and would transport Turkmen gas over Afghan soil to consumers in India and Pakistain.
Hezb-e-Islami, a terrorist force separate from the Taliban and led by former prime minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, ... who used to be known as The Most Evil Man in the World but who now seems merely run-of-the-mill evil... announced its full backing for the project and volunteered to help protect it, in a surprise statement emailed late on Saturday night.
"Hezb-e-Islami strongly supports this deal on the basis of which Turkmenistan's gas will be exported through Afghanistan to Pakistain and India," the statement said.
"We are ready to help with the work arrangement and enforcement of security of the pipeline in areas where Hezb-e-Islami has influence."
The group does not control most of the proposed route, which runs through the Taliban heartland in southern Helmand and Kandahar provinces. The government says it would bury the pipeline up to two metres underground there to ensure security.
But Hezb-e-Islami is active around western Herat, where the gas would begin its journey through Afghanistan and some former members have joined Taliban ranks in the south.
Supporting the pipeline could be a tactical move for a group, which has said it is open to the possibility of peace talks and may be aiming to position itself as a responsible player concerned about Afghanistan's economic health.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2010 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Hizb-i-Islami-Hekmatyar
(KUNA) -- US Vice President Joe Foreign Policy Whiz Kid Biden ... an example of the kind of top-notch Washington intellect to be found in the World's Greatest Deliberative Body ... on Sunday said the planned withdrawal of combat troops from Afghanistan will occur on time "come hell or high water." Despite uneven progress in Afghanistan, Biden told NBCs Meet the Press "Were making progress on all fronts, more in some areas than in others. Are we making sufficient progress fast enough? That remains to be seen." He asserted that Al-Qaedas strength "has been significantly degraded" by US attacks on the turban networks leadership. However, The infamous However... the US has been less successful countering the Afghan insurgency, dealing with safe havens in Pakistain and creating a stable Afghan government.
Biden said that plans to begin US troop reductions are still on schedule.
"We are going to, come July, begin to draw down American forces," and begin to transfer responsibility to the Afghans, said Biden. "It will not be a token amount." Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch... Biden said the US Justice Department is looking at what to do to stop more classified government documents from being released on the WikiLeaks website. He refused to comment on that process but said he has strong words for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2010 00:00 ||
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[4 views]
Top|| File under: Taliban
#1
"he has strong words for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange."
Do they come with a sternly worded letter?
Posted by: European Conservative ||
12/20/2010 1:11 Comments ||
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#2
In 14? I think the next president might have something to say about that.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
12/20/2010 1:29 Comments ||
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#4
It's the start of the '12 campaign season. Biden's talking both to Karzai and - more importantly - to the left wing who are pretty p1ssed at Obama right now.
#11
"ThatAny kind of promise isn't worth much from this administration."
FTFY, tw.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
12/20/2010 18:37 Comments ||
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#12
"We are going to, come July, begin to draw down American forces," and begin to transfer responsibility to the Afghans, said Biden. "It will not be a token amount."
[Tolo News] The Afghan Ministry of Interior Affairs (MoI) Sunday announced that there has been a 76 percent increase in civilian casualties in the last week
Most of the deaths have been caused by suicide kabooms and roadside kabooms, the MoI said.
According to the statistics provided by the MoI, bad boy attacks had increased 16 percent in the last week.
The weekly briefing of the MoI said separate activities of forces of Evil have claimed lives of 52 innocent civilians during the last week, and 43 other civilians were hurt.
During the last week, eleven coppers were killed and 42 other police troops were maimed in the violence. And 28 forces of Evil were killed and 153 other snuffies were nabbed in different operations in Afghanistan.
The front man for MoI, Zemarai Bashari, told news hounds: "The reason for a surge in civilian deaths is insecurity and most of the casualties are as a result of mine kabooms, suicide kabooms and other insurgency related activities."
Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch... the MoI said efforts are on the ground for the release of the kidnapped Bangladeshi architects in northern Balkh province.
Yesterday night seven Bangladeshi road construction workers were kidnapped by forces of Evil in Keshen Deh district in Balkh province.
"Besides the seven kidnapped Bangladeshi workers, an Afghan guard has also been kidnapped. Investigations and efforts are already underway to free all of them," said Mr Bashari.
President Karzai's spokesperson had previously said a large number of private security firms will be dissolved till 17 December, but MoI declined to provide details about the companies.
President Karzai had urged the disbandment of all private security firms operating in Afghanistan, but he later said exceptions could be made.
A latest statement by the President's Office has said only companies in charge of security to embassies, foreign diplomats and some warehouses could operate with limitations.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2010 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Taliban
(KUNA) -- The Arab Parliament (AP) decided Sunday to participate in monitoring the referendum of self-determination in south Sudan, slated for January 9 next year.
I never knew there was an Arab Parliament. How exciting.
The house took the decision though a group of politicians said the monitoring of voting would mean that the AP would stand a witness for a possible separation of part of an Arab country, which contradicted with its principles and objectives of Arab unity.
However, The infamous However... other Members of AP (MAPs) argued that the Arab Parliament should respect the agreement signed with the referendum commission. They called for not prejudging the outcome of the referendum.
The proposal was opposed by 17 MAPs out of the 88-seat house.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2010 00:00 ||
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[4 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Sudan
#1
IIRC the mostly Muslim NORTH SUDAN is warning that it will reinforce + expand SHARIA LAW in its part of the country.
#2
The Arab Parliament is an auxiliary of the Arab League. The members are appointed (not elected) by whatever dictator, monarch, whatever, is in charge of the country.
However, this 'monitoring' will probably be the kind of monitoring that you can do from your living room watching your TV.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
12/20/2010 10:27 Comments ||
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#3
DER SPIEGEL > {Mostly Christian SOUTH SUDAN was and is...] "ALREADY FLYING THE FLAG OF AN INDEPENDENT STATE", for a long time already before the pending scheduled South Sudan vote on secession. IOW, VOTE ONLY MAKES OFFICIAL WHAT WAS ALREADY LONG OCCURRING OR TAKING PLACE ANYWAY.
ARTIC = AU is for a unified Sudan + agz the South Sudan secession vote because of latent fears of violent sectarianism + militancy [Muslim-vs-Christian, Other]spilling over beyond the Sudanese borders into neighboring countries.
Versus
* SAME > [DS Interview id Flemish Separatist
DE WEVER] BELGIUM HAS NO FUTURE.
ARTIC = DE WEVER describes Belgium as a FAILED STATE whose best outcome is division into two or more separate sovereign polities, DUTCH-IN-FLANDERS-VS-FRENCH-IN-WALLONIA???
[Daily Nation (Kenya)] Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir said today that the country's north will reinforce its Islamic law after a referendum expected to grant independence to the south.
"If South Sudan secedes, we'll change the constitution. There will be no question of cultural or ethnic diversity."
"If South Sudan secedes, we'll change the constitution. There will be no question of cultural or ethnic diversity.
Sharia will be the only source of the constitution, and Arabic the only official language," Bashir said in a speech aired on national television.
Southerners are set to vote in a referendum on January 9 on whether to remain united with the north or break away and form their own country.
The vote is a key plank of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the mainly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south that put an end to more than two decades of civil war.
After the conflict, Bashir's National Congress Party (NCP) and the former southern rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) agreed on an interim constitution valid until July 2011.
The constitution recognises the "multi-ethnic," "multi-cultural" and "multi-faith" status of the Sudanese state, and is based on both sharia, or Islamic law, and the "consensus" of the population.
It also recognises Arabic and English as the two official languages of Africa's largest country, which was formerly under British and Egyptian rule.
In a speech punctuated by religious references, Bashir also defended the way the authorities have dealt with the case of a young woman whose whipping by police appeared in a YouTube video.
A police spokesman said on Tuesday that 46 women and six men had been arrested for holding an illegal demonstration after the video's release.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2010 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Sudan
A controversial anti-Islamist group has told its members to be "vigilant" after their details leaked online.
Hundreds of names and addresses linked to the English Defence League have been circulated on the web after hackers broke in to one of the organisation's websites.
In a warning to members, the group said it feared the potential for reprisals.
Those affected should "remain extra vigilant where their home and personal safety is concerned," it said.
The security breach began last weekend, when a clothing website linked to the organisation was accessed by hackers.
The attackers, who claimed to be part of a group called the "Mujahideen Hacking Unit", obtained lists of those who had recently bought items from the site or donated money to the group.
The EDL has risen to prominence in the last year by staging a number of protests against what it calls the "Islamification" of Britain. While it says it is not racist or anti-Muslim, opponents such as United Against Fascism say the group's agenda is blatantly Islamophobic.
#3
HMMMM, HMMMM, personally I'm NOT convinced - I believe KIMMIE + PYONGYANG/REGIME BOYZ would like to wait and see iff BEIJING = CHINA will accept a POTENT INTERNATIONAL ECON PRESENCE IN NORTH KOREA ala VIETNAM [Russia, India, US, Japan, Israel, EU?].
Again, IMO China may be willing to accept such a potent or major, high-profile foreign econ influence in NOKOR + KOREAN PENINSULA, but-t-t in exchange for the formal end of USFK, USFJ, + UNC Commands, i.e. massive redux iff not total withdrawal of mostly US Conventional, Nuclear Milfors, MIssles, etc. from SOUTH KOREA + JAPAN [Taiwan?].
DON'T BE SURPRISED IFF CHIN ALSO DEMANDS TO SET UP MILITARY, TRADE FACILX = "WARM WATER PORTS" IN SAME.
* CINESE MILITARY FORUM > NORTH KOREA REFRAINS FROM [military]RETALIATION AFTER SOUTH KOREAN ARTILLERY DRILL, warning that ANY HOSTILITIES BETWEEN DPRK-ROK MAY "SPIRAL OUT-OF-CONTROL".
---------------
* ION PEOPLES DAILY FORUM > CHINA WARNS OF ESCALATING ARMS RACE IN REGION. Beijing is criticizing JAPAN'S NEW MIL INVESTMENTS, DEFENSE POLICY as having the realistic potential to fundamentally ALTER THE BALANCE OF POWER IN NE ASIA = EAST? ASIA, e.g. Japan's decision to procure PATRIOT-III'S + its deep interest in BMD-CAPABLE AEGIS NAVMILSYS, as part of JAPAN-SPECIFIC NATIONAL MISSLE DEFENSE WHICH CHIN CONSIDERS AS [regionally]DESTABILZING + IRESPONSIBLE AS A MATTER OF JAPAN GOVT. CHOICE + POLICY.
* CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > CHINA TO ESTABLISH PERMANENT SENKAKU PATROLS, via deployment, new contrux of large PLA ARMED FISHERY PATROL VESSELS.
And SOUTH KOREA? TAIWAN? PHILIPPINES? SOUTH CHINA SEA?
* CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > ADMIRAL ZHENG-HE [aka Zheng/Zhong-He/Ye] DISCOVERED THE PHILIPPINES + OTHER ASIAN NATIONS BEFORE WHITES [Spain, Dutch = Euros].
#4
Will WASHINGTON, DC + SEOUL + TOKYO + TAIWAN + MOSCOW agree to the above???
* ION WMF > JAPANESE MISSLE DEFENSE SHIELD, MILITARY BUILDUP IN DEFENSE OF THE DAOYUS + TAIWAN COULD LEAD TO [US-vs-China]SECOND KOREAN WAR BY 2012, NOT 2020. THREAT OF JAPANESE
"NUCLEAR IMPERIALISM" IN EAST ASIA.
* WAFF > WIKILEAKS: CHINA'S GDP IS "MAN-MADE" + UNRELIABLE. IOW, 'Tis a Govt-made, covert, "artifical bubble" that can blow up in Chin's face at any time.
* SAME > CHINA STARTS THE MASSIVE HYDROPOWER PROJECTS IN XIZANG SOON.
D *** NG IT, "DAMS, DAMS, EVERYWHERE THERE ARE DAMS ... CAN YOU SEE THE DAMS" ["SIGNS" song'].
"SINK THE TIRPITZ, SINK THE TIRPITZ" [Bismarck], in the China Fjords, courtesy of 1960-70's GUAM TAOTAMONAS + 2010 SECDEF GATES' SUB COMMANDO GIRLZ.
* CHINESE MIL FORUM > [UK] LABOUR PEER: SELL ARMS TO CHINA { UK FOREIGN MINISTER WILIAM HAGUE SAS THE GOVT. HAS "NO PLANS TO LIFT THE ARMS EMBARGO AGZ CHINA".
ARTIC > EU "Foreign Minister" Baroness Cathy Ashton: "EUROPE IS NO LONGER THE MAIN STRATEGIC PREOCCUPATION OF THE US ... THE US WILL MOVE AWAY FROM THE EU UNLESS THE EU CAN BECOME MORE INFLUENTIAL [vee CHINA + ASIA = NEW US FOCII].
#5
DAILY TIMES.PK > JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA SIGN CIVILIAN NUCLEAR DEAL [future Techs + Equipment-sharing].
ARTIC sub-read > [future]SOUTH KOREAN NUCLEAR WEAPONS???
* DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > FIRST UNMANNED AIRCRAFT DESIGNATED AS CARRIER-BORNE STRIKE FIGHTER [XB-47B UCAS-D].
* SAME > CHINA WARNS POSSIBLE KOREAS CLASH COULD HARM REGION.
* WMF > PLA GENERAL LUO YUAN: USA IS SOUTH KOREA'S "BOSS/MASTER" WHOM WILL NOT ALLOW SEOUL TO WAGE NEW WAR AGZ NORTH KOREA WHILE US SOLDIERS REMAIN COMMITTED TO FIGHTING MILITANTS IN AFPAK.
What biological weapons?
THE United States secretly pressured Australia to place one of Saddam Hussein's former top biological weapons scientists at Victoria University in Melbourne.
But the federal government rejected a March 2008 request from the US to accept Professor Ali al-Za'ag, a microbiologist and genetic engineering expert, under a State Department program to provide employment for Iraqi experts in weapons of mass destruction.
A cable sent from the US embassy in Canberra in March last year confirms that Professor Za'ag had been refused a visa after Australian officials cited ''a range of compelling security, immigration and legal reasons''.
* WAFF > KAKASIS: A WAVE OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FLOODS [Debt-crippled/stricken] GREECE.
IIUC ARTIC = the majority of the Illegals only want an EDUCATION + BETTER QUALITY-OF-LIFE FOR THEMSELVES + FAMILIES + PET DOGS, ETC. THAN FOUND BACK IN THEIR HOME COUNTRIES, BUT UNFORTUNATELY ATHENS = GREECE CAN'T AFFORD TO SUPPORT THEM.
versus
* DAILY TIMES.PK > STUDENTS IN US LOOK TO 2012 [US Pol Elections]AFTER IMMIGRATION BILL FAILS. Student "Movement" trying to defeat wave of ANTI-ILLEGAL LEGISLATIONS SWEEPING US.
IOW, STRATEGY OF "DEATH-BY-A-THOUSAND-BURRITOS" [cuts] agz those in majority whom are NOT in favor of granting NEW IMMIGRATION RIGHTS FOR ILLEGALS UNTO US CTIZENSHIP.
Public Assistance, Right-to-Public-Education, Medical care, State Driver's Licence, etc. BUT NO NEED FOR ILLEGALS TO FORMALLY APPLY TO OFFICIALLY BECOME THE DE FACTO LAWFUL US CITIZEN THEY CLAIM TO ASPIRE TO BE.
(KUNA) - - The Swiss Islamic thinker Tariq Ramadan appealed to the Mohammedan youth in Switzerland and Europe to appear positively in their communities and to have clear contributions in different forms.
He pointed in a speech before the Conference of Mohammedan youth in Switzerland last night in Zurich to "the importance of participation in sports and cultural activities to become an part of the society," emphasizing that Islam is a religion has a presence on the scene of Switzerland.
He explained that this goal requires efforts and an act of young Mohammedans, "as it is not enough that young Mohammedans seeking to enroll in universities, but they must also continue to research and work in the academic fields." Ramadan also called on Mohammedans to get out of "the mantle of victims of racism and xenophobia and to confirm their attendance in the European societies of mutual respect and apply the teachings of the true Islam and to avoid of superiority over others." At the same time he criticized the right wing Swiss People's Party (SVP) as a "working against the values of the Swiss cultural of pluralism, which was among the reasons for the continuation of Switzerland".
It should be noted that the known American magazine (Time) has classified Dr. Tariq Ramadan as one of the most influential persons in the world this century.
Prof. Tariq Ramadan has many books, articles and research on Islam in the West and modern Islamic thought.
He is actually a professor at the University of Oxford and an adviser to some European governments about the affairs and conditions of Mohammedan communities in the West.
In the same vein the Swiss parliamentarian and member of the Committee for Legal Affairs Daniel Visher called Mohammedan youth "to engage in political action and join the political parties, trade unions and civil society organizations and out of the recession on the Snail".
Fischer also called in his speech to the conference of Mohammedan youth in Switzerland need to address the negative stereotypes that are promoted and racism against other Mohammedans in the West in general.
At the same time criticized the policy of granting Swiss citizenship, which set denominator conditions.
Switzerland has about 400 thousand Mohammedans mostly are from Balkan countries and Turkey, representing about 5.4 percent of the population in the country.
Islam becomes the second religion and has become a presence in the Swiss society after Christianity, but the authorities do not recognize the religion as one the official religions in the country.
The annual official security report assured that the Mohammedan community is far from fanatical or extreme waves, but the right wing parties trying to stir up fears of the Mohammedan community and succeeded a clause in the Swiss constitution prohibits the construction of minarets in the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2010 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Global Jihad
#2
Dang, our use of witchcraft is highly classified, now they are gonna know....
Seriously, we are up against the 7th century morons here, and literally they have no idea what we are talking about most of the time.
#9
"How would he know what being penetrated by a cat felt like?"
Perhaps sometime in the past he and his butt-buddies ran out of goats?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
12/20/2010 18:41 Comments ||
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#10
How the hell did they find a cat dumb enough to try to penetrate one of them?
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
12/20/2010 19:08 Comments ||
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#11
He is now known as Claude Bawls.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
12/20/2010 19:28 Comments ||
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#12
Wait...we have a Witchcraft Division?!!! Dammit, why did I sign up for that instead of trying to lose drill bits.
Sadly, I just got back from North Dakota yesterday....and I'm going back tomorrow. Hey, maybe I can use voodoo and 'lose' this bit just before we hit TD. That would be funny. I wouldn't mind an extra week's pay.
Posted by: Silentbrick - Lost Drill Bit Division - Halliburton ||
12/20/2010 20:03 Comments ||
Top||
A MANHATTAN lawyer with ties to the Saudi royal family claimed King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia may try to move the controversial Ground Zero mosque to New York's West Village.
Attorney Dudley Gaffin said the Saudi king might want to buy shuttered St Vincent's Medical Centre and transfer the mosque to a new Islamic cultural center he would build on a plot at that site, sources who heard Mr Gaffin's pitch said, according to the New York Post.
The King would also save the hospital, reopening most of the units that closed when St Vincent's filed for bankruptcy on April 14, the sources said.
They said Mr Gaffin was floating the idea to gauge what the reaction might be - and to ready a bid to rival the Rudin Organisation, which was trying to snap up St Vincent's in bankruptcy court with an eye on tearing down six hospital buildings for luxury housing.
"He's asking what it would take to put in a bid," said one community leader who did not want to be identified.
"He says the king wants to do this as a PR move - to save the hospital and move the mosque away from the World Trade Centre site," the source said.
"He wants to show that Muslims can do good works."
#1
That might actually work, if fanatical converts were worth a damn, which they usually aren't; and western intelligence agencies weren't hyper-alert about the possibility of white jihadis, which they are.
#2
ION DEFENCE .PK/FORUMS > WIKILEAKS CABLE:RAHUL GANDHI WARNED US OF HINDU EXTREMIST THREAT
[Hindu Radicals-Militants being a GREATER DANGER to India's security than local Muslim Militants]
| ----- BIGGER THAN LeT IN INDIA.
* SAME > BANGLADESH INTELLIGENCE [DGFI] BACKED ISLAMISTS' POLITICAL WING | BANGLADESH DGFI WANTED EXTREMISTS IN MAINSTREAM POLITICS.
* SAME > WIKILEAKS: OSAMA BIN LADEN PROMISED TO DIVERT US$20.OMILYUHN TO KASHMIRI JIHADISTS, from "Central Asian" Programming.
& WMF > "WORLD DEFENSE REVIEW" US EXPERT: US WAR AGZ IRAN, MISSLE DEFENSE SHIELD THREATENS RUSSIA'S "STRATEGIC DEPTH", HENCE RUSS NATIONAL SECURITY VIA POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES FOR RUSSIA'S "INLAND SEA/CASPIAN" STRATEGY. US AT HIGH RISK OF REPEATING ITS MISTAKES OF VIETNAM CONFLICT IFF CHINA, OR CHINA + RUSSIA, CHOOSE TO KEEP A STEADY OF ARMS TO ANTI-US IRAN.
* WMF > US ANTI-MILITANT STRATEGY FOR CENTRAL, WEST, + SOUTH ASIA THREATENS RUSSIA + CHINA BY PUSHING DEFEATED ISLAMIST MILITANTS INTO THEIR COUNTRIES. RISING ISLAMIST THREAT TO WEST CHINA WHILE US "WALL" IN CENTRAL, WEST, + SOUTH ASIA PREVENTS CHINA FROM PROCURING STRATEGIC OVERSEAS NAVAL, TRADE PORTS.
IIUC ARTIC = IOW, the USA WOT STRATEGEMS is ALL BUT FORCING RISING CHINA TO STAY A "MAJOR LAND/LAND-LOCKED POWER" BUT NOT A TRUE GLOBAL SUPERPOWER WIDOUT PAR. THE USA WANTS CHINA TO BE ANOTHER, BIGGER "JAPAN" AS ECON POWERHOUSE + US TRADING PARTNER BUT WIDOUT ANY THREATENING MIL,NUCLEAR CAPABILITY THAT CAN BE TURNED AGZ THE US???
SUB-IOW, ARTIC > THE US INTENDS TO CONTINUE ITS GLOBAL DOMINATION DEEP INTO THE 21ST CENTURY IFF NOT BEYOND,, NOW TO ALSO INCLUDE NEWFOUND OWG-NWO DOMINATION???
[Dawn] Ten religious parties will protest nationwide on 31 December against any possible amendment of the blasphemy law.
Speaking at a presser, Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami, Liaquat Baloch, said that a nationwide strike will be observed on 31 December.
Baloch said that a rally and protest will also observed in Bloody Karachi on 9th January. He said that a calculated conspiracy is on the way to change the Islamic law in the country.
Secretary information, of Jamiat Ulema Islam (F), Maulana Amjad Khan said that the president and prime minister should take action against Sherry Rehman for the amendment bill against the blasphemy law in the national assembly.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2010 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Jamaat-e-Islami
#1
These idiots have too much influence in Pakistan for this country to modernise.
Posted by: Paul D ||
12/20/2010 16:15 Comments ||
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[Pak Daily Times] Al Qaeda is trying to "bring down" nuclear-armed Pakistain, US Vice President Joe Foreign Policy Whiz Kid Biden ... an example of the kind of top-notch Washington intellect to be found in the World's Greatest Deliberative Body ... warned on Sunday, days after a war review tip-toed around Islamabad's role in fighting terrorists.
"Our overarching goal and our rationale for being there is to dismantle, ultimately defeat al Qaeda... to make sure that hard boyz do not, in fact, bring down the Pak government, which is a nuclear power," Biden said.
He also promised that "we are going to be totally out of there, come hell or high water, by 2014".
Al Qaeda's strength, he said, "has been significantly degraded" as US forces have gone after the terrorist network's leadership. But, he added there has been less success in countering the Afghan insurgency, dealing with the safe havens in Pakistain and creating a stable Afghan government.
"We are making progress on all fronts, more in some areas than in others," Biden told NBC television's Meet the Press in an interview broadcast on Sunday. "Are we making sufficient progress fast enough? The answer remains to be seen."
Nevertheless, Biden said plans have not changed on US President Barack B.O. Obama's pledge to begin US troop reductions next summer. "We are going to, come July, begin to draw down US forces" and begin to transfer responsibility to the Afghans, said Biden. "It will not be a token amount."
The B.O. regime repeatedly has said that July would mark the beginning of the troop withdrawals and its size would depend on military conditions at the time.
"We are starting it in July of 2011, and we are going to be totally out of there, come hell or high water, by 2014," Biden said.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2010 00:00 ||
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[3 views]
Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Pakistan
#1
ION PAKLAND, NEWS KERALA > IRAN WARNS PAKISTAN ON TERRORIST ACTIONS. PAKISTAN mus do something to prevent anti-SHia/Govt. Bad Boyz from sneaky sneaking into IRAN via PAK borders, OR ELSE IRAN WILL DO ITS OWN THINGY WID OR WIDOUT PAK'S CONSENT.
IIUC, Tehran's response won't be a strongly worded letter sent to Islamabad.
[Pak Daily Times] Hundreds of terror suspects secured their release on bail from anti-terrorism courts and the Beautiful Downtown Peshawar High Court (PHC) after the prosecution failed to produce concrete evidence against them.
The suspects were jugged by law enforcement agencies from conflict zones on charges of being involved in terrorism.
Recently, the PHC granted bail to two alleged Taliban, Hashim Khan and Muhammad Sharif, believed to be close aides of Mohammedan Khan, the front man of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) in Swat. The suspects, Hashim Khan and Mohammad Sharif, were accused of launching mortar and rocket attacks on cop shoppes and police convoys in Swat.
A single bench comprising Justice Ziaur Rehman granted them bail, observing that the investigation by police often resulted in release of the suspects. "Had the police conducted proper investigation, the suspects would have been convicted by the courts," he observed. Saeed Shangla, counsel for the petitioners, contended that there was no solid proof against them.
On December 10, a single bench, comprising Justice Dost Muhammad Khan, granted bail to three terror suspects, Sherzaman, Jan Said and Aurangzeb, accused of blowing two police posts in Buner district last year. Advocates Khawaja Muhammad Khan Gara and Ghulam Nabi Khan had appeared for the petitioners.
They stated that two police posts were blown up at Gagra and Bagra areas in Buner district about which an FIR was registered on May 2, 2009
The bench regretted that authorities always blamed courts for the release of suspects and did not accept their own incompetence. On May 7, the PHC division bench headed by Chief Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan had issued release order of four terror suspects after the prosecution had failed to produce even a single piece of evidence against them.
The accused had filed their writ petitions for bail under Article 199 of the constitution in the PHC. The police had jugged and charged Muhammad Ilyas and three others on October 13, 2009, in an attack on a police post situated in the limits of Badhaber cop shoppe.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Muhammad Iqbal Mohmand told the court that the intelligence agencies wanted to handover 2,900 terror suspects to the provincial government, but the government said it had no facilities to keep them.
The president had promulgated the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Ordinance 2009, on October 1, 2009. Following completion of the constitutional life of 120 days of that ordinance, it was re-promulgated in February 2010. The ordinance lapsed on May 31.
The government believed that amendments in the ATA would help in taking appropriate action against the cut-throats involved in terrorism in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
Legal experts say that courts could not stop release of terror suspects and now it was up to the law enforcement agencies to provide sufficient evidence against the suspects otherwise the high court would continue to grant them bail.
Peshawar High Court Bar Association (PHCBA) General Secretary Aminur Rehman Yousafzai told Daily Times that terror suspects were getting their release easily on bail from courts as both the police and prosecution fails in proving terror charges against them in courts.
On the other hand, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said that cut-throats had not received an exemplary punishment from anti-terrorism courts. He said the government was going to amend the terror laws, as the cut-throats would get exemplary punishment from the courts.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2010 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: TTP
[Iran Press TV] Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Knobby Berri ... the Hizbullah sock puppet ... has accused world powers of using the US-backed tribunal for the murder of former Lebanese Premier Rafiq Hariri as blackmail.
Berri said in an interview with IRNA that a potential indictment against Leb's resistance movement, Hezbullies, is political "blackmail by some of the world's powerful countries."
He also rejected allegations that the Hezbullies-led opposition was crippling the government.
"It is the other camp that is paralyzing the government through its rejection to settle the issue concerning the false witnesses," Berri stressed.
Hariri was killed along with over 20 other people in a massive bombing in Beirut in February 2005.
The Washington-sponsored Special Tribunal for Leb (STL) was set up some two years later to investigate the incident. The court is expected to announce its findings by the end of 2010.
Earlier in the year, reports said that the court planned to issue an indictment against members of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbullies.
Hezbullies Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah has rejected the allegations, saying the plot was part of "a dangerous project that is targeting the resistance."
On Friday, Hezbullies's Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem ... Grand Vizier of the Hezbullies... also accused the Hariri tribunal of being one-sided in line with Israeli interests.
Major political figures and parties in Leb have also condemned the indictment, calling it a US-Israeli plot to sow discord in Leb.
Earlier on, Nasrallah had delivered detailed speeches pointing to Tel Aviv's role in the disaster.
In an August public address, he presented evidence proving that Israel had criminal masterminded the liquidation. The televised address featured video materials, captured by Israeli unmanned aerial vehicles, and recorded confessions by Israeli fifth columnists, substantiating that Tel Aviv had been behind the terror attack.
Different Lebanese factions have also accused STL of using false witnesses, who reportedly gave unreliable testimonies to the international probe into Hariri's 2005 liquidation.
The March 8 Alliance, led by Michel Aoun, ...a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hizbullah... has called on Leb's cabinet to task the Justice Council with investigating the issue of false witnesses.
However, The infamous However... March 14 Those are the good guys, insofar as Leb has good guys... politicians, led by current Prime Minister Saad Hariri, believe that the ordinary judiciary should handle the matter.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2010 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] Iran's President Mahmoud Short Round Ahmadinejad has called on women in the Mohammedan world to put together a plan to restore the rights of humans in general and women in particular.
During a ministerial meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) on Sunday, the president called for the formulation of roadmap designed to revitalize human rights, ... which are not the same thing as individual rights, mind you...
especially "women's rights."
"The elite and intellectuals of other countries should join forces to draft such a plan," Ahmadinejad said.
The three day meeting in the capital Tehran titled "Women, family and the economy" seeks to find ways to increase the constructive participation of women in various social, economic, political and cultural activities, giving them more financial and social independence.
Delegates from more than 30 countries will also exchange ideas on how to reduce the impact of financial problems on women and give them a more active role in the economy.
The president called feminism "a cry of protest from crushed women in a capitalist system," adding that the "economy should serve the interests of humans, family and the society and not vice versa."
The first biennial Ministerial Conference on Women's Role in the Development of OIC Member States was held in Istanbul in 2006, and Cairo hosted the second edition of the event in 2008.
The OIC is an international body of predominantly Mohammedan nations, consisting of 57 member states.
The organization attempts to be the collective voice of the Mohammedan world and tries to safeguard the interests and ensure the progress and well-being of Mohammedans throughout the world.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/20/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
The president called feminism "a cry of protest from crushed women in a capitalist system,"
Yah, right. As opposed to a cry of horror of women crushed slowly by stoning in Iranian Islamic paradise.
The feminism is not about rights or equality, it is about privilege. No doubt Ahmmadjihad sees how corrosive it is to west, so naturally, he would praise it.
#2
Iran's President Mahmoud "Short Round" Ahmadinejad has called on women in the Mohammedan world to put together a plan to restore the rights of humans in general and women in particular
I hope they put together a plan and execute it. And speaking of "execute", they can start with Imadinnerjacket.
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.
An Afghan terrorist faction, Hezb-e-Islami, has voiced its backing for the construction of a multi-billion-dollar gas pipeline through Afghanistan and even pledged to provide security on a project stalled for over a decade by politics and violence. 
