Suicide bomber kills 2 in northwestern Pakistan

Source : LBCI News

A police official says a suicide bomber has blown himself up near a police van in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least two people.

The official, Zaheer Khan, says Tuesday's attack in the district of Bannu in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan also wounded at least 10 people.

He says initial reports suggest the attacker was on foot and targeted a police van near a police station.

Khan says rescuers were transporting the dead and injured to a nearby hospital.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but suspicion fell on Pakistani Taliban who often target police and security forces deployed there.

The district of Bannu is located just outside the North Waziristan tribal region where several Pakistani, Afghan and al-Qaida-linked militant groups are based.

Pakistani leader to talk with Afghan Taliban in Qatar

Source : Pakistan News

Pakistani political leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman has gone on a "private visit" to Qatar to hold talks with the Afghan Taliban, a media report said Sunday.

Rehman, the chief of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (F), was playing a "pivotal role" in the Afghan peace process, party leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmed was quoted as saying by the Dawn.

Ahmed said the use of force was not a solution to the conflict between the Taliban and the military, and urged them to sit on the negotiating table to restore peace in the region.

The leader also urged the Pakistani government and the army to take seriously the offer for talks by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan.

JUI-F spokesman Abdul Jalil Jan, however, only said that Rehman had gone abroad on a "private visit".

Western media reports say the US is in contact with the Taliban in Qatar to persuade the outfit to initiate negotiations with the Afghan government, as Washington prepares for the withdrawal of troops by 2014.

Another party leader, Sirajul Haq, said the Pakistani government was looking towards the US for a "signal" after the negotiation offer by the Taliban.

"The government is not sincere in peace negotiations and is waiting for dictation from Americans," he said.

He said if the US could hold talks with the Taliban, there was no reason why Pakistan could not do so.

Afghanistan, Pakistan leaders in UK for talks

Source : The Daily Star

LONDON: The leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan are due to hold talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron in London on the Afghan peace process.

Cameron initiated the meetings with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari last year, aiming to boost cooperation between the countries and promote regional stability.

The talks are expected to focus on preventing a Taliban resurgence in Afghanistan when British and other NATO troops withdraw from the country next year.

Cameron plans to dine with Karzai and Zardari at his country residence Chequers later Sunday, before holding formal talks with both leaders and their top officials early Monday.

Downing Street says the trilateral meeting will include Afghan and Pakistani army and intelligence chiefs for the first time.

Second Drone Strike in Two Days

Sources : Newsweek Pakistan

U.S. drone attack on Thursday killed 18 insurgents—mostly Afghans—at a militant compound in Pakistan’s tribal region near the northwestern border with Afghanistan, officials said.

It was the second U.S. missile strike reported in as many days in the northwest, considered a stronghold of the Taliban and Al Qaeda. The attack was the deadliest since a similar strike in August last year killed 21 Taliban fighters in the restive tribal region. The attack comes as Pakistan is in shock over the Taliban’s attempted assassination of a 14-year-old child rights activist.

“U.S. drones fired four missiles on a militant compound and initial reports say 11 militants have died,” local administration chief Khushal Khan told AFP in Orakzai district. He said most of the dead were Afghans. His deputy Rafiq Mohmand later put the toll at 18 dead. “Several militants were wounded who died later and the new death toll is 18,” Mohmand told AFP. A security official confirmed the attack and the death toll.

The compound was located in the Baland Khel area on the border between Orakzai and North Waziristan, a Pakistani intelligence official told AFP on condition of anonymity. Militants had sealed off the flattened building and were recovering bodies, he said.

The building belonged to Maulvi Shakirullah, a commander in the forces of Pakistani warlord Hafiz Gul Bahadur. Bahadur is an ally of the Al Qaeda- linked Haqqani network blamed by the Americans for a string of high-profile attacks in Afghanistan.

On Wednesday a U.S. drone strike targeting another compound in North Waziristan killed five fighters, according to Pakistani officials. The covert U.S. attacks are unpopular in Pakistan, where the government calls them a violation of sovereignty, but American officials believe they are vital weapons against Islamist militants.

Last week, cricket legend turned politician Imran Khan led thousands of supporters in a motorcade from the capital Islamabad to the edge of the tribal belt to protest against the U.S. strikes. Human rights activists have said Tuesday’s shooting of 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai in the former Taliban stronghold of the Swat valley should be a wake-up call to those who advocate appeasement or peace with the Taliban.

Newsfeed - Pakistan TopNews Oct. 8. 2012

Pakistan rejects Karzai's assertion as misplaced, baseless Source: Xinhua | English.news.cn ISLAMABAD, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan on Monday rejected comments reportedly made by Afghan President Hamid Karzai about conditions for a proposed Strategic Partnership agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan as "entirely misplaced and without any basis." It was reported that Karzai said in Kabul last week that conditions would be attached to negotiations on a Strategic Partnership Agreement with Pakistan. Listing conditions, Karzai said at a press conference that neighbors must stop the export of terrorism, suicide bombers, interference and all the other things which result in killing and disturbing the Afghan people's tranquility and destabilizing Afghanistan. "Once we are assured that Pakistan with which we want to have a friendly relationship meets these conditions - eliminates terrorism and extremism and stops the training and export of insurgency to Afghanistan - Afghanistan will be ready to work on this," the Afghan president said. Commenting on Karzai's assertions, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesman clarified that Pakistan desires to promote good relations with Afghanistan on the basis of mutual respect and mutual interest. "In this regard comments reportedly made by President Karzai and certain other quarters in Afghanistan are entirely misplaced and without any basis." The spokesman further clarified that the proposed Strategic Partnership Agreement was suggested by President Karzai during a trilateral summit between Afghanistan, Pakistan and Britain in New York last week. Referring to allegations against Pakistan, the spokesman said that Pakistan has invested heavily to promote stability in Afghanistan. The spokesman underscored that Pakistan would like to have a mature and responsible dialogue with Afghanistan. However, diplomacy through the media needed to be avoided. -------------------------------------------

Imran Khan leads anti-drone march in Pakistan

Source: Islamic Invitation

Tens of thousands of Pakistanis, along with dozens of international peace activists, are holding a peace march to protest against US assassination drone strikes on Pakistan’s tribal areas, Press TV reports.

Pakistani opposition politician Imran Khan is leading the convoy of hundreds of vehicles that started the 440-kilometer journey from Islamabad on Saturday and is scheduled to reach South Waziristan on Sunday.

Thousands of people lined the road to greet Khan, who is the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Pakistan Movement for Justice or PTI), and his supporters.

US peace activist Tighe Barr told Press TV, “It is time for the United States to end the mass murder that is taking place in Pakistan’s tribal areas” and end the CIA drone strikes there. “They are killing women and children. This is wrong, and this is a war crime.”

“I condemn the hypocrisy of the government, that tried their best to make this march fail,” Khan told the crowd at a brief stopover on the outskirts of Mianwali in northern Pakistan

“They are saying that the Taliban have sent nine suicide attackers. If (President Asif Ali) Zardari sends even a 100 suicide attackers, this march will not stop,” Khan added.

A survey conducted by the Washington-based Pew Global Attitudes Project in June showed that former cricket star Khan was the most popular politician in the country.

Khan’s stance on Washington’s war on terror, which he calls a war of terror, his opposition to the US drone attacks in Pakistan’s northwest tribal region, and his struggle for the rule of law, justice, equality, and the eradication of corruption, have endeared him to the Pakistanis.

They are saying that the Taliban have sent nine suicide attackers. If (President Asif Ali) Zardari sends even a 100 suicide attackers, this march will not stop,” Khan added.

A survey conducted by the Washington-based Pew Global Attitudes Project in June showed that former cricket star Khan was the most popular politician in the country.

Khan’s stance on Washington’s war on terror, which he calls a war of terror, his opposition to the US drone attacks in Pakistan’s northwest tribal region, and his struggle for the rule of law, justice, equality, and the eradication of corruption, have endeared him to the Pakistanis.

International peace activists have condemned the drone strikes as a violation of international law and a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty say the policy is breeding extremism and terrorism in the country’s tribal belt.

Washington claims that its airstrikes target militants crossing the border with Afghanistan, but local sources say civilians have been the main victims of the attacks.

Last month, a report by the Stanford Law School and the New York University School of Law gave an alarming account of the effect that assassination drone strikes have on ordinary people in Pakistan’s tribal areas. The report noted, “The number of ‘high- level’ targets killed as a percentage of total casualties is extremely low — estimated at just 2%.”

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1 killed, 11 others injured in blast in SW Pakistan

Source: Xinhua English.news.cn

English.news.cn 2012-10-08 15:49:51

ISLAMABAD, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- At least one was killed and 11 others including three cops were injured when a roadside planted bomb hit Pakistan's southwest city of Quetta on Monday, sources in Quetta told Xinhua.

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Pakistan’s Military Moves Against Anti-Drone Rally

News From Antiwar.com

The Pakistani military has moved against the Pakistani Tehreek-e Insaf (PTI) march today in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwah Province, preventing them from entering the South Waziristan Agency as they had initially planned.

A PTI official familiar with the incident says party leader Imran Khan was briefly detained by the military, and that the troops had threatened to fire on any demonstrators who tried to cross into South Waziristan.

Instead, the convoy changed its course, ending up in the city of Tank for their final speeches condemning the ongoing US drone strikes against Pakistan’s tribal areas, promising to continue to speak out against the attacks.

The Pakistani government had initially tried to scare the rally away from South Waziristan by claiming there were going to be terrorist attacks, but when they refused to stop the march the military just claimed they didn’t have legal permission to enter the tribal areas.

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U.S. embassy issues emergency alert for nationals in Pakistan

Via: Strategic-Culture.org - Strategic Culture Foundation

The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad on Sunday issued a threat alert for its nationals in Pakistan, especially in the Pakistani capital, asking them to keep a low profile.

The embassy drew attention of American nationals that Pakistani Ministry of Interior issued a general threat alert on possible terrorist attacks in Islamabad on Sunday, which will be against key government installations in the downtown area of Islamabad known as the "Red Zone" and the five-star and several other hotels in Islamabad.

"The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad advises all U.S. citizens to avoid these areas, remain vigilant, keep a low profile, and continue to exercise caution while in Pakistan," the message posted on the U.S. embassy website said.

The U.S. citizens traveling or living in Pakistan were also asked to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP).

It was the second alert message issued to the Americans in Pakistan in a month. U.S. citizens were warned of possible attacks during protests against the anti-Islam movie made in the United States.