[Bangla Daily Star] Taliban myrmidon leaders pledged on Monday to release the final four Turkish engineers held hostage since their helicopter crashed in eastern Afghanistan last month.
Four other Turkish engineers aboard the helicopter were freed on Sunday, three weeks after the crash in Pashtun-infested Logar province, a Taliban stronghold south of the capital Kabul.
The Taliban said in an emailed statement that the four had been released as a "goodwill, humanitarian gesture and as a sign of respect to the Mohammedan people of Turkey".
Posted by: Fred ||
05/14/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Did they say when?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
05/14/2013 11:43 Comments ||
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Did they say if they'd release the hostages' heads, too (still attached)?
"The Taliban said in an emailed statement"
How very unislamic. Mo-ham-head didn't have e-mail; why do you? Allen is very displeased.
Posted by: Barbara ||
05/14/2013 13:21 Comments ||
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[Shabelle] A statement from the president of Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland ...a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe in the Nugaal province. Its leaders declared the territory an autonomous state in 1998. Puntland and the equally autonomous Somaliland seem to have avoided the clan rivalries and warlordism that have typified the rest of Somalia, which puts both places high on the list for Islamic subversion... Abdirahman Mohamed Faroole said a group of MPs is attempting to bring a motion against Somalia Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon, a move to renew political infighting which the former governments in Somalia were notorious for.
"Punt land Government warns strongly against the renewal of political infighting amongst the Federal Institutions of Somalia, as a group of MPs is attempting to bring a motion against Somali Prime Minister H.E. Abdi Farah Shirdon after only seven months in public office
"This attempt wastes time, resources, and the joint efforts Somali stakeholders and international partners invested in bringing forth the new Federal Institutions of Somalia." the statement added.
The president of Puntland also in his statement urged the Federal Institutions of Somalia to focus on primary national tasks, such as managing the monetary crisis in the country, resolving the issue of tampering with the Provisional Federal Constitution, working diligently to strengthen law and order in war-affected areas, and supporting for the formation of the remaining Federated States.
The statement came days after local clans protested against the nomination of the new chiefs of the police and the national security agency. Members of the federal parliament hailing from some clans have described the nomination as unbalanced power sharing between the clans.
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05/14/2013 00:00 ||
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A statement from a member of Parliament of the ultra-conservative Salafist Nour Party has argued that Shia are more dangerous than naked women in comments that have brought on an onslaught of sardonic comments as well as anger from Egypts activist community, who have urged the government to make it clear that discrimination will not be tolerated.
According to a report in al-Ahram a government-run daily newspaper - members of the committee called on Tourism Minister Hesham Zaazou to discuss the issue in the council, the countrys upper house of parliament which is holding legislative powers until a house of representatives is elected.
The committee, headed by Fathy Shehab El-Din of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), reportedly had an argument on the effects Iranian tourists could have on Egypt.
The Shias are more dangerous than naked [women], MP Tharwat Attallah of the Salafist Nour Party said during the meeting.
They are a danger to Egypts national security; Egyptians could be deceived into [converting to] Shiism, giving it a chance to spread in Egypt, he added.
Activist Nora Osman said that this fear of the Shia is ridiculous in this country. Weve had them traveling here for decades and there was no problem, but now with the rise of the conservatives, it has become one. Doesnt make sense to me.
[Libya Herald] The Prime Minister Ali Zeidan has moved to counter public criticism of Qatar following accusations by protestors and in the press and social media that the Gulf state has been interfering in Libya's internal affairs.
In a meeting today in Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... with the Qatari Ambassador, Sheikh Mohammed bin Nasser Al Thani, the Prime Minister said that there was no evidence for such accusations. He laid stress on the depth and strength of relations between the two states. There was profound mutual respect between the two, he said, noting that Libya valued the role Qatar had played during the revolution -- politically, militarily and in terms of the humanitarian aid provided.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/14/2013 00:00 ||
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[Libya Herald] The Prime Minister took part in a ceremony this afternoon at which a militia unit, the Brigade of Free Libyans, was dissolved and its assets and belongings handed over the authorities.
The brigade commander, Essam Qatus, said that the unit had been wound up as a step to rebuilding Libya as a state of law with normal institutions. Some men, he said, would join the Interior Ministry and others the General Intelligence Department.
"Wth the passing of the Political Isolation Law, there are now no worries about the 17 February Revolution," Qatus added. He said that Libyans needed now be armed with education in its all fields to face the current challenges and achieve what the deaders had died for.
"Dismissing the Free Libyans Brigade does not mean we will not participate in rebuilding Libya in a timely manner," he said.
A weapon was ceremonially handed over by Qatus to the Prime Minister.
Ali Zeidan called the ceremony an significant event given the widespread availability of weapons and the resultant insecurity.
He called on Libyans to embarce each other and cooperate with the government and Congress in order to ensure security and provide the prosperity and freedom which had been the aim of the deaders.
Last week, the Prime Minister confirmed that there should be dialogue between the revolutionaries and the government.
The hand-over ceremony was also attended by the Congress's deputy president Salah Makhzoum, a number of Congress members, diplomats and some of the maimed and deaders' families.
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05/14/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] The United States has moved military forces closer to Libya since the Benghazi attack so they will be ready to respond to threats against diplomatic personnel, a Pentagon front man said Monday.
"We are prepared to respond if necessary, if conditions deteriorate or if we were called upon," front man George Little told news hounds.
"Obviously we have moved assets and personnel," he said, without offering specifics.
The U.S. Benghazi mission came under attack on September 11, 2012, by armed snuffies who set fire to the main consular facility and then attacked a nearby CIA annex. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed.
The Pentagon has since faced criticism by those who said it should have been able to more quickly mobilize forces to thwart the attack.
Little said the Pentagon had stationed additional military elements -- aimed at protecting diplomats or helping evacuate them if necessary -- at the NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... base in Sigonella, on the Italian island of Sicily.
He confirmed some of the troops had come from an air base in southern Spain, where 500 marines were recently deployed along with MV-Osprey -- a troop transport plane that takes off like a helicopter, without a runway -- as well as with refueling aircraft.
On Wednesday, Washington reduced its embassy staff in Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... , saying the security situation had deteriorated as a result of the seizure of government buildings by former rebels.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/14/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
And SYRIA makes two - "THREE" IFF HEZBOLLAH GOES BEZERK IN LEBANON + GOLAN HEIGHTS AS PER ISRAEL.
[An Nahar] The head of a radical Salafist group in Tunisia has threatened to wage war against the government, led by moderate Islamist party Ennahda, accusing it in a message posted online of un-Islamic policies.
"To the tyrants who think they are Islamists... know that the stupid things you are doing are dragging you to war," said Abu Iyadh, the runaway leader of Ansar al-Sharia ...a Yemeni Islamist militia which claims it is not part of al-Qaeda, even though it works about the same and for the same ends... who is wanted by the police over deadly unrest last year.
"Your war is not against our young people but against religion," he said, in a statement published on the jihadist group's website.
Abu Iyadh, whose real name is Seif Allah Ibn Hussein, is accused of organizing numerous acts of violence and has been on the run since September, after an attack by Islamist protesters on the U.S. embassy in September in which four of them died.
The authorities have hardened their position towards snuffies in recent months, notably by stepping up military operations against jihadists with suspected links to al-Qaeda who are hiding in the western region of Kasserine that borders Algeria.
"If you continue with these stupid policies, the support of America, the West, Algeria, Turkey and Qatar will not save you when the sound of swords makes itself heard," the hardline preacher warned.
"I remind you simply that our youth sacrificed themselves for the defense of Islam in Afghanistan, in Chechnya, in Bosnia, in Iraq, in Somalia and in Syria, and they won't hesitate to sacrifice themselves for their religion in Kairouan," he said, referring to a town south of Tunis renowned for its Islamic heritage.
Ansar al-Sharia is planning to hold its annual congress at Kairouan on Sunday, even though the interior ministry requires political parties and associations to obtain permission for all public activity.
Interior Minister Lotfi Ben Jeddou said last week that he would bring to justice "anyone inciting to murder or hatred... or who pitch tents for preaching in," in a clear reference to the Salafists ...Salafists are ostentatiously devout Moslems who figure the ostentation of their piety gives them the right to tell others how to do it and to kill those who don't listen to them... .
In response, an Ansar al-Sharia cell in Menzel Bourghuiba, north of Tunis, vowed to replace the Tunisian flag on the interior ministry building there with the black Salafist flag, according to a video posted online.
At the weekend, police fired tear gas in the capital and took steps elsewhere around the country to disperse Salafist groups trying to set up tents to preach in.
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05/14/2013 00:00 ||
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The police's specialised unit, Crimes Against the People State (CATS) and the State Security Agency (SSA) have been critiquing and evaluating monitoring the training of al-Qaeda terrorists in South Africa for several years, without taking any action. A year-long investigation by the Daily Maverick's DE WET POTGIETER has revealed long-standing surprising inaction by police despite small arms fire and apparent controlled detonations incriminating evidence about secret military training camps and sophisticated sniper training at three well-documented locations as well as several others across South Africa. These subversive activities have taken place at a farm near the highly effective counterinsurgency SWAT unit C10 notorious Apartheid police hit squad camp at Vlakplaas outside Pretoria, as well as a secluded farm in the mountains of the Klein [little] Karoo [desert region ideal terrain for ME or Afghan training venues]. Potgeiter's views appear to be...evolving somewhat.
#1
The cause of the anxiety stems from the fact that thousands of illegal immigrants from Pakistan manage to cross into South Africa, while the government appears to turn a blind eye.
I was wondering why a largely Christian country like South Africa has been developing a Moslem terrorist problem.
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
05/14/2013 11:49 Comments ||
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#2
At the centre of this alleged terrorist network are several members of the well-known and influential Dockrat family.
The family was catapulted into the world focus in 2007 when US terrorism financing trackers have noted suspicious financial transactions coming out of South Africa that appeared to benefit al-Qaeda.
Some of these transactions predate 9/11. The money trail led them to a Johannesburg dentist, Junaid Ismail Dockrat, and his cousin, Farhad Ahmed Dockrat, a Muslim cleric. Farhad, the older of the two cousins, was a leading cleric at the Darus Salaam Muslim Centre in former Indian township of Laudium outside Pretoria. This mosque is said to be popular among Pakistani Muslims.
On Friday afternoons, after the midday prayers, South African intelligence agents monitored several people leave the mosque and go to a farm. The military style obstacle course and the shooting range are still visible on the farm, and agents say they saw people take part in military-style training.
Daily Maverick has learned that there is an extensive dossier complied from deep-cover agents reports and photographic material documenting, over several years, activities on the farm.
Despite US entreaties, South African officials were reluctant to take any action beyond agreeing to monitor their activities. They asked the US to be patient as they sought to develop new information concerning the Dockrat cousins activities.
After numerous requests and warnings, the US decided to move against Farhad and Junaid, and thus to put pressure on the South African government to act.
In January 2007, the US presented the pairs names to the UN Security Councils Al-Qaeda and Taliban Sanctions Committee for designation. South Africa had just become a member of that committee on 1 January 2007. It was hoped that South Africa would join in the request, and that all countries would then act to block their financial transactions and their assets. But, that did not occur. Instead, South Africa put an indefinite hold on the UN designation process.
This designation freezes the Dockrats out of the US financial system and notifies the international community of the dangerous conduct in which the Dockrats are engaged, said Adam Szubin, director of the US treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control, in a statement.
The treasury said Farhad Dockrat in 2001 provided more than R400,000 to the Taliban ambassador to Pakistan to be forwarded to Al-Akhtar Trust, an Afghanistan-based entity that the treasury previously designated as an al-Qaeda fund-raising arm.
To the embarrassment of all parties, the story leaked, and Reuters journalist Michael Georgy published a story in January 2007, reporting that papers had been submitted by the United States to the UN Security Council alleging that both Junaid and Farhad had acted as al-Qaeda financiers, recruiters and facilitators.
According to the Reuters report, they had transferred funds to al-Qaeda and coordinated the travel of South Africans to Pakistan to train there with militant Islamic groups. Both men deny these charges.
US intelligence claimed that in 2004, Junaid Dockrat assisted al-Qaeda operations chief Hamza Rabia (now deceased) to coordinate the travel of South Africans to Pakistan in order for them to train with al-Qaeda.
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
05/14/2013 12:07 Comments ||
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#3
I was wondering why a largely Christian country like South Africa has been developing a Moslem terrorist problem.
1. A fairly well-developed African country.
2. Sizable Arab population.
3. Due to its location it is rather "off the radar" as far as Western anti-terrorism focus.
4. A muslim-sympathetic, marxist-oriented ruling political party.
The problem has been in the works for quite a few years. With AQIM and other groups in full swing on the continent, it's just now getting attention.
An anti-extremist group claims radical Islamists have spoken at 180 events at 60 British universities in the past year. Student Rights also said a quarter of the student union society events it scrutinized promoted separate seating for men and women.
UK universities say they work with student bodies to balance freedom of speech and upholding the law. But Students Rights claims a new generation of "extremist" speakers are touring campuses to spread their brand of Islam. This included those who had made racist or intolerant comments, including inciting violence or encouraging people to look at video clips of terrorist activity.
It highlighted 277 events promoted in UK and Irish universities where gender segregation was alluded to. Six of the events were subsequently cancelled, and two institutions have since announced investigations into the segregated meetings.
Director of the self-styled campus watchdog Raheem Kassam said that university authorities were not addressing these trends. He said with many of these speakers' views being well-documented, "a little Google search about what these guys are speaking about would not hurt anybody."
#1
I suspect a number of African Americans on welfare consider it a form of reparations.
The problem isn't the rational for being on welfare but the (a) economics that force so many onto the rolls (b) the loopholes that allow folks that shouldn't be there to milk the system.
Anti-government protests flared for a third day on Monday in a Turkish town devastated by two powerful car bombs near the Syrian border, and some Turks accused their leader of putting the nation's security at risk by backing the rebels fighting Syria's government.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey will "not refrain" from responding to twin car bombings it has blamed on Syria, but that his government will be cautious and avoid being drawn into its neighbor's civil war.
Saturday's powerful bombings occurred in the border town of Reyhanli, a main hub for Syrian refugees and rebels. It was the bloodiest attack in Turkey in recent years and escalated tensions between the two former allies and raised fears the conflict in Syria could engulf Turkey.
A man who authorities say played a key role in funneling young men from Minnesota to a terrorist group in Somalia was sentenced to 20 years in prison, while another man who was a foot soldier for al-Shabab received a 10-year sentence.
Mahamud Said Omar, 47, and Kamal Said Hassan, 28, learned their sentences on Monday as a federal judge in US District Court in Minneapolis began doling out penalties in what has been called one of the largest efforts to recruit US fighters into a foreign terror group.
Hassan is among the more than 20 young men who have left Minnesota since 2007 to join al-Shabab. Minnesota is home to the largest Somali population in the US.
Hassan pleaded guilty in 2009 to two terror-related counts and one count of lying to the FBI. He admitted he trained with the Al-Qaeda-linked group in Somalia and participated in an ambush of Ethiopian troops before returning to the US.
[Bangla Daily Star] Pakistain's incoming prime minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, now in his third, 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... yesterday reached out to India and the United States, pledging to strengthen relations after his thumping victory in landmark elections.
Sharif promised Pakistain's "full support" as the United States withdraws combat troops from Afghanistan next year and made overtures to nuclear rival India in a briefing with the foreign media at his family estate outside Lahore.
"If there are concerns on either side I think we should address those concerns and strengthen this relationship," Sharif told journalists, referring to Pakistain's alliance with the United States which can be notoriously difficult.
"We will extend full support to them and we will see everything goes smoothly," Sharif said, hours after President Barack Obama Ready to Rule from Day One... said Washington was ready to work with Islamabad "as equal partners" and welcomed the transition.
Obama in a statement said, "The United States and Pakistain have a long history of working together on mutual interests," Obama said in a statement, CNN adds. "And my administration looks forward to continuing our cooperation with the Pak government that emerges from this election as equal partners in supporting a more stable, secure, and prosperous future for the people of Pakistain."
One thorn in the relationship is US drone strikes targeting Taliban and al-Qaeda Death Eaters in the northwestern tribal belt, which are unpopular in Pakistain due to civilian casualties and seen as an infringement of illusory sovereignty.
"This is a very important issue and our concern must be understood properly. We will sit with our American friends and we will certainly talk to them on this issue," Sharif said.
Also yesterday, Sharif said yesterday the mistrust that has long dogged relations with India must be tackled, reports Rooters.
Sharif said he had a "long chat" with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday and each man extended an invitation to the other to visit, a diplomatic nicety in some parts of the world, but a heavily symbolic step for South Asia's arch-enemies.
Asked by an Indian journalist if he would invite Singh for his swearing-in as prime minister, he said: "I will be very happy to extend that invitation."
"There are fears on your side, there are fears on our side," Sharif added during a news conference at his home on the outskirts of Lahore. "We have to seriously address this."
Posted by: Fred ||
05/14/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
"If there are concerns on either side I think we should address those concerns and strengthen this relationship," Sharif told journalists
Translation: It would be a pity of the flow of money was shut off.
[Dawn] Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam ...Assembly of Islamic Clergy, or JUI, is a Pak Deobandi (Hanafi) political party. There are two main branches, one led by Maulana Fazlur Rahman, and one led by Maulana Samiul Haq. Fazl is active in Pak politix and Sami spends more time running his madrassah. Both branches sponsor branches of the Taliban, though with plausible deniability... -Fazl and Pakistain Moslem League-Nawaz have set the power game in motion as their leaders agreed here on Sunday to discuss formulation of a coalition government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central...
"Rehmat Salam (PML-N's provincial general secretary) phoned me today and asked that we (leaders of the two sides) should sit together to discuss the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government formulation," Abdul Jalil Jan, secretary information of JUI-F, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, told Dawn on Sunday.
He said the matter also came under discussion between JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Deobandi holy man, known as Mullah Diesel during the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty ... and PML-N head Mian 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...
Mr Jalil Jan said his party chief phoned Mr Sharif to congratulate him over PML-N's victory in the May 11 election and during the course of their telephonic conversation the two leaders agreed to look into the possibilities of forming a coalition government in the province.
JUI-F emerged as the second largest party in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly after its 13 candidates returned successful in the Saturday's election. PML-N has surfaced as the third largest single party in the provincial legislature elect with a tally of 12 members of the provincial assembly elect.
"We (JUI-F) will form the next Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government with the help of PML-N as we (his party) already have an understanding with Qaumi Watan Party (headed by former federal interior minister Aftab Ahmed Sherpao) in this regard," said Mr Jalil Jan.
His party, added the JUI-F leader, had developed a commitment with QWP at the time of negotiating the deal to form an electoral alliance for the May 11 elections.
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05/14/2013 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] The Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... (JI) is to enter an alliance with the Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... , a senior party leader told Dawn.com.
The party's Majlis-e-Amla is going to have a meeting later in the evening today with members of the PTI which includes newly won candidate from NA-5 Pervaiz Khattak and PTI's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa president Asad Qaiser.
There are reports that Maulana Fazlur Rehman Deobandi holy man, known as Mullah Diesel during the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty ... was in contact with both JI and Pakistain Mohammedan League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders to form a government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, following staunch rivalry against Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who ain't the brightest knife in the national drawer...
But JI sources said that it is most likely to be part of PTI formed government. "JI has nothing against Maulana Fazlur Rehman but it would be unfair on PTI if they are not allowed to form a government after winning majority of the seats in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa."
PML-N Punjab President Shahbaz Sharif has also said that his party supports the formation of a PTI government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
But JI is equally going to be helping itself more than PTI by forming a coalition.
"We weren't part of the previous elections in 2008, and the best way to come back in politics is to be either actively involved as opposition or be part of the government. JI leaders feel that by joining hands with PTI in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, it will revive its chances of doing better in the next elections." the JI source added.
JI won seven provincial seats in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and three NA seats.
"We are not in a bargaining position with the PTI for the KPK government because our numbers of seats are few, but PTI realises that it does need JI to deal with the Taliban in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. PTI will also need the more experienced JI leaders in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa who are aware of the matters of the province and can help Imran with the governance there." According to the JI source.
JI leaders are disappointed with election outcome by not being able to bag as many seats as they would have wanted to have a stronger influence in the ongoing politics, and they partially blame the PTI for it. "If PTI had collaborated with JI before the elections, PML-N wouldn't have won with a huge margin in Punjab. It was a loss for both PTI and JI" the source said. "PML-N too knows that if JI and PTI were together the Sharif's would have never crossed hundred seats in the national assembly" He added.
The source also suggests that JI will support PTI to form an opposition party against PML-N, since PTI still hasn't got enough seats to form the leading opposition party in the national assembly. "We will monitor PML-N's policies regarding the United States and India, but most likely we are going to be part of the opposition in the national assembly."
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[Dawn] Sindh's Provincial Home Department issued a notification on Monday imposing Section 144 which bans all political gatherings and waving guns in the city.
All carrying permits for licensed weapons stood cancelled after the notification.
Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... supporters on Sunday staged a demonstration at the Teen Talwar roundabout in Clifton protesting against what they described as massive rigging during the May 11 vote.The protest demonstration was joined in later by Pakistain Musselmen League-Nawaz and Awami National Party supporters.
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[Bangla Daily Star] 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... appears on course to secure a majority in Pakistain's parliament and form the next government after claiming victory in Saturday's election.
Unofficial results suggest his Pakistain Mohammedan League has won easily, though he has reportedly opened talks with independents to guarantee a majority.
He has already been congratulated by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
EU observers report that incidents of violence did not deter voters.
Sharif is set to become prime minister for the third time.
Former cricketer Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who ain't the sharpest bulb on the national tree... , whose Movement for Justice Party (PTI) is in a close fight for second place, has promised to provide genuine opposition.
Analysts say Sharif, 63, is in a far stronger position than the outgoing Pakistain People's Party (PPP) which led a weak coalition, often on the verge of collapse.
The PPP of late prime minister Benazir Bhutto ... 11th Prime Minister of Pakistain in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996. She was the daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, founder of the Pakistain People's Party, who was murdered at the instigation of General Ayub Khan. She was murdered in her turn by person or persons unknown while campaigning in late 2007. Suspects include, to note just a few, Baitullah Mehsud, General Pervez Musharraf, the ISI, al-Qaeda in Pakistain, and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, who shows remarkably little curiosity about who done her in... was badly beaten in the election. It was one of several secular parties unable to campaign freely due to Taliban attacks.
Pak media say Sharif's PML-N has so far captured at least 125 seats with the PTI and the PPP on around 30 each.
Analysts said the PML-N was likely to win around 130 seats and should be able to make up the required majority of 137 with support from independents and small parties.
Once it achieves a majority, Sharif's party would be allocated most of 70 other parliamentary seats reserved for women and non-Mohammedan minorities.
An election commission front man said turnout had been around 60%. In 2008 it was 44%.
The EU's election observer mission in Pakistain has issued its report, saying 64 people died on polling day itself. It said violence had distorted the electoral process in those areas affected.
But the mission added that at 90% of the 600 polling stations monitored, the conduct of the election was satisfactory or good.
On the whole, it said, there was a strong commitment by candidates and parties to the democratic process.
"The turnout in defiance of the threats against the process was an extraordinary vote of confidence in democracy itself," European Parliament member Richard Howitt told a news conference in Islamabad.
Shares rally
The election appears to have paved the way for the first transition from one elected government to another in a country prone to military takeovers.
The 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... stock exchange hit a record high on the expectation of a Sharif-led government. He is seen as favouring the free market and deregulation.
Ishaq Dar, a senator, has been chosen to serve as finance minister in the new administration. He held the same post in Mr Sharif's second government in 1998 and 1999 and again in 2008.
Sharif -- who was toppled in a military coup in 1999 and spent years in exile -- held talks on Sunday on forming a government.
Imran Khan, still bedridden after a fall at a campaign rally, said the election would boost Pakistain's young democracy.
"We are now moving towards democracy. I congratulate the nation on the numbers in which they turned out to vote," he said.
But Khan added that his party was collecting evidence of alleged vote-rigging.
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The United States said Monday it will refuse to send its ambassador to any meeting of the U.N. forum where nuclear disarmament is negotiated when it's chaired by Iran because countries under U.N. sanctions shouldn't be allowed to hold such positions.
Erin Pelton, spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, said in a statement that a country "in flagrant violation" of U.N. Security Council and International Atomic Energy Agency obligations stemming from its suspect nuclear program should be barred from any formal or ceremonial positions in U.N. bodies.
The 65-nation Conference on Disarmament, based in Geneva, is the world's most important disarmament negotiating forum. Though members have been divided in recent years, the conference and its predecessors have negotiated the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, considered the cornerstone of nuclear disarmament efforts, and the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
Pelton said it is "unfortunate and highly inappropriate" for Iran to hold the rotating presidency of the conference from May 27 until June 23 even if the post "is largely ceremonial and involves no substantive responsibilities."
The Security Council has imposed four rounds of sanctions against Iran because of concerns it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons and its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment. The IAEA inspects Tehran's known nuclear facilities and is trying to probe suspicions that Iran has secretly worked on developing nuclear weapons after more than five years of stagnation.
[An Nahar] Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi warned on Monday of the possibility of Syria breaking up and its conflict spilling across the Middle East unless a political solution can end the bloodshed.
"God forbid, if there was a void, or disintegration, in Syria, this crisis would spill over into all countries in the region," said Salehi, whose country is a close ally of Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Leveler of Latakia...
Instead, the Assad regime and its opponents should seek a political solution by setting up a transitional government until elections, he told news hounds in Jeddah.
He also rejected foreign intervention in Syria, which is in its third year of conflict after protests against the regime in 2011 morphed into an armed rebellion.
"The Syrian people should have self-determination... It is not permitted that decisions made abroad get to be imposed on an ancient country and people like Syria," he said.
Salehi on Sunday held talks with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Saud al-Faisal. He acknowledged he had "different views" with his host, whose kingdom supports the Syrian opposition.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/14/2013 00:00 ||
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