‘Pakistan in covert talks with Baitullah’

JUL 28 - The military has delayed a full-scale ground operation in South Waziristan Agency against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan chief Baitullah Mehsud as the two sides have covertly reached an understanding, the Telegraph UK claimed on Tuesday.

A report in the daily said details are still not known, but the military had deliberately delayed launching the attacks against Baitullah after “having corralled his stronghold in South Waziristan”.

Around six brigades of troops have blocked the four main arteries into Baitullah’s territory, which thousands have fled for fear of missile strikes by US drones.

There has also been no drone attacks for few weeks now.

And today, US Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke said at least seventy percent of the Taliban do not share the philosophy of Taliban and Al Qaeda, Dunya News reported.

Holbrooke said less violent Taliban, those who had renounced extremism, should be included in the political mainstream.

Citing a senior official, the UK paper reported that Islamabad authorities want Baitullah Mehsud to announce that he would not attack the government in the future. The official said it would not be a “total surrender”, but a guarantee on Baitullah’s part that he would not indulge in anti-state activities in the future.

The effort was underway because the military is engaged on several fronts and does not want a full-blown operation in Waziristan.

The claims have not been verified independently, the Telegraph reported, but said the delay was sure to anger the United States. Our observation is that may not be the case as Holbrooke is already talking about 70 percent Taliban being 'moderate'. News reports also say the West is involved in secret talks with them.

The military has meanwhile denied such reports and said it wanted to surround the Taliban and then use air power and artillery to “soften them up”.

The army has struck several peace deals with Baitullah in the past, but all have collapsed.


Related report:
Pakistan in ’secret negotiations’ with Baitullah Mehsud
Taliban Resume Attacks in Swat Valley

One Million Children May Miss Out On School in NWFP

JUL 23 - The United Nations' Children's Fund (UNICEF) says as many as one million children in the northwest region of Pakistan could miss out on school if buildings needed to house classrooms are not restored in time for the start of the new school year which begins on September 1st.

According to UNICEF, 60 percent of the two million people who fled their homes in the Swat Valley are children under the age of 18.

UNICEF's director of Emergency Programs in Pakistan, Louis-Georges Arsenault says more than 4,000 schools have been converted into shelters and about 200,000 homeless people are living there.

"And, also in Swat, as you probably have heard many times, some 200 schools were destroyed by the Taliban and 75 percent were girls schools ... If we are not able to have the precondition for these shelters to be in shape for the school year and also have the minimum for when the people are returning to the communities, one million children will be at risk of losing and not starting the school year in time," Arsenault said.

Arsenault says about 300,000 people are on the move back to Swat, Buner and Dir. He says the government is helping them to go back to their communities.

But Arsenault says UNICEF believes a great many people will remain behind.

He says preparations must be made to return children to school. Education materials must be purchased.

He says UNICEF will not be able to accomplish everything that needs to be done unless it receives more money. He says the agency is running a $20 million shortfall and this is seriously compromising its humanitarian operation.

Talk to Taliban with or without Karzai- Musharraf

JUL 20 - Former president Gen (R) Pervez Musharraf says dialogue has to be established with the Taliban and political progress, rather than military might, would achieve a solution in Afghanistan.

Musharraf however cautioned that the senior elements of the Taliban leadership may not be receptive to a dialogue with the incumbent President Karzai who is contesting for a second term of office in August polls and appears to have the support of the Obama administration and other Western nations.

"I personally think that you need to establish a political dialogue and political dialogue with senior elements within the Taliban. Unfortunately, the Taliban or the senior elements in the Taliban, I don't think are open at the moment to any discussions or any negotiations with (Afghan President Hamid) Karzai.

"We need to have people, whether through a jirga or whether it is the president himself, to have access into the Taliban."

Musharraf was giving an interview to British news channel Sky Television in London where he is presently based at. According to reports, he has no immediate plans to return to Pakistan soon where the Supreme Court is to take up cases on his Nov 3 2007 mis-actions.

"I think the (military) strategy is right but we need to put in a little more input, more forces required, and maybe we need to concentrate also on the long-term strategy. We are following a short-term military strategy only," the former general said.

Commenting on the Taliban , he said "The Taliban have done wicked things. But then we have to come to a solution. "Military is never the ultimate solution. The military can buy you time, it can create an environment, but ultimately it is the political instrument which has to be used.

Musharraf said the Taliban's influence in Pakistan's Afghan border areas had strengthened since he resigned the presidency in August last year.

"There is a degree of instability that has come up because of this resurgence of Talibanization activity in the settled districts of the frontier, especially Swat, but I am very sure as long as the armed forces of Pakistan stay and they are strong, Pakistan will remain stable," he said. (Based on AFP news report)

Mullen meets Gen Kayani and Gen Tariq Majeed

JULY 17 - US military chief Admiral Mike Mullen on Thursday separately met Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Tariq Majid and Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani in Islamabad.

They discussed matters of mutual interests during the meetings. Later, Admiral Mullen also visited Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp at Jalozai in NWFP.

In separate development, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called President Asif Ali Zardari on telephone in Islamabad late on Thursday. She assured President Zardari of US support to help rehabilitate Swat and Malakand IDPs, President spokesperson Farah Naz Asfahani said.

According to Ispahani, Clinton has said that the US will continue it support for the effectees of Swat and people of Pakistan. Clinton welcomed UN probe into the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, she concluded.

Meanwhile, news reports say a commander of TTP, and five extremists have been held in Khyber Agency. The militants were arrested during the security forces’ operations with a view to recovery of kidnapped officials of security forces including a chief commander Zarmat Khan.

The militants have been shifted to unknown place for stepping up investigation..

Al-Qaeda leadership hiding in Pakistan - Hillary Clinton

JUL 16 - Hillary Clinton, who is US Secretary of State said today that Al-Qaeda leadership was hiding in Pakistan, however US supports the new determination of Islamabad administration in actions against the militants and terrorists.

Clinton was addressing a gathering at council on foreign relations in Washington capital on Wednesday and said that success in Afghanistan could not be achieved without the support of Pakistan.

She said US supports efforts of Pakistani authorities against Al-Qaeda and Taliban.

She also offered to work out with those who were ready to disassociate themselves from Taliban and Al-Qaeda and abide by the law by laying down their arms.

She said she will visit Pakistan in fall this year. She plans to visit India from July 17.

Terror suspect arrested with suicide jacket in Islamabad

JULY 15 - A suspected terrorist was arrested and a suicide jacket and arms captured from him Wednesday.

The accused is said to be involved in murder of a police engineer.

The alleged terrorist has confessed his involvement in six bomb attacks in the federal capital Islamabad and other cities, ARY News reported.

Earlier, Minister of Interior Rehman Malik in a news conference had said that some terrorists were present in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Security was stepped up in Red Zone areas of these cities after the disclosure.

Taliban destroy NATO fuel tanker

JUL 15 - Suspected Taliban destroyed a NATO oil tanker in the Khyber Agency on Tuesday, triggering retaliatory mortar shelling that killed two men and injured two others.

The oil tanker was carrying 40,000 liters of oil to Afghanistan when the Taliban opened fire on it.

Fifteen-year-old Shahan Khan Afridi and tanker cleaner Nasir Khan Shelmani were killed in the shelling.

The driver of the tanker, Gul Syed Shinwari, and Irfan Khan, another resident of the area, were injured.

Two vehicles of the Khasadar Force were also damaged and one Khasadar was injured, a subedar told Daily Times.

13 al Qaeda suspects detained in Balochistan

JULY 14 - Law enforcement agencies in Balochistan have detained 13 suspected militants from a place near Dera Murad Jamali bearing foreign nationalities allegedly having links with al Qaeda network.

The militants were intercepted by the security personnel in a bus going to Multan from Quetta after receiving information about the movement of the militants.

The detentions were made on National Highway, somewhere between Sibi and Notal, from a Peshawar-bound passenger coach.

The detainees include five Afghans, three Turks, two Saudis and two Kuwaitis.

The detainees were carrying five suicide vests and an 11-kilogramme bomb in their baggage.

They were also carrying currency notes of 4,240 US dollars, 694,000 Pakistani rupees, 50,000 Iranian tumans and more than 100,000 Afghanis, reported Dawn News today. Some documents were also seized.

‘They were going to Multan for carrying out suicide attacks in southern Punjab,’ sources said.

Blast in Madrassa kills at least 11 including 7 children and a woman

JULY 13: The death toll of Mian Channu blast has reached to 11 as two more blast victims died in the hospital.

70 are reported injured, several said to be in critical condition.

Mian Channu is located about 90 kilometres east of Multan in Southern Punjab where Islamic militants are said to be active.

During rescue operations at the blast site, Rockets, bombs and other explosives were recovered.

Police said around 25 homes were flattened due to the force of the explosion.

According to The News citing sources, blast took place at a house of Hafiz Riaz where children were gathered for religious education. Several houses were destroyed in the blast as many people are still trapped under the rubble.

Rescue operations are underway. Dr. Naeem of tehsil headquarter hospital has confirmed the killing of nine people include seven children, a woman and a man.

DCO Khaniwal said the situation is unclear. Police sources said the blast formed a big crater at the scene. The injured were rushed to hospital among which 12 are reported in critical condition.

PM Gilani has condemned the blast and called inquiry report.

Two drone strikes in 1 day- Toll 60 but may increase

JUL 8 - At least 50 people have reportedly been killed in a second US missile strike today targeting suspected militants in the northwest tribal belt, both US and Pakistani medias reported.

The strike targeted suspected militants' five vehicles in Makeen near WANA district of South Waziristan Agency.

According to news reports, four guided missiles fired from a US drone hit the vehicles allegedly carrying suspected Taliban fighters, killing 25 of them and destroying the vehicles in the blitz.

The death toll may rise, reported AFP.

Earlier today, 10 militants were killed in another US missile strike Wednesday morning in the same region.

On Tuesday, a US missile strike pulverised a compound said to be in a stronghold of the Taliban warlord Baitullah Mehsud, killing at least 12 foreign and local militants.

The strike, carried out by a suspected unmanned US aircraft, destroyed a compound in the Zangara area of South Waziristan — part of the tribal belt called FATA on the Afghan border.

One missile struck a Taliban hideout in the hamlet of Chinakai, killing foreign and local militants, in a reference to suspected Al Qaeda and Taliban militants. It was not immediately clear whether any high-value target was present at the time of the strike.

Twelv bodies were pulled from under the rubble of the compound, which was destroyed in the strike.

Since Tuesday there has been three drone attacks in the last 24 hours and the death toll has rises to 37. Some reports say the toll is 40 and may increase.

There has been no immediate reaction from Islamabad.

US says it carries out drone strikes with the tacit approval of the Pakistan government.

Islamabad denies any such agremeent exists.