Pakistan Views

Several people have been killed during coalition forces operation in Angorada area of South Waiziristan on Wednesday morning.

According to private tv channel four helicopters of coalition forces landed in Angaorada in the wee hours of Wednesday and started search operation.

Coalition troops killed nine people of a family of local tribesman Taj Muhammad. They further searched two more houses and killed four persons in one house and one person in another house. Five women and four children also included among the dead.

At least fifteen people have been killed and several injured during operation. Local tribesmen launched protest and chanted anti-American slogans after the incident.

The bodies and injured have been shifted to hospital.

Pakistan Army claimed Monday to have routed Taliban militants in a stronghold near the Afghan border but turned up no sign of Osama bin Laden or al-Qaida no 2 Ayman al-Zawahri.

Pakistani officials said Monday that their forces had killed some 560 Pakistani and foreign fighters and thwarted a push to make Bajaur into a militant fortress.

Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said about 20 members of the security forces died and 30 others were missing.

“In our view, the back has been broken,” chief army spokesman told a foreign news agency. “Main leaders are on the run and the people of the area are now openly defying whatever the militants had achieved there.”

Officials including former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf have mentioned Bajaur as a possible hiding place for bin Laden or al-Zawahri.

Abbas said many foreigners were reportedly in Bajaur before the operation, but that many had probably fled to Afghanistan or other parts of Pakistan’s northwest and that the operation had turned up no trace of the al-Qaida chiefs.

Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik said Monday that authorities also received a report that al-Zawahri’s wife had been in the neighboring tribal region of Mohmand.

Pakistani forces stormed the location but didn’t find the couple, he said, without indicating when the raid took place. He said al-Zawahri moved between Mohmand and the Afghan provinces of Kunar and Paktika.

Malik accused the Afghan government of “inefficiency” for letting many of the estimated 3,000 militants who had gathered in Bajaur flee over the frontier.

According to Malik, the three weeks of fighting in Bajur had killed an uncertain number of civilians and badly damaged several villages. Of about 500,000 people who fled, many of them to government relief camps, about 30,000 had returned by Monday.

Dr Fozia Siddiqui, the sister of Dr Aafia detained in US custody for at least five years, Tuesday said condition of her sister (Aafia) is fast deteriorating as she is being denied appropriate medical treatment.

Talking in an ARY OneWorld programme, she said she feared for life of her sister owing to non-provision of medical treatment to her.

Fozia Siddiqui said US authorities did not brief her family about the nature of her wound and medical treatment being given to her; while, lawyers said her condition is fast worsening.

Aafia’s sister said Aafia is missing for at least five years and US authorities are leveling against her the charges of affiliations with Al-Qaeda, adding her sister is not involved in any act of terrorism including 9/11 event.

Fozia said she hoped that Aafia would soon be absolved from all these charges.

Dr Fozia said a US news television telecast a news report on April 2, 2003, clarifying that her sister is in custody of FBI and later on after 20 days, FBI officials confirmed this news.

Afia’s elder sister said no pact of prisoners’ transfer existed between Pakistan, Afghanistan and USA, adding without any swap of prisoners, the transfer of Pakistani national to US is illegal.

The moon for the holy month of Ramazan has been sighted and the Muslims across the country will observe their first fast today (Tuesday).

The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee which met here yesterday under the chairmanship of Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman announced that the moon of the holy month was sighted after it received sufficient evidence in this regard.

The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee received evidences of sighting moon from Badin, Karachi, Abbotabad, NWFP and other places.

The meetings of provincial and district Ruet-e-Hilal committees were also arranged across the country.

After the announcement of setting in Ramazan the Muslims congratulate one another in terms of embracing and the Taraweeh prayers were offered in the mosques across country.

Stringent security measures were observed especially out side the mosques at the time of Taraweeh prayers while people hoped to pay more heed to worship Allah during this holy month and prayed for stability of the country.

Security forces missed a chance to catch al Qaeda second in command Ayman al Zawahri, the government’s senior Interior Ministry official said on Monday. Zawahri and al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden have been in hiding since the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States and are both believed to be in Pashtun tribal lands that straddle border with Afghanistan.

Rehman Malik did not say when security forces had missed the chance to catch Zawahri or give any more detail about the incident. He also did not say where bin Laden might be.

Malik told a news conference Zawahri was moving between tribal areas and the eastern Afghan provinces of Kunar and Paktia. “We certainly had traced him at one place, but we missed the chance. So he’s moving in Mohmand and, of course, sometimes in Kunar, mostly in Kunar and Paktia,” he said.

Mohmand is one of seven Pakistani tribal regions where Malik said both Zawahri and his wife had been. Malik said Pakistani Taliban were working hand in glove with al Qaeda, providing them with shelter and acting as their mouthpiece.

“They have not only connections, I would say Tehrik-e-Taliban is an extension of al Qaeda,” he said, referring to a Pakistani Taliban umbrella group which authorities blame for a string of bomb attacks over the past year that have killed hundreds of people.

Government has announced to reduce prices of essential food items at the Utility stores in newly announced Ramadan package. However, people termed the supply of the Ramadan package insufficient.

People said that food items were still being sold at high rate in utility stores and complained about non-implementation of the relief package.

It may be recalled that government had announced the reduced prices of around 1300 food essentials.

On the occasion, people observed that quality of food available items was also not upto mark. They further complained that quantity being sold at the store was less then its original weight.

“There is a gap between demand and supply of food items,” people said.

Taliban will continue attacks during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, rejecting a government announcement it would halt military actions in tribal areas, a Taliban spokesman said on Sunday.

“It’s a joke. It isn’t a matter of holy or unholy. All months are holy. If they want to end fighting, it should be permanent,” Muslim Khan, Taliban spokesman in the Swat Valley, told Reuters by telephone.

“We want enforcement of Sharia laws and will continue our struggle. We haven’t got instructions from our top leadership to stop fighting. If they do (order a halt) then we certainly will.”

Government had said on Saturday that security forces would suspend operations from Sunday night for Ramadan, which ends at the beginning of October, but would retaliate if attacked.

Worries about security and politics have unnerved investors who have sent financial markets skidding lower. The country’s main share index has fallen about 36 percent this year.

The new Ramazan moon may be sighted today (Monday), according to astronomical parameters. Therefore, there is a fair chance that Ramazan One, 1429 AH should fall tomorrow (Tuesday). The moon crossed the conjunction line yesterday (Sunday) at 0058 Pakistan Summer Time (PST).

The sunset today will be at 1851 PST, and the evening civil twilight (ECTL) will be at 1914 PST. The moon will set at 1940 PST. Thus the age of the new moon will be 42 hours and 16 minutes at ECTL. It will set 49 minutes after sunset and 26 minutes after ECTL.

At the time of ECTL the moon will be at an altitude of five degrees and 41 minutes and at an azimuth of 263 degrees and six minutes. At sunset the moon will be at an altitude of ten degrees and 41 minutes. It will be at an azimuth of 260 degrees and 45 minutes. The weather is expected to be cloudy to partly cloudy.

At least 95 people including 77 militants were reportedly killed and another 194 sustained injuries in one of the worst skirmishes between warring tribes and Taliban in troubled Kurram Agency, political administration’s sources said on Sunday.

The fierce fighting between tribal Lashkar and pro-Taliban militants have been reported from Bagazai village and adjoining areas when the latter tried to recapture the trenches controlled by the former.

There are reports that 77 pro-taliban militants and 18 tribesmen were killed in the severe gun-battle.

Later, after exchange of heavy firing, the tribesmen recaptured the trenches and compelled Taliban fighters to leave the area. The injured have been shifted to Hangu, Sadda and Parachinar hospitals for treatment.

The rivals used heavy weaponry against each others position. The tribal Laskar has recovered huge quantity of explosive and lethal weapons from trenches at Bagazai and surrounding areas.

Asif Ali Zardari would obtain around 450 votes in the presidential elections, Advisor to Prime Minister for Industries and Production Manzoor Ahmed Watto said in a press conference here on Sunday.

The Charter of Democracy and the democratic values demand that Mian Nawaz Sharif should withdraw his presidential candidate Justice (Rtd) Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui, Watto said.

He said Mushahid Hussain Sayed is backed by only Muslim League (Q), while Zardari has backing in all provinces and at the centre, he further said.

Watto said the PPP would not give up the Punjab government; Muslim League (Nawaz), which has relinquished the central government, should withdraw from the government in Punjab, the federal advisor further said.

“Shahbaz Sharif would have to get vote of confidence against, if PPP quits the Punjab government”, he added.