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| March 21, 2007 | Wednesday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 1, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Pakistani lawyers hold new anti-Musharraf rallies ISLAMABAD, March 21 (Agencies) Thousands of lawyers and political party workers called on President Pervez Musharraf to quit Wednesday as fresh protests erupted over his removal of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, witnesses and officials said. In Islamabad around 600 people including lawyers, party workers, women and students rallied outside the Supreme Court building after breaking their way through police cordons. They were later joined by some 300 party workers who raised anti-Musharraf slogans. The former head of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency, Hamid Gul joined the protest in his military jacket. “I wore this jacket today because we are fighting the war of Pakistan's survival,” Gul said. Tehreek-i-Insaaf chief Imran Khan said that the demonstrators showed “immense courage” by breaking the police lines. “Our struggle will continue until the dictatorship ends,” Qazi Hussain Ahmed, leader of the Muthaida Majlise Amal, told the crowd. Asfandyar Wali Khan, the leader of the Awami National Party, told the rally after meeting Chaudhry that “he told us that if the government has courage, they should try me in an open court”. Around 3,000 lawyers in the eastern city of Lahore removed barricades erected by police to block a main road. They later staged a sit-in outside the provincial assembly building to press their demand for Chaudhry's reinstatement. Police fired tear gas shells and baton-charged a group of around 100 lawyers in the southwestern city of Quetta who wanted to stage a protest in front of the provincial governor's residence, lawyers and witnesses said. Some burnt their black jackets in protest. (First Posted @ 13:05 PST Updated @ 16:50 PST)
New acting chief justice back in Pakistan KARACHI, March 21 (AFP) A senior judge set to be appointed as Pakistan's new acting chief justice flew home from holiday Wednesday and stepped straight into a crisis over the suspension of the country's top judge. Justice Rana Bhagwandas arrived in Karachi city from the Indian capital, New Delhi, and will be sworn in after his return to Islamabad, Law Minister Wasi Zafar said. “When the presidential order is issued, the oath-taking will be held after that,” the 64-year-old Bhagwandas told a private television outside his house in Karachi. “Everything will be in accordance with the constitution and law. There will be no comments on the current situation…Whatever happens will be in black and white and nothing will be verbal.” (First Posted @ 16:54 PST Updated @ 22:30 PST)
114 dead in Pakistan militant clashes: interior minister WANA, Pakistan, March 21 (Agencies) Clashes between foreign Al-Qaeda militants and pro-government tribesmen in northwest Pakistan have left 114 people dead, Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao said Wednesday. Sherpao said 84 Uzbek militants and 30 local tribesmen, including nine civilians, had been killed during three days of fighting in the tribal area of South Waziristan. Another 83 Uzbeks were captured by the tribal forces, he said. The fighting started Monday after ex-Taliban commander Mullah Nazir, who backs the government's moves to expel foreign fighters from the area, ordered followers of Uzbek militant Tahir Yuldashev to disarm. More than half of the fatalities have occurred since Tuesday night, when Nazir gave the Uzbeks a deadline to leave Kalusha, the town where the violence has been centered. Residents and a senior security official said troops launched shells at foreign militants early Wednesday after the insurgents fired on their camp in Wana, the capital of South Waziristan. But Pakistani military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad said that “government forces are not involved in the tribal feud.” Meanwhile, local militants allied with the tribesmen attacked and seized control of a private jail being run by Uzbek militants in Azam Warsak, near Kalusha, the officials said. The local militants freed three local tribesmen and one Afghan who were chained up, they said. An amount of explosives stored at the jail also exploded, causing an unknown number of casualties. A tribal council, or jirga, led by a mullah from a leading pro-Taliban party had left for Wana in a bid to negotiate a truce, officials said. (First Posted @ 15:05 PST Updated @ 22:36 PST)
Landslides and rain kill 67 in Pakistan MUZAFFARABAD, Azad Kashmir, March 21 (AFP) Relentless rain triggered landslides and roof collapses across northern Pakistan and Azad Kashmir, leaving at least 67 people dead, officials and reports said Wednesday. Twenty-seven people, mostly women, died and 16 were injured when a huge landslide hit Doba Syedan village in Azad Kashmir's Jhelum Valley area late Tuesday, police said. Another 10 were killed in a separate landslip at Jabar Daray village in the mountainous Bagh district on Tuesday. Authorities later shifted around 55 families to safer places and gave them tents and rations after landslides damaged dozens of homes in the Tariqabad area adjoining Muzaffarabad, an official said. Landslides and avalanches were also reported in North West Frontier Province bordering Afghanistan, and press reports said the nationwide toll excluding Kashmir stood at more than 30. Five members of a family were buried alive when an avalanche hit their home in mountainous Swat district on Tuesday, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan said. Five more died when their roof caved in the same district. Four family members were reported killed in a landslide in the nearby town of Mingora and another seven died when their house collapsed in Malakand district. A house collapse also left three children and women dead in Mardan. Torrential rains and heavy snow also paralysed life in northern Pakistan and traffic was blocked on the main Karakoram Highway linking Pakistan with China. The meteorological department has forecast more rains in Kashmir and northwest Pakistan over the next 36 hours. (First Posted @ 10:55PST Updated @ 19:38 PST)
Cricket- Police treating Woolmer death as suspicious KINGSTON, Jamaica, March 21 (AFP) The death of Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer at the World Cup is being treated as murder, a Pakistan team spokesman said Wednesday. “The police suspect that Woolmer may have been murdered. They have started an investigation,” Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesman Pervez Mir said. Mark Shields, the deputy chief constable of the Jamaican police force, confirmed that the death was being treated as suspicious. Woolmer, 58, died in hospital Sunday after being found unconscious in his hotel room in Kingston. (Posted @ 08:40 PST)
Cricket: Pakistan legends stunned by Woolmer suspicions ISLAMABAD, March 21 (AFP) - Former Pakistani legends Imran Khan and Ramiz Raja said Wednesday they were dismayed after police in Jamaica said they were treating the death of national coach Bob Woolmer as suspicious. “We really need to know what is behind it. I think they have to get to the bottom,” former Pakistan captain Imran Khan told AFP.“ This just adds to the whole tragedy and especially for Bob's family,” added Khan. Another former Pakistan skipper, Ramiz Raja, said he hoped any suspicions would be laid to rest quickly. “It is very unfortunate that the death is being treated as supicious. It adds another twist to the tale, which is more unfortunate,” Raja told AFP by telephone from the West Indies, where he is working as a commentator. “Let's hope for the sake of cricket that the matter is solved and they put to rest any suspicion quickly.” (Posted @ 13:45 PST)
Cricket: Pakistan make 349 against Zimbabwe KINGSTON, Jamaica, March 21 (APP/AFP) - Pakistan made 349 all out in 49.5 overs of a World Cup Group D match against Zimbabwe at Sabina Park here on Wednesday. Live Commentary (Posted @ 23:54 PST)
ACJ takes notice of police shelling on lawyers QUETTA, Mar 21 (APP) The Acting Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Javed Iqbal, has taken a sou moto notice of police shelling on a lawyers' procession here on Wednesday and issued notices to the Inspector General Police Balochistan, CCPO, Chief Secretary and Home Secretary to appear before him on Thursday, the Quetta Registry of the apex court said. The Acting Chief Justice is in the provincial capital and issued the order on an application filed by Vice President Supreme Court Bar Association Imran-ul-Haq. (Posted @ 23:26 PST)
PM Aziz performs ground-breaking of textile city, five-star hotel KARACHI, March 21 (APP) Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Wednesday performed the ground-breaking ceremony of several development projects in Karachi city, including the construction of a modern textile city, a five-star hotel, and also announced the construction of a seaport at Keti Bandar. At the ground-breaking ceremony of the Rs10 billion textile city project, Aziz said it would be the first ever “problem free” planned textile-specific industrial estate in the country. The textile city is being developed by Pakistan Textile City Ltd (PTCL), a public-private partnership company over an area of 1,250 acres at Port Qasim industrial zone. Aziz said the government was trying to get better market access for textile industry which meant lower tariff and a level-playing field. Speaking at the foundation-laying ceremony of a five-star hotel Sofitel to be built at a cost of Rs3 billion, Aziz called for focusing on promoting tourism in the country. The prime minister said the people can judge the ongoing economic boom from the fact that today three major projects including the setting up of Textile City, Sofitel Hotel and JPMC Towers were being initiated, which will bring positive impact to the skyline of Karachi. Aziz also announced for the construction of a third port after Karachi Port and Port Qasim in Sindh, to be built at Keti Bandar. “We will take up and complete the feasibility through the Ministry of Ports and Shipping”, he said. (Posted @ 23:22 PST)
Musharraf says country's arms are for peace, self-defence KAMRA, March 21 (APP) President General Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday said that Pakistan has no offensive designs against any other country and its armaments were for peace and self-defence. Addressing a ceremony here at the Aeronautical Complex Kamra to mark the arrival of two JF-17 Thunder aircraft from China, Musharraf termed the country's armed forces “fully equipped” to deal with any challenge, and said they would be provided with modern equipment. Referring to the newly inaugurated Gwadar Port as another venture accomplished with Chinese cooperation, Musharraf said that the manufacture of JF-17 Thunder aircraft was yet another great example of China's assistance for the prosperity of Pakistan. He said the manufacturing of these modern aircraft would be started at Aeronautical Complex Kamra by the year's end. (Posted @ 23:20 PST)
Cricket: Inzamam bids tearful farewell KINGSTON, Jamaica, March 21 (AFP) Inzamam-ul-Haq broke down in tears after he was dismissed for 37 in the World Cup match against Zimbabwe here on Wednesday, his last appearance as national team captain. Inzamam, who is playing in his final one-day international, sobbed as he made his way off the Sabina Park pitch. He was congratulated by the entire Zimbabwe team who all rushed over to shake his hand while his own teammates formed a guard of honour to see him back into the pavilion. The 37-year-old Inzamam raised his bat to the crowd, removed his cap and tearfully acknowledged the warm applause. He finishes his 378-match one-day career with 11,739 runs to his name, 10 centuries and 83 fifties, at an average of almost 40 runs a game. (Posted @ 23:18 PST)
Five Pakistani soldiers killed at Afghan border QUETTA, Pakistan, March 21 (AFP) Five Pakistani paramilitary soldiers were killed and two others were injured Wednesday when armed men attacked them at Bramcha post in Balochistan province near the border with Afghanistan, officials said. (Posted @ 23:14 PST)
Cricket-Wife does not suspect foul play in Woolmer's death MUMBAI, India, March 21 (Reuters) Gill, wife of the late Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer, said on Wednesday that she did not suspect any foul play in his death. “I don't see any conspiracy in his death,” Gill told an Indian television news channel. “He had nothing to do with the match-fixing controversy and any such person being involved is highly unlikely. We never got any threats as far as I know,” she said. “I didn't speak to him after the match but he emailed me the following morning,” Gill said, referring to the defeat to Ireland. “He did mention that he was really depressed and could not believe how this could have happened. We discussed some personal issues apart from this.” (Posted @ 23:10 PST)
Rice expresses concern about extremists in Pakistan WASHINGTON, March 21 (AP) U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday expressed worry that Pakistan's border with Afghanistan was serving as a possible safe haven for terrorists and said extremists in the area have to be dealt with. Rice, in testimony before a congressional hearing, also expressed concern about a peace deal that the government struck last September in the North Waziristan tribal area. Rice said the frontier “is remote, it is cutoff, it is underdeveloped, and it is a hotbed for extremism.” She praised President Gen. Pervez Musharraf as an important partner against terrorists and said that local tribal groups have started to fight back against extremists in the area. “You have to separate the population from the foreign fighters. And you do that through fighting; the Pakistani army fighting them, through the tribals fighting them. But you also do that by trying to improve the economic base and the modernization of that region,” she said. (Posted @ 22:28 PST)
4 killed, 20 injured in fresh violence in south Nepal KATMANDU, March 21 (AP) - A clash between rival groups has left at least four people killed and 20 injured at Gaur, about 160 kilometers south of Katmandu Wednesday, officials said adding that the toll could be much higher. A 13-hour curfew has been imposed in the area.(Posted @ 15:40 PST)
Hamas' Meshaal in Saudi for talks with king RIYADH, March 21 (Reuters) Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal held talks in Saudi Arabia with King Abdullah late on Tuesday, ahead of an Arab summit which is expected to relaunch an Arab peace initiative with Israel. Saudi media carried pictures of the Damascus-based leader smiling in what appeared to be friendly conversation with King Abdullah, saying only that they discussed “developments in the Palestinian situation”.(Posted @ 15:30 PST)
Flash floods kill eight, wash away houses in occupied Kashmir SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, March 21 (AFP) - Flash floods triggered by heavy rain and snow killed eight people in occupied Kashmir, washing away houses and closing highways, police said Wednesday. Eight people died due to flash floods, said Javed Ahmed, deputy police superintendent of police in Srinagar where the Jhelum river had flooded homes. “At least three dozen houses have collapsed in southern part of occupied Kashmir” from the flood waters, said Ahmed. Hundreds of families have been shifted to safer places from low-lying areas in Srinagar, Budgam and Anantnag districts. While flood waters washed away some houses, dozens of others collapsed from the weight of snow on rooftops.(Posted @ 15:15 PST)
Azad Kashmir: Attique postpones foreign tour ISLAMABAD, March 21 (PPI) - Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmad Khan has postponed his forthcoming tour of foreign countries including United State of America (USA) and United Kingdom (UK) owing to the land-sliding tragedy in Bagh district in which 27 people lost their lives and 16 others were injured, as he is personally supervising relief and rescue operations, a press statement said.. He has ordered immediate payment of compensation to the affected families besides distribution of foodstuffs, blankets and temporary shelter wherever necessary.(Posted @ 15:00 PST)
Khurshid terms meetings with Chinese leaders very productive BEIJIGN, March 21 (APP) - Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri Wednesday said that his meetings with Premier Wen Jiabao and Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing were very productive and successful, as both the sides agreed on the need of strengthening economic underpinning to their existing very strong political and defence relationship. In an interview with APP at the end of his official visit to Beijing he said, his tour was a success, reflecting the feelings of the close brotherhood and friendship between Pakistan and China. Khurshid Kasuri expressed the hope that during the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, the process for cooperation for peaceful use of space would be carried further. He said that during his meetings with the Premier and the Foreign Minister Li Zhaozing both sides reiterated implementation of 5-year Economic and Trade Programme, the Free Trade Agreement and the Joint Investment Company. He said Pakistan will soon open the Consulate General in Chengdu.(Posted @ 14:40 PST)
Heavy rainfal in most parts of NWFP ISLAMABAD, Mar 21 (APP):Heavy rainfall continued intermittently in most parts of the NWFP on Wednesday, while Malam Jabba has so far received up to 4 feet of snowfall. Met Department predicted that this spell may continue for the next 24 hours. Balakot recorded 20 millimetres of rainfall, Abbottabad 16mm, Dir 12mm and Peshawar 4mm(Posted @ 14:30 PST)
PM Shaukat Aziz reviews law, order situation KARACHI, March 21 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Wednesday asked Sindh Government to maintain peace and stability in the province for continuation of growth and development. Chairing a high level meeting at the Governor House to review law and order situation he said every effort should be made to ensure safety and security of the citizens which is government's primary responsibility. Peace and stability are also prerequisites for development, growth, and accelerated inflow of local and foreign investment, Shaukat Aziz said adding that economic and political stability achieved during the last seven years has put the country on the path of sustainable development internally and improved the stature of the country at the international level.(Posted @ 14:20 PST)
Indian Army suffers 100 suicides a year NEW DELHI, March 21 (APP): At least 100 Indian soldiers are committing suicide every year and are mainly those fighting militants in occupied Kashmir and the northeastern states, website indiadaily.com said quoting India's Army chief. “On average we have been having about 100 suicide cases a year in the past four to five years, so this year has been the same,” General J J Singh said in Srinagar. “Mainly it (suicide) is in such (insurgency-hit) areas, but they are also happening in areas where there is no insurgency,” local newspapers reported him as saying, the website says.(Posted @ 14:15 PST)
Pakistan, Kuwait Fund sign $ 37m loan agreement for power project ISLAMABAD, Mar 21 (APP): Pakistan and Kuwait Fund signed a loan agreement amounting to $37 million for the Golan Gol Hydropower project here Wednesday.The 106 megawatt hydropower project is located on Golan Gol River about 25 kms from Chitral city. The total cost of the project is estimated at $117 million. It is being co-financed by the Kuwait Fund, Saudi Fund and the OPEC Fund. The loan agreement with the other financers is expected to be signed by July.(Posted @ 14:15 PST)
At least 14 killed as deadly fighting rages in Somali capital MOGADISHU, March 21 (AFP) At least 14 people including six soldiers were killed Wednesday as deadly fighting raged in southern Mogadishu, sparked by an attack on an Ethiopian military base, witnesses and an AFP correspondent said.(Posted @ 13:10 PST)
Eighteen dead as ferocious battles grip Sri Lanka COLOMBO, March 21 (AFP) Tiger rebels Wednesday fought pitched battles with troops in Sri Lanka while war planes bombed guerrilla positions, the military said, placing the death toll from both sides at 18. Troops and the Tamil Tigers were locked in fierce mortar and artillery duels for five hours in the east of the island, the defence ministry said. Local military officials said about 40 civilians were wounded in rebel mortar bomb attacks that also hit a relief centre. The military said four soldiers were killed and 30 wounded while troops recovered the bodies of nine rebels. Another five Tigers were killed in a similar confrontation on the Jaffna peninsula, the military said. (FirstPosted @ 11:40 PST, Updated@ 13:10 PST)
Twenty-one trapped in northern China coal mine BEIJING, March 21, 2007 (AFP) A gas explosion at a mine in northern China has left 21 workers trapped, the government's work safety agency said Wednesday. The accident occurred just after midnight Sunday in Shanxi province but local officials failed to immediately report the accident, the State Administration for Work Safety said on its website. The site of the accident, the Miaojiang coal mine, is near Jincheng city in Shanxi, it said.(Posted @ 11:00 PST)
Afghan NATO supply truck driver beheaded KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, March 21 (AFP) The decapitated body of an Afghan truck driver supplying NATO forces in southern Afghanistan was found dumped at the side of a highway Wednesday, a district chief said. The murdered man was captured with his vehicle in Zabul province about a week ago by suspected Taliban militants.(Posted @ 10:45 PST)
One killed as Indonesia arrests suspected militants JAKARTA, March 21 (AFP) Indonesian police said Wednesday one man was shot dead, another injured and several arrested Tuesday in a raid on suspected militants from an Al-Qaeda-linked terror group, in Yogyakarta, on Indonesia's main island of Java.(Posted @ 10:30 PST)
Cricket-Pakistan to play final World Cup game against Zimbabwe KINGSTON, Jamaica, March 21 (Reuters) Pakistan will play their final World Cup group game against Zimbabwe at Sabina Park Wednesday, the team spokesman said. After a meeting of Pakistan Cricket Board, International Cricket Council and World Cup officials, PCB spokesman Pervez Mir told Reuters: “We are playing. The chairman of our Board said we will play. The security is fine.”(Posted @ 09:55 PST)
Senate passes bill to ensure US prosecutors' independence WASHINGTON, March 21 (AFP) The US Senate Tuesday passed legislation meant to ensure the independence of US attorneys, amid a growing scandal over the Justice Department's firing of eight federal attorneys. The “Preserving United States Attorney Independence Act,” which passed by a vote of 94 to two, would ensure that individuals nominated to the federal prosecutor posts on an interim basis would serve a maximum 120 days. A permanent replacement for the post would be subject to Senate confirmation.(Posted @ 09:50 PST)
NATO evacuates 600 stranded villagers after Afghan floods KABUL, Afghanistan, March 21 (AP) NATO-led troops used helicopters to evacuate about 600 stranded villagers in southern Afghanistan after floods destroyed their homes, the alliance said.Dutch and U.S. helicopters landed and rescued people in the border regions between the southern provinces of Helmand and Uruzgan, NATO's ISAF said in a statement late Tuesday.(Posted @ 09:40 PST)
Cargo ships sinks in northern Philippines; eight crew missing MANILA, Philippines, March 21 (AP) A cargo ship sank in the northern Philippines Wednesday, leaving eight crewmen missing while 11 others were rescued, the coast guard said. The Panamanian-registered ship MV Unicorn Ace sank about 80 kilometres off Curimao in Ilocos Norte province, which is about 400 kilometres north of Manila.(Posted @ 09:20 PST)
Israel kills Palestinian in gunbattle NABLUS, West Bank, March 21 (Reuters) Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian man Wednesday in a gunbattle in the West Bank near the city of Nablus, Palestinian security sources and medics said.(Posted @ 09:20 PST)
UN urges more control by Pakistan on Afghan border UNITED NATIONS, March 21 (Reuters) Suicide bombers and Taliban fighters are crossing into Afghanistan from Pakistan, and Pakistan must take more action to stop the incursions, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon reported to the Security Council Tuesday. Ban said coordinated efforts by Afghanistan and Pakistan would be vital to curbing incursions into Afghanistan, adding some steps taken by Pakistan were “encouraging, but further resolute action is still needed.” Pakistan's U.N. Ambassador Munir Akram said the onus was not only on Islamabad to control its border with Afghanistan and that “the crossing of the border is in both directions.” “Most of the Taliban activity is within Afghanistan as are their five command structures. This should not be distorted,” Akram told the Security Council. Akram said Pakistan would act shortly to eliminate what he described as “atrocious allegations” that the country was a safe haven for the Taliban and terrorist training camps by closing four border refugee camps. “We have hosted them (Afghan refugees) for 30 years without any appreciable international assistance. This has placed an unconscionable burden on our nation's exchequer, our economy, our environment and our society,” Akram said. (Posted @ 09:00 PST)
Peru army kills three guerrillas in clash LIMA, March 21 (Reuters) Peru's army said it killed three leftist guerrillas Tuesday in a clash in which two soldiers were also wounded in Huancavelica zone, about 250 miles southeast of the capital Lima. (Posted @ 08:45 PST)
Cricket- New Zealand beat Kenya by 148 runs GROS ISLET, St Lucia, March 21 (AFP) New Zealand booked their place in the World Cup Super Eights with a 148-run win over Kenya in their Group C match at Beausejour stadium here Tuesday. (Posted @ 08:45 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 33.97 points: KARACHI, March 21: At close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 11297.38 , down 33.97 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, March 21: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.83 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:20 PST)
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