Pakistan issues flooding ‘red alert’ for Sindh province

Pakistan issues flooding ‘red alert’ for Sindh …, posted with vodpod

Natural Disasters and the Terrorist Connection

[Both Hezbollah and Hamas got their starts this way, providing the emergency services needed by the people after disasters, in place of government or other humanitarian assistance which was not forthcoming.]

Government needs to be on the watch

by Ahmad Aley

Nowshehra

The recent floods in Pakistan have resulted in a colossal loss of life and property and require the government to go an extra mile for the rehabilitation of the victims. Yet a very important aspect which needs attention from media as well as the government is the terrorist connection. This may sound unusual but the militant organisations, terror groups and fundamentalist groups like Jamaat-e-Islami, LeT, Jamaat e Dawah, LeJ, etc. have thrived in multiple ways in times of calamity and disasters.

These organisations use multiple covert and overt means to exploit the times of human misery and distress caused by natural disasters for their own benefits. This calls for an extra vigilance from the state as well as the media. As the state functionaries as well as most of the people are involved in responding to the calamity these scourge of the land have an ample opportunity to operate freely.

Foremost of these activities is the establishment of Fund Raising camps all around the country in every street and every town as well as in other countries where the Pakistani community is present by their clandestine operatives. The irony is that most of the people who even don’t subscribe to the views and activities of such groups are ensnared just for the sake of helping the victims of disasters.

There is no check on such activities and nobody knows from where they crop up, one fine morning you will see the camps appearing in your nearby markets and streets and after some days these are gone. The receipts provided in lieu of cash/kind are spurious too. And how these collected funds and goods are used is anyone’s guess. In the disaster areas the most heinous activity by these groups is enlisting, with consent or coercion, of the stranded, abandoned and poor. Moreover the kidnappings of children for being trained were also widely reported in case of EQ 2005. So is the case in recovery and relief which provides them ample opportunity for propagation of their ideologies as well as recruitment of unemployed and distressed. The welfare faces of these bandits also provide them a perfect disguise for monitoring and conducting surveys of their potential victims and targets. This connection becomes of particular importance in the present context of actively operating religio-political terrorist outfits in civilian areas in Pakistan. As in the times of disaster most of the state agencies have more attention to provide relief and rehabilitation of the victims and this lax environment provides sectarian/terrorist outfits an additional opportunity to make good of the misery of people.

Besides other things this scenario underscores the failure of state as well as the political parties to provide means for the citizens to be part of the response as well as recovery and rehabilitation effort. And as such events gain attention and sympathy of all and sundry these are also used to gain political weightage by the marginal political groups. Pakistan Peoples Party is the only party with national presence and it’s really sad to see that in such times we fail to see its cadres work. This provides a big time opportunity to the minions to act big as well as to use the situation for their ulterior motives.
So to make people aware of nature and dynamics of such actions of these groups should atleast be a part of LUBP’s efforts for flood victims.

Post Published: 07 August 2010
Author: aliarqam

Health alarm as acrid smog blankets Moscow

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/fires/main/world/index.html

People try to stop fire near the village of Verchnaya Vereya

MOSCOW : Wearing sanitary masks or clutching wet rags to their faces, Moscow residents struggled Saturday against the worst smog in living memory which has enveloped the Russian capital from spreading wildfires.

The concentration of toxic particles was up to five times higher than safe levels, experts warned, as the city’s iconic landmarks like the Kremlin and golden church cupolas disappeared behind a layer of smoke.

The emergencies ministry warned that the wildfires which have sparked the smog were still spreading in central Russia as weather forecasters said Russia’s worst heatwave in decades would continue for the next days.

The fires have raised concerns about the security of Russia’s main nuclear research centre in the still closed city of Sarov, one of the areas worst hit by the blazes and where the emergencies ministry has sent thousands of workers.

The authorities were also closely watching the situation around the region of Bryansk in western Russia where the soils are still contaminated by the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

Moscow drivers put on their headlights in broad daylight to see through the acrid smog that had descended on the capital while the sun shone as a hazy disc easily viewed by the naked eye with little discomfort.

The smoke — easily visible from space in NASA images — penetrated into homes and offices and was even visible inside the Moscow metro, one of the deepest underground systems in the world.

“The situation is truly extreme. People are in circumstances under which they should not have to live,” leading Russian doctor Ivan Yurlov of the League for the Nation’s Health group told the Kommersant daily.

Flights from Domodedovo, one of Moscow’s main international airports, were disrupted by the smog with several flights diverted to other airports and around 40 flights cancelled, state aviation committee Rosavitsia said.

“Visibility around Domodedovo is 325 metres (1,050 feet): it is up to the captain of the aircraft to make a decision about landing,” Rosaviatsia official Sergei Izvolsky told Interfax.

The other main international hub, Sheremetyevo in the north of Moscow, was working normally.

Germany closed its embassy until further notice and advised citizens against “non-essential” travel to the affected regions while the US State Department asked nationals to seriously review travel plans.

Russia’s football federation meanwhile moved a friendly match with Bulgaria from Moscow to Saint Petersburg, fearing for the health of the players.

With health experts warning that the best solution was to leave the city for the weekend, package tours abroad were completely sold out and there was a rush for seats on trains and planes out of the capital, news agencies said.

The levels of carbon monoxide in the air were five times higher than the maximum level acceptable for public health, state pollution watchdog Moseokmonitoring was quoted as saying in the Kommersant daily.

The situation with the wildfires that have sparked the smog showed no sign of abating, with blazes with an area of 193,500 hectares (478,000 acres) recorded across the country.

In the last 24 hours, 290 new fires were recorded, more than the 244 that were extinguished in the same timespan, the emergencies ministry said.

River cruises in Moscow, a popular summer pastime, were cancelled as the smog made navigation impossible while some museums were also shut down as the smog penetrated their ventilation systems.

- AFP /ls

Targeted Assassinations–Challenging US Policy

August 5th, 2010 

by Stephen Lendman

The WikiLeaks “Afghan War Diaries” provided documented evidence of America’s out-of-control lawlessness, including Special Forces death squads (Task Force 373) extrajudicially murdering or capturing suspected Taliban and Al-Qaeda figures, many hundreds or perhaps thousands on a so-called Jpel (joint prioritized effects) list, also willfully killing civilian men, women and children, the London Times Kabul-based Jerome Starkey reporting earlier on these crimes, suppressed in US media accounts, presenting an embedded view of the war, omitting the targeting of Americans until then Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair acknowledged it in February, explaining that:

CIA operatives and Special Forces death squads have been authorized to kill US citizens abroad, suspected of terrorist involvement, Blair saying:

“If we think that direct action will involve killing an American, we get specific permission to do that,” the criteria being “whether that American is involved in a group that is trying to attack us, whether that American is a threat to other Americans. Those are the factors involved. We don’t target people for free speech. We target them for taking action that threatens Americans or has resulted in it,” based on suspicions, not evidence.

Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, a US citizen living in Yemen, was perhaps the first “announced” candidate, targeted for opposing US belligerency, not crimes.

In late June, Deputy White House National Security Adviser for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, John O. Brennan, acknowledged a hit list with dozens of other names, saying:

“There are, in my mind, dozens of US persons who are in different parts of the world, and they are very concerning to us, not just because of the passport they hold, but because they understand our operational environment here, they bring with them certain skills, whether it be language skills or familiarity with potential targets, and they are very worrisome, and we are determined to take away their ability to assist with terrorist attacks.”

“If an American person or citizen is in Yemen or in Pakistan or in Somalia or another place, and they are (suspected of) trying to carry out attacks against US interests, they also will face the full brunt of a US response. What we need to do is to apply the appropriate tool and the appropriate response,” leaving little doubt what he meant, putting all Americans at risk globally, based on suspicions, not proof – potential targets for lawless assassinations with impunity.

It was standard policy under George Bush’s November 2001 Military Order Number 1, authorizing the capture, kidnapping, or otherwise neutralizing of non-citizens (and later citizens) suspected of terrorist involvement, holding them indefinitely without charge, evidence, or due process, treating them as non-persons, disappearing them forever, the practice continuing under Obama.

Last September, it was learned that then Central Command head General David Petraeus issued a secret directive to send covert US Special Operations forces to friendly and hostile states in the Middle East, Central Asia, the Horn of Africa, and by implication anywhere in the world to “penetrate, disrupt, defeat or destroy” terror threats and “prepare the environment” for planned military attacks.

On June 4, Washington Post writers Karen DeYoung and Greg Jaffe headlined, “US ‘Secret War’ Expands Globally as Special Operations Forces Take a Larger Role,” saying:

The Obama administration “has significantly expanded a largely secret US war against al-Qaeda and other radical groups with Special Ops forces in 75 countries, compared with about 60 at the beginning of last year.”

On June 5, London Sunday Times writers Tim Reid and Michael Evans repeated it, headlining, “Obama secretly deploys US special forces to 75 countries across the world,” saying:

He usurped even greater power than George Bush to pursue an “aggressive secret war against al-Qaeda and other radical groups,” using increased drone attacks and 9,000 Special Forces in Afghanistan and Pakistan, killing hundreds, perhaps thousands, of civilians, operations continuing daily.

Petraeus’ order “also allowed for US special forces to enter Iran to gather intelligence” for potential future operations. The Pentagon’s Joint Unconventional Warfare Task Force Execute Order authorizes Special Ops forces sent anywhere, and its Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) deploys covertly to kill suspected suspects, including US citizens.

Washington Denying Anwar al-Awlaki’s Right to Legal Representation

US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets (OFAC) regulations, under The International Emergency Economic Powers Act, prohibit lawyers from defending accused terrorists pro bono without government permission, violators subject to up to 20 years imprisonment and fines up to $1 million.

According to Bill Quigley, Legal Director for the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), the prohibition is unconstitutional, violating the Separation of Powers and First Amendment protection of “the right of non-profit lawyers and legal organizations to give pro bono legal representation to any US citizen,” guaranteed also under the Fifth Amendment. CCR/ACLU’/s brief states:

“The notion that the government can compel a citizen to seek its permission before challenging the constitutionality of its actions in court is wholly foreign to our constitutional system, (and as) non-profit organizations dedicated to protecting civil liberties and human rights, Plaintiffs have a First Amendment (Fifth Amendment, and Separation of Powers) right to represent clients in litigation consistent with their organizational missions.”

US law, not al-Awlaki, is at issue, the Obama administration exceeding its predecessor’s lawlessness, expanding its imperial wars, threatening other parts of the world on every continent, openly targeting US citizens globally, perhaps even in America covertly by disappearing them, and denying lawyers the right to represent them – a clear example of despotism.

Several times it tried unsuccessfully to kill al-Awlaki. Covert efforts continue. CCR and ACLU want to defend him, saying civil law must decide, not Treasury regulations or Pentagon/CIA assassins. His father said “If the government has proof his son violated the law, then they should charge him in public and let the law take its course.”

According to Quigley and others supporting the rule of law, “The right to go to court to challenge the government is a core US value.”

As a result, on August 3, CCR and the ACLU sued Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Adam Szubin, Office of Foreign Assets Control Director,

“challeng(ing) the legality of a regulatory scheme that requires attorneys to seek permission from the government before providing uncompensated legal representation to or for the benefit of individuals whom the government has designated as terrorists. In this case, the effect of the scheme may be to deny legal representation to a United States citizen whom the government is attempting to kill without any legal process.”

The suit seeks an emergency order, invalidating the Treasury’s unconstitutional regulation, permitting pro-bono representation to proceed without criminal or monetary penalties. If successful, a second suit will try to enjoin al-Awlaki’s assassination. However, in today’s lawless environment, the federal courts stacked with right-wing ideologues, and a reckless, out-of-control administration, CCR and ACLU lawyers face daunting obstacles to succeed – despite only wanting constitutional law enforced.

In early July, Nasser al-Awlaki, Anwar’s father, retained CCR and the ACLU on his behalf. On July 16, OFEC named him a “specially designated global terrorist,” prohibiting legal representation without permission. CCR and ACLU sought it but were denied, their suit challenging OFAC’s decision “to invalidate the regulations and to make clear that lawyers can (represent “designated”) individuals without first seeking the government’s consent.”

Its purpose is to challenge the lawless decision to kill American citizens, including al-Awlaki, without charge, evidence, trial, or due process – authority not allowed under US and international law.

“Under international human rights law, lethal force may be used in peacetime only when there is an imminent threat of deadly attack and (killing) is a last resort.”

Designating US citizens terrorists, providing no criminal proof of guilt or evidence of an imminent threat, and denying them legal representation is lawless and egregious by any standard. Yet, post-9/11, “the US government has (targeted and) detained thousands of men as terrorists, only for courts or the government itself later to discover that the evidence (or charge) was wrong or unreliable and released them.”

No one should be denied due process and judicial fairness. US policy is shocking, egregious and illegal, CCR, ACLU, numerous human rights groups, and others challenging it courageously, representing our rights like al-Awlaki’s, fighting for the rule of law to prevent further democratic freedom erosions, vanishing in plain sight.

A Final Comment

In a late development, Politico.com reports that the Treasury Department will let CCR and ACLU represent al-Awlaki, OFAC Director Szubin saying Treasury’s policy “is to broadly authorize the provision of pro bono legal services….To the extent that the particular legal services that the ACLU (and CCR wish) to provide in this instance do not fall into any of the broad categories that are generally licensed, (OFAC) will work with (them) to ensure that the legal services can be delivered.”

At issue now is enjoining al-Awlaki’s assassination, CCR Executive Director saying:

“President Obama is claiming the power to act as judge, jury and executioner while suspending any semblance of due process….The US government is going outside the law to create an ever-larger global war zone and turn the whole world into a battlefield. Would we tolerate it if China or France secretly decided to execute their enemies inside the US?”

In a separately filed March Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) suit, the ACLU wants information on procedures followed to put individuals like al-Awlaki on an unconstitutional hit list.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.

Time to take nuclear disarmament seriously

By GARETH EVANS

MELBOURNE — People sometimes forget that the boy who cried wolf ended up being eaten. True, nobody has been killed by a nuclear weapon since the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 65 years ago this month.

And, with Cold War tensions long past, it is all too easy for policymakers and publics to resist the doomsayers, be complacent about the threats that these weapons continue to pose, and to regard attempts to eliminate them, or contain their spread, as well-meaning but futile.

But the truth is that it is sheer luck — not statesmanship or anything inherently stable about the world’s nuclear weapon systems — that has let us survive so long without catastrophe. With 23,000 nuclear weapons (equivalent to 150,000 Hiroshimas) still in existence, more than 7,000 of them actively deployed, and more than 2,000 still on dangerously high launch-on-warning alert, we cannot assume that our luck will hold indefinitely.

We know now — with multiple revelations about human error and system breakdown on both the American and Russian sides during the Cold War years and since — that even the most sophisticated command and control systems are not foolproof. We know that some of the newer nuclear-armed states start with systems much less sophisticated than these. And we know that, across the spectrum of sophistication, the risk of destabilizing cyber attack beating cyber defense is getting ever higher.

So it should be obvious that maintaining the status quo is intolerable. Moreover, there is the real risk of proliferation, especially in the Middle East, multiplying the dangers that nuclear weapons will be used by accident or miscalculation as well as design.

There is also the sometimes exaggerated but unquestionably non-negligible risk of non-state terrorist actors getting their hands on insufficiently secured weapons or fissile material and exploding a bomb in a major population center. And there is the disconcerting prospect that new civil nuclear-energy players will insist on building uranium-enrichment or plutonium-reprocessing plants of their own, rightly described as “bomb starter kits.”

President Barack Obama came to office alert to all these threats and determined, as no other U.S. president — and almost no other world leader — has been, to eliminate them. His leadership inspired hope that more than a decade of sleepwalking was behind us, and brought some modest gains over the last 18 months.

They include the conclusion of the U.S.-Russia new START treaty, which would reduce deployed strategic weapons; modest limitations on the role of nuclear weapons in U.S. nuclear doctrine; a Washington summit that reached useful agreement on the implementation of improved nuclear-security measures; and hard-to-achieve consensus at the recent pentannual Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference on useful steps forward, including a 2012 conference on achieving a nuclear-weapons-free zone in the Middle East.

But START treaty ratification is going nowhere fast in the U.S. Senate and progress on other key issues has been slow or shaky: bringing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty into force; starting negotiations on a new treaty to ban the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons; strengthening the nonproliferation regime with effective measures to detect violations and deter treaty walk-outs; reaching agreement on some form of international management of the most sensitive aspects of the fuel cycle; and, above all, starting new rounds of serious disarmament talks, involving not just the two nuclear superpowers but all eight nuclear-armed states.

Arms control and disarmament is a grinding, unglamorous business that brings few quick returns. With domestic issues and re-election anxieties now dominating most political agendas, it will be all too easy for commitment to wane. If that is to be avoided, continued leadership from the top — above all from Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev — will be indispensable. But there are a number of major contributions that less powerful states and leaders, as well as civil-society organizations, can make.

The most immediately important task is for those with credible voices to take every opportunity to bridge the complacency gap. The messages must be stark: Nuclear weapons are not only the most indiscriminately inhumane weapons ever invented, but the only ones capable of destroying life on this planet as we know it.

The second major task is to set a clear global disarmament action agenda — with credible timelines and milestones. It is probably too difficult right now to set a reliable target date for getting all the way to “global zero”: There are still too many difficult technical problems of verification and enforcement to be worked through, as well as the obvious geopolitical and psychological ones. But it is not incredible to set a date like 2025 as a target for minimizing the world’s nuclear arsenal to less than 10 percent of its current size, with very few weapons actually deployed, and their role in all states’ military doctrine dramatically reduced.

Nor is it too early to begin work on crafting a new nuclear weapons convention that provides a workable framework for multilateral negotiations, and on devising an independent high-level monitoring mechanism that would spell out clear benchmarks for progress, track how they are being met, and create real pressure for change.

These are all recommendations of the International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament. As the world commemorates the 65th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki this August, we should recognize that our luck is running out — and take them seriously.

Gareth Evans, a former foreign minister of Australia and president emeritus of the International Crisis Group, is cochair of the International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament and a professorial fellow at the University of Melbourne. © 2010 Project Syndicate

Hiroshima : What lessons have we learnt ?

Hiroshima : What lessons have we learnt ?, posted with vodpod

The Dishwasher In Charge Of “Al Qaida’s” Department Of Misfit Terrorists

From dishwasher to al Qaeda leadership: Who is Adnan

Shukrijumah?

From Susan Candiotti and Ross Levitt, CNN

Miami, Florida (CNN) — He was born in Saudi Arabia and spent much of his youth in New York and south Florida. Then he vanished.

Investigators now allege that Adnan Shukrijumah has risen to a key position in al Qaeda’s leadership.

The FBI says that after he left America, Shukrijumah started off as an al Qaeda dishwasher, doing menial tasks at training camps.

But he’s much more than a dishwasher now, according to investigators.

“It’s like any other business. He would be equated with being the chief of operations,” says Brian LeBlanc, a special agent for the FBI.

As the alleged director of al Qaeda’s overseas operations, investigators believe he is “extremely dangerous,” LeBlanc says.

“He may not be someone who’s going to come into the United States to conduct the attack, but what makes him more dangerous is he’s out there plotting the attacks and recruiting people to actively do that,” LeBlanc says.

The breakthrough came when LeBlanc, an FBI counter-terrorism agent, linked Shukrijumah to the thwarted New York subway suicide mission last fall — the biggest post-9/11 terror investigation.

Najibullah Zazi and Zarein Ahmedzay admitted they planned to blow themselves up using homemade bombs.

Prosecutors say it was Shukrijumah who called the shots — probably from somewhere along the Afghan-Pakistan border.

“[Shukrijumah] was the one that convinced … them to come back to the United States and conduct the attack here,” LeBlanc says.

But Shukrijumah’s mother — who did not wish to be named in order to protect her privacy — says authorities are using her son as a scapegoat.

“That is not my son. My son is not a violent person. He is very kind, generous,” she says.

Shukrijumah — the eldest son of a Saudi Imam — came to America as a young child.

They settled in Brooklyn, New York, where his father preached at a mosque. They lived at a nearby house before moving to Florida in the mid-’90s.

His father, who is now dead, opened a small mosque near Fort Lauderdale.

Meanwhile, Shukrijumah worked at odd jobs, including selling used cars. His family says it’s how he paid for courses, including computers and chemistry, at a small college in South Florida. He even took classes to improve his English.

A few years later, when the FBI said they wanted to find him, Shukrijumah’s English professor remembered videotaping him in class and turned over the tape to the FBI. That proved crucial six years later.

On a hunch, LeBlanc asked agents in New York to show that video of Shukrijumah to would-be bomber Zazi.

“From that video, he was able to make an identification,” LeBlanc says.

The FBI says it now has a more detailed profile of Shukrijumah in part, from 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed.

Just before 9/11, the FBI says Shukrijumah crossed the U.S. by train. Later, he scoped out the Panama Canal as a target.

He went to Trinidad, London and — by June 2001 — Afghanistan.

On 9/11, his mother says he called home for the last time.

“He called me and he said, ‘Did you hear what happened with so and so and so?’ He said, ‘They’re putting it on the Muslims. I said, ‘yes.’”

She says she told him not to come home.

“And he was arguing with me. He said, ‘No, I didn’t do nothing. I will come, don’t worry about this,’” she recalls.

After that, she says, she never heard from him again.

Shukrijumah’s mother adamantly denies her son is directing al Qaeda attacks. But when asked about Faisal Shahzad — who has pleaded guilty to federal terrorism charges in the attempted car bomb attack in Times Square in May — she says that sometimes “you have to do something very alarming for the people to wake up.”

“It’s not because you hate them or you want to destroy them or you want to hurt them,” she says.

When asked if she has a message to send her son, she says she has nothing to say.

“He [has] his own guide in his own heart,” she says.

For the FBI, it’s all about staying one step ahead. Where will al Qaeda — and their alleged chief of operations — strike next?

“He’s definitely focused on attacking the United States and other western countries,” LeBlanc says.

The FBI believes Shukrijumah is likely in Pakistan’s lawless tribal region of Waziristan.

Shukrijumah moved up the ladder after two others who directed outside operations for al Qaeda were killed in suspected U.S. drone attacks, the FBI says.

W.H. Spokesman Claims Staff Did 6 Years Of Work In 18 Months

[It's really a strain on the brain to divert that much of the people's money into bankers' hands in such a short time.]

[SEE: Like Rats On a Sinking Ship]

Gibbs: White House economic team exhausted after past 18 months

By Sam Youngman

President Obama’s economic team is exhausted, according to White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, and that is one the reasons Christina Romer announced her departure Thursday.

Gibbs dismissed reports that Romer, the outgoing chairwoman of the president’s council for economic affairs, was leaving because of conflicts with Larry Summers, the director of the National Economic Council.

The press secretary told The Hill on Friday that Romer and the rest of the economic team have worked the equivalent of six years during the 18 months they’ve been in office, and Romer wanted to return to her normal life.

“These guys have probably packed a term and a half into a half of a term,” Gibbs said.Romer is the second member of the economic team to leave this summer. She follows Peter Orszag, director of the Office of Management and Budget.

The early days of the administration alone were enough to wear the team down, he said, as they realized the depth of the recession.

“If you think about what we went through in the beginning, nobody knew when we woke up if the whole thing was just going to come crashing down,” Gibbs said.

Romer was involved in the administration’s planning of the $787 billion economic stimulus package. Ever since the legislation was approved by Congress, she’s been at the forefront of the administration’s effort to sell the product to the public.

That’s been difficult given the fact that the nation’s unemployment rate soared to 10 percent after the legislation’s approval. The administration had hoped the jobless rate would top off at 8 percent.

Romer was the administration’s public face every month when the national unemployment numbers were released – usually to bad news. She issued a statement on Friday noting the private sector created 71,000 jobs in July, not enough to lower unemployment.

Reports surrounding her departure suggest she was leaving because of the heavy presence of Summers, an economist with a reputation for less than stellar people skills, and because she was frustrated with life in Washington.

Gibbs dismissed those stories, saying Romer had been in on every critical meeting with Obama on the economy and played a key role in the White House’s economic policies.

“I bet there’s not a CEA in history that has spent more time in front of the president than she has,” Gibbs said.

Romer echoed that line in an interview with MSNBC.

“I feel very strongly that my voice has absolutely been heard,” she said Friday. “And I also have to tell you, I feel the economics team has learned to work together very well. I know there were lots of reports of some fireworks early on, but the truth is we have become good friends and good colleagues.”

She also said she was leaving for personal reasons.

“I have a 13 year old son who’s about to turn 14 and start high school in the fall. And we made the decision as a family that the right decision was to return to California so he could have all four years at the same school,” she told MSNBC.

Romer was one of the more liberal members of the president’s economic team.

Her departure leaves Jared Bernstein, the top economic adviser to Vice President Biden and a former staffer at the union-backed Economic Policy Institute, as the most senior liberal economist in the administration.

Romer will resign on Sept. 3 and return to her position as an economic professor at the University of California at Berkeley.

She is the second major economics adviser to leave the administration after budget director Peter Orszag’s departure last month.

– Walter Alarkon and Bridget Johnson contributed to this article

Russia Accuses US of Breech In START Committments

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

INFORMATION AND PRESS DEPARTMENT

Violation of the United States of its obligations of non-proliferation of WMD and arms control

August 7, 2010

Treaty on START-1

During the period of DSNV-1 has not been withdrawn a number of Russian concerns regarding compliance with the treaty the United States. In particular, a number of flight tests of ballistic missile submarines (SLBMs) “Trident-II”, carried out from the Eastern U.S. missile test site, advance notice and telemetry information to the Russian side is not passed. According to Washington, this was due to data ownership missiles UK, which has no treaty obligations to Russia on START. Such uncontrolled activities of the American side of SLBMs virtually impossible for us to control one of the fundamental parameters of the Treaty on the START-1.

The Russian side has repeatedly expressed concern about the unauthorized alteration of the five missile silos (MSE) intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) at the test site at Vandenberg launchers missile interceptors, which is contrary to the provisions of the Treaty. Left open the question regarding procedures refurbishment U.S.

heavy bombers (TB) B-1 bombers equipped for non-nuclear weapons, as well as their home. U.S. has not presented convincing evidence that they used a set of procedures makes it impossible to reverse conversion of conventional TB in the nuclear option.

There have been ignored by Russia’s concerns in relation to the operation and maintenance of American submarines, equipped with missile launchers (PU) SLBMs in the Treaty on the undeclared facility, located at Cape Canaveral. Repeatedly pointed to the American side and on the use of unauthorized DSNV-1 procedures in the elimination of ICBMs type “MX”, as well as the refurbishment of PU SLBM Trident-I “.

Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF)

U.S. to practice the elements of a missile defense system using a family of target missiles that simulate a wide range of intermediate range ballistic missiles: NERA (firing range – up to 1200 km), LRALT (2000 km), MRT (1100 km).

Implementation of the launch of these products is treated in accordance with the INF Treaty as a testing ground based ballistic missiles of intermediate-range “new type”, which is a direct violation of his fundamental position – Article VI, prohibiting the “manufacture of intermediate-and shorter-range missiles and conduct their test flights.”

In the field of nuclear non-proliferation

1. As a result of violations of radiation safety measures and regulations concerning the storage of radioactive materials in a number of American companies and organizations only in the period from 1996 to 2001. was lost about 1500 sources of ionizing radiation.

In 2004, revealed evidence of loss by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (California), three segments of the spent fuel rods from the fuel elements used in nuclear reactors Hambolt Bay. In the same year was kidnapped container containing radioactive material cesium-137 and americium-241, owned by Foundation Engineering Scene (Virginia). In December 2005, now Ground Engineering Consultants (Colorado) lost radioactive sources containing cesium-137.

2. In October 2006, at Los Alamos National Laboratory, head the research center of the nuclear weapons complex has been revealed loss of electronic media with classified information.The peculiarity of this incident was that, unlike several previous incidents in which nuclear secrets falling into the hands of foreign intelligence, and this time they were discovered by police in criminal gang-related drug trafficking.

Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons

1. U.S. law on non-proliferation and destruction of chemical weapons allows the U.S. side to evade the requirements of the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. President of the United States granted the right to refuse to carry out inspections under the Convention on U.S. chemical facilities. In addition, samples taken during such inspections may be prohibited to be exported outside the country.

2. The U.S. government has submitted to the Technical Secretariat of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on the elimination of the period from 2003 to 2008 of the Iraqi chemical weapons (CW). According to the submission, within a specified time by U.S. forces in Iraq found chemical tests of poisonous substances (RH) and chemical munitions. All samples and some ammunition from an unknown chemical agents were sent for identification in the U.S., where they were then discarded. In this timely information to the OPCW nor on the fact of discovery, nor on the fact of the elimination of CW Americans was conducted. Data on decontaminate areas in the documents available.

Thus, submitted to the OPCW documents prove a violation of U.S. provisions on procedures for declaration and destruction of chemical agents.

The Convention on the Prohibition of Biological Weapons Convention (BTWC)

Violations of the U.S. requirements of Article I of the BWC

Formally, without violating its obligations and supporting the importance of the BTWC, the U.S. administration, however, continues to avoid the establishment of any form of international control of its biological activity. A characteristic feature of this policy is the insistence on downplaying the role of the BWC to strengthen the nonproliferation of biological weapons.

1. In the United States continues the university units. Pennsylvania study of the synthetic smallpox virus, which caused a mixed assessment of the world in 2002. Despite the prohibition of the World Health Organization to carry out such works, they should be justified by the desire to study this agent to a qualitatively different level than it did before its official destruction in 1980.

2. Especially questionable from the standpoint of Article I of the BWC look noticeably intensified in recent years, and justified by the need to combat terrorism investigations in the so-called “threat assessment”. They involve not only the legacy of the “defensive” subjects to study the damaging effect of known biopathogen agents (BPA), but a practical attempt to create new ones, including genetically altered agents in the simulation of the possibilities of terrorist organizations. Such works were started in mid-1990′s, when as the chief enemy of the United States were so-called “rogue states” (project “Clear Vision”, “Bacchus”, “Jefferson”, etc.). At the present stage of conducting those activities assigned to the research institutions of the Ministry of Homeland Security.

Violations of the U.S. requirements of Article IV of the BTWC and UNSC Resolution 1540 UN

In accordance with U.S. law, all research institutions in the country, working with pathogenic (disease-causing) organisms, must be specially certified by the authorized organs of the Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Agriculture, depending on the type of pathogen (human, animal or plant), and to report regularly on their use and transfer. Meanwhile, the requirements of U.S. law are routinely violated.

1. An audit in 2005, the relevant activities of the Ministry of Agriculture in his office audit uncovered numerous violations associated with the procedure for processing applications of interested organizations and make decisions, control over the maintenance of facilities in the security and preservation of collections of pathogens, tolerance to the relevant employees work, etc. No adequate oversight by regulatory authorities has led to the identification in 2005, three organizations of illegally owning dangerous infectious diseases of plants and animals, including eastern equine encephalomyelitis virus (case-fatality rate for humans – 35%). As a result, the Ministry’s activities in monitoring the trafficking of pathogenic microorganisms was evaluated as unsatisfactory, but also highlighted cases of concealment of its officials identified in the supervised institutions violations.

2. Despite the tightening of rules on handling dangerous infectious diseases, a dramatic increase in the number of eligible persons connected with them in parallel with the general reduction of their professional skills were objective reasons for the high incidence of infection Laboratory Internal personnel and other incidents in this area that have occurred in recent years. In particular, the facts reported in the medical center at Boston University (infection of tularemia, August 2004), the Research Institute in Oakland (pieces of New Jersey; infection of anthrax June 2004), the microbiology laboratory of Rocky Mountain (Denver, pcs. Colorado; infection Q fever, February 2005), the Research Institute of Health (loss of rodents infected with plague, September 2005), Midwestern Research Institute (Kansas City, pcs. Kansas; infected with anthrax, October 2005) and others.

3. A special resonance case of infection was the employee of the University of Texas (College Steyshn) Brucellosis, hiding the leadership of this institution and the publicized only in April 2007. His reason was blatant non-compliance with laboratory management regulations governing the admission of staff to work with pathogenic microorganisms, which led to a breach of the special safety precautions. Held on the fact checking identified an additional Infections number of staff Q fever, as well as the loss of several infected her laboratory animals. The University was revoked license to conduct these studies.

4. In September 2008, published results of the administration of government accountability check the status of physical protection of private research centers with the highest level biosafety laboratories (Institute of Virology and Immunology southwest Fund Biomedical Research (San Antonio, pcs. Texas) and the Centre of Virology and Immunology, University of pcs. Georgia (Atlanta)). It was found that they are not reliable enough and can not prevent unauthorized entry, essentially giving security measures at similar plants that are federally owned (the absence of armed patrols, automatic barriers at the entrance gates, metal detectors, etc.). Conducted in July 2010 re-inspection again revealed the same weaknesses that shows disregard for their guidance previously made representations.

5. In recent years, U.S. intelligence agencies have repeatedly thwarted attempts trafficking of equipment and materials intended for microbiological and biotechnological research, as well as pathogens. For example, in January 2006, two years in prison leaves T. Butler, Fellow Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology, Texas Tech University, who was convicted for violation of the import and export from the United States of pathogenic microorganisms. This specialist, working in Tanzania in 2001-2002, repeatedly smuggled into the U.S. samples of plague bacteria, as well as transporting them across the country. In addition, at the time of arrest by the FBI in January 2003 T. Butler was unable to explain the disappearance of 30 samples of this pathogen, which were never subsequently found.

Violations of U.S. obligations under the BWC confidence-building measures

In the framework of the BTWC is a mechanism of confidence, implying an annual declaration by States parties on the content of their microbiological research and related research facilities. This highlights the sections of the availability of biological defense programs (a form of “A” part 2 II). The mechanism is now virtually the only significant tool for obtaining such information and, thus, even if the relative transparency of work done.

U.S. excluded from the number of declared some medical and biological objects because of the lack of certainty criteria for identification of national research programs, including military, to the specified category. In particular, the United States each year did not declare its network of military medical research centers, deployed in Indonesia, Thailand, Peru, Egypt and Kenya and other countries under the pretext of their location outside of U.S. territory.

In a sharp escalation of the scope and pace of biological research in the period of 2001-2009 years in the U.S. there was a transfer of much of the civilian departments and agencies and even private firms. In addition, some of these works derive from the category of “protection” and declared anti-terrorist, which also avoids the need to declare them as part of confidence building measures and further reduce the possibility of controlling the world community.

Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation

In accordance with the voluntary commitments assumed by a part of that of the Hague Code of Conduct, Member States should expand measures to ensure confidence in the programs, ballistic missiles, space launch vehicles and ground launch (test) sites, to make annual declarations of their policies on these issues, as well as share prior notification of launches of its ballistic missiles, space launch vehicles and to conduct test launches. In addition, should provide annual information on the number and the general class of ballistic missiles launched from the previous year.

Only in May 2010 the U.S. began to submit advance notice of ballistic missiles and space launch vehicles, with the American side reserves the right not to inform some of the triggers for military purposes. Such an approach undermines the functioning of the Hague Code of Conduct as a whole.

In the area of international export control regimes

1. American companies continue to actively supply a variety of products relevant to missile technology and related know-how to foreign countries, about one-third of whom are not members of the international regime for the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), including Egypt, Israel, Kuwait, Oman, UAE and Taiwan. Attention is drawn to the fact that even in these cases, checking the use of missiles final destination, provided by U.S. legislation on a regular basis is not made.

2. Contrary to the principles of the MTCR by the interaction of Washington and Tel Aviv (not a member of Regime) under a joint project for the interceptor missile Arrow-2. In accordance with the bilateral agreement of 2002 between the Boeing and Israel Aircraft Industries in the United States organized the production of large parts of such missiles to be assembled in Israel.These components belong to the first category of devices on the classification of the MTCR, for transfers of which the exporting State must exercise the greatest restraint.

3. If scientific, technical U.S. assistance to Israel created a three-stage solid-fuel rocket type Shavit (starting weight of about 30 m, length about 18 m, diameter cylindrical portions 1,35 m).

4. Washington is constantly confronted with violations of legislation in the sphere of export control by the national commercial and private structures of military enterprises.

In particular, the management of industrial safety of U.S. Department of Commerce only in the first half of 2008 revealed more than 70 unauthorized exports of goods and technologies of military and dual use. Moreover, the largest amount of such transactions was carried out with countries inscribed on Washington in the so-called “blacklist” – China, Iran, Syria and Libya.

5. Accounting Office (MFI) of the U.S. Congress during the routine inspection of the Pentagon related to the sale of overseas man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), showed significant discrepancies in the various military agencies on the amount of such supplies. Thus, according to the Ministry of the Army from 1982 to 2004, the United States exported 7551 STINGER in 15 countries. At the same time, according to records by the Office of the cooperation in the field of International Security U.S. Department of Defense, during this period was made 8331 such a complex in 17 states. Thus, the spread of data totaled 780 units, which allowed CFI to conclude that “incomplete and unreliable” existing in the Pentagon accounting exports of MANPADS.

6. Significant issues are U.S. supplies Israel bombs and rockets during the recent Middle East conflicts. These U.S. actions are contrary to the basic provisions of the Wassenaar Arrangement and the principles of arms of the OSCE.

Thus, the facts show that the United States allows multiple, often very rough, violation of existing agreements on disarmament and nonproliferation.

Scope of conventional arms control in Europe

1. As a result of NATO expansion the U.S., together with other States Parties to the CFE Treaty, signed or acceded to the Washington Treaty of 1949, higher than the “group mentality.

The definition in paragraph 1 (a) of Article II of the CFE Treaty defines “western” group of States Parties consists of two elements – a list of States Parties at the time of the signing of the CFE Treaty and the criterion of belonging to NATO or the WEU (“The term” group of States Parties “means the group … States Parties that have signed or acceded to the Treaty of Brussels of 1948 or the Treaty of Washington in 1949 … “). Consequently, its established “group” levels should cover not only the “old” NATO members were part of the alliance at the time of the signing of the CFE Treaty, but also joined the alliance of States Parties, previously part of the Warsaw Treaty.

Compliance with the CFE Treaty by all States parties to the objective can be achieved only on the basis of the above understanding of the definition of “Group of States Parties”. It is therefore necessary to focus on two key treaty provisions.

First. Under paragraph 7 of Article VII of the Treaty, States Parties belonging to one group, the obligation to ensure their maximum levels for holdings, taken together, do not exceed the limits set forth in Articles IV, V and VI.

Second. According to paragraph 1 (a) of article V of the Treaty, within the “flank zone” for a group of States Parties to the total number of Treaty-limited conventional armaments and equipment (TLE) must not exceed the 4700 battle tanks, 5900 armored vehicles and 6,000 artillery pieces.

These provisions are not complied with the U.S. and other non-NATO nations participating CFE.

a) the amount of maximum levels for holdings in these countries than set out in paragraph 1 of Article IV of the Treaty group levels for the area of application as a whole a similar picture in relation to paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 of Article IV, and in respect of Article V.

b) there are even more serious departures from the provisions of the Treaty relating to the already real, not formal excess of its levels. Thus, in the zone, as defined in Article V of the Treaty, ie in the “flank area, the NATO countries have a real presence of TLE, significantly exceeding the levels set out in paragraph 1 (a) of Article V of the Treaty. It thus is a significant material breach of the flank levels of the “western” group of countries.

Russian side believes that these violations are significant.

2. Periodic placement of America’s conventional forces in Bulgaria and Romania has an additional negative impact on the “group mentality and to fulfill the obligations of the alliance on the rejection of” additional permanent stationing of substantial combat forces. “

As noted above, the “Group of States Parties which have signed or acceded to the Treaty of Brussels of 1948 or the Treaty of Washington in 1949, now based in Bulgaria and Romania are much higher than the current CFE flank levels. Any additional deployment of conventional weapons countries of the alliance on the flanks, can only exacerbate the violation of the Treaty.

The contract ipso facto preclude the deployment of U.S. weapons in the territories of these countries.

Thus, the sub (B) of paragraph 1 of Article V of the CFE Treaty allows for the temporary deployment of conventional weapons only “on the territory belonging to members of the same group of States Parties”, to which applies to position the state.

If it is not a temporary deployment, and the permanent placement of equipment within the “gap” between the “flank” the level of “eastern” group of States Parties and the amounts of cash their weapons, as there are at least two problems.

First, paragraph 5 of Article IV of the Treaty stipulates that such a placement can carry only “States Parties belonging to the same group of States Parties.”

Secondly, in the Founding Act Russia-NATO members of the alliance refused to additional permanent deployments of substantial combat forces. The Russian side has repeatedly offered to develop a common understanding of the term “substantial combat forces” and comes from the fact that Brigadier level is more than meets the criterion of “significance”. As far as can be understood in Bulgaria and Romania will add several large contingent of armed forces (Commander of U.S. forces in Europe General John Craddock, said the presence on a rotating basis, brigade-level, however, appeared from the NATO redistribution of quotas, the U.S. quota holders for 70 battle tanks, 111 armored combat vehicles and 41 artillery systems; it comes to mechanized brigade “Stryker”, reinforced by one or two tank battalions, in addition, the region will be available air group).

In Russia Founding Act, NATO accepted in principle the possibility of “better”, but states that “strengthening may occur in case of protection against the threat of aggression and peace-keeping in accordance with the UN Charter and the OSCE governing principles, as well as for exercises accordance with the adapted CFE Treaty, the provisions of the Vienna Document … and mutually agreed transparency measures. “ If the United States refer to those provisions of the Founding Act, we are not quite clear which of them would be to present the American side “legitimize” deployment of its troops in Bulgaria and Romania.

With this in mind, the question arises of how thoroughly our partners carry a document underlying the relations between Russia and NATO.

3. United States and other States Parties to the CFE Treaty, NATO countries do not comply with the decision in Istanbul, the political commitment to early ratification of the Agreement on Adaptation.

The Final Act of the Conference of States Parties to the CFE Treaty (Istanbul, 17-19 November 1999) recorded an obligation of all Parties to “promptly make efforts to facilitate completion of national ratification procedures, so that the Agreement on Adaptation can enter into force as soon as possible.” Moreover, at the insistence of NATO member countries are committed indirectly caused only “commitment” Russia “agreed levels of armaments and equipment” (ie, in fact, need to comply with “flank” levels of the adapted CFE Treaty). These two provisions are recorded in a single paragraph of the Final Act.

By the end of 2001, despite the difficult situation in the North Caucasus, Russia has fared in the agreed levels, but it does not accelerate the ratification of the Agreement on Adaptation of the NATO member countries. Around the second half of 2001, our Western partners, as if oblivious of the flank levels, persistently insisted as a condition for ratification of the “full compliance” with Russia the Istanbul agreements on Georgia and Moldova, with a view to those aspects that do not belong to the Treaty.

As a result of this artificial linking the Agreement on adaptation has not yet been ratified by the United States and other countries belonging to NATO.

This is not observed and the Rome Declaration of Heads of State and Government of Russia and NATO “NATO-Russia Relations: A New Quality” (2002). In “Arms control and confidence-building measures,” the Declaration states that the parties would “work cooperatively toward ratification by all States parties to the Agreement on Adaptation of the CFE Treaty and its entry into force, allowing the accession of countries not party to the CFE Treaty.”

4. The United States and its NATO allies, avoiding a discussion within the Joint Consultative Group (JCG) questions the viability of the restoration of the Treaty, prevent the full implementation of provisions of its Article XVI.

For example, in subparagraphs (b) and (c) of paragraph 2 of Article XVI noted that in the SCG CFE States Parties:

- Seek to resolve the ambiguities of the situation and differences in interpretation that may arise in connection with the implementation of the Treaty;

- Consider and possibly agree on measures to improve the viability and effectiveness of the Treaty.

In addition, in paragraph 5 of Article XVI pointed out that SCG agrees measures to improve the viability and effectiveness of the CFE Treaty in accordance with its provisions.

5. U.S., supplying small arms and light weapons (SALW) in Georgia, violated the obligation of the OSCE Document on SALW in 2000.

In violation of section III, paragraph 2a) and subparagraphs ii, iii, vi, vii, and – 2.b) and subparagraphs i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, vii, xi, which recorded the criteria governing export of SALW, and which, in turn, is based on another document, the OSCE – the Principles Governing Conventional Arms Transfers of 1993, the United States in 2008 exported to Georgia, a large shipment of rifles and carbines in the number of 18400 units and 40 heavy machine guns.

The provisions of these documents contain commitments of OSCE participating States to refrain from arms transfers to zones of tension and armed conflicts, which bring to the region, destabilizing military capabilities, or otherwise contribute to regional instability. Given the fact that Tbilisi has already demonstrated its inability to responsibly dispose of weapons supplied to him, the share of responsibility for an attempt to resolve Georgia’s conflict with South Ossetia and Abkhazia by force is, respectively, as the U.S. and other exporters of various weapons and defense technology regime of Saakashvili.

Colombia’s new president to be sworn in amid tensions

Posted: 07 August 2010 1534 hrs 

	Juan Manuel Santos

BOGOTA : Juan Manuel Santos will be sworn in as Colombia’s new president Saturday as his administration prepares to tackle the country’s leftist insurgency and mend relations with neighboring Venezuela.

As the chosen successor of conservative President Alvaro Uribe, who is ending his eight years in office with an 80 percent approval rating, Santos enjoys the backing of many Colombians after a stint as defense minister from 2006 to 2009.

He has been credited with dealing the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) its worst blow in 40 years of fighting during his time in that post.

An economist and father of three, Santos, 58, has already taken the same hard line as Uribe, refusing to open talks with the FARC until they release all hostages and youth fighters.

But restoring diplomatic relations with Venezuela, broken last month over Uribe’s accusations that 1,500 FARC and other Colombian rebels have set up camps across the border, will be Santos’s first task as president.

Before Caracas withdrew its ambassador to Bogota on June 22, Santos had already taken steps to restore neighborly relations by inviting Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to his inauguration, saying “when leaders are fighting, their people suffer.”

Chavez, who has also been at loggerheads with Uribe over a US-Colombian military base deal signed last year, has sent troops to the border but also voiced hope that relations under Santos can get back on track.

On Friday, Chavez said his foreign minister would travel “at first light” Saturday to Bogota to attend Santos’s swearing in ceremony.

“Let’s hope this is the start of a solution, a real and meaningful one,” outgoing Colombian Vice President Francisco Santos told reporters.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was in Caracas on Friday, along with Union of South American Nations (Unasur) chief and former Argentine president Nestor Kirchner, to meet with Chavez on the diplomatic crisis before heading to Bogota.

Chavez said after the meeting he was “very optimistic” the rift could be healed.

Other leaders attending Santos’s inauguration include the presidents of Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Georgia, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and Uruguay.

A consummate politician with a pedigree — his great uncle Eduardo Santos was president from 1938 to 1942 — Santos has held several top government positions during his career.

He was minister of foreign trade (1990-94), the treasury (1998-2002), and of defense (2006-2009), and vice president of Congress in 1993.

Like Uribe, he belongs to the Liberal Party and has had a 70 percent approval rating since his crushing runoff victory on June 20 with 69 percent of the vote.

Santos has often expressed admiration for Uribe, but lately has shown he plans to be his own man when he takes office.

He has announced a government of national unity that includes members of centrist and conservative parties. He even appointed his right-wing election rival, German Vargas Lleras, as interior minister over the very public objections of the outgoing vice president.

Santos has promised a transparent and inclusive government.

On the domestic front, he will face the daunting task of pulling Colombia out of its economic quagmire, with 12 percent unemployment and a 46 percent poverty rate.

As a first order of business, he has vowed to create 2.5 million new jobs during his four-year term in office.

In 2014, he can stand for reelection for a second, consecutive and final term.

Two bullet riddled bodies of Baloch missing persons recovered from Quetta

The Baloch Hal News

QUETTA: Police have recovered two bullet riddled bodies of “Baloch missing persons” Friday from Brewery Road of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan. They have been identified as Bahar Khan Bangulzai and Ghaulam Qadir Marri and were allegedly kidnapped by government agencies from Sariab area of the city.

Previously unknown organization, Sipah Showda-e-Balochistan claimed responsibility for the murdering Baloch youth.

Official sources said that area people informed the police that two dead bodies were lying in Killi Lehriabad within the jurisdiction of Brewery police station. On getting information, a police party reached to the area and shifted the bodies to Bolan Medical Complex Hospital for carrying out a postmortem.

Sources said that the dead bodies were thrown by unknown people in the open area of Brewery and investigations were being made in this connection.

A doctor requesting anonymity said that the victims were brutally killed by hitting bullets on their heads and there were several marks of torture on their bodies and faces.

Baigh Muhammad, father of deceased Bahar Khan after receiving body of his son said that his son was allegedly abducted by government agencies from the Mir Ghai Khan Chowk. “He was a shopkeeper and the sole bread earner of the family,” he said, and added that he was an innocent person and had never involved in any unlawful activity. “We had registered a FIR and his case was under trail in the court but we were not provided justice”, he regretted.

The other deceased has been identified as Ghulam Qadir Marri was also kidnapped from Sariab.

An organization Sipah Showda-e-Balochistan accepted responsibility for the killing of both persons and appealed Balochs to remain away from Baloch Liberation Army, Baloch Liberation Front and other Baloch resistance groups.

Spokesman of Sipah Showda-e-Balochistan, Abdul Baloch calling from unspecified location warned that elements involved in the killing of innocent Muslims and working for their foreign forces would be attacked.

It is worth mentioning here that two dead bodies of missing persons identified as Ashfaq Ahmed Mullahzai and Muhammad Farooq Mengal were also recovered from Quetta in the last week of July and Balochistan High Court had taken serious notice of murder of both persons.

Nasrullah Baloch, Chairman of Vice for Baloch Missing Persons(VBMP) has strongly condemned the killing of Bahar Khan Bangulzai, saying FIR of his abduction was registered against government agencies and a petition was also submitted in Balochistan High Court.

He said that he was allegedly picked up by government agencies from Gahi Khan Chowk in the presence of his father and brother and VBMP was protesting and making efforts for his recovery. “We have received six dead bodies of missing persons within a short span of two weeks and the issue of missing persons is getting a new dimension and they are being killed”, he added.

VBMP chairman said that there were marks of torture on his face and his nose was chopped off with an instrument and bullets were hit on his head.

He alleged that judiciary of the country was not taking the case of missing persons from Balochistan seriously and feared that all missing persons would be killed if this issue was not given proper attention.

He appealed the United Nations and other humanitarian organizations for playing their role for recovery of missing persons.

BLA Admits Motorcycle Riding Assassins Were Theirs

[SEE: The Motorcycle Assassins of Pakistan Strike Again and Again, With Impugnity]

Spy shot down in Khuzdar

The Baloch Hal news

KHUZDAR: An alleged spy was killed in Khuzdar here on Friday.

According to police, unidentified people who were riding a motorbike opened indiscriminate firing on a person at Faisal Chowk of Khuzdar town and managed to escape after firing. As a result, he sustained critical wounds and died on the spot.

Police moved the body to hospital for autopsy and later shifted body to hospital’s morgue for identification.

Meanwhile, Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the murder and said that victim was spying for Frontier Corps.