Pakistan

Islamabad, September 14: Pakistan’s Railways Ministry has “technically approved” an Indian proposal to launch a South Asian train service linking Bangladesh, India and Pakistan and forwarded it to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Commerce for further evaluation.

The proposal was floated by the Indian Railways two weeks ago, the Dawn quoted officials as saying.

Experts had acknowledged the potential of the South Asian route and they see it as “more easy to operate,” the officials said. The three countries have broad gauge tracks and their operating systems are similar.

Islamabad, September 13: Former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf Sunday said former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif would not seek his trial for high treason.

Sharif has assured King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia that he would respect the agreement (not to call for Musharraf’s trial) under Article 6 of Pakistan’s constitution, Musharraf told a TV channel.

The former general said said Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry is the chief justice of Supreme Court and he expects justice from him.

Islamabad, September 13: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik said Sunday that the Taliban commander in the northwestern Swat Valley was surrounded and would soon be captured.

Faulana Fazlullah, supported by hundreds of fighters, rose in rebellion against the government in 2007 to enforce strict Taliban-like laws in Swat, a scenic mountain district 140 km from the capital city, Islamabad.

Islamabad, September 13: Pakistani forces are “closing the dragnet” around Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah and he could be arrested soon, a media report said on Sunday.

Sources told The News that the noose around Maulana Fazlullah and his band of close associates has been tightened and “his arrest, or elimination, at the hands of security forces could happen within the next 24 hours”.

Details about Fazlullah’s whereabouts have been given by captured Taliban leader Muslim Khan. He is reported to have pinpointed a couple of most secret hiding dens of his commander.

Islamabad, September 13: A bomb blast killed two paramilitary troops Sunday in Pakistan’s Khyber region, where security forces are pressing ahead with an offensive to secure a major supply route for foreign forces in Afghanistan.

Also in the northwest, a suicide bomber attempted to attack a security post in the Swat Valley but was killed before he could strike. The incident showed the region was still dangerous despite the recent arrests of five militant commanders there.

Islamabad, September 13: Pakistani authorities have arrested 16 Indian fishermen for allegedly violating the country’s maritime boundary.

? ? The fishermen, who were captured along with three boats by the Maritime Security Agency (MSA), were taken to the southern port of Karachi yesterday.

? ? A spokesman for the MSA said the Indians were arrested on charges of violating Pakistan’s Exclusive Economic Zone.

? ? ?After a medical check-up and interrogation by intelligence agencies, the fishermen were handed over to police. The Indians are expected to be produced in court tomorrow.

Islamabad, September 13: Pakistani authorities have arrested 16 Indian fishermen for allegedly violating the country’s maritime boundary.

The fishermen, who were captured along with three boats by the Maritime Security Agency (MSA), were taken to the southern port of Karachi on Saturday.

A spokesman for the MSA said the Indians were arrested on charges of violating Pakistan’s Exclusive Economic Zone.

After a medical check-up and interrogation by intelligence agencies, the fishermen were handed over to police. The Indians are expected to be produced in court on Monday.

Islamabad, September 13: A bomb blast killed two paramilitary troops on Sunday in Pakistan’s Khyber region, where security forces are pressing ahead with an offensive to secure a major supply route for foreign forces in Afghanistan.

Also in the northwest, a suicide bomber attempted to attack a security post in the Swat Valley but was killed before he could strike. The incident showed the region was still dangerous despite the recent arrests of five militant commanders there.

Kazakhstan, September 13: Officials in Kazakhstan say 38 people have been killed in a fire at a drug treatment centre.

The Emergency Situations Ministry says the blaze broke out early Sunday and spread over an area of 7,000 sq. feet (650 square meters) in Taldykorgan in the Central Asian nation’s south.

Authorities say emergency workers evacuated 40 people from the building during the fire.

Violations of safety regulations are common in the former Soviet state and deaths caused by accidents and fires are frequent.

Islamabad, September 13: The first Chinese-built F-22P frigate for Pakistan navy arrived here in Karachi and took part in the ongoing naval exercises in the Arabian Sea, a navy statement said here today. The ship was welcomed by the PN surface and aviation units conducting exercises. The new ship, which has been named PNS Zulfiquar also participated in its very first naval exercises, which were witnessed by the Commander of Pakistan Fleet, Rear Admiral Asif Sandila yesterday.

Islamabad, September 13: Pakistan Army in a major operation killed 34 militants in the restive north-western region as they launched a new big manhunt to nab the Taliban top commander in Swat, Maulana Fazlullah, who is reported to be badly injured.

Continuing their sweep in the Swat region, troops also captured 18 militants while 12 more surrendered, a statement issued by the military said.

It said a soldier had been killed in fresh fighting which erupted in the scenic valley which has been under a military campaign for the past five months.

Islamabad, September 13: An official says a bomb has killed two security officers in northwest Pakistan.

The attack Sunday took place in the Khyber agency. Troops there have been engaged in a weeklong offensive to secure a major supply line for US and NATO troops in neighboring Afghanistan.

Khyber agency official Sadiq Khan says three officers were also injured.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

Islamabad, September 12: Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Saturday said Islamabad will send its response to the sixth Indian dossier on the 26/11 Mumbai attacks next week.

Malik, who held a meeting to review the new Indian dossier, said its examination would be completed by next week and Pakistan would then send its response on a private news channel reported.

Islamabad, September 12: At least one soldier and eight militants were killed in clashes in Pakistan’s northwestern region, the army said on Saturday.

Troops engaged the rebels near Banjot in the Swat district, resulting in “five terrorists and one soldier” killed, an army statement said. Another soldier was wounded in combat and 30 militants were captured from various areas, it added.

Thousands of military and paramilitary troops launched a full offensive in late April to neutralise a Taliban threat in Swat and three adjoining districts.

Islamabad, September 12: Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday said his country wants to further bolster the existing strong bilateral ties with China and to enhance the strategic economic cooperation between the two countries.

Pakistan “attaches high value to its relations with china and takes pride in the success story of China”, Zardari said while speaking to Chinese ambassador in Pakistan Luo Zhaohui who visited the president here Saturday, Online news agency reported.

Islamabad, September 12: Buoyed by the success against the Taliban in the military operations, including the capture of their spokesman Muslim Khan, Pakistani security forces today launched a fresh manhunt for top Swat militant commander Maulana Fazlullah, believed to be “badly injured” recently.

Troops surrounded Manglor and Malam Jabba areas in Swat in their search for Fazlullah, who has been on the run since the army launched operations against the Taliban in May, even as militants acknowledged that their outfit had been weakened.

Lahore, September 12: The Pakistan security forces, border on Saturday rejected a dispute over their Indian counterparts that several rockets were fired Indian territory from the border at Wagah sector.

A meeting between sector commanders of the Pakistan Rangers and Border Security Force (BSF) on the issue remains “inconclusive,” an RCMP spokesman in Pakistan said.

BSF officials had argued that some rockets were fired from Pakistan, said this morning, but the Rangers had denied this official said.

Islamabad, September 12: A high-power Pakistani investigation team will travel to Sri Lanka next week to probe reports that elements in the island nation were linked to the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said.

The team has already been constituted, Malik told a TV news channel yesterday. The Sri Lankan government has handed over some important clues that are being examined and these leads are expected to help nab the persons behind the attack, he said.

Islamabad, September 12: Pakistan and India agreed on Friday that their top diplomats would hold talks before their foreign ministers meet on the margins of the U.N. General Assembly in New York this month, Pakistan said.

The two countries have held three bilateral meetings on the sidelines of international gatherings since June but have yet to resume a formal peace process broken off by India following last November’s attack on Mumbai, blamed on Pakistan-based militants.

Khyber, September 12: Khyber’s top government administrator, Tariq Hayat, said on Friday Bara had been almost cleared of militants.
But he also said nearly 600 policemen recruited from ethnic Pashtun tribes in the region had quit after a commander, Mangal Bagh, had warned them over his illegal FM radio to give up their jobs.

“Some 600 khasadars abdicated their duties today,” Tariq Hayat said.
“We have given them 24 hours notice, and if they fail to report by Saturday afternoon their services will be terminated,” he added.

Quetta, September 12: While hearing a petition on Friday, the Balochistan High Court (BHC) issued notices to former president Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf and other key officials of his regime in Nawab Akbar Bugti’s murder.
The petition is filed Nawabzada Jamil Akbar Bugti, son of late Akbar Bugti, seeking registration of a case regarding his father’s murder.

Islamabad, September 12: Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik refuted his Indian counterpart Chadambaram reservations regarding investigations into the Mumbai blast claiming that Pakistan has done more work in this regard than India.

Rehman Malik also demanded that the Indian government should bring to the book all those involved in the Samjhota Express mayhem of 19 February in India, when 67 Pakistan-bound passengers, mostly Pakistani nationals, were charred to death.

Washington, September 12: US President Barack Obama called on Americans to “renew our common purpose” Friday as he marked the eighth anniversary of the Sept 11, 2001 terror attacks.

Islamabad, September 12: The Deputy High Commissioner of India in Islamabad was called to the Foreign Office on Friday and Indian protest on Gilgit-Baltistan self-rule order was rejected.

The Foreign Office Director General (South Asia) emphasised that Pakistan rejects the Indian protest as the Government of India has no locus standi in the matter.

Islamabad, September 11: The Pakistani army says it has arrested the first most-wanted militants’ commander in the troubled northwestern Swat valley.

“The spokesman Muslim Khan and four other Taliban leaders were arrested from Swat in a successful operation,” the military spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas said Friday.

The country posted a reward of more than 600,000 dollars for Maulana Fazlullah and offered rewards for 15 of his top comrades who had led the insurgency in the volatile valley since 2007.

Friday marked the first announcement of any arrests from the list.