Ankara denies Baku planning gas price hike

[Bad news for Nabucco Project]

Ankara denies Baku planning gas price hike

Turkish Energy Minister Hilmi Güler yesterday denied media reports that Azerbaijan was set to increase the price of the natural gas it sells to Turkey, saying the existing contracts do not allow it.

“These reports are not true; I have been holding meetings with the Azerbaijanis for two days. No such thing has been said; there is no rise. We have a contract, so they cannot do it,” Güler was quoted as saying by the Anatolia news agency yesterday, in response to a question as he was leaving a meeting at the headquarters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party).Reports said on Saturday that an Azerbaijani official announced his country’s plans to raise the price of natural gas to Turkey. Accordingly, Rovnag Abdullayev, the head of the Azerbaijani State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), was quoted as saying that the current deal between Azerbaijan and Turkey was outdated and that talks on a new price deal were under way. The SOCAR president did not reveal any further details but said the new price deal was to be in effect as of April 15. Abdullayev earlier in the day met with officials from the Turkish industry and energy ministries and from the state-owned Turkish Pipeline Corporation (BOTAŞ).

The report came as Azerbaijan protests an ongoing rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia, with which it fought a war over Nagorno-Karabakh in 1991. Commenting on the reported price increase on Saturday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the move was “thought-provoking” if the reports are true. “I don’t have information on that. However, if it [Azerbaijan] increased prices, then according to which facts did it do this? Such a rise in natural gas prices during a period of time when oil prices in the world are on the decline will of, course, be thought provoking. These [facts] will be assessed and steps will be taken accordingly,” Erdoğan said. Turkey and Armenia announced late on Wednesday that they had agreed on a framework for normalizing their relations, the first such move since Turkey closed its border to Armenia in 1993.

Turkish “Gladio Operation” Loses Its Secret Ammo Dumps

[Turkish branch of “Gladio Operation” being uncovered day-by-day.  Like all secret armies pre-positioned in all NATO countries, these government terrorists created covert weapons stashes all over the countryside, in anticipation when the secret armies would rise-up and “save the country” from they chao they themselves planned to unleash on their own countrymen.]

Parts 1 and 2 HERE

Ergenekon weapons discovery puts Turkish military in tough spot

Various supplies of munitions have been found hidden in shanty houses or buried underground since the start of the investigation into Ergenekon, a clandestine group charged with plotting to overthrow the government, which apparently have been taken out of the arms depots of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), but the military has been quiet on these discoveries for the most part, other than denying that it had anything to do with hiding the weapons.

The TSK’s silence on explaining how the weaponry discovered during the Ergenekon investigation was taken while under its supervision has led to a series of questions. Are any of the weapons found registered in the TSK’s weapons’ inventory? Who and how were these weapons taken out of the TSK depots? Have any of the culprits been found? Are there any suspects?

What legal action has the TSK taken against the suspects? Are there problems in inspections? Were those weapons stolen? The Ergenekon investigation itself started in June 2007 with the discovery of the military’s weapons in a shanty house in a district of İstanbul. Since the start of the investigation, hand grenades, explosives, light anti-tank weapons, rocket launchers, Kalashnikov rifles, assault rifles, thousands of bullets and various other munitions have been discovered in secret depots or buried underground in various cities including Eskişehir, Ankara and Sapanca. Most of these weapons were manufactured by the Turkish Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE) and NATO, neither of which supplies any institution in the country other than the military. None of the suspects arrested in relation to the discoveries have admitted any connections to the weaponry found. The latest discovery came when the caches of arms were uncovered last week in İstanbul during excavations to uncover more ammunitions and weapons as part of the Ergenekon investigation. Light anti-tank weapons, hand grenades, explosives and rocket launchers were unearthed during the excavations this week on land owned by the İstek Foundation, which was set up by a fugitive suspect in the investigation, former İstanbul Mayor Bedrettin Dalan, the chairman of the foundation. Three military officers currently on active duty were arrested on Wednesday as part of the investigation into Ergenekon after the arms cache was discovered on Tuesday. Those detained included Maj. Levent Bektaş, Lt. Col. Ercan Kireçtepe and Maj. Emre Onat, all of the Turkish Naval Forces. Yesterday, the three were referred to court, which will decide on their release or arrest. The police are seeking to capture yet another naval officer, Lt. Col. Mustafa Turhan Ecevit. The excavation on İstek Foundation land, launched on Tuesday of last week, was started after an anonymous e-mail was sent to the İstanbul Police Department. In last week’s excavations in İstanbul’s Poyrazköy district, 10 light anti-tank weapons, 20 percussion bombs, three other bombs, 250 grams of C-4 explosive, 19 emergency flares, 10 hand grenades, 800 G3 bullets and a large number of bullets for revolvers were found. The discovery follows the unearthing of similar underground weapons sites earlier in January, which were uncovered based on information from maps found in the homes of two suspects — former Deputy Police Chief İbrahim Şahin and Mustafa Dönmez, a lieutenant colonel who turned himself in a few days after the initial warrant for his arrest was issued. Dalan was in the US during the period of this wave of detentions and discoveries, which started on Jan. 7, 2009. Ankara excavated for guns The police, as part of the January investigation, carried out a series of digs at a number of sites around the capital in a search of weapons linked to Ergenekon. An arms cache was unearthed in the Zir Valley in Ankara’s Sincan district, which was found based on a map discovered in the house of Lt. Col. Dönmez. Thirty hand grenades, nine smoke bombs and more than 800 bullets for G3 assault rifles were found there. Around the same time, two hand grenades were found buried in a park in an industrial zone. Nearly 200 bullets were discovered also in Ankara in early January, in a vacant lot across from a housing complex in the Oran neighborhood, formerly reserved for members of Parliament and their families.

27 April 2009, Monday

TODAY’S ZAMAN İSTANBUL

Iran arrests group planning pre-vote bombings: radio

Reuters – April 26, 2009

Iran has arrested a group of people linked to Israel who were planning bombings ahead of the Islamic Republic’s June presidential election, the intelligence minister was quoted as saying on Sunday.

State radio, citing Intelligence Minister Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, did not say how many people had been arrested or give any other details.

Iran often accuses Israel and the United States, its two arch foes, of seeking to undermine the Islamic state. Last year, an Iranian businessman was hanged after he was convicted of spying on the military for the Jewish state.

“A group of deceived elements … who wanted to carry out explosions, particularly before the June election, was arrested,” Mohseni-Ejei said, according to the radio report.

He said they were “related to the Zionists.” Iran often refers to Israel as the “Zionist regime.”

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who last week prompted a walk-out at a U.N. meeting on race in Geneva after he branded Israel a racist state, is expected to run for a second four-year term in the June 12 election.

Former Prime Minister Mirhossein Mousavi, who advocates detente with the West, is expected to be Ahmadinejad’s main moderate challenger in the presidency race.

Earlier in April, Iran executed three people convicted of being involved in the bombing of a mosque which killed 14 Iranians in the southern city of Shiraz in 2007.

Tehran had accused the United States of arming and training those behind the blast and said Britain and Israel were also involved. Washington and London have denied Iran’s accusations.

Lieberman wants US ‘responsible’ for Iran–DIVERSION

[Lieberman labors to turn international focus off Israel, onto the US mission in Pakistan, which will open the backdoor into Iran.   His new mission as Foreign Minister is obviously to distract international opinion from IDF human rights violations, so that the world will ignore what is about to happen in Palestine and Lebanon, “operation cast iron.”]

[SEE: Lieberman: U.S. to accept any Israeli policy decision ]

Lieberman wants US ‘responsible’ for Iran

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 02:55:54 GMT

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Israeli forces

Israel says it will not resort to military invasion to suppress Iran’s nuclear activities even if the international pressure proves to be of no avail.

“We are not talking about a military attack. Israel cannot resolve militarily the entire world’s problem,” Kleine Zeitung quoted Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman as saying on Saturday.

His remarks come in line with a recent shift in Tel Aviv’s policy toward Iran which was adopted after Israeli president Shimon Peres said that “the solution in Iran is not a military one.”

Israel and the West accuse Iran, a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), of pursuing a military nuclear program — an allegation that has been rejected by Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog.

Lieberman, however, went on to say, “I propose that the United States, as the largest power in the world, take responsibility for resolving the Iranian question.”

The apparent softening of tone is believed to be related to the Israeli officials’ fear of a pending clash of stance with the new US administration which intends to engage Iran “diplomatically” on the matter.

Following a period of Israel intense war rhetoric against Iran Washington reportedly started weighing possible sanctions on Tel Aviv, should it go ahead with the attack.

Lieberman insisted that “the best way to stop Iran’s nuclear program is through severe sanctions, very severe sanctions…. The resolutions of the UN Security Council are insufficient. Iran must be presented with harsher and more effective sanctions. It worked against Libya. We must isolate Iran; only this way will results be possible.”

This is while many — including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Secretary-General Mohamed ElBaradei — believe that sanction and isolation is not the key to the issue, saying such an approach could only impede the process.

Using force to suppress Afghan tribesmen is bound to fail

By David Ignatius

By The Daily Star [Daily Times can only be accessed by proxy server, still, such as this one.]

Recently The New York Times carried vivid war reporting from Afghanistan. C.J. Chivers described the “bloody standoff” in the Korengal Valley between American troops and die-hard tribal warriors. Photographer Tyler Hicks snapped an unforgettable front-page picture of a US soldier in a mad dash to escape a riverside ambush.

But I found myself wondering: Why is the United States fighting insurgents in the remote Korengal Valley in the first place? The story described the enemy as “Taliban,” but it said the locals are angry “in part because they are loggers and the Afghan government banned almost all timber cutting, putting

local men out of work.” There’s apparently no sign of Al-Qaeda in the valley, where people are fiercely independent and speak their own exotic language.

While applauding the bravery of the US soldiers, we should also ask the baseline question: Is this use of American military power necessary or wise? When I was in the area a year ago, I visited an Army forward base near Asadabad that was firing large-caliber artillery shells into the Korengal to keep the local fighters at bay. The percussive roar of the outgoing fire was so loud it was hard to hear the comments of members of the US Provincial Reconstruction Team, who were explaining their efforts to win over the local population by building roads and schools.

The fighting in Korengal illustrates a bigger problem that’s at the heart of President Obama’s strategy for the Afghanistan War. The strategy is leaning in two directions at once. Obama described his war aims in limited terms, as preventing Al-Qaeda from launching attacks on the United States. But to accomplish that goal, he advocated a broader nation-building effort that could last many years. In military jargon, it’s an “enemy-centric” strategy that employs “population-centric” tactics of counterinsurgency warfare.

The problem isn’t so abstract for the young soldiers at Korengal Outpost: Are US foot patrols and artillery barrages needed to stop Al-Qaeda in this Afghan wilderness? Or is there a better, cheaper way, with less loss of Afghan and American lives?

The senior officials who drafted Obama’s strategy agree that it has this inherent tension, but they say it’s inescapable. They believe that a successful counterinsurgency fight has both a soft, road-building side and a kinetic, kill-the-enemy side. The challenge, the officials say, is combining the two approaches to splinter the insurgency. If the strategy works, says one of the people who drafted it, the US will dismember the “syndicate” of insurgent groups by the end of the summer fighting season this year or next.

To get an Afghan view, I spoke last week with Ashraf Ghani, who was finance minister from 2002 to 2004, in the first post-Taliban government, and is now running for president. He’s a supremely articulate man who took a doctorate in anthropology from Columbia University and worked at the World Bank. He’s probably a long shot for the presidential palace in Kabul, but he has a clear analysis of what’s needed – from Americans and Afghans, both – to put this war on a better track.

“Choices have to be made in terms of how the US strategy is implemented – counterinsurgency tactics, or kinetic. Right now, they’re attempting to do both,” says Ghani. He favors the former, and cautions that “months of counterinsurgency work can by undone by one kinetic action.”

Ghani is running on several issues that need to be addressed, no matter who wins. He wants greater Afghan self-reliance, reform of the country’s corrupt and feeble government, and a jobs program. The definition of the average Taliban supporter, he says, is “unemployed youth.”

I was encouraged by Ghani’s comments about reconciliation with some elements of the Taliban alliance. Take Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who’s part of the insurgent syndicate. Ghani has read four books written by Hekmatyar and says the bearded warlord has a “very modernist vision.”

He also cites a new book by Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef, a Taliban leader who was held at Guantanamo from 2002 to 2005. Ghani says the mullah mirrors the evolution of the Taliban away from jihadism and toward nationalism and development.

The idea of using military force alone to suppress the fierce tribesmen of Afghanistan is as mistaken now for America as it was for the British in the 19th century, or the Russians in the 1980s. But Ghani and others seem serious about building a modern Afghanistan with US help – a long, slow but entirely worthwhile process.

Clinton’s visit showed that new US thinking has yet to materialize

By The Daily Star

Hillary Clinton’s whirlwind visit to Lebanon on Sunday generated the expected sound bites. There was also a signal that new foreign policy thinking by the Obama administration, when it comes to this part of the Middle East, has yet to materialize. The US secretary of state’s surprise touchdown didn’t contain any surprises in terms of the itinerary. President Michel Sleiman and MP Saad Hariri were the beneficiaries of face time with Clinton, who said she supported Lebanon’s sovereignty and promised that no deals would be made with Damascus at Lebanon’s expense. She also stressed the importance of seeing fair elections on June 7, without intimidation and violence.

Two items did stand out, however. Clinton added that Lebanon has a fundamental role to play in a Middle East peace, and stressed the Obama administration’s support for “moderates.”

The latter statement recalls the policy of the last few years, when we heard constantly about moderates and extremists.

In fact, moderates in Lebanon are in need of gaining some political footing, as their situation has been eroding for quite some time. Within the majority camp, too many of the incompetent elements have taken control, and without going into who exactly is responsible, it’s enough to say that the political process hasn’t produced effective moderates. Perhaps elements of the country’s private sector and general public have been “moderate” enough to generate the stability that’s helped us survive the past few difficult years, with our dysfunctional political class.

On the other hand, the external situation hasn’t exactly helped the moderate politicians.

When Clinton brought up Lebanon’s sovereignty, she didn’t add that Washington had any plans to end Israel’s violations of this sovereignty. Nothing about ending overflights by Israeli aircraft. Nothing about movement on the Shebaa Farms-Ghajar axes.

In order to help Lebanon’s moderates, Clinton should get Israel on her agenda, and fast track it. Both words

and deeds are needed here. Israel’s role in violating our sovereignty might appear from time to time in the statements of American officials, but so did the need to implement UN Security Council Resolution 425. In the end, it took 22 years for that to come to pass, and not thanks to international statecraft, but local armed resistance.

Clinton should identify policies – and not principles – that would enable Lebanon to play it’s supposedly fundamental role in a Middle East peace.

Lebanon could be a good beginning for a real-world policy of this kind, based on ensuring that all sides – and not just the moderates – are satisfied, or else there will be no durable deal.

Army destroys LTTE earth bund and enters Puthumattalan:

Tens of thousands of civilians continued to flow into Government controlled area from the No Fire Zone throughout yesterday.
Courtesy Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation

Army destroys LTTE earth bund and enters Puthumattalan:

Human Avalanche

Over 35,000 cross over to Government controlled area:

Around 20,000 more await evacuation:

Ranil Wijayapala

Troops attached to 58 Division engaged in the biggest ever hostage rescue mission in the military history, yesterday ended the months’ long forcible detention of tens of thousands civilians by the LTTE, after entering the No Fire Zone in the early hours of yesterday with the capture of the three km long Tiger earth bund in Puthumattalan and Ampalavanpokkanai, military sources told the Daily News.

With the gates to the No Fire Zone in Puthumattalan and Ampalavanpokkanai were opened by the troops attached to 58 Division along with Commando troops and Special Forces troops, an avalanche of civilians started to flood into the Security Forces’ controlled areas through the Security Forces’ defences in Ampalavanpokkanai and Puthumattalan yesterday morning.

“The Security Forces witnessed civilians exceeding 35,000 flooding into the military controlled areas in Ampalavanpokkanai at day break yesterday soon after LTTE defences were breached by the 58 Division troops,” a senior military official told the Daily News.

“Troops attached to 58 Division under the command of Brigadier Shavendra Silva were able to open the gates of the No Fire Zone without shedding a single drop of blood of the civilians which was totally an unexpected situation for the international community who were fearing a blood bath in the No Fire Zone,” military officials added.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa who arrived at the Air Force Headquarters last morning witnessed the freedom march of the civilians (which was one of the dreams of the Security Forces in their two and half year long march to liberate Vanni) from the Operations Room through the visuals of the Unman Aerial Vehicle of the SLAF flying over the skies of the No Fire Zone.

Even the international media had the opportunity to witness what was happening inside the No Fire Zone through the UAV visuals to get a clear picture of the situation and present it to the international community.

The visuals of the No Fire Zone which were made available to media personnel by the SLAF very clearly indicated the way thousands of civilians lined up to arrive at the cleared areas.

“More than 35,000 civilians trapped inside the No Fire Zone were able to reach the Security Forces’ controlled areas through military check ups by yesterday afternoon whilst another 20,000 to 30,000 people awaiting to enter Security Forces controlled areas through Ampalavanpokkanai and Puthumattalan,” military officials said.

Civilians were checked and welcomed by the troops both at Ampalavanpokkanai and Puthumattalan whilst providing them with drinking water and fresh meals on arrival.

Aerial visuals also displayed civilians gathering at the coast expecting to be rescued by boats whilst another section of civilians crossing the Nanthikadal lagoon and Puthumattalan lagoon to reach military controlled areas.

At some point Security Forces ran out of capacity to check the civilians in thousands and reinforcements and medical teams were airlifted to the area to attend the welfare matters of the civilians.

The Sri Lanka Transport Board too deployed additional buses to meet the demand of transporting the exodus of civilians arriving in the Government controlled areas.

Tigers at bay

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, one of the world’s most violent terrorist outfits, are surrounded in northern Sri Lanka and about to be destroyed – but Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and European self-styled peacemakers are getting in the way of victory. The meddlers should let Colombo finish off this menace.

In desperation, the Tamil Tigers are using tens of thousands of locals as human shields. The Sri Lankan government declared a cease-fire and called on the Tigers to release their

hostages, but unmanned-aerial-vehicle video footage shows the terrorists holding masses of innocents at gunpoint, refusing them freedom. Last week, Mrs. Clinton played into the hands of the terrorists by blaming the Sri Lankan government for the crisis. “The entire world is very disappointed” that they were “causing such untold suffering,” she said.

Foreign governments and aid organizations are calling on Colombo to cease operations, fearing that further action will lead to a humanitarian calamity. Norwegian Environment Minister Eric Solheim has been the point man in trying to negotiate a new truce, but he has been denounced by both sides. In response to his unwelcome efforts, the Nation, a Sri Lankan newspaper, editorialized that “the caravan of military operations has to move on. The time has come to tell the salmon-eating international busybodies to mind their own business.”

The Sri Lankan government is justifiably confused and angry at the international response to their progress. Sri Lanka has been fighting the Tamil Tigers for over 30 years. The Tigers pioneered the modern use of suicide bombing and have killed thousands of civilians. A U.S. government expert on the group tells us that the Tigers are “one of the most odious insurgent groups around, and for a long stretch of time had more suicide attacks than the rest of the world combined. It has made a cult of martyrdom and violated every single previous cease-fire.” During the most recent truce, the Tigers took the opportunity to assassinate about 200 moderate Tamil politicians and the Sri Lankan foreign minister.

Last year, Colombo decided enough was enough and withdrew from the cease-fire agreement. Using innovative counterinsurgency tactics, the Sri Lankan defense forces dismantled the guerrilla network on land and at sea. They drove the Tigers from their safe havens and bottled them up in a four-square-mile patch of beachfront swampland. Tiger leaders are hunkered down in underground bunkers trying desperately to stave off their looming demise.

We can only imagine American satisfaction if we had al Qaeda in this position. It is unconscionable for the United States to castigate its Sri Lankan ally for prevailing in its war against terrorism. The Tamil Tigers have purposefully created the conditions for a humanitarian crisis and deserve neither amnesty nor mercy. There are ways to help resolve this standoff that will not allow the Tigers to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, such as providing military and intelligence support for pinpoint strikes against the terrorist leadership. Failing that, the Obama administration should mind its own business. The Sri Lankans are winning; we should let them finish the job.

Sri Lankans Understand British Spy/Terror Games

The secret behind the ‘grave concerns of human lives’ of these superpowers are very clear. World politics and arms trade are closely linked. Arms manufacture and dealing is a highly profitable global business. It is estimated that yearly, over 1 trillion dollars are spent on military expenditures worldwide. The United States is the top supplier of weapons to the developing world, accounting for around 36% of worldwide weapons sales, followed by Britain and Germany.  Western Arms Manufacturers needs battlefields to sell their Arms. An estimated 500,000 individuals die in small arms-conflicts every year, approximately one death per minute. Are these people concerned for the loss of innocent lives or their loss of business?

Are these westerners concerned for the loss of

innocent lives or their loss of business?

By S Akurugoda, Melbourne, Australia

Almost all statements released, one after the other, by western politicians, diplomats, spokespersons etc throughout the world at this 11^th hour indicates nothing other than their sinister motive of giving a fresh life line to the LTTE leader Prabhakaran and dragging Sri Lanka back into an on-going war against terrorism. It is not surprising at all to understand the so-called ‘grave concerns’ of these people led by British who are the main culprits of the ‘conflict’.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, who made several controversial statements, is now calling the Sri Lankan Government to reciprocate to the unilateral ceasefire announced by the vanishing LTTE.  Call for ‘ceasefire’ at this stage is a mere joke, since LTTE is not fighting but running away, as Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa  pointed out.

As per the latest media reports, the British PM has still not given up his dream of sending his pro-LTTE special envoy to Sri Lanka, despite the rejection of such actions by the government of Sri Lanka. The former colonial masters still prefer to listen to their former ‘favourites’, LTTE Tamil Diaspora, rather than the democratically elected President.

Now that the chances of dividing Sri Lanka on ethnic lines by military means are no more, the next question, often raised by these interested parties is “when is the political solution”? As the President has quite rightly reminded to the British PM, when asked about a ‘political solution’, what is needed by the IDPs is their basic needs such as shelter, food, clothing, medicine etc and not a ‘political solution’.

On the other hand, the US State Department’s spokesperson Robert Wood has called on LTTE rebels surrender to a third party. “We remain extremely concerned for the safety of the remaining civilians in the no-fire zone,” and called on the Sri Lanka government and Tamil Tigers to end hostilities. He also asked the Sri Lanka government to allow a UN humanitarian team into the no-fire zone.

Apart from these salmon-eating international spokespersons,  the entire world is now fully aware that the military operations against Terrorism in Sri Lanka  is a success, unlike the war against terrorism launched by  superpowers,  and more than 120,000 civilians have already been rescued by the Sri Lankan Security Forces  within three days of its humanitarian mission without any external assistance. Indications are that the entire operations will be over within the next couple of days and there is no question of surrender to a third party at this stage, unless a third party is ‘extremely concern’ for the safety of the remaining terrorist cadres and their leaders trapped in the last few kilometers of their ‘strong hold’ .

As the Foreign Secretary Dr Palitha Kohona stressed, there was no need for special missions from other countries to evacuate the IDPs (internally displaced persons) from the safe zone and the situation may not arise as over 120,000 civilians have moved to the cleared areas. On the other hand, if the life out of the NFZ  is not safe for the IDPs , as these westerners imagined,   there is no reason why  tens of thousands of civilians including two LTTE leaders have fled NFZ and moved towards the security forces. Since LTTE had forcibly kept the UN missions which visited the Tigers in the past the obvious question is how such missions could visit the NFZ given the present conditions

There is no reason for the Sri Lanka government to stop its operation since they have proved their capability of chasing the enemy while freeing the civilians in tens of thousands.  Few weeks ago prior to the commencement of humanitarian mission of the Security Forces, the very same people imagined that there will be a blood bath if such an attempt is made and, now, it has been proved beyond doubt that it is not so. The two UN officials who visited Sri Lanka called for an immediate ceasefire to facilitate a meeting between UN representatives and Prabhakaran in the civilian safety zone.

As reported in media, there was every indication that the UN officials had been influenced by ‘a western diplomat’ based in Colombo to make this request for a meeting between the UN and the LTTE leader.

Statements issued by various foreign diplomats in Colombo, notably those of US ambassador Blake, concerning the internal affairs of our country, and reported visits and secret visits said to have been made to meet the opponents of the democratically elected government, including the pro LTTE Tamil Diaspora,  to discuss ‘undisclosed’ matters related to internal matters of the host country are typical examples of their failure of self-controlling, what appears as, ‘superiority complex’ when serving in tiny nations.

These diplomats, who are representatives of the superpower, are gradually becoming part and parcel of our local political system and we see no significant difference between their day-to-day tasks in Colombo and those of LTTE proxy TNA.

The secret behind the ‘grave concerns of human lives’ of these superpowers are very clear. World politics and arms trade are closely linked. Arms manufacture and dealing is a highly profitable global business. It is estimated that yearly, over 1 trillion dollars are spent on military expenditures worldwide. The United States is the top supplier of weapons to the developing world, accounting for around 36% of worldwide weapons sales, followed by Britain and Germany.  Western Arms Manufacturers needs battlefields to sell their Arms. An estimated 500,000 individuals die in small arms-conflicts every year, approximately one death per minute. Are these people concerned for the loss of innocent lives or their loss of business?

The Washington Times Editorial http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/26/tigers-at-bay/ (Sunday, 26 April 2009) should be an eye-opener to those masters who still believe that there is something extraordinary under their blue-eyes and white skin.  [Washington Times article follows]

How Dangerous Are the Taliban?

Why Afghanistan Is the Wrong War

John Mueller

George W. Bush led the United States into war in Iraq on the grounds that Saddam Hussein might give his country’s nonexistent weapons of mass destruction to terrorists. Now, Bush’s successor is perpetuating the war in Afghanistan with comparably dubious arguments about the danger posed by the Taliban and al Qaeda.

President Barack Obama insists that the U.S. mission in Afghanistan is about “making sure that al Qaeda cannot attack the U.S. homeland and U.S. interests and our allies” or “project violence against” American citizens. The reasoning is that if the Taliban win in Afghanistan, al Qaeda will once again be able to set up shop there to carry out its dirty work. As the president puts it, Afghanistan would “again be a base for terrorists who want to kill as many of our people as they possibly can.” This argument is constantly repeated but rarely examined; given the costs and risks associated with the Obama administration’s plans for the region, it is time such statements be given the scrutiny they deserve.

Multiple sources, including Lawrence Wright’s book The Looming Tower, make clear that the Taliban was a reluctant host to al Qaeda in the 1990s and felt betrayed when the terrorist group repeatedly violated agreements to refrain from issuing inflammatory statements and fomenting violence abroad. Then the al Qaeda-sponsored 9/11 attacks — which the Taliban had nothing to do with — led to the toppling of the Taliban’s regime. Given the Taliban’s limited interest in issues outside the “AfPak” region, if they came to power again now, they would be highly unlikely to host provocative terrorist groups whose actions could lead to another outside intervention. And even if al Qaeda were able to relocate to Afghanistan after a Taliban victory there, it would still have to operate under the same siege situation it presently enjoys in what Obama calls its “safe haven” in Pakistan.

The very notion that al Qaeda needs a secure geographic base to carry out its terrorist operations, moreover, is questionable. After all, the operational base for 9/11 was in Hamburg, Germany. Conspiracies involving small numbers of people require communication, money, and planning — but not a major protected base camp.

At present, al Qaeda consists of a few hundred people  running around in Pakistan, seeking to avoid detection and helping the Taliban when possible. It also has a disjointed network of fellow travelers around the globe who communicate over the Internet. Over the last decade, the group has almost completely discredited itself in the Muslim world due to the fallout from the 9/11 attacks and subsequent counterproductive terrorism, much of it directed against Muslims. No convincing evidence has been offered publicly to show that al Qaeda Central has put together a single full operation anywhere in the world since 9/11. And, outside of war zones, the violence perpetrated by al Qaeda affiliates, wannabes, and lookalikes combined has resulted in the deaths of some 200 to 300 people per year, and may be declining. That is 200 to 300 too many, of course, but it scarcely suggests that “the safety of people around the world is at stake,” as Obama dramatically puts it.

In addition, al Qaeda has yet to establish a significant presence in the United States. In 2002, U.S. intelligence reports asserted that the number of trained al Qaeda operatives in the United States was between 2,000 and 5,000, and FBI Director Robert Mueller assured a Senate committee that al Qaeda had “developed a support infrastructure” in the country and achieved both “the ability and the intent to inflict significant casualties in the U.S. with little warning.” However, after years of well funded sleuthing, the FBI and other investigative agencies have been unable to uncover a single true al Qaeda sleeper cell or operative within the country. Mueller’s rallying cry has now been reduced to a comparatively bland formulation: “We believe al Qaeda is still seeking to infiltrate operatives into the U.S. from overseas.”

Even that may not be true. Since 9/11, some two million foreigners have been admitted to the United States legally and many others, of course, have entered illegally. Even if border security has been so effective that 90 percent of al Qaeda’s operatives have been turned away or deterred from entering the United States, some should have made it in — and some of those, it seems reasonable to suggest, would have been picked up by law enforcement by now. The lack of attacks inside the United States combined with the inability of the FBI to find any potential attackers suggests that the terrorists are either not trying very hard or are far less clever and capable than usually depicted.

Policymakers and the public at large should keep in mind the words of Glenn Carle, a 23 year veteran of the CIA who served as deputy national intelligence officer for transnational threats: “We must see jihadists for the small, lethal, disjointed and miserable opponents that they are.” Al Qaeda “has only a handful of individuals capable of planning, organizing and leading a terrorist operation,” Carle notes, and “its capabilities are far inferior to its desires.”

President Obama has said that there is also a humanitarian element to the Afghanistan mission. A return of the Taliban, he points out, would condemn the Afghan people “to brutal governance, international isolation, a paralyzed economy, and the denial of basic human rights.” This concern is legitimate — the Afghan people appear to be quite strongly opposed to a return of the Taliban, and they are surely entitled to some peace after 30 years of almost continual warfare, much of it imposed on them from outside.

The problem, as Obama is doubtlessly well aware, is that Americans are far less willing to sacrifice lives for missions that are essentially humanitarian than for those that seek to deal with a threat directed at the United States itself. People who embrace the idea of a humanitarian mission will continue to support Obama’s policy in Afghanistan — at least if they think it has a chance of success — but many Americans (and Europeans) will increasingly start to question how many lives such a mission is worth.

This questioning, in fact, is well under way. Because of its ties to 9/11, the war in Afghanistan has enjoyed considerably greater public support than the war in Iraq did (or, for that matter, the wars in Korea or Vietnam). However, there has been a considerable dropoff in that support of late. If Obama’s national security justification for his war in Afghanistan comes to seem as spurious as Bush’s national security justification for his war in Iraq, he, like Bush, will increasingly have only the humanitarian argument to fall back on. And that is likely to be a weak reed.

Israeli Commandos Allegedly Sunk Iranian Vessel Off Sudan In January, As Well

[Google translation]

“Israel has plunged the Iranian ship off the coast of Sudan

ما كادت الضجة الإعلامية التي أحاطت بقضية الغارتين الإسرائيليتين على الأراضي السودانية تفقد صداها، حتى ألقت صحيفة “يديعوت أحرونوت” الإسرائيلية الأسبوع الماضي، خبراً مشابهاً جديداً لا يقلّ إثارة للجدل: وحدة من”الكوماندوس” التابع للبحرية الإسرائيلية شاركت، في يناير الماضي، في استهداف سفينة إيرانية في المياه السودانية، كانت محملة بأسلحة إيرانية لحركة “حماس” في قطاع غزة. Is almost the publicity surrounding the case of air raids on Sudanese territory, lost resonance, even by the newspaper “Yediot Aharonot”, Israel last week, a similar story at least the most controversial: the unity of the “commandos” of the Israeli navy took part, last January, to target Iranian vessel in the waters of Sudan, was carrying Iranian arms for the “Hamas” movement in the Gaza Strip. وأكد النبأ الذي نقله الموقع الإلكتروني للصحيفة عن مصدر أميركي أن مقاتلي الوحدة البحرية الإسرائيلية “شيطيت ١٣”، شاركوا في مهاجمة سفينة إيرانية محملة بالأسلحة رست بمحاذاة الساحل السوداني بغية تهريب حمولتها إلى حركة “حماس” في غزة، عن طريق شبه جزيرة سيناء. The report quoted by the website of the newspaper from the American source said the Israeli fighters, the naval unit “Caitit 13”, participated in the attack on an Iranian ship loaded with arms, docked along the coast of Sudan in order to smuggle the cargo to the “Hamas” in Gaza, on the through the Sinai Peninsula.

وقال المصدر الأمريكي للصحيفة إن إسرائيل وجهت ثلاث ضربات عسكرية ضد أهداف في السودان منذ كانون الثاني الماضي، بما فيها هذا الهجوم، لمنع وصول ما يشتبه في أنه شحنات إيرانية من السلاح، إلى حماس؛ وهو ما أكده موقع شبكة “اي بي سي نيوز” الأميركية في ٢٨ مارس الماضي، نقلاً عن مسؤول أمريكي، فضلاً عن إفادات مسؤولين سودانيين تحدثوا عن ضربتين جويتين استهدفتا قافلتين في الصحراء الشرقية شمالي ميناء بورتسودان على البحر الأحمر، مما أسفر عن مقتل نحو ٥٠ شخصاً، إضافة إلى غرق سفينة في الموقع ذاته يرجّح أنها كانت تحمل أسلحة. The source said the American newspaper that Israel had three strikes against targets in Sudan since last January, including the attack, to prevent the arrival of suspected that Iranian arms shipments to the Hamas; which was confirmed by the web site, “ABC News,” American March 28 in the past, citing a U.S. official, as well as the statements of Sudanese officials who spoke about the two air strikes targeting convoys in the Eastern Desert, north of Port Sudan on the Red Sea, killing about 50 people, in addition to the sinking of a ship in the same location is likely

Presidential Signing Statements Act of 2009 Seeks to Curtail Bush Policy

`Presidential Signing

Statements Act of 2009′

 
 S. 875

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Presidential Signing 
     Statements Act of 2009''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITION.

       As used in this Act, the term ``presidential signing 
     statement'' means a statement issued by the President about a 
     bill, in conjunction with signing that bill into law pursuant 
     to Article I, section 7, of the Constitution.

     SEC. 3. JUDICIAL USE OF PRESIDENTIAL SIGNING STATEMENTS.

       In determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, no 
     Federal or State court shall rely on or defer to a 
     presidential signing statement as a source of authority.

     SEC. 4. CONGRESSIONAL RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN COURT 
                   PROCEEDINGS OR SUBMIT CLARIFYING RESOLUTION.

       (a) Congressional Right To Participate as Amicus Curiae.--
     In any action, suit, or proceeding in any Federal or State 
     court (including the Supreme Court of the United States), 
     regarding the construction or constitutionality, or both, of 
     any Act of Congress in which a presidential signing statement 
     was issued, the Federal or State Court shall permit the 
     United States Senate, through the Office of Senate Legal 
     Counsel, as authorized in section 701 of the Ethics in 
     Government Act of 1978 (2 U.S.C. 288), or the United States 
     House of Representatives, through the Office of General 
     Counsel for the United States House of Representatives, or 
     both, to participate as an amicus curiae, and to present an 
     oral argument on the question of the Act's construction or 
     constitutionality, or both. Nothing in this section shall be 
     construed to confer standing on any party seeking to bring, 
     or jurisdiction on

[[Page S4678]]

     any court with respect to, any civil or criminal action, 
     including suit for court costs, against Congress, either 
     House of Congress, a Member of Congress, a committee or 
     subcommittee of a House of Congress, any office or agency of 
     Congress, or any officer or employee of a House of Congress 
     or any office or agency of Congress.
       (b) Congressional Right To Submit Clarifying Resolution.--
     In any suit referenced in subsection (a), the full Congress 
     may pass a concurrent resolution declaring its view of the 
     proper interpretation of the Act of Congress at issue, 
     clarifying Congress's intent or clarifying Congress's 
     findings of fact, or both. If Congress does pass such a 
     concurrent resolution, the Federal or State court shall 
     permit the United States Congress, through the Office of 
     Senate Legal Counsel, to submit that resolution into the 
     record of the case as a matter of right.
       (c) Expedited Consideration.--It shall be the duty of each 
     Federal or State court, including the Supreme Court of the 
     United States, to advance on the docket and to expedite to 
     the greatest possible extent the disposition of any matter 
     brought under subsection (a).
                                 ______

Pak success in war on terror depends on K resolution: US General

Kashmir on Holbrooke agenda

Pak success in war on terror depends on K resolution: US General Agencies Washington, April 26: In what could embarrass Indian government, US General David Petraeus has admitted that the portfolio of the US special envoy Richard Holbrooke includes India and has emphasised the need to address the vexed Kashmir dispute so that Pakistan could focus on “war on terror”. The general, who commands American forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan as the US Central Command chief, emphasised the need to address the Kashmir dispute. “The reduction in tensions between India and Pakistan over Kashmir would help the fight against extremists,” he said. “There are people who have rightly said that Ambassador Holbrooke’s title should be Afghan, Pakistan and India,’ General Petraeus told a subcommittee of the House Committee on Appropriations. “Now, let me just tell you, his portfolio very much includes India and, in fact, the Central Asian states and the other neighbours there.” Gen. Petraeus observed that if the international community could resolve the Kashmir dispute or reduce the tensions generated by this issue, Pakistan would have had a greater focus on fighting the extremists on its western border. ‘If you could resolve that conundrum or even reduce the tensions; that could contribute to an ability to focus more intellectually as well as just sheer forces physically on the internal extremist threat,’ he said. ‘It is very important to reduce the tensions between India and Pakistan so that Pakistan can both intellectually and physically focus on the most pressing threat to their existence, which is the internal extremist threat, rather than the traditional threat of India.’ The general said that the need to reduce tensions between the two South Asian neighbours becomes clearer when an observer looks at the number of their forces tied up on the Indian border, and at the percentage of their defence budget devoted to the standoff. Underlining the importance of keeping India involved in US efforts to defeat extremist forces in the South Asian region, Gen. Petraeus noted that Ambassador Holbrooke’s first trip to the region didn’t include just Afghanistan and Pakistan. He then continued on into India. The general’s comments are bound to irk New Delhi which refuses to accept any international mediation in its relations with other South Asian nations. India is particularly sensitive to third party mediation in its disputes with Pakistan and has rejected all previous offers to help resolve the Kashmir issue that has plagued relations between South Asia’s two nuclear states for more than 60 years.

Turkish Police Fight Gunbattle With Militants

A wounded man lies motionless on the ground near an apartment block under siege by Turkish police in central Istanbul

SEVEN OFFICERS WOUNDED

State-news agency Anatolian said police detained a total of 50 people in raids in seven cities across Turkey.

A wounded man lies motionless on the ground near an apartment block under siege by Turkish police in central Istanbul

.kl351457a18236893 img{border-color:#222222 }

Turkish police laid siege on Monday to an apartment block in central Istanbul where armed militants were holed up, and seven police and two civilians were wounded in the shooting, authorities said.Heavily-armed police special forces surrounded the apartment block, on the Asian side of Turkey’s largest city, where police launched their raid in early morning.

Istanbul Governor Muammer Guler told broadcasters that the police raid was one of more than 60 carried out in Istanbul overnight against Islamist and lefitst militants suspected of planning “sensational attacks”.

State-news agency Anatolian said police detained a total of 50 people in raids in seven cities across Turkey.

Thick smoke billowed from the apartment block in Istanbul where residents were believed to be trapped inside their homes after police launched their raid at 5.30 a.m. (0230 GMT).

Television images showed a man lying motionless on the ground near the apartment block and media said he was a television cameraman who had been shot by the militants. Another civilian was also shot by the militants, who are believed to be armed with explosives.

Occasional gunshots rang out as the stand-off continued several hours later. Police sought to keep locals away from the apartment block while ambulances were stationed at the ready.

Islamist radicals have carried out bomb attacks in predominantly Muslim Turkey in the past, most notably in 2003 when al Qaeda militants killed more than 60 people in a series of bombings in Istanbul.

“These are extreme leftist, separatist and radical groups. There are more than 10 detained in the operations. Terrorists responded by throwing bombs in some places and seven policemen were wounded,” Guler said.

Turkey has also cracked down on members of the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Several armed leftist, as well as radical Islamist groups, are active in Turkey.

Serbia taken aback by South Stream Detour

27. April 2009. | 10:07

Source: EMportal, Blic

“Blic” points out that this is very significant difference from previous maps showing the line with three entrances to Bulgaria and three branches towards Hungary with one of them passing directly through Serbia, ending in Italy.

The latest map of the South Stream gas line has stirred bewilderment in Serbia. The “South Stream” map, showing the gas line steering way from Serbia, published just days ago on official site of the Bulgarian Energy Forum, triggers bewilderment.

The statement was made in an article in the Serbian newspaper “Blic”. The map shows the gas line coming from Russia underneath the Black Sea and reaching Bulgaria with one branch directed to Romania towards Hungary, barely touching Serbia.

“Blic” points out that this is very significant difference from previous maps showing the line with three entrances to Bulgaria and three branches towards Hungary with one of them passing directly through Serbia, ending in Italy.

The publication further comments that the situation becomes even more outrageous considering the fact that the “South Stream” contract is shaken by numerous squabbles between Bulgaria and Russia, which is the reason why Russia’s Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, canceled his Energy Forum participation.

“Blic” also notes that it seems likely Bulgaria would not be able to sign a new gas contract with Russia’s “Gazprom”.

Swine Flu Was “Cultured In A Laboratory”

Readers Number : 40 27/04/2009 Swine Flu Was “Cultured In A Laboratory” Paul Joseph Watson -`Global Research April 26, 2009 Al-Manar.com.lb is not responsible for the content of this article or for any external internet sites. The views expressed are the author’s alone. Editor’s note: On Friday, NPR reported that the deadly swine flu “combines genetic material from pigs, birds and humans in a way researchers have not seen before,” thus leading us to suspect it was cooked up in a lab. Swine flu panic is spreading in Mexico and soldiers are patrolling the streets after it was confirmed that human to human transmission is occurring and that the virus is a brand new strain which is seemingly affecting young, healthy people the worst. Questions about the source of the outbreak are also being asked after a public health official said that the virus was “cultured in a laboratory”. “This strain of swine influenza that’s been cultured in a laboratoryis something that’s not been seen anywhere actually in the United States and the world, so this is actually a new strain of influenza that’s been identified,” said Dr. John Carlo, Dallas Co. Medical Director. Was this a slip-up or an admission that this new super-strain of swine influenza was deliberately cultured in a laboratory and released? Alarming reports are now filtering in about people catching the illness who have had no contact with pigs whatsoever. These include a man and his daughter in San Diego County, a 41-year-old woman in Imperial County and two teenagers in San Antonio, Texas. In fact, in all U.S. cases, the victims had no contact with any pigs. Dr. Wilma Wooten, San Diego County’s public health officer, told KPBS “We have had person-to-person spread with the father and the daughter,” says Wooten, “And also with the two teenagers in Texas, they were in the same school. So that also indicates person-to-person transfer.” “Dr. Wooten says it’s unclear how people were exposed to swine flu. She says none of the patients have had any contact with pigs,” according to the report. Although the situation in the U.S. looks under control, panic is spreading in Mexico, where 800 cases of pneumonia in the capital alone are suspected to be related to the swine flu and the virus has hit young and healthy people, which is very rare with an flu outbreak. Despite the danger of a pandemic, the U.S. border with Mexico remains open. “Mexico has shut schools and museums and canceled hundreds of public events in its sprawling, overcrowded capital of 20 million people to try to prevent further infections,” reports Reuters. “My level of concern is significant,” said Dr. Martin Fenstersheib, the health officer for Santa Clara County. “We have a novel virus, a brand-new strain that’s spreading human to human, and we are also seeing a virulent strain in Mexico that seems to be related. We certainly have concerns for this escalating.” featured stories Medical Director: Swine Flu Was “Cultured In A Laboratory” The WHO insists that the outbreak has “pandemic potential” and has been stockpiling supplies of Tamiflu, known generically as oseltamivir, a pill that can both treat flu and prevent infection, according to officials. As we previously highlighted, those that have a stake in the Tamiflu vaccine include top globalists and BIlderberg members like George Shultz, Lodewijk J.R. de Vink and former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Indeed, Rumsfeld himself played a key role in hyping an outbreak of swine flu back in the 1976 when he urged the entire country to get vaccinated. Many batches of the vaccine were contaminated, resulting in hundreds of sick people and 52 fatalities. The fact that the properties of the strain are completely new, that the virus is spreading from people to people, and that the young and healthy are being hit worst, has disturbing parallels to the deadly 1918 pandemic that killed millions. It is unclear as to why, if the virus is a brand new strain, that public health officials are so confident programs of mass vaccination, which are already being prepared, would necessarily be effective. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time that deadly flu viruses have been concocted in labs and then dispatched with the intention of creating a pandemic. When the story first broke last month, Czech newspapers questioned if the shocking discovery of vaccines contaminated with the deadly avian flu virus which were distributed to 18 countries by the American company Baxter were part of a conspiracy to provoke a pandemic. Since the probability of mixing a live virus biological weapon with vaccine material by accident is virtually impossible, this leaves no other explanation than that the contamination was a deliberate attempt to weaponize the H5N1 virus to its most potent extreme and distribute it via conventional flu vaccines to the population who would then infect others to a devastating degree as the disease went airborne. However, this is not the first time that vaccine companies have been caught distributing vaccines contaminated with deadly viruses. In 2006 it was revealed that Bayer Corporation had discovered that their injection drug, which was used by hemophiliacs, was contaminated with the HIV virus. Internal documents prove that after they positively knew that the drug was contaminated, they took it off the U.S. market only to dump it on the European, Asian and Latin American markets, knowingly exposing thousands, most of them children, to the live HIV virus. Government officials in France went to prison for allowing the drug to be distributed. The documents show that the FDA colluded with Bayer to cover-up the scandal and allowed the deadly drug to be distributed globally. No Bayer executives ever faced arrest or prosecution in the United States. In the UK, a 2007 outbreak of foot and mouth disease that put Britain on high alert has been originated from a government laboratory which is shared with an American pharmaceutical company, mirroring the deadly outbreak of 2001, which was also deliberately released. As we reported yesterday, last time there was a significant outbreak of a new form of swine flu in the U.S. it originated at the army base at Fort Dix, New Jersey.

On the brink of an abyss

By Aqab Malik

The govt appears to be in a deep sleep even as a civil war begins to envelop us. — AFP/File Photo

The fact that Pakistan is a nuclear-armed state does not go unnoticed by the outside world, neither does the situation in Swat, Buner and now Shangla. What is stopping the West from saying that enough is enough? The truth of the matter is that it fears that Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal may wholly or partially fall into the hands of insurgents or those that sympathise with them.

The fear is linked to a grand strategy to reduce any opposition to its supremacy in the world. Nevertheless, when looked at from the realist perspective, this is just what states have to do in order to survive. This is true for any state — if we want to see things from this perspective.

With the appointment of President Barack Obama, the realism of the Bush era was thought to have played its final note. The hope was that there would be a period of reconciliation, compromise and bridge-building — an extended hand of friendship as it were. However, parallel to this were some hard realities, considering that a bitter enemy of the US was not only seeking but also facilitating the fragmentation of a nuclear-armed state.
So one questions why no serious effort is being made by politicians and the military to repel the insurgents.
I have no doubt in my mind that the military has many contingency plans to secure the arsenal, but why let matters get to such a dismal point in the first place when an armed force can threaten the future existence of Pakistan, even foreign intervention, to acquire or secure the nuclear arsenal?

Is it that we have become so used to being on the brink of an abyss and in a constant state of crisis that we can no longer function without pushing ourselves to the precipice of extinction before cooler heads prevail?
We have faltered many times with this mindset with several wars prior to nuclearisation. That begs the question: what is really afoot? What do the Taliban really want? What do the politicians really hope to get by waiting until Islamabad falls? Wouldn’t it be too late then?

Pakistan’s main asset that provides the state leverage in the global community is its nuclear arsenal. In this respect, I refer to leverage in terms of deterrence where the threat of foreign invasion, on the part of India or some other party, is concerned. If this leverage is under threat or relinquished, what does Pakistan really have to defend itself from foreign intervention?

Furthermore, we must consider the intention of the Taliban at such a dangerous time. What is it that motivates them to move so far forward that they threaten the strategic stability of Pakistan at a time when it could well provoke outsiders to intervene?

As to this point, one would like to ask whether the Taliban actually want to, indirectly, invite foreign intervention, or foreign forces en masse on Pakistani soil? If this is the case, I can only presume that such a strategy is being pursued so as to induce Pakistani masses to make a choice under circumstances where few acceptable alternatives are perceived in the case of foreign intervention. That is, join us or join them. Join your Muslim brothers or side with the foreign invader who will occupy your lands.
No doubt, at such a crucial time, one could assume that under the threat of foreign invasion or bombing, the population would take the decision to set aside differences (if there are any) with the Taliban and join them against the foreign invader.

However unbelievable and farfetched this scenario may appear to others, it is not without reason. It has taken time for the momentum to evolve, but this is exactly what is happening in Afghanistan, especially amongst the Pakhtuns.

If this country were to come to such a point, I do not believe that the masses would accept a foreign invader, especially since the Taliban have been conducting an active recruitment drive throughout the country and have a credible presence in every city, town and village.

Their ideology focuses on the growing dissatisfaction of the masses. The latter are unhappy with the inept governance that they have endured for the past 60 years and which has done virtually nothing for the vast majority of the citizens of this country. They are undergoing a hand-to-mouth existence with millions destitute. All they have seen is the rich getting richer and lining their pockets, whilst the poor get poorer by the day, especially in these times of economic crises.

It is the loyalty of these masses to their cause that the Taliban are concentrating on. The Taliban have adopted a straightforward approach that has proved successful in recruitment to their ranks. Why this success? Well, because what have those who are recruited have to lose? After all, the Taliban are just like them. They come from their families and live like they do — a basic existence, but with hope for something better. This ‘something better’ has not been provided by the elite to any but themselves; and after all, the Taliban are Muslims who are providing a perceived form of absolute (heavenly) justice that these masses have not been given by the status quo.

What are the solutions then? Well, many politicians keep on saying, ‘It will take a long time to change the system, and ‘we have to win the hearts and minds of the people’, in regurgitated chorus without making any definite or practical effort towards this end.

What they fail to see is that there is an immediate threat that will not wait for years and must be tackled now. There are structural and systemic flaws that have to be tackled and yes, we have to win the hearts and minds of the people. But in order to avoid the chaos that is knocking at the door, we must take urgent steps now, not tomorrow or later.

There is an imminent threat and alarm bells have been set off around the world. Unfortunately, the government appears to be in a state of deep sleep even as a civil war begins to envelop us.  aqabmalik@hotmail.com

Breach of Indus Water Treaty : Farmers to block borders with India, warns PMKM

* Mahaz president says West, India want to see Pakistan destabilised through a water crisis

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muttahida Kisan Mahaz (PMKM) on Sunday accused India of violating Indus Water Basin Treaty to destroy Pakistan’s irrigation system. It warned the treaty’s violation if continued could force Pakistani farmers to block Wagah, Monabao and Kashmir borders for Afghan Transit Trade and Indian commodities’ import to Pakistan.

PMKM President Ayub Khan Mayo told reporters at the press club that India was building dams on Pakistani rivers in violation of the Indus water basin treaty.

He asked Islamabad to hold objective dialogues with New Delhi over water conflict. He said only Baglihar Dam’s construction had deprived the country of thousands of cusecs of water and more such work was in the pipeline as had been indicated by India.

Mayo said all western countries and India wanted to see Pakistan destabilising through a water crisis. “We’re to put our acts together to avert such a situation otherwise India will block all rivers’ water flowing to Pakistan,” he warned.

The PMKM president announced to arrange agricultural conferences, seminars and meetings of farmers throughout the country to create awareness of violation of Indus basin water treaty by India. He said Pakistani farmers were already facing economic damages due to import of Indian vegetables and other crops. “We should also raise the issue globally to stop India from economic terrorism,” he said.

Mayo said the PMKM had condemned the Indian act of depriving Pakistan of water of river Ravi, Sutlaj and Bias.

“We are amazed as to what prevented Pakistani government from not responding to it promptly,” he said.

He said if India refused to hold further rounds of composite dialogue with Pakistan, the PMKM would stage a ‘million march’ on Wagah border. The Mahaz president said India wanted to occupy waters of three more rivers, Chenab, Jehlum and Indus, by deploying 0.8 million troops in occupied Kashmir.

He alleged India was eyeing a construct of 4,000 miles Greater Canal Project to turn the direction of Indus to destroy Pakistan’s agricultural economy. He said Pakistanis should forge unity to safeguard its irrigation system against Indian exploitations.

Drones and the law

—Liaquat Ali Khan

If the Obama administration is serious in turning the page in the Muslim world and if the American war on terror is to be conducted under the rule of law, drone attacks against the indigenous people of Pakistan’s tribal areas must immediately be called off

In a case filed with the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the petitioner states:

“The Americans, like in Musharraf’s time, have also been given a free hand by President Zardari and fundamental rights of the (indigenous) people are being violated daily in tribal areas and (in northern areas of) Dir, Swat and Chitral. A large number of (indigenous) people have migrated from these areas and suffered tremendous losses with no hope of returning to their homes because of US drone attacks, but the government is sitting as a silent spectator.”

Since August 2008, nearly 60 drone strikes in the tribal areas have massacred over 500 individuals belonging to a population that qualifies as indigenous people under international law. The majority of victims are poor and frightened men, women, and children. They have little to do with militants who are fighting the NATO occupation forces in Afghanistan.

To escape future drone strikes, thousands of residents living in the target areas have left their homes and businesses to seek asylum in other parts of Pakistan. Wretched stories of these internally displaced persons (IDPs) and their trail of tears have made little news in the international media.

After extending a hand of friendship to the Muslim world in his inaugural speech, President Barack Hussein Obama has personally authorised the continuance of drone attacks. Hoping to destroy Islamist militancy, the Obama administration is poised to expand drone warfare to other parts of Pakistan as well.

Presuming that Pakistan is secretly supporting these drone strikes, the vengeful militants have begun to attack the citadel cities of Lahore and Islamabad. As drone attacks continue to kill and generate IDPs among the indigenous population, and as militants undertake retaliatory measures in major cities, nuclear-armed Pakistan is predicted to plunge into uncontrollable chaos and carnage, threatening international peace and security.

Before Pakistan turns into another Iraq, the Obama administration should reconsider the wisdom and legality of drone strikes as a means of fighting militants in Pakistan.

For the indigenous people of the tribal areas, drones turned into despised symbols of American militarism, even though the US military and the CIA have not even once assumed responsibility for drone attacks. Ironically, in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and other Central Asian Muslim states, the drone has previously been known as a note or chord that is continuously repeated in musical pieces and Sufi songs. Torn from its musical connotations, the drone is now associated with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

UAVs perform a host of military functions, including intelligence gathering, surveillance, and missile strikes against electronically nominated targets. For the indigenous people of Pakistan, however, the drone is an American jahaz (aircraft) that, all too often around the time of morning prayers, sneaks into the tribal airspace, strikes fragile houses and compounds, and murders scores of people in each sortie.

In deploying military might, American policymakers consistently fail to comprehend a simple point: no nation looks forward to foreign military attacks. Be it in the Philippines, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan, or Pakistan, the American military is rarely seen as a force of liberation or virtue. The American armed forces did serve the cause of liberation in the Second World War. Even during the Cold War, the American military retained some of its moral underpinnings.

No longer, however, is the American military welcome in developing nations. Ignoring this plain truth, American policymakers, driven by unexamined self-righteousness, continue to impose deadly military solutions over complex geopolitical problems.

The drone strikes in Pakistan, which has been a submissive American ally for more than sixty years, complicate the problem, not simplify it. They invite retaliation from militants and sow resentment in the Muslim world. Such strikes in Pakistan under Obama will be as unsuccessful as they were under Bush.

Drone attacks are not only unwise, they are also unlawful. Even when perpetrated with Pakistan’s permission, drone attacks are violations of international law because they produce unacceptably high collateral damage.

Collateral damage is a military term to describe damage caused to civilians, facilities, equipment, and property while attacking a lawful military target. The damage can occur to friendly, neutral, or enemy forces. “Such damage is not unlawful so long as it is not excessive in light of the overall military advantage anticipated from the attack.”

As a rule, therefore, the military benefit must be much higher than the cost of collateral damage. A military strike is unlawful if the collateral damage exceeds lawful military advantage. In the tribal areas, collateral damage has been egregiously high as drone strikes kill hundreds of civilians in order to neutralise a few militants. On the basis of casualty count alone, drone attacks are contrary to international law.

These attacks turn blatantly illegal when the collateral damage is fully assessed and aggregated. In addition to causing death and injury to non-combatants, drone attacks degrade the social and economic life of indigenous tribes. As noted above, hundreds of families have fled targeted areas to seek refuge elsewhere. Small businesses that sustain communities have been disrupted. Facing the uncertainty of drone attacks, parents decline to send children to schools.

When American officials threaten to broaden drone warfare, panic and the consequent social and economic disruptions are further increased. The physical, social, and economic cost inflicted on the tribal areas cannot be justified under the limited military advantage that drone attacks yield to the United States.

If the Obama administration is serious in turning the page in the Muslim world and if the American war on terror, which is shifting from the Middle East to South Asia, is to be conducted under the rule of law, drone attacks against the indigenous people of Pakistan’s tribal areas must immediately be called off.

Liaquat Ali Khan is professor of law at the Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kansas, and author of A Theory of International Terrorism (2006)

Taliban flayed for killing children

FORMER Federal Minister for Human Rights Ansar Burney has alleged that Taliban killed innocent children with a toy bomb in lower Dir, the NWFP on their refusal to become suicide bombers.

According to a press release issued on Sunday, Ansar Burney said that taking the innocent childrenís lives in Lower Dir bombing had once again unveiled the real face of Taliban.

He said Taliban were now taking the lives of even those innocent children who were refusing to become their suicide bombers.

Ansar Burney said that the representative of Ansar Burney Trust from Dir had confirmed that Taliban on the refusal of children to become ësuicide bombersí killed more than a dozen innocent schoolchildren with a toy bomb in Lower Dir. Burney demanded the government and opposition political parties come in public with truth instead of lies and hypocrites so that people know the truth.

Buner: a hard place for the Taliban to crack

ISLAMABAD: Initially, Buner was a hard place for the Taliban to crack. When they attacked a police station in the district last year, the resistance was fearless. Local people picked up rifles, pistols and daggers, hunted down the militants and killed six of them.

But it was not to last. In short order this past week the Taliban captured Buner, a strategically vital district just 60 miles northwest of Islamabad. The militants flooded in by the hundreds, startling the Pakistani and American officials with the speed of their advance.

The lesson of Buner, local politicians and residents said, was that the dynamic of the Taliban insurgency, as methodical and slow-building as it had been, could change suddenly, and the tactics used by the Taliban could be replicated elsewhere.

The Taliban took over Buner through both force and guile — awakening sleeping sympathisers, leveraging political allies, pretending at peace talks and then crushing what was left of their opponents, according to the politicians and the residents interviewed.

Though some of the militants have since pulled back, they still command the high points of Buner and have fanned out to districts even closer to the federal capital.That Buner fell should be no surprise, local people said. Last fall, NWFP Inspector General of Police Malik Naveed Khan complained that his officers were being attacked and killed by the hundreds.

He was so desperate — and had been so thoroughly abandoned by the military and the government — that he was relying on citizen posses like the one that stood up to the Taliban last August.

Today, the hopes that those civilian militias inspired are gone, brushed away by the realisation that the Pakistanis can do little to stem the Taliban advance if their government and military will not help them.

The people of Buner got nothing for their bravery. In December, the Taliban retaliated for the brazenness of the resistance in the district, sending a suicide bomber to disrupt voting during a by-election. More than 30 people were killed and scores were wounded.

Severe disenchantment towards the government rippled out of the suicide bombing for a very basic reason, said Amir Zeb Bacha, the director of the Pakistan International Human Rights Organisation in Buner. “When we took the injured to the hospital, there was no medicine,” he said.

The election was rescheduled, but turned out to be a farce. Voters were too scared to show up, said Aftab Ahmad Sherpao, a former interior minister, who lives in the area and has twice escaped Taliban suicide bombers.

The peace deal the military struck with the Taliban in February in the neighbouring Swat further demoralised people in Buner. Residents and local officials said they asked themselves how they could continue to resist the Taliban when the military had abandoned the effort. The Taliban were emboldened by the deal: it called for the institution of Shariah throughout Malakand Agency, which includes Swat and Buner. It allowed the Taliban amnesty for their killings, floggings and destruction of girls’ schools in Swat.

Still, when the Taliban rolled into Buner from Swat through the town of Gokan on April 5, a well-to-do businessman, Fateh Muhammad, organised another posse of civilian fighters to take on the militants in the town of Sultanwas.

Five civilians and three policemen were killed, he said. Some newspaper reports said 17 Taliban were killed.

At that point, the chief government official in charge of Malakand, Muhammad Javed, proposed what he called peace talks. Javed, an experienced bureaucrat in the Pakistani civil service, was appointed in late February as the main government power broker in Malakand, even though he was known to be sympathetic to the Taliban, a senior government official in the NWFP said. The government had been under pressure to bring calm to Swat and essentially capitulated to the Taliban demands for Javed’s appointment, the official said.

In an apparent acknowledgment that Javed had been too sympathetic to the Taliban, the government announced on Saturday that he had been replaced by Fazal Karim Khattack.

In what some residents in Swat and now in Buner say had been a pattern of favourable decisions led by Javed on behalf of the Taliban, the talks in Buner turned out to be a “betrayal,” said a former police officer from the area, who was afraid to be identified.

Global conspiracy behind Balochistan unrest: senators

By Mumtaz Alvi

ISLAMABAD: Senators from Balochistan fear that the situation in Pakistan’s largest province might soon reach a point of no return, if no drastic damage-control measures were taken now.

“We share common views that the situation in Balochistan is not normal. People, particularly youth in many areas, no more hesitate from openly demanding independence from Pakistan,” said these senators in an informal chat with The News here at the Parliament House the other day.

Sitting in the chamber of Deputy Chairman Senate Jan Muhammad Jamali, who also hails from Balochistan, these lawmakers wished the people sitting in Islamabad should have the full understanding of the real problems of the province.

Akbar Magsi, who made his way to the Senate in March, was of the view that the rulers, among others who matter, needed to comprehend the foreign element, which was also actively involved in disturbances in the province.

The Balochistan crisis, he pointed out, had its roots in a way in a global conspiracy, which eyed its massive natural resources blessed with gold, gas, copper and other precious reserves. However, he was quick to add that had the respective rulers comprehended Balochistan’s political, social and economic problems and strived for its solutions, people might have not raised slogans of saying goodbye to the federation.

In reply to a question, Magsi said that those who mattered should reach out to every segment of the Baloch and Pushtoon society and make them believe that they were serious in addressing their grievances in a stipulated period.

“I wonder, almost every senator whether sitting on the treasury or opposition benches, has openly spoken of the imminent threats to the Federation vis-a-vis Balochitan, but no real movement is so far observed or no effort is made in the corridors of power to rise to the occasion,” he maintained.

Shahid Bugti, who is the son-in-law of late Nawab Akbar Bugti, said he feared the situation in Balochistan was fast moving towards a point of no return, and this was because of the ineffective policies of the past rulers and the present set-up. Referring to the recently-concluded debate on Balochistan with particular reference to the law and order situation and the killing of three Baloch leaders, he said that it was time to act, though, he feared, it might be a bit too late now.

Sufi disobeys Holy Qur’an, says Imran

LAHORE: The Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) Imran Khan has accused Sufi Muhammad, the Swat cleric and head of banned Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammad (TNSM) of going against the laws of Holy Qur’an after the implementation of Nizam-e-Adl in Swat as Imran said, “He disobeyed the Swat Peace Accord.”

Sufi Muhammad is not just violating the peace agreement, rather he is violating the holy Quran, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said.

He said this while addressing a function of party’s 13th foundation day on Sunday. Imran said Sufi Muhammad by violating the agreement with the government was violating the holy Quran and if he went on with such practices, the PTI would not support him.

To a question in regard to US drone attacks, Imran said government is carrying out dual-faced policy on drone strikes as he revealed the government, on one hand, is condemning the US drone attacks on Pakistani soil but on the other hand we keep receiving reports that those offence fully enjoy government’s consents.

He vowed to oppose those who go against the constitution of Pakistan. “Our party is striving hard for the establishment of constitution and the supremacy of law in country”.

Imran Khan demanded government of bring forth economic revolution and asked for implementation of equal education system for all and sundry.

On the occasion, party chairman announced to keep opened the membership of PTI for as late as six months.

Rehman Malik to take oath as federal minister today

SLAMABAD: Interior Adviser Rehman Malik will take oath as federal minister for interior affairs today (Monday).

Two senators would also likely take oath again as federal minister with Malik Rehman.

Malik was elected senator in the elections and now qualifies to be the federal minister for interior. Other two senators Babar Ghouri and Waqar Ahmad Khan would also expected to take oath as federal minister. They were reelected as senator.

Militants control 10-15 percent area of Buner. Commandant FC

BUNER: Militants took control of 10-15 percent area of Buner, Commandant FC Zafarullah Khan said on Monday.

According to FC Commandant, Taliban seized Shal Bandi and Sultanvas areas of Buner. He said we would retaliate if FC officials targeted. Taliban have also looted the offices of NGO’s in Buner, he added.

Taliban threaten taking revenge from Buner ‘Lashkar’

BUNER: Taliban in their double-dealing, while announcing general amnesty here, threatened taking revenge from the citizens of the villages Shalbandi and Sultanwus, who had formed ‘Lashkar.’

Talks were held between the different political, religious parties and Taliban, which gave rise to a conscientious on all the contentious issues.

Maulana Misbahuddin Malikpuri said that the issue of Shalbandi and Sultanwus would be resolved in a week, however, Taliban have threatened taking revenge from those forming ‘Lashkar’ from these two villages.

Meanwhile, defunct Tahrik-e-Taliban spokesman, Muslim Khan made it clear that arms would not be laid until the evacuation of all Americans from Pakistan and Darul Qaza was set up. The spokesman said that Darul Qaza alone could order disarming Taliban. He threatened that if the operation were not halted, then Taliban would launch attacks all over Malakand Division.

At least 40 militants killed in Dir operation

DIR: At least 30 to 40 militants have been killed as security forces operation speed up in district Dir.

Commander FC Brigadier Amalzada Khatak while talking to Geo News said search operation is underway in the area and situation is completely under control.

Earlier, security forces operation has entered into second day in Dir. Heavy shelling carried out overnight at militant hideouts in Madan and Kal and other areas of district Dir.

Indefinite curfew has been imposed in Lal Qila, Islampura, Kal Kot and other adjoining areas. Security forces tool control of Lal Qila, a key territory in tehsil Madan. The locals welcomed the action of security forces.

DCO Dir Ghulam Mohammad has issued the circular of closure of government schools in tehsil Madan. All markets are also reported closed in the Madan area.

Government starts military offensive against Taliban

Government starts military offensive against Taliban

TIMERGARA, Apr 27: Security forces launched an operation against militants in Lower Dir on Sunday and there were reports of fierce clashes from different parts of the district.

The ISPR claimed that several militants, among them a ‘commander’, had been killed in clashes in the Kala Daag area.

It said the operation had been launched at the request of the NWFP government and local tribal elders. Militants’ spokesman Muslim Khan, meanwhile, threatened that the Taliban would carry out attacks in the entire Malakand region if the operation was not stopped.

He accused the government of violating the Swat peace agreement by launching the operation.

‘The government should stop the operation; otherwise Taliban will resume their activities,’ he warned. He said militants would not lay down arms until ‘Sharia laws’ were promulgated in Malakand.

In the wake of fierce fighting, people started leaving their home and moving to other areas. Local people said that most of the people fleeing the villages in the affected area were women and children.

Fazal Rabbi of Hayaserai village told Dawn that hundreds of families left the area after Sufi Mohammad, chief of the banned TNSM, announced that people should leave Maidan before Sunday evening.

Shah Wazir of Galgot said two houses in his village had been hit by shells fired by helicopters.

He said he would take nine women and 14 children of his family to a relative’s place in Harichand in Mardan.

Hundreds of families from Hayaserai, Kad, Lajbok, Darmal, Shako, Shakar Tangay and Kaladag walked several miles to the Dir-Peshawar road to move to safe areas.

According to sources, a sepoy was killed and five others, a major among them, were injured when militants attacked a convoy of Chitral and Dir Scouts with rockets and heavy weapons in Dokrai. The deceased sepoy was identified as Bahadar of Chitral Scouts. After the attack, security forces backed by helicopters and artillery launched the operation in Maidan area.

Helicopter gunships pounded suspected militant hideouts and also shelled the house of Maulana Shahid, ‘commander’ of Taliban in Maidan.

Official sources claimed that the maulana and his four aides had been killed.All roads were blocked and telephone services were jammed in the area.

Journalists were barred from visiting the area and security personnel snatched the camera of a TV reporter, Syed Amjad Ali Shah, in Balambat and detained him in the Dir Scouts’ fort for some time.

Armed Taliban blocked the Chakdara-Timergara road in Adenzai and tried to kidnap Upper Dir District Forest Officer Hasham Khan, but local people protected him. However, the masked militants took away his official vehicle.

Taliban also kidnapped Major Rahim Khan of Levies in Upper Dir and sepoy Mohammad Khan, along with their official vehicle.

Taliban marched on the Gulabad-Asbanr road with heavy weapons and demanded end to the military operation. Militants in Gulabad told journalists that they would block troops’ convoys.

Meanwhile, the Jamaat-i-Islami held a protest demonstration in Timergara against the military operation. Hundreds of people, including traders and lawyers, attended the demonstration led by Maulana Ahmad Ghafoor Ghawas.

Lower Dir military offensive kills 26, spurs mass exodus

By Haleem Asad

Local residents flee from the troubled Lower Dir district, where troops are engaged in an operation against militants, Sunday, April 26, 2009. – AP photo

Thousands rally for peace in Buner

Searching for an end

US has ‘concerns’ over Pakistan’s nukes: Clinton

Taliban spark disquiet

TIMERGARA: Several thousand people began fleeing Lower Dir, residents said, a day after security forces launched an operation in the region after being attacked by Taliban militants. There were reports of fierce clashes from different parts of the district.

Helicopter gunships and artillery targeted militant hideouts in the villages of Lal Qala and Islam Qala.

A military spokesman said the bodies of 26 militants were found in the battle zone late on Sunday. Independent casualty estimates were unavailable.

Sporadic artillery fire was heard overnight and on Monday morning and residents saw a helicopter circling the area.

The ISPR earlier said several militants, among them a ‘commander’, had been killed in clashes in the Kala Daag area.

It said the operation had been launched at the request of the NWFP government and local tribal elders.

Militant spokesman Muslim Khan, meanwhile, threatened that the Taliban would carry out attacks in the entire Malakand region if the operation was not stopped.

He accused the government of violating the Swat peace agreement by launching the operation.

‘The government should stop the operation; otherwise Taliban will resume their activities,’ he warned. He said militants would not lay down arms until ‘Sharia laws’ were promulgated in Malakand.

In the wake of fierce fighting, people started leaving their home and moving to other areas. Local people said that most of the people fleeing the villages in the affected area were women and children.

‘I am leaving everything here and taking my family,’ said Karimullah, a farmer in the Samarbagh area of Lower Dir district.

‘We can’t take a risk with troops fighting the Taliban.’

Fazal Rabbi of Hayaserai village told Dawn that hundreds of families left the area after Sufi Mohammad, chief of the banned TNSM, announced that people should leave Maidan before Sunday evening.

Shah Wazir of Galgot said two houses in his village had been hit by shells fired by helicopters.

He said he would take nine women and 14 children of his family to a relative’s place in Harichand in Mardan.

Hundreds of families from Hayaserai, Kad, Lajbok, Darmal, Shako, Shakar Tangay and Kaladag walked several miles to the Dir-Peshawar road to move to safe areas.

According to sources, a sepoy was killed and five others, a major among them, were injured when militants attacked a convoy of Chitral and Dir Scouts with rockets and heavy weapons in Dokrai. The deceased sepoy was identified as Bahadar of Chitral Scouts.

After the attack, security forces backed by helicopters and artillery launched the operation in Maidan area.

Helicopter gunships pounded suspected militant hideouts and also shelled the house of Maulana Shahid, ‘commander’ of Taliban in Maidan.

Official sources claimed that the maulana and his four aides had been killed.All roads were blocked and telephone services were jammed in the area.

Journalists were barred from visiting the area and security personnel snatched the camera of a TV reporter, Syed Amjad Ali Shah, in Balambat and detained him in the Dir Scouts’ fort for some time.

Armed Taliban blocked the Chakdara-Timergara road in Adenzai and tried to kidnap Upper Dir District Forest Officer Hasham Khan, but local people protected him. However, the masked militants took away his official vehicle.

Taliban also kidnapped Major Rahim Khan of Levies in Upper Dir and sepoy Mohammad Khan, along with their official vehicle.

Taliban marched on the Gulabad-Asbanr road with heavy weapons and demanded end to the military operation.

Militants in Gulabad told journalists that they would block troops’ convoys.

Meanwhile, the Jamaat-i-Islami held a protest demonstration in Timergara against the military operation. Hundreds of people, including traders and lawyers, attended the demonstration led by Maulana Ahmad Ghafoor Ghawas.

Lower Dir is about 170 km northwest of Islamabad, and lies on Swat’s western flank.

Lower Dir is part of Malakand division where President Zardari sanctioned the imposition of Islamic sharia law this month after a peace deal with cleric, Sufi Mohammad, aimed at ending militant violence.

Our Mingora Correspondent Hameedullah Khan contributed to the report

Pak intelligence believes Osama is dead: Zardari

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari said Monday that Pakistani intelligence believes Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is dead but acknowledged they had no evidence.

“The Americans tell me they don’t know, and they are much more equipped than us to trace him. And our own intelligence services obviously think that he does not exist any more, that he is dead,” Zardari told reporters.

“But there is no evidence, you cannot take that as a fact,” he said. “We are between facts and fiction.”

Zardari was responding to reports that Pakistani Taliban in the troubled Swat valley have said they would welcome bin Laden if he wants to visit the former Pakistani hill resort which is now in the hands of Taliban.

“The question is whether he is alive or dead. There is no trace of him,” the president said.

Taliban gunmen shooting couple dead for adultery caught on camera

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Taliban gunmen have been filmed executing a surprised couple whom they repeatedly shot for the alleged crime of adultery.

By Saeed Shah in Islamabad

Their deaths were squalid, riddled with bullets in a field near their home by Taliban gunmen as the execution was captured on a mobile telephone.

In footage which is being watched with horror by Pakistanis, the couple try to flee when they realise what is about to happen. But a gunman casually shoots the man and then the woman in the back with a burst of gunfire, leaving them bleeding in the dirt.

Moments later, when others in the execution party shout out that they are still alive, he returns to coldly finish them with a few more rounds.

Their “crime” was an alleged affair in their remote mountain village controlled by militants in an area that was only recently under the government’s sway. It was the kind of barbarity that has become increasingly familiar across Pakistan as the Taliban tide has spread.

But this time, with black-turbaned gunmen almost at the gates of Islamabad, the rare footage has shown urban Pakistanis what could now await them.

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, has warned that Islamic extremists could take over the nation.

In the past few days the footage has circulated among Pakistanis who usually show little interest in the rough ways of the distant frontier regions.

They have now started to wake up to the fear that al-Qaeda-linked rebels from the frontier could take over their nation.

The killings happened in Hangu district, in North West Frontier Province, about two hours drive from the regional capital Peshawar. The punishment was administered by a local group of the Pakistani Taliban, the Islamic militia which has swept across the NWFP towards the capital Islamabad.

Last week, the Taliban had reached within 60 miles of Islamabad, in Buner district. Their takeover sparked panic in the West, which was already appalled by a peace deal that the government had signed this month with Taliban in adjacent the Swat valley.

In an extraordinary move, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, called on the people of Pakistan to defy their government, saying they “need to speak out forcefully against a policy that is ceding more and more territory to the insurgents”.

The Taliban had agreed a withdrawal, in the last couple of days, to their stronghold of Swat. That will scarcely make the government and elite in the capital Islamabad feel much safer, as Swat is only 100 miles from them.

“The Taliban are steady and confident, the government is weak and faltering,” said Pervez Hoodbhoy, a professor at Islamabad’s Quaid-e-Azam University and one of Pakistan’s leading intellectuals.

“A Taliban victory will enslave our women, destroy Pakistan’s rich historical and cultural heritage, make education and science impossible, and make the lives of its citizens impossibly difficult. Some are already contemplating an exodus.”

Pakistan today stands on a knife-edge, threatened with anarchy. The desperate deal signed with the Taliban in Swat looks set to fall apart. The result will almost certainly be violence. An army convoy heading into Swat on Saturday morning was stopped by the Taliban and forced to turn back, in a naked display of their power.

They seem to have been only emboldened by the peace agreement. Many believe that a bloody military operation now looks inevitable,

For those in areas falling under Taliban control, their harsh rule is terrifying.

An SOS text message sent out on Friday by a terrified local resident, in an area of Swat called Bahrain, says that the Taliban have established total control. Asking not be named for fear of reprisal, he said that they have set up check posts at the entrance to Bahrain, from where they kidnap those they want, including young women.

“They’ve even warned the local schools to close the girl classes or face dire consequences. Yet the government says its writ is in Swat.”

Another Swat resident said: “Every day I see armed Taliban move around freely. At the time of prayer, if they see anyone in his shop or walking about, they whip him with a stick.”

The Pakistani Taliban, a copy of the Afghan extremist movement, have long controlled the tribal area along the Afghan border, which is a sanctuary for militants, including al-Qaeda. But it is their march into the heart of the country that has horrified ordinary Pakistanis, and the wider world. And the threat comes not just from the Taliban to the west. Islamic extremists, who are not part of the Taliban, are already entrenched in Islamabad and across the Punjab, the most populous province, seemingly ready to surface when their moment comes.

Islamabad’s defences are being hurriedly fortified, with paramilitary troops stationed on the Margalla Hills, which overlook the city from the West. In the capital, there are thousands of followers of the radical Red Mosque, where there are now open calls for Islamic revolution at the weekly Friday prayers.

“The Taliban will not stop at Swat. They will come towards Islamabad,” said Hasan Askari Rizvi, a military analyst based in Lahore. “If the army is to take action against them, it is going to be a really bloody battle. And then civil government will be knocked out.”

“Extremist groups based in Islamabad will move from within and they (Taliban) will build pressure from outside.”

The footage Pakistanis have been watching shows them what they could expect.

A local journalist was invited to witness the execution, who filmed it with his mobile phone for a Pakistani channel, Dawn News. The Sunday Telegraph is showing the footage in the West for the first time.

There were no names for the two victims.

“Using the media is part of their (the Taliban’s) psychological warfare,” said Imtiaz Gul, chairman of Centre for Research and Security Studies, an independent think tank in Islamabad. “This way, they inject fear into the minds of people who might oppose them, keeping the majority silent.”

After the couple were shot, the family were told to take their bodies away for burial. The punishment was administered by a local group of the Pakistani Taliban linked to warlord Baitullah Mehsud.