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Doctor abducted from Jamrud

sudhir — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:44:47 -0600

Unidentified armed men abducted a doctor from Jamrud tehsil on Monday. Residents said around one dozen armed men barged into Dr Kabir Afridi’s clinic in Kapartangi area of Jamrud and abducted him. They said abduction for ransom is on the rise in Khyber Agency. A few days ago, unidentified men kidnapped the principal of Jamrud’s Government Elementary College, Razi Hussain Shah. On November 25, unidentified men abducted four customs officials including a deputy collector. The officials were returning after attending to their duties at the Torkham Border, when
the armed men abducted them.

World Aids Day observed at Torkham Border

sudhir — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 05:44:01 -0600

Like the other part of the world Hamrahi Markaz Torkham observed World Aids Day with the cooperation of Human Development and Resource Center (HDRS). Inter schools compition in Qirat and Naat Khwani was also held at this occasion. Large number of local elders, teachers and students participated in the function.Dr.Iqbal Khalil, supervisor Hamrahi aids control program while speaking on the occasion said that aids ldwas a life evil and big threat to the survival of any society. He said that conscious and bewared nations preplan for natural calamities, aids and HCV like maladies to protect their new generations.Dr.Iqbal Khalil said that aids was spreading very fast in some countries like Africa which had destabilized their countries. The treatment of aids and HCV is very expensive for any poor family, observed Khalil.He disclosed that more than thirty million people were infected by HIV virus across the world. He urged upon the tribal elders to join hands with Hamrahi markaz to fight this evil and banish it out from their societies, otherwise, in coming ten years there would be at least one person in every family infected of HIV aids, he predicted. He said that 360 persons across the province including Khyber Agency were diagnosed positive with HIV aids, which is a dilemma and a great challenge for the health sector. More than 7,215 general patients have been treated besides 129 HIV suspected tests have been carried out at Hamrahi Markaz Torkham.He said that Hamrahi Markaz has provided medicines worth Rs/half a million at Torkham for which the government has only once provided the medicines. He elaborated that the center was basically formed to serve the poor long route truckers at the border who had no facility and time for treatment and diagnosing. The poor truckers and the common people are given awareness regarding Aids besides treatment and giving them medicines. He also distributed trophies among the winners students. Awal Gul Afridi project coordinator Hamrahi Markaz Torkham also spoke on this occasion and highlighted the negative aspects of HIV.He advised the people to pass life according to the teachings of Islam as HIV virus spreads through homosexuality and bad character.

Doctor on strike,a local driver killed

sudhir — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 05:23:53 -0600

Doctors of Agency Headquarter hospital Landikotal went on strike here on Monday. They closed the clinics and the gates of the hospital in protest against the excessive load shedding. A source told that the doctors protested, as there was a serious lack of doctors at the hospital. Some of the doctors have gone to perform pilgrimage, added the source. The patients have been suffering from the lack of doctors at the said hospital, as majority of them are often absent. Some of the serious patients were compelled to go to Peshawar for medical treatment, as there was a strike at the hospital. Labortaor owners and medical stores also closed their shops, as the number of patients was equal to nothing. Earlier, a local driver was shot dead at Peshawar last night at the Fauji terminal at Ring road. Sedique Khan 20 was shot while he tried to bring out his truck from the terminal after unknown militants made there bomb explosion and set it on fire. He was buried here in Khyber. The local tribal people have condemned the attacks on the poor tribal drivers and conductors. Meanwhile, khasadars officials taking action on a tip off and recovered almost 200 bottles of fine quality of fine from a pick up registration No: 3762 near Charbagh road at LandiKotal. Khasadars force arrested the driver of the pick up Ameer Ullah and sent him to jail for interrogations. The fine quality bottles of wine were being smuggled to Afghanistan via Pasid Khel Charbagh.

Tribesmen ready to defend borders of Pakistan

sudhir — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 21:10:02 -0600

Citing rising tensions between India and Pakistan, tribal leaders on Sunday called on the government to move the army from the tribal belt and concentrate on the country’s eastern border and also let ‘three million armed tribesmen’ defend the country’s eastern and western frontiers. Addressing a press conference at the Miranshah Press Club, the tribal leaders said two million tribesmen equipped with latest weapons were ready to be deployed at the western border, while one million had volunteered to go to the eastern frontier. They also criticized India for holding Pakistan responsible for the Mumbai terror attacks. They said India was an ‘old enemy’ that had always exploited the situation to attack Pakistan. They said that it was now time to ‘foil Indian plans’ and get Kashmir freed. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has also offered unconditional support to the Pakistani government if hostilities break out with India. “If India attacks any part of Pakistan, the TTP will put aside all its differences with the government and would not hesitate to give any kind of sacrifice to defend the frontiers,” deputy leader Faqir Mohammad told reporters in Khar.

Meanwhile spokesman of Lashker-e-Islam, a representative armed group, Haji Mesri Khan has told on phone that Lashker’s armed volunteers would fight till the last drop of their blood for the defence of Paksitan.Pakistan is our country and we love this soil more than any thing else, said Lashker’s spokesman. He said that ten thousand armed volunteers of their group would be moved to eastern border if Indian army made any adventurism there. He condemned the India regime for leveling baseless allegations against Pakistan for its involvement in the Mumbai incidents.

Joke of National Education Foundation in Tribal Areas

sudhir — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 01:54:09 -0600

National Education Foundation has established male and female Hujra schools in tribal areas besides the province. This is a good development to literate the tribal children. The national education foundation has reportedly provided male and female teaching staff to teach the tribal children. The teaching staff is employeed through the owners of the schools with a payment between 4,ooo and 5,000 on monthly basis, told a source. National education foundation provides these schools with books and furniture to facilitate the tribal children to support the children. But in Khyber Agency there are some schools, which have not received the books or furniture so far in the last two years, added the source. Apart from this, the tribal children have been sitting on the dusty ground, as they have no furniture or mats. For example, in girls primary school at Sheen Drand Aka Khel Bara has no such facilities for the tribal children for whom the national education foundation has set up this school. National education foundation has set a formula for payment to the teaching staff after three months rather than monthly due to which the teaching staff suffer very much. The owners of the Hujra schools pay the teaching staff from their pockets to meet their requirements on monthly basis. The office of education foundation based at Peshawar Haji camp call the teaching staff of the tribal areas after three months for payments, maintained the source. Haji Muhammad Afridi an elder disclosed that national education foundation had set up some schools in Hujras and some in the government schools. Some of these schools are being run by NGOs and some are under the direct control of the foundation, informed Haji Muhammad Afridi.He said that there are almost fifty to one hundred schools in Khyber Agency in which fifteen were functional only in Bara.Misuse of the funds for these schools is on the rise, said Afridi.He said that his complaints carried no weight in the office. It is a joke with tribal children and to throw dust into the eyes of their parents because the foundation has nothing to present on the ground, concluded Haji Muhammad Afridi.

FATA leaders be involved in uplift projects:NA body

sudhir — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 00:46:36 -0600

Elected representatives from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) should be involved in development projects being carried out in the region, a press release quoted National Assembly Standing Committee on States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) Chairman Sajid Hussain Turi as saying on Saturday.

He made the statement while chairing a meeting of the committee, the press release said, adding that the committee strongly condemned drone attacks in the FATA and sought government’s intervention to stop the incursions.

The committee recommended, it said, that an independent legislative council on the pattern of Northern Areas should be set up to empower the people of the FATA, the FATA secretariat should be allowed to make new recruitments so that development projects may be completed in time, and that the budgetary grant of Rs 30 billion allocated for the ongoing projects in FATA should be released so that the area could benefit from it.

Earlier, Muhammad Sharif, the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions secretary, briefed the committee on overall performance of the ministry, highlighting its objectives. He talked about steps being taken by the ministry for the repatriation of Afghan refugees.

The FATA Secretariat additional chief secretary said that the secretariat was working from November 2007 with a vision to bring the Tribal Areas into the mainstream and to use socio-economic development and people empowerment to combat extremism.

NATO secy gen inspects border security near Torkham

sudhir — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 00:23:50 -0600

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer on Saturday visited the Khyber Border Co-ordination Centre, situated in northeastern Afghanistan near Torkham, to discuss co-operation among coalition forces against Al Qaeda and the Taliban. “I see challenges, but I also see a lot of progress,” Scheffer said, according to an emailed statement issued by International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Kabul. The co-ordination centre, which is manned by Pakistani, Afghan and United States officials, allows communication and co-ordination of security along the Pak-Afghan border. “I think this co-ordination centre is an excellent example of fighting the insurgency in the most efficient way,” the NATO secretary general was quoted as saying. A Frontier Corps (FC) officer represents Pakistan at the centre where the three forces co-ordinate action against the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

Pakistan at Cross Roads

sudhir — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 00:09:46 -0600

Do the Western and Eastern borders have the same value for Pakistan? Pakistan has always retaliated to Indian aggression on the eastern border, as India has been a traditional rival of Pakistan since 1947.There is no doubt that Indian leadership has never recognized Pakistan as an independent and sovereign State. Indian regimes have times and again made futile efforts to disturb peace and tranquility inside Pakistan just to create anarchy in Pakistan and put it on the track of destabilization. Another main and root cause of tension and violence between the two neighbour countries is the long standing issue of Kashmir.Kashmiris want to merge the valley into Pakistan as majority of them are Muslims. After a war between India and Pakistan in 1947,when the tribal fighters had penetrated into the occupied valley of Kashmir to vacate it from the Indian forces, Nehro the top leadership of India had knocked at the doors of the UNO to halt the war in Kashmir. The UN had been assured that India would conduct plebiscite to ask the Kashmiris to decide their future themselves. But since then the Indian regimes have not been willing for plebiscite in Kashmir keeping in view the resolutions passed by the UN general assembly and the security councils. After dejection from the UNO, the Kashmiris started an indigenous movement to get freedom under the shadow of swords. More than ninety thousand Kashmiris have laid their lives for the independence of Kashmir and a double figure has been crippled or dishonoured by Indian army.

Now the Indian army and the government have probably staged the drama of the Mumbai attacks just to find a pretext to blackmail Pakistan internationally and to divert world pressure towards Pakistan to surrender it. Prior to a thorough investigation into Mumbai incidents, Indian regime leveled serious and unethical charges against Pakistan for its unfound involvement in the incidents. What does Indian regime mean by putting its forces on high red alert and giving threats to Pakistan? It seems that India wants to follow in the footprints of US that soon after 9/11 without any solid proof held Al-Qaeda and Taliban accountable for the attacks on the twin towers. Indian government and chiefs of security agencies should accept their failure for the deadliest attacks in Mumbai rather than to blame Pakistan or its ISI for carrying out the attacks. This is also crystal clear that Indian army and its spy agency RAW is involved in hatching conspiracies against Pakistan on the soil of Afghanistan. More than once the security agencies of Pakistan have caught Indian spies in Swat and the tribal areas and were shown on media to prove that India had a covert hand in the turmoil in Pakistan.

Pakistan is surely a great victim of terrorism by aligning in the so-called war on terror. The bomb blasts and the deadliest suicide attacks in Pakistan are all results of Pakistan’s alliance with the US against the Muslim militants in Afghanistan or in the tribal areas. Al-Qaeda and Taliban are not opposed to Pakistan or its forces, but they have launched the war against security forces in Fata just to detract Pakistan from US alliance to keep it on a distance from US led forces in Afghanistan. They are also opposed to Pakistan’s covert agreement with US for logistic support, providing space and sharing intelligence on militants. Pakistan has surely paid a huge price for supporting the war on terror.

For the first time in the last six decades Pakistan has deployed more than eighty thousand troops and established some six hundred posts to check the infiltration of the militants on the western border with Afghanistan. During the occupation of Afghanistan when the Red Russian armies were present in Afghanistan, the Pakistan army had not been deployed there on the western border. The western border has always been protected by the brave tribesmen without any compensation with national spirit of patriotism. The tribesmen have never misused the Western border or done any intrigues against Pakistan or Afghanistan. After escalation of tension on the eastern border with India, Pakistan has no other option rather than to pullback its army from the tribal areas and the Western border with Afghanistan. Pakistan will surely halt military operation in Fata to counter Indian aggression on the east. The militants fighting in tribal areas would also move towards the eastern border because the militants would never like Indian secular State to dictate to Pakistan, invade or disintegrate it. Militants are all fighting a holy war against the infidels whether they are in Afghanistan, Iraq or Kashmir etc. Their agenda is international. Pakistan army and the militants in Fata could join hands to stop Indian military adventure on the eastern border. US led forces in Afghanistan would also face tough resistance and the war on terror would get a set back once the tension grows on the eastern border. Al-Qaeda, Afghan Taliban and Hizb-e- Islami Hekmatyar have already expedited the war in Afghanistan to push out US led Nato armies from Afghanistan.

Western and eastern borders have the same significance for Pakistan. Pakistan will protect its frontiers and maintain its sovereignty at any cost. But strange to say that Pakistan has gone ahead of the US in the war against the Muslims under the cover of terrorism. Pakistan has preferred to safeguard US interests rather than to keep supreme its own national interests. The whole turmoil in Pakistan is due to its US based foreign policy. Actually the Western border has not been safe at least for the last one year. US and NATO planes, predator drones and commandos have repeatedly violated the air and ground spaces of Pakistan to carry out assaults in Waziristan, Bajaur and Mohmand agencies under the garb of hot pursuit. So far innocent tribal children and women have been killed in the US strikes in tribal areas. The elected government has only condemned these US drone missile attacks in the tribal areas. It is really very shameful for our rulers to let alone the tribal people at the mercy of Allah. The government and the army have not fulfilled their constitutional obligations to safeguard the Western border from US aggression. America cannot win the war in Afghanistan without the full-fledged support of Pakistan. Pakistan should not play a dual role with regard to protection of the eastern and the western borders. The Pukhtoons of the NWFP and particularly those of the tribal areas consider it a deep-rooted international conspiracy to crush them in the war on terror. Poverty stricken Pukhtoons cannot be terrorists. They have not gone any where to fight against any army ,but imperialists have always come to home towns of Pukhtoons to kill them.

Indian allegations against Pakistan will affect the war on terror.

sudhir — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 09:12:22 -0600

Next 48 hours are very crucial for Pak India relations. Indian foreign minister Pernab Mukergy’s threatening phone call to Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi has totally changed the environment between Pakistan and India. Pakistan security forces’ sources have hinted that in case of escalating tension on the eastern border with India, Pak army could be brought out from the tribal areas to deploy them on the eastern border to counter any untoward situation from the neighbouring country.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Pakistan’s foreign Minister in his press briefing said that Pakistan had condemned the Mombai incidents and would cooperate with Indian regime. He said that the nation and the institutions of Pakistan were fully united against terrorism. He said that any impulsive decision by India would deteriorate the situation and the war on terror could be affected. Pak army is fully capable to defend the country, security sources. The foreign minister said that all the political leaders would be contacted to seek guidance from them and to take them into confidence regarding the post Mombai incident situation arisen after the Indian allegations that Pakistan was involved in the incidents. He also said that Pakistan was itself a prey to terrorism and had paid a huge loss for fighting the war on terror. Meanwhile the government has withheld the decision to send ISI chief to India for a thorough probe into the Mombai incidents rather an officer of ISI would be sent for that. The political leadership of Pakistan was also opposed to sending ISI chief to India for probe. They have claimed that by sending ISI chief to India would simply mean to bow down before the artificial pressure built by Indian government and accept its supremacy. The political leadership of Pakistan besides the regime have strongly condemned and flayed the terror attacks in Mombai.

The Indian allegations and threats to Pakistan would adversely affect the American led war on terror in Afghanistan as well as in Iraq. It is a fact that Pakistan as a state and its people particularly the people from NWFP and the Tribal areas have suffered very great in form of material and humans. There is no doubt that America and its Western allies have begun the war on terror just to gain financial advantages and to suppress the Muslims through out the World. The war on terror is basically against Islam and the Muslims. That is why it is hard for the US led forces in Afghanistan to win this so-called war on terror. At last the new US president Barrack Obama would call back his forces from Afghanistan to save America from disintegration into pieces and would not forget the history what had happened to the Russian forces. America is already on the verge of financial collapse. As far as Indian allegations against Pakistan’s involvement are concerned, so it is clear that Indian regime has followed the footprints of the Bush led American regime which had held Al-Qaeda and Taliban responsible for the 9/11 event. India should forget to achieve those goals, which the US had unfortunately done just to create an invisible and artificial enemy to maintain its supremacy on the world. Pakistan and China will never allow Indian regime to exploit the post Mombai situation. Indian regime has basically tried in vain to turn world’s attention towards Pakistan that it was involved directly or indirectly in the terror attacks on Mombai and in Taj hotel etc. If Pakistan deployed its forces on the eastern border to meet any challenge from Indian side then it is certain that Pakistan would secede from the war on terror. It is in the best national interests of Pakistan to secede from the war on terror as the militants were opposed to regime for backing the US led war against the Muslims in Afghanistan. The situation inside Pakistan will certainly improve if Pakistan withheld its alliance from the US and pulled back the army from the tribal areas.

Principal of Jamrud College and a local kidnapped

sudhir — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 04:50:33 -0600

Unknown armed persons kidnapped Principal of Elementary College at Jamrud here on Saturday while he was going to his office. Syed Razi Hussain Shah, principal of elementary college Jamrud was kidnapped when he was on his way to office from his government colony in Jamrud.The principal had pistol in his hand and was escorted by two Khasadars while he was abducted. The two khasadars were also deprived of their guns who could not resisted, told an official. Political administration had advised the principal of elementary college Syed Razi Hussain Shah some two months back to get transferred from Jamrud as he was reportedly not safe there because he belonged to the Shiite sect who were on the target by militants in Jamrud, told an official. According to the official, Razi Hussain Shah was not willing to be transferred from Jamrud College as he considered himself to be very strong. The administration would make all out efforts to recover him safely, but so far it was not clear who had abducted him, told a source of administration. The administration had provided him with two khasadars as escort to protect him but unfortunately they were also deprived of their guns rather than to save him, told an official source. The teachers and the students of elementary college blocked the main road at Jamrud and protested for the safe recovery of the principal. Meanwhile it was also learnt that Pir Abdullah Shah was kidnapped from Shakas Jamrud, but so far any group has not claimed responsibility for the kidnappings of the two persons.

Two tribesmen killed in bomb blast at Landikotal

sudhir — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 04:47:34 -0600

Two locals killed in a bomb blast in Khyber, Landikotal.Wahid Ullah son of Haneef Khan Sadu Khel and Shafi Ullah son of Aslam Khan Wali Khel were killed in a bomb in a powerful explosion last night at 1:15 am. The pieces of their bodies were scattered in the far off areas near Tawani stand at Sadu Khel on the main road. An official told that the killed local persons had explosive material, which might have mistakenly blasted. It might be a roadside bomb explosion but it is hard to ascertain that who had planted it, told a local person. The nearby parking of the trucks might have been their target where trucks carrying American consignments stand, but at the moment there was no truck in the parking, told another person. Khasadars’ official told that administration would conduct enquiry to know that how the blast took place which killed two locals.

History of FATA,The tribal areas

sudhir — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 20:19:14 -0600

The areas that today make up FATA were once part of the battleground on which the ‘Great Game’ of imperial domination was played out in the 19th century. For the British colonial administrators of India, effective control of the region was imperative for the defence of their Indian possessions, serving as a bulwark against Russian expansionism in Central Asia. It proved difficult, however, for the colonial government to establish its writ in the tribal areas.

Colonial administrators oversaw but never fully controlled the region through a combination of British-appointed agents and local tribal elders. The people were free to govern internal affairs according to tribal codes, while the colonial administration held authority in what were known as ‘protected’ and ‘administered’ areas over all matters related to the security of British India.

Although various tribes cooperated with the British off and on in return for financial incentives (Abbas, 2006), this quid pro quo arrangement was never completely successful. Throughout the latter half of the 19th century, British troops were embroiled in repeated battles with various tribes in the area (Hunter et al., 1840–1900). Between 1871 and 1876, the colonial administration imposed a series of laws, the Frontier Crimes Regulations, prescribing special procedures for the tribal areas, distinct from the criminal and civil laws that were in force elsewhere in British India. These regulations, which were based on the idea of collective territorial responsibility and provided for dispute resolution to take place through a jirga (council of elders), also proved to be inadequate.

Frustrated in their efforts to subdue the region, the British in 1901 issued a new Frontier Crimes Regulation that expanded the scope of earlier regulations and awarded wide powers, including judicial authority, to administrative officials. In the same year, a new administrative unit, the North-West Frontier Province, was created by carving out parts of the then Punjab province and adding certain tribal principalities. The province, as it was constituted at the time, included five ‘settled’ districts (Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Hazara, Kohat and Peshawar) and five tribal agencies (Dir-Swat-Chitral, Khyber, Kurram, North Waziristan and South Waziristan), and was placed under the administrative authority of a chief commissioner reporting to the Governor-General of India (Hunter et al., 1840–1900).

The institution of the ‘political agent’ was created at this time. Each agency was administered by a political agent who was vested with wide powers and provided funds to secure the loyalties of influential elements in the area. It was also during this period that the maliki system was developed to allow the colonial administration to exercise control over the tribes. Under this system, local chiefs (maliks) were designated as intermediaries between the members of individual tribes and the colonial authorities, and assisted in the implementation of government policies (GoP, undated [a]).

Despite these efforts, bolstered by repeated military campaigns, the colonial administration retained what was at best a tenuous hold on the area until the British quit India in 1947. Soon after Independence, the various tribes in the region entered into an agreement with the government of Pakistan, pledging allegiance to the newly created state. Some 30 instruments of accession were subsequently signed, cementing this arrangement. To the tribal agencies of Khyber, Kurram, North Waziristan and South Waziristan were later added Mohmand Agency (in 1951), and Bajaur and Orakzai (in 1973).

Accession did not subsume the political autonomy of the tribes. The instruments of accession, signed in 1948, granted the tribal areas a special administrative status. Except where strategic considerations dictated, the tribal areas were allowed to retain their semi-autonomous status, exercising administrative authority based on tribal codes and traditional institutions. This unique system, given varying degrees of legal cover in each of the country’s earlier constitutions, was crystallised in Pakistan’s Constitution of 1973.

Clashes between Taliban and security forces in Mohmand Agency

sudhir — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 07:11:36 -0600

Meanwhile, three people including two Taliban were killed and 12 injured in an exchange of fire between Taliban and the law enforcement agencies in Mohmand Agency on Thursday.

Official sources said the Taliban started indiscriminate firing on Lakaro’s security checkpost. The security forces, backed by helicopter gunships, pounded Taliban positions at Ghaziabad, Bagh, Gagizai, Girbaaz and Khanka and destroyed several hideouts and bunkers. Two Taliban were killed and four injured.

Meanwhile, Taliban hideouts were also targeted in Pandali tehsil between Wednesday and Tuesday night.
Separately, a Taliban headquarters was taken over in a joint search operation by police and paramilitary forces in the ‘disputed villages’ of Peshawar district, locals and officials said.

“The headquarters is manned by government forces now and Taliban have been flushed out,” the officials told.

Local residents in Mathra area said that many Taliban had started to ‘change their look’ by trimming their beards and long hair.

“They are changing their look to avoid being arrested by the government forces or face public wrath,” they said.

Salarzai Jirga bans outsiders' entry in Bajaur,forms Lashker

sudhir — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 06:51:33 -0600

A grand Jirga of the Salarzai tribes in Bajaur Agency on Thursday resolved that they would not allow outsiders on their land.

Around 800 elders from different tribes attended the gathering, which discussed the recent attacks on tribal lashkars and a new strategy to meet the challenges.

The elders asked the government to deploy more troops in the area and establish more security posts to ensure the government’s writ. Under the collective responsibility rule, Salarzai tribes would be responsible for the safety of the security forces in the area, they said.

It was also decided that the houses of those who harbour Taliban would be burnt, they would be banished along with their family members and a fine of Rs 2 million would be imposed.

The elders also decided that a Lashker of 20,000 volunteers would be re-organized to launch fresh efforts against the Taliban. The volunteers would man various check posts in the area to keep a vigil on the Taliban, they said.

1O billion US dollars for Fata development have been embezzled

sudhir — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 04:10:41 -0600

Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions (Safron) Najmudeen Khan while talking to a delegation of 18 tribal journalists hailing from Khyber Agency at Islamabad said that the former president general Pervez Musharaf and his colleagues had embezzled more than ten billion US dollars that had been granted for FATA development and the welfare of the tribal people. Federal Minister Najmudeen Khan divulged that more than ten billions were given for FATA development to the concerned authorities out of which 70% lapses and the rest embezzled or goes into corruption by FATA secretariat and political agents. The tribal people and the journalists are supposed to raise the issue of high-level corruption and the misuse of huge funds allocated for Fata development, the minister urged upon the journalists. The political administration and the high ups of Fata secretariat have made a pretext of terrorism and disorder in the tribal areas to avoid going out to spend money on development schemes. He said that late Benazir Bhutto had a desire to introduce reforms in Fata system with the consultation of the tribal intelligentsia and the elders. Unfortunately the some of the law makers from tribal areas and the maliks are hatching conspiracies to sabotage the efforts of the PPP led government to revoke the black laws in form of FCR, disclosed the Federal minister. The bureaucracy and political agents are the mastermind to keep Fata backward, maintanined the minister. But PPP led coalition government will construe BB dreams to bring change into Fata system to bring it into the main stream, kept on the minister. He said reforms in FCR had been recommended and the President Zardari would soon approve them. Judiciary and executive will be separated from each other to minimize powers of political agents, three members tribunal will be formed to solve peoples problems within 15 days, and an elected and legislative council will be fromed, disclosed the federal minister. He said that clauses confronting the basic human rights in FCR had also been blotted out. Najmudden Khan said that Fata secretariat had been established under governor NWFP only to extort and misuse money allocated for Fata development. Federal Minister for Safron urged upon the tribal journalists to closely monitor the role of Fata secretariat so that it could not embezzle or exploit the huge funds for Fata development. He regretted that common people including tribal journalists could not enter into Fata secretariat to seek remedies to their problems. He said that funds for Fata development were misused to keep Fata backward forever, but it is not possible as PPP led government in the Center would not allow exploitation of tribal people. Turning to the demands of the tribal journalists, the federal minister assured that press clubs at Landikotal and Jamrud would be constructed at the earliest, if delayed they would stop funding to Fata secretariat for other purposes. Najmudeen Khan proposed that a seminar of all tribal journalists should be arranged at Islamabad so that a final touch could be given to their long-standing genuine demands. He assured to facilitate the seminar and to bring relevant minister and secretaries to the seminar arranged for all tribal journalists. Federal minister urged upon the tribal journalists to pinpoint the real issues and problems of the people to put Fata on the track of sustainable development. Tribal journalists have been playing a pivotal role with regard to their profession in the war zone, FATA.The is why he supported that security of tribal journalists was a must for the government. He invited the tribal journalists to see the documents full of informations and the hollow claims relating to expenditures of funds on development schemes in tribal areas, which are not existing on the ground. MNA Chattan from Bajaur and Farhad Shabab were also present in the meeting.

Body of suspected US spy found in Jamrud,4 custom officials kidnapped

sudhir — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:37:23 -0600

The body of a person killed on suspicion of spying for the United States was found in Jamrud tehsil of Khyber Agency on Wednesday, officials said. Political administration officials told that Khasadar personnel found the dead body in the Tauda Meela area. The killers left a letter alongside the body, warning that anyone spying for the Americans would be treated the same way. The identity of the killed person could not be ascertained until the filing of this report.

Meanwhile 4 custom officials were kidnapped from Ali Masjid on Wednesday while they were going to Peshawar from Torkham.Karam Ilahi,DC custom Torkham,his clerkKamran ,inspector Sedique Akbar and driver Bhutto.So far non of the militant groups have claimed responsibility of their abduction.Mostly abductions take place for ransome.

TUJ AND KHUJ etc demand implementation of wage award

sudhir — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:34:11 -0600

Journalists from NWFP and from across the Tribal areas, On call of the All Pakistan Newspapers Employees Confederation (APNEC) and Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), journalists and newspaper workers on Wednesday protested countrywide against non-implementation of the 7th Wage Award since October 2001.

The decision to observe ‘Protest Day’ on November 26 was taken in the joint meeting of the federal executive council and national executive committee of the two apex bodies of newspaper employees on November 7.

Protest rallies were held in Islamabad, Peshawar, Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, and Abbott bad.

Journalists demanded an immediate implementation of the 7th Wage Award and protested against sacking of hundreds of journalists from various newspapers and private TV channels and the abolition of contractual employment.

Karachi Union of Journalists, Khyber Union of Journalists, Tribal Union of Journalists and Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists also took out rallies in Karachi, Peshawar and Islamabad respectively, to protest the delay in the wage award’s implementation. It should be noted here that a vast majority of the Tribal Journalists are freelancers and don’t get paid from any newspaper, magazines or TV inside Pakistan. That is why the tribal journalists have resorted to work with International media organizations to get some payment and protection for their jobs. The tribal journalists are have been working zealously in FATA since 9/11 and the World knows that FATA has become a war zone and all the major forces have interests in tribal areas, but despite that the miserable tribal journalists don’t get any payment.Hlf a dozen of tribal journalists have been killed in tribal areas in the last few years and more that a dozen have been seriously wounded in the tribal areas ,but have not got enough compensation.

2 Shinwari businessmen kidnapped and a Sikh slaughtered

sudhir — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 07:12:33 -0600

Two Shinwari businessmen were kidnapped from Khyber in Landikotal here on Monday.Ilyas Shinwari and Adnan Shinwari were going to Peshawar in a white corolla car when unknown armed persons intercepted their car. They were taken to an unknown destination via Ziarai road in their white car known as (Ghwagai). The kidnappers left the car of the abducted Shinwaris along with two other persons who were relatives of the abducted Adnan and Ilyas Shinwari.Their car was brought to Landikotal Tehsil office, by Khasadar officials. The two kidnapped Shinwaris belong to a very respectable family, told a local Shinwari.He told that they were both grandsons of Haji Gul Hasan Shinwari who has been a known personality in the circle of businessmen community. The kidnappings on the main Pak Afghan high way have become usual and the political administration is not serious to take some concrete measures to control the law and order situation, observed a local elder on condition of anonymity. He also said that APA Muhammad Tuhab Khan was removed from Landikotal to propel this area into chaos and disorder. APA Landikotal was posted out in a very short span of time just to create disorder over here, as he was very active to against the miscreants, added the local person. Meanwhile a Sikh, a member of minority was slaughtered in Jamrud who had been reportedly kidnapped from Peshtakhara Peshawar, told a source of political administration.

Tribal Jirga seconds Qazi to block NATO supplies in country

sudhir — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 21:01:30 -0600

Chief of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Qazi Hussain Ahmad has warned of erecting barricades from Karachi to Khyber to stop supply of goods to Nato forces stationed in Afghanistan if the government did not change its policy regarding war on terror. Missiles strikes from US drones are no more tolerable, said Qazi.

“We demand of the government to change the policy of killing its own people and strengthening the US forces by giving them logistic and intelligence support, otherwise, we will impede the supply of goods from Karachi to Afghanistan via Khyber Pass and other parts of the country through the force of masses. Qazi said all this while addressing a grand tribal Jirga at Al-Markaz-e-Islami, provincial headquarters of JI in Peshawar, here on Sunday.

The JI chief observed that until and unless the government changes its foreign policy, the situation could not be improved. “When we ask the government and the Army to change pro-American policy, they say we cannot fight against the US. If fight against the US is impossible for our Army and the government, why are they fighting against our own people?” he questioned. Referring to a statement of Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Qazi said the army chief himself had said that they could not win the war without the support of the people. Therefore, he said, security forces should stop the ongoing operation in the tribal areas and some settled districts of the Frontier province forthwith in order to get support of the people.

The JI chief said the US was an enemy of Islam and the Muslims. “It wanted to dismember Pakistan, as it could not see a Muslim country to be a nuclear power,” Qazi said, adding that, the Taliban, al-Qaeda and other Jihadi organizations were not against Pakistan, but they opposed the US and its policies. “The way they were against the defunct USSR that had invaded Afghanistan, they are now opposed to the US invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq,” Qazi maintained.

He said there was no foreign fighter in the country. “Every Muslim, who fights in the way of Allah, is my brother. He is not alien to the country,” he said. He alleged that the US was busy plotting to disintegrate Pakistan. “The Americans want to complete their agenda through our own Army and the government. The rulers have adopted policies aimed at creating hatred among the people to divide them,” he alleged.

Professor Ibrahim Khan and Sirajul Haq, the JI leaders warned to give a call of march to Islamabad if the bloodshed in tribal region and Swat continued. They said that it was impossible to let the rulers sit in Bungalows and palaces with peace to enjoy while the tribesmen would be slaughtered like poultries. They held Zardari and Hoti accountable and responsible for all the bloodshed in tribal areas and Swat. They vowed to bring out the masses to the roads to agitate and remove the puppet regime in the NWFP and Islamabad to create peace in the country. The rulers and the army forces the countrymen to migrate in their own country which is shameful, said JI leaders. In the representative tribal grand Jirga tribesmen and elders from Waziristan to Bajaur Agency participated.

FC firing on Taliban convoy,Two Khasadars abducted from Landikotal

sudhir — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 07:20:42 -0600

Security forces opened fire on Taliban convoy at Charwazgai in Landikotal.The FC hit one of the jeeps of Taliban when they opened fire from the igloo post built on the mountain top on the west of the army camp at Landikotal.Taliban reportedly escaped unhurt while left one of the damaged jeeps on the spot, official sources. Taliban have not retaliated to fire the igloo post, added the sources. Later on the security forces brought the jeep into the army camp. A person told that some blood was seen inside the jeep as though some one had sustained injury in the firing, but it could not be confirmed. Taliban were just on the way to Jamrud from Shelman while the FC started firing all of a sudden from the igloo post, told another person. Taliban one day before this incident had distributed pamphlets in Landikotal regarding their mission. It was clear cut written that Taliban were not involved in kidnappings and killings of the innocent people nor they were in favour of blasts at public sites inside the country. Their mission was Jihad against Americans ets, said the pamphlet.

Meanwhile unknown armed persons reportedly kidnapped two Khasadars from Arkhandey check post near Kam Shelman.Kamal Khan and Sabeel Khan Shelmani were on their duty when the armed persons kidnapped them.On Friday a bomb had exploded in a trailer carrying US consignments in which three local persons had sustained injuries.