QUETTA: As many as eleven bodies have been recovered from two separate graves found in Khuzdar district of Balochistan, provincial minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti said on Monday.

Bugti said the eleven bodies have raised to thirteen the number of bodies from the two graves in the Tutak area of Khuzdar.

“Investigation into the incidents has been started and soon the facts will be made public,” he said.

Speaking to a foreign news organisation earlier on Sunday, Bugti said the bodies – most of which were decomposed and beyond recognition – were discovered after a local shepherd reported to security personnel the discovery of bones, body parts and the possibility of a suspected mass-grave in the area.

Bugti had only confirmed the recovery of four bodies in his conversation with the news organisation. He confirmed the recovery of further bodies on Monday while speaking to the state-run news agency APP.

Bugti, however, dispelled the impression that ‘dozens’ of bodies were found from the grave.

“There is no truth in the media reports in which they have claimed that ‘dozens’ of dead bodies were recovered in Khuzdar,” he claimed.

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani Taliban may be planning attacks on tourists in the country's mountainous north, where 10 foreign climbers were massacred last year, officials warned Monday.

Thousands of tourists visit Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral each year, many drawn by the area’s impressive mountains and glaciers, including the world’s second highest peak K2.

Pakistan has seen a surge in militant attacks in recent weeks and officials are warning these may spread to the north as the spring tourist season gets under way.

“The interior ministry has officially informed Gilgit-Baltistan that the Pakistani Taliban can strike the region,” a senior official of the Gilgit-Baltistan administration told foreign news agency AFP on condition of anonymity. “The interior ministry has warned of suicide bombings and attacks on tourists in the region.”

Another official, also speaking anonymously, confirmed the warning.

The climbing industry in northern Pakistan was badly hit by the attack on foreign mountaineers at the foot of Pakistan's second highest mountain Nanga Parbat in June last year.

It was the deadliest assault on foreigners in the country for a decade. Those killed were an American with dual Chinese citizenship, three Ukrainians, two Chinese, two Slovakians, one Lithuanian and a Nepalese. A Pakistani guide was also killed.

Police in Gilgit-Baltistan said they were not aware of any specific threat by the Pakistani Taliban but were remaining vigilant.

“We have enhanced security as part of a routine exercise, keeping in mind the latest bout of violence throughout the country,” the deputy chief of Gilgit-Baltistan police, Sher Ali, told AFP.

Police have arrested 18 people over the Nanga Parbat killings but sources in the investigation team formed to probe the matter say they have detained only three actual perpetrators.

ISLAMABAD: Staying short of publicly announcing a full-fledge military operation against Taliban militants in Pakistan, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Monday said the government would take every step to bring peace and stability in the country to save the future generations.

“Without eliminating terrorism and extremism, we cannot place Pakistan on fast track of development,” he said while speaking to the parliamentary party meeting of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) which was held at the PM office.

Sources informed DawnNews that a majority of PML-N parliamentarians supported launching the military offensive against Pakistani Taliban in the meeting while few were still favouring peace talks without majority’s support.

The prime minister said that officers and soldiers of the armed forces laying down their lives were their heroes and their blood would not go in vain.

“We are a peaceful nation and believe in peaceful relations based on respect with all our neighbors including India. We need to begin a new era of peace and stability, which will be beneficial for Pakistan as well as the whole region.”

“We have to rebuild the image of Pakistan as a peace loving country,” said the premier, adding that this can be achieved only through hard work and combined efforts of all stakeholders including parliamentarians, civil society, executive, judiciary and defence forces.

About the issue of law and order and terrorism, he said that situation in Karachi has improved and a 40 per cent decrease in the heinous crimes has been observed which is due to the concerted efforts of government and law enforcement agencies.

“We are going through an extraordinary situation, and this situation demands tough decisions,” he added.

Sharif said the country was facing two major problems; fragile economy and terrorism, adding that on economic front, the government had taken actions which were proving to be fruitful.

He said that economic indicators, despite law and order situation, were positive, adding that a corruption free society and transparent system was the road to progress.

Deliberating upon the energy situation, PM Sharif said that though the problem has not been fully resolved, the power availability was better this year as compared to last year.

Earlier, Federal Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar and Federal Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan briefed the meeting on the economic and security policies of the government.

Dar said that positive government policies have increased the chances of accessing international capital market and all international financial institutions were engaged with Pakistan.

Chaudhry Nisar said that the National Internal Security Policy (NISP) has been devised and would be implemented after approval of the federal cabinet.

Shah urges PM to announce terrorism policy in NA

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) said that PM Sharif should give a policy statement regarding the deteriorating law and order situation in the country.

Chairing the joint opposition parliamentary parties meeting, held at the Parliament House, he expressed that it would show the seriousness of the premier if he himself declares the policy to cope with terrorism across the country at the National Assembly's forum.

Sharif has been under criticism from the opposition and media circles for his constant absence from the parliament since his election as the leader of house.

The joint opposition parties staged a walk out from the National Assembly in protest against the prime minister’s unwillingness to attend the session of the lower house of parliament.

They also tabled an adjournment motion to evacuate the PM’s seat due to his prolong absence from the house.

All meetings of PML-N parliamentary group held from time to time during the National Assembly sessions over the past few months were presided over by senior party leader and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.

Khursheed Shah also informed that opposition parties have some reservations regarding Protection of Pakistan Ordinance (PPO) which should be settled down with mutual understanding otherwise it would create a gap between treasury and opposition benches.

“It was better that the ordinance should have been presented in the National Assembly through proper channel instead of passing an ordinance,” he maintained.

WASHINGTON: Advisor to the prime minister on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz Monday said Pakistan’s security worries should be addressed as the US winds down the war in neighboring Afghanistan over the next year.

He reminded US diplomats that Pakistan will face the brunt of any instability that could engulf Afghanistan after 2014, when the Obama administration has pledged to end the combat mission.

The White House currently is weighing whether to leave up to 10,000 troops for so-called advise-and-assist missions in Afghanistan after December. But the Obama administration is deeply divided on how many troops, if any, should remain.

Aziz spoke at a top-level State Department meeting focusing on strategic ties between the US and Pakistan.

The United States and Pakistan were meeting for the first time since October 2010 for their “strategic dialogue.”

The Pakistani diplomat said that Islamabad wanted to turn a “transactional relationship” into a deeper partnership in which the United States “will not look at Pakistan from the two specific lenses of Afghanistan and terrorism.”

Aziz repeated common Pakistani complaints that the United States abandoned the country in the early 1990s after they collaborated to defeat Soviet forces in Afghanistan.

“Similarly, there’s a strong perception in Pakistan that a lot of pressure is exerted on Pakistan on issues of concern to India; our legitimate concerns are not conveyed to India with the same intensity,” he said.

The United States has repeatedly asked Pakistan to respond to India’s requests to prosecute Islamic extremists involved in the 2008 attack on Mumbai which killed 166 people.

US tells Pakistan of ‘tiger’ potential

US Secretary of State John Kerry said that Pakistan had the potential to become a future economic tiger as he backed reforms and inclusion of women and minorities.

He was heading the US team that met with Aziz.

The process was undertaken to build trust between the two countries but it quickly broke down due to a series of crises, including Pakistani rage over the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

Kerry, who as a senator spearheaded a multibillion-dollar support package for the country, said the United States wants “stronger ties with the people of Pakistan – I emphasize, with the people of Pakistan –” as the Afghan war which forged their partnership winds down.

He praised Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's economic reforms, which include efforts to build Pakistan's miniscule tax base, as part of a $6.7 billion loan package from the International Monetary Fund.

“The United States has no doubt that Prime Minister Sharif's policies will put Pakistan on a path towards a more prosperous future, and we fully support his goal of making Pakistan's marketplace a tiger economy for the 21st century,” Kerry said.

The United States has added 1,000 megawatts of capacity to Pakistan's troubled electricity grid and is looking at greater cooperation in energy, education and infrastructure, Kerry said.

Kerry also warned that Pakistan's women and minorities needed to be part of its future.

Pakistan has been ravaged by sectarian violence, with religious hardliners – many enjoying virtual impunity – killing hundreds of minority Shias and Ahmadis in recent years.

“We believe very strongly that Pakistan is stronger for the diversity and dynamism of its people and is strongest when every man and woman in Pakistan, regardless of religion or sect or gender, participates in full in society,” Kerry said.

Pakistan has trudged forward at a growth rate of around three per cent over the past five years, short of the levels seen as needed for the youthful country to tackle widespread poverty.

The growth is well below the growth clocked by East Asia's “tiger” economies or neighbor and historic rival India.

The central State Bank of Pakistan has been more optimistic, projecting GDP growth of up to four percent in the current fiscal year.

The IMF has said that Pakistan is on track with reforms but has warned of dwindling foreign reserves and moved upcoming consultations to outside the country due to security concerns.

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan Monday apprised the National Assembly that the government was decisively consulting all stakeholders including the politicians and security agencies to heed afresh offer of dialogue from Pakistani Taliban.

“As the nation seemed to be forging unity on the issue of terrorism, they once again showed willingness for dialogue. We will have to decide as how to move forward. But for this, we should set aside our political motives and associations,” he said responding to the points raised by the opposition members as the house was discussing country's law and order situation.

The minister said since 9/11, the country faced around 2,000 terror incidents and that the political unity was a must to ensure success of any decision, either it is dialogue or the military operation against the militants.

He said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) never politicized the issue of terrorism during last five years and always called for consensus through all parties conference.

Nisar said the government had established contacts with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and during the correspondence, the TTP leader proposed seven names for peace talks.

He said even at that time, some of the Taliban factions opposed talks with TTP chief Hakimullah Mehsud as, according to them, it could promote his profile but the government opted only to talk with the central leadership.

The minister said he was unsure whether Hakimullah took his leadership into confidence as they demanded to keep all developments secret. However, the process came to a halt after drone attack killed Hakimullah Mehsud, he said.

Recalling his meeting with a US representative, the minister said he remained stick to the stance that the drone strike sabotaged the dialogue process despite clarifications from the American side.

However, he said the newly elected TTP leader Mullah Fazlullah flatly refused to hold dialogue with the government considering the US and Pakistan's government responsible for Hakimullah's murder.

“With whom the government will hold dialogue if there is no willingness from the other side,” he questioned.

The interior minister said within seven months, the government strived to initiate dialogue process besides formulating an internal security policy.

Imran hails Nisar, assures support if taken onboard

Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan extended support to the government on countering terrorism but demanded repeatedly to take all political forces in the country into confidence on the progress.

“I second the stance of Chaudhry Nisar. His sincerity to resolve the issue is above board. Terrorism has been swelling over last nine years and it is a complicated issue,” he said in National Assembly in response to the interior minister’s speech.

He also assured no politicking on the issue, however, demanded that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif should ensure leadership to the nation.

“I can understand the hazards in talks as well as operation and this situation demands a true leadership.”

The PTI chief said some Taliban groups are being funded from abroad and when the government tries to start talks with some groups, other opt for bombings.

“But, we assure the prime minister and the government that we won’t go for point scoring on this issue.”

“I do understand it is a difficult situation. But, we are also a party and answerable to masses. At least we should have something to tell our party and the people,” said Khan.

The PTI chief said the present situation was worrisome and demanded a well thought-out strategy to meet with the challenge of terrorism as well as the situation which has to emerge in the region after the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan.

Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Shiekh Rasheed Ahmed said after targeted operation, Taliban suffered massive loss and they will show a massive reaction.

He said the situation is gruesome but the opposition is with the government. Therefore, whatever decision the government makes, must be made with sincerity.

“Ball is now in government's court. So whatever decision needs to be made that should be final,” he added.

ISLAMABAD: The Protection of Pakistan (Amendment) Ordinance promulgated on Jan 22 for providing legal cover to enforced disappearances has been challenged before the Supreme Court.

The joint petition, submitted by advocates Inamur Raheim and Tariq Asad on Monday, sought a declaration from the court that the legislation was a draconian law as it was inconsistent with the fundamental rights of citizens.

The ordinance, which authorised the security forces to withhold information about the identity of a detained person and the place of detention, has been widely criticised by rights activists and politicians, especially Asma Jehangir who alleged that the ordinance would push the country further towards a security state rather than a welfare state.

“The PPO is a conspiracy against the armed forces by dragging them in civil matter that would eventually affect their efficiency and lower their respect among the people,” Inamur Raheim said while talking to Dawn.

The federal government, through the secretaries for law and interior, as well as the principal secretary to the president, are respondents in the petition.

The PPO does not provide any protection to the citizens of Pakistan who are abducted by law enforcement agencies in an unlawful manner, the petition alleges, adding that no law, including the preventive detention laws, is above the constitution.

“But here the PPO provides ample powers to law enforcement agencies to infringe upon the fundamental rights of citizens, especially when the liberty of a man could not be curtailed and that no government, which was elected by the people for the exclusive benefits of the people, could take away that freedom unless it is absolutely necessary,” the petition said.

“The constitution also guarantees the inviolability of dignity of man, which had also been greatly emphasised by the Supreme Court in a 1996 judgement suggesting that the meaning of life means enabling a man not only to sustain life but to enjoy it.

“Article 14 of the constitution also provides that the dignity of man and the privacy of home have to be respected at all cost and that the fundamental right to preserve and protect the dignity of man under Article 14 is unparalleled.

“The constitution emphasises that no action detrimental to the life, liberty, body, reputation or property of any person would be taken except in accordance with the law. Similarly nobody would be prevented from or be hindered in doing that which is not prohibited by law, besides no person will be compelled to do which the law does not require him to do.

“Moreover, Article 10 also provides safeguards from arrest and detention or allowed detention without being informed of the grounds for such arrest, nor shall he be denied the right to consult and be defended by a legal practitioner of his choice.

“Every person who is arrested and detained in custody is required to be produced before a magistrate within a period of 24 hours of such arrest, excluding the time necessary for the journey from the place of arrest to the court of the nearest magistrate, and no such person shall be detained in custody beyond the said period without the authority of a magistrate.”

The petition also emphasised Article 10-A, which ensures the right to fair trial.

ISLAMABAD: The prosecution in the high treason case rejected on Monday a military doctors’ report on the health of retired General Pervez Musharraf and termed it an “attempt to thwart the judicial process”.

The three-member special court headed by Justice Faisal Arab of the Sindh High Court had on Jan 16 ordered formation of a medical board comprising senior doctors of the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology to verify the state of health of Gen Musharraf.

Advocate Mohammad Akram Sheikh, head of the prosecution team, submitted an application before the court and raised a number of objections to the report prepared by the medical board comprising Maj Gen Syed Imran Majeed, commandant and executive director of AFIC; Brigadier Safdar Abbas, deputy commandant of AFIC; Brigadier Mohammad Qaiser Khan and Colonel Mohammad Afsheen Iqbal of AFIC and National Institute of Heart Diseases.

In its report, the medical board declared the condition of Gen Musharraf as critical and recommended his treatment at a place of his choice.

The prosecution said “the (AFIC) report is inconclusive and makes attempts to thwart the judicial process by urging the special court to come to a decision regarding further procedures / interventions without expressing as to whether the prerequisite tests prior to angiogram have been performed, indicating the necessarily for the same”.

It said findings of the report were inconclusive and deliberately vague. “The report discloses no reasons as to why a patient of such a disease needs constant hospitalisation since Jan 2, especially without any progress in his clinical evaluation or management.”

The prosecution said the medical report was unsatisfactory and did not even come close to addressing any of the questions which the board was bound to answer in terms of court’s Jan 16 order.It said the AFIC had been asked to state “how precarious is the health condition of the accused which restricts his movement so as to prevent him from attending the court? Has the accused undergone any surgery or other medical procedure during his stay in the hospital or any surgery or medical procedure is planned to be undertaken during his hospitalisation? For how long the accused has been advised for further hospitalisation?”

It said the instant medical report had come to an erroneous conclusion regarding the state of health of the accused.

The prosecution incorporated into the report the opinion of US cardiologist Dr Ismail Bokhari which said that the “cardiac examination (of Musharraf) was perfectly normal …this patient is in the hospital since Jan 2 and continues to have normal electrocardiograms and cardiac biomarkers. Chance for serious cardiac disease is very low”.

The prosecution contended that military doctors had submitted a self-styled report and it was virtually a duplication of the report of Jan 7 in which the AFIC recommended “coronary angiography” for Gen Musharraf to ascertain the possibility of further interventions, like coronary artery bypass surgery.

“The medical report reveals that no further tests have been carried out on the accused since the submission of the last medical report which has been submitted after a gap of sixteen days and the same diagnosis of coronary angiography is reiterated.”

The prosecution said: “In the instant report the board has come to an entirely new conclusion on the same data as before that this disease is of ‘grave concern’. That if such a grave concern was present as is alleged, then the question arises as to why this concern was not either shown in the first report or why no further diagnostic testing been has carried out. The report also has not suggested any aggressive management of the disease, which shockingly suggests absence of any cardiac ailment.”

It said such a long hospitalisation when no diagnostic process had to be carried out was against the established norms of medical rules. “It is now manifest that the accused is prolonging stay in hospital in order to evade the judicial process.”

The prosecution requested the court to pass appropriate orders for the attendance of the accused as per the mandate of law.

PESHAWAR: Three main opposition parties in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa joined hands on Monday to contest the upcoming local government elections in the province jointly.

The decision was taken in a joint meeting of the three parties -- Awami National Party, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl and Pakistan People’s Party -- held here with Mian Iftikhar Hussain of ANP in the chair.

Syed Aqil Shah, Advocate Khushdil Khan, Advocate Sadruddin Marwat and Malik Ghulam Mustafa of ANP; Rahimdad Khan, Hamayun Khan, Faisal Karim Kundi, Najmuddin Khan of PPP and Maulana Attaur Rehman, Haji Ghulam Ali, Asif Iqbal Daudzai, Abdul Jalil Jan and Maulana Amanat Shah of JUI-F attended the meeting.

The meeting after detailed discussion decided that all three political parties would participate in the upcoming local government elections as an alliance and would filed joint candidates.

The meeting also decided that the tri-party alliance would direct its respective district organisations for holding joint meetings to give practical shape to the alliance with mutual consent and adopt procedure for fielding of unanimous candidates.

The participants of the meeting agreed that any member party of the alliance would not hold separate negotiations with any other political party without permission of the other two partner parties.

They said that alliance with any independent group at district level would also require consent of all component parties of the alliance.

The alliance for the local bodies' elections would be made at district level, however, in case of any difficulty the provincial leaders of the member parties would make efforts resolve the problem and remove differences at district level.

During the meeting, the representatives of all three parties demanded of the provincial government to hold early local government elections. They said that they would contest the local government elections on a single symbol if there were no constitutional complications.

They said that they would field joint candidates whether the elections were held on party or non-party base. The meeting also decided that the party concerned would take disciplinary action against its workers if they tried to contest elections against the official candidates of the alliance.

The meeting decided to form a committee for looking after affairs of the alliance. The office-bearers of the committee would be nominated on rotation basis for a period of one month.

The participants of the meeting nominated Mian Iftikhar Hussain chairman of the committee for the current month with Ghulam Ali as vice chairman, Najmuddin Khan as general secretary and Abdul Jalil Jan as information secretary. The agreement regarding the alliance was signed by Mian Iftikhar Hussain, Maulana Attaur Rehman and Rahimdad Khan. — APP

KARACHI: Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and son of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto has called on the country’s political leadership to wake up to the threat posed by militant groups including the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Speaking to the BBC's Lyse Doucet in an interview, Bilawal said some of the country’s political leaders were afraid to take a clearly defined position on the issue of talks with the Taliban.

The PPP chairman said “we are failing” as the country’s brave voices were dying out one after the other, adding that if we acted in unison, the Taliban would not be able to challenge us.

On the topic of negotiations with the Taliban, Bilawal said Pakistan should maintain a strong position and for that the militants would have to first be defeated and subdued.

Bilawal added that there was no consensus in the country on the issue of holding talks and whatever consensus had been developed earlier was wasted by the politicians who called Pakistan’s war America’s war.

Moreover, Bilawal opined that such politicians had pushed the nation into a mirage, adding that talks must be held on the condition of the Taliban laying down their weapons.

The patron-in-chief of PPP also reflected that his life was threatened due to him being stridently against the actions of the Taliban.

On the issue of elections, he said his objective was not to become the country’s prime minister but to unite the nation and bring peace and stability in the country.

PESHAWAR: Police on Tuesday foiled a sabotage attempt and defused a half-kilogram bomb in Peshawar's Bhana Mari area, DawnNews reported.

According to the police, the bomb was installed near the Ghazi Baba shrine next to a house.

On receiving a tip-off, police summoned the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) team personnel who reached the site and successfully defused it.

According to BDS personnel, a timer device was also fitted with the bomb.

Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, lies on the edge of Pakistan's tribal areas which have been labelled by Washington as the main sanctuary for Al Qaeda and Taliban militants in the country.

The city has seen frequent attacks by militants in the past few years, with targets ranging from civilians to policemen and other law enforcement personnel.

KURRAM AGENCY: A woman was killed and two others were injured when two landmine explosions occurred in the Kurram tribal region, DawnNews reported.

According to official sources, unknown persons had installed two bombs at a roadside in the Sarsarang area of Upper Kurram near the Pak-Afghan border.

Three women, who were walking on the road, struck the bombs, causing them to explode loudly. Subsequently, one woman was killed and her two daughters sustained injuries.

The injured women were shifted to Agency Headquarters Hospital.

Following the incident, the political administration in the area cordoned off the site of explosion and a search operation went underway.

Kurram, which is close to the Pak-Afghan border, is one of the seven regions in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), governed by tribal laws.

An extremist insurgency led by the Pakistani Taliban plagues the region while the area is known to be infested with militants, including those from Al Qaeda, Taliban and several other armed extremist organisations.

ISLAMABAD: During a meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the federal capital on Tuesday, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak demanded the replacement of Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) chief Tariq Sadozai, DawnNews reported.

The KP government has been protesting against prolonged power outages and had also earlier alleged that Sadozai was the real problem-maker in the province.

Earlier on Sunday, the sour working relationship between the KP government and Pesco got further bitter after Provincial Information Minister Shah Farman raided the company chief’s residence and accused him of stealing electricity through illegal connections taken directly from the power distribution line.

Khattak also complained against the attitude of Minister of State for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali. The latter had earlier accused the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf-led government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of protecting electricity thieves, taking Pesco staff hostage for ransom and “provincialising” the national energy challenge.

Meanwhile, matters relating to terrorism and negotiations with banned militant organisation Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were also discussed in the meeting as well as other regional issues.

Separately, the blockade of Nato supplies to Afghanistan via Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was also deliberated upon.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met with Army Chief General Raheel Sharif on Tuesday to discuss the overall security situation in the country, DawnNews reported.

According to a statement from the PM House, the matter of peace talks with the Taliban was discussed at the meeting, and the premier also took the army chief's views on the militant's offer of dialogue.

Sharif had also discussed the matter with top leaders of his Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) at a parliamentary party meeting on Monday. Sources told Dawn that a majority of members were of the opinion that full force should be used without any further delay against those militant groups which are involved in killing innocent people and security personnel.

The prime minister apprised the army chief today of the outcome of the parliamentary party meeting. The two also reviewed measures to curb terrorism, and discussed the possibilities of a targeted operation against terrorists.

This is the second meeting between the two in less than a week. The premier and the Chief of Army Staff met on Thursday in the wake of recent terrorism incidents in Bannu, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Mastung and Karachi.

KARACHI: Rangers' personnel on Tuesday conducted a targeted operation in different areas of Karachi and arrested 29 suspects.

The raids were conducted in the areas of Wazir Goth, Korangi 100 Quarters, Shah Faisal Colony, Bilal Colony, Bhittaiabad, Nishterabad, Gulshan-e-Ghazi, Mujahid Colony, Orangi and Lyari.

Meanwhile, police killed a suspect, who was allegedly involved in murders, extortion activities and drug peddling, during an encounter with criminals as well as an exchange of fire in Karachi's Sukhia Ground, Old Sabzi area, said a statement on Tuesday.

Twenty-nine hardened criminals, including Lyari gang-war elements and criminals affiliated with political groups as well as members of defunct groups involved in heinous crimes, were arrested in the targeted raids.

Moreover, Rangers' personnel also recovered 40 weapons, including short machine guns (SMGs), Uni-Barrel Rocket Launchers, G-3 rifles, hand-grenades and mixed ammunition.

Karachi, the largest metropolitan city of Pakistan, is riddled with targeted killings, gang wars, kidnappings for ransom, extortion and terrorism. Targeted operations led by Rangers’ forces with the support of police are ongoing in the city under a directive issued by the federal government against criminals already identified by federal, military and civilian agencies.

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government claims there has been no stoppage or ban of the launch of Malala Yousafzai's book at a university in Peshawar, and that it was “only an issue of venue.”

Organisers and officials said the launch ceremony for the education activist’s memoir “I am Malala” at the Area Study Centre of Peshawar University was cancelled after pressure from the provincial government.

News of the reported cancellation of the ceremony baffled Imran Khan, the chief of the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) which heads the provincial government.

“I am at a complete loss to understand why Malala's book launch in Peshawar was stopped. PTI stands 4 freedom of expression & debate,” he tweeted.

Shireen Mazari, the vice president of the PTI, said Tuesday in a message on social media website Twitter: “Shah Farman Info Min KP clarified that there has been no ban or stoppage of launch of Malala's bk in Peshawar. It was only an issue of venue.”

Provincial information minister Shah Farman confirmed the administration had halted the ceremony.

“It is true that we stopped them and there were many reasons for that,” said Farman.

He said the venue was “not suitable” for the launch and accused organisers of using the event as a way to get money from the United States. “It was just to get more US funding,” Farman said.

He said that the politically-affiliated Bacha Khan Foundation could have held the ceremony at the Awami National Party (ANP) headquarters, the Bacha Khan Markaz, at any hotel or anywhere they wanted to.

The “government is ready to support them but using educational institutions for political gains would disrupt the educational environment for the students,” he said.

He said that the KP government encourages healthy debate and discussions but this book is the personal writing of Malala Yousafzai and had nothing to with educational activities of the university and was being “used for political mileage.”

Khadim Hussain, the head of the Bacha Khan Education trust which was supporting the launch ceremony, said the pressure to cancel the event was a sop to militants.

“They stopped us to please Taliban, we will soon announce another date for the book launching,” Hussain told news agency AFP.

A senior police official said allowing the ceremony to go ahead would have meant attracting Taliban attacks in future.

“Everyone knows that Taliban are against Malala, so we do not want to open another front for ourselves,” the official said, requesting anonymity.

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani on Tuesday said it was clear form the Supreme Court’s July 31 verdict in 2009 that the constitution was violated by imposition of emergency on November 3, 2007.

A 14-member larger SC bench, headed by the chief justice, was hearing the review petition filed by former military ruler Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf against the SC verdict which maintained the sacking of superior court judges and other actions taken by him, under imposition of emergency, null and void.

During the course of proceedings, petitioner’s counsel Ibrahim Satti apprised the court that Musharraf was given the right to make amendments in the constitution and changes were made in more than 100 articles.

The former president had issued a new oath for judges following the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) of 2000 and former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was also among those judges, who took oath under the PCO, he added.

Satti said the July 31 verdict had declared the proclamation of emergency as unconstitutional but it did not stated that the step was equal to breaching the constitution.

He said a reference was also filed against the ex-chief justice on March 9, 2007 while the SC ordered to restore Iftikhar Chaudhry on July 20, 2007. After the restoration of former CJ, the referring authority did not file a review petition, he added.

The petitioner’s counsel argued that the original draft of the PCO was not made a part of the court's order.

On this, Chief Justice Jillani inquired about the content of the original draft. Satti replied that emergency was imposed on November 3, 2007 upon consultation with the armed forces and the chief of the army staff.

Governors, corps commanders and the army chief were onboard regarding the decision, he added.

Ibrahim Satti argued that the July 31 verdict was declared to be void in the Iqbal Tikka case decision.

The court questioned whether Article 6 of the Constitution was to be declared as unconstitutional and ineffective.

“If any person takes steps today similar to those taken on November 3, 2007 whether the same will not be in violation of the Constitution?”

Musharraf's counsel said the November 3 step was given protection in the Tikka Iqbal case. Uopn this, Justice Saqib observed that this case decision had already been declared void.

The counsel said the emergency was proclaimed on November 3, 2007 due to the situation similar to that on October 12, 1998. However, all institutions except the judiciary were functioning as per routine on November 3.

“Whether the emergency was imposed for the judiciary only,” the court asked. “Unfortunately it is true,” Musharraf's counsel replied.

The lawyer said his client had not been given the right to present his stance in the court.

“Whether he was unaware about the case?” asked Justice Jawwad. “He knew but was not in a position to appear before the court,” said the counsel.

Satti told the court that former prime minister Shaukat Aziz had apprised Pervez Musharraf through a letter that the country was going through a constitutional crisis.

He said Musharraf issued three orders on November 3, 2007. The first order was issued as the chief of the army staff while the other regarding the judges' oath was issued as the president of Pakistan.

He said no one had claimed that Abdul Hameed Dogar was not the chief justice when he was at the helm. Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was restored through an executive order on March 16 and he waited for Dogar's retirement till March 24, 2009.

Satti said when the case was initiated, Musharraf was not a party to the case. The Attorney General gave a statement on behalf of the federation that the government did not support the November 3, 2007 steps.

The chief justice remarked that the parliament did not endorse the steps taken on November 3, 2007.

Musharraf’s counsel told the court that the former president had received the notice for appearance on April 22, 2009 but he was in London due to the threats he had received from Taliban militants.

It may be mentioned here that a 14-member SC bench had declared the November 3, 2007 emergency imposed by Gen (retd) Musharraf as illegal and unconstitutional.

The court adjourned the hearing for Wednesday and directed Ibrahim Satti to complete his arguments till 11:30 am.

ISLAMABAD: The family of a mentally ill British man sentenced to death in Pakistan for blasphemy has urged London to intervene to seek his release.

Mohammad Asghar was sentenced by a court in Rawalpindi, near the capital Islamabad, last week for writing letters claiming to be a prophet.

The special court inside Rawalpindi's Adiyala Jail, where Asghar is being held, rejected defence claims that Asghar has mental health problems.

But a statement from the British charity Reprieve, which is helping Asghar’s family, said the 69-year-old was detained by authorities in Scotland in 2010 because of mental problems and diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

“We are really upset and concerned that they will never release him and that he will die in jail. He has already attempted suicide unsuccessfully,” Asghar's family said in the statement released on Monday.

“We just want him back home where hopefully he can be treated for and recover from his mental illness.

“We urge the British Government to intervene and bring him home to us where he will be safe.”

Blasphemy is an extremely sensitive issue in Pakistan, where 97 per cent of the population is Muslim and insulting the Holy Prophet (PBUH) can carry the death penalty.

But the country has had a de facto moratorium on civilian hangings since 2008. Only one person has been executed since then, a soldier convicted by court martial.

Rights groups say the tough blasphemy laws are frequently abused to settle personal scores.

The family says the allegations against Asghar stem from a property dispute with one of his tenants.

Reprieve also complained that Asghar's legal team had been denied access to him since his conviction.

BANNU: Thousands of villagers have fled their homes in Pakistan's North Waziristan region, fearing a major military operation by armed forces after they said dozens of people had been killed in air strikes targeting Taliban militants earlier this month.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government says all those who were killed in the swift Jan 21 operation were militants, but local residents in the volatile region bordering Afghanistan said the death toll included many civilians.

The Pakistani army was not available to comment on the possibility of further operations.

Sharif has been under intense pressure from hawks within his administration to take aggressive military action against Pakistani Taliban after his efforts to engage them in talks floundered in recent months.

The airstrikes last week came a day after a Taliban suicide bomber killed 13 people in a crowded market near the capital Islamabad and two days after the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) – Pakistani wing of the Islamist militant group – killed 20 troops in the northwest town of Bannu.

Fearing another offensive by armed forces, a wave of refugees left the region to take shelter in schools, private homes and veterinary clinics in the normally more peaceful areas of Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan on the edge of the tribal belt.

A senior official in Bannu said 23,000 refugees had fled to the town.

“Innocent women and children were hit in the air offensive in North Waziristan,” said Janaat Bibi, 90, a refugee in Bannu, who added that she was suffering from high fever.

“We walked on foot for several kilometres at night until the bombing died down. Then we got a lift on a tractor and arrived in Bannu.”

People in North Waziristan, a rugged land of rocky mountains and steep valleys that is home to several al Qaeda-linked groups, live in constant fear of being targeted by both the Taliban and government troops.

“They are moving their families in anticipation of an army operation,” said a government relief official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“There is no operation going on and we as a government body have not been informed about it either, but the people seem to be afraid. They want to flee before there is a state of emergency.”

Many refugees in Bannu said the government had made no arrangements to provide them with shelter.

A charity wing of Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), a religious political party, was seen distributing rations and blankets to the refugees – a frequent sight in Pakistan where Islamist groups often step in to offer relief during crises.

“We were forced to leave our house behind by the heavy pounding of the jets. On our way to Bannu we were harassed at several check posts by security officials,” said Najeebullah, 26, who fled with 25 members of his family.

“We will not return to our homes unless we are satisfied that there will be no more bombings.”

WASHINGTON: The Pakistan-US relationship is on an upward trajectory, with bilateral cooperation in wide-ranging economic and security areas moving well, National Security and Foreign Affairs Advisor Sartaj Aziz told a Washington think tank on Tuesday.

Aziz, who led Pakistan at the Strategic Dialogue with US Secretary of State John Kerry this week, also touched on some of the mutual concerns the two sides have had in recent years and said building trust could greatly spur the bilateral relationship.

In a speech at the Atlantic Council, Aziz noted that Washington is being appreciative of Pakistan's views on some key regional issues.

“On the whole, the relationship is on an upward trajectory,” he remarked to a gathering that included American experts, journalists and writers.

Top members of the Pakistani delegation including Minister for Defense, Water and Power Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Pakistan's ambassador to the United States Jalil Abbas Jilani were present.

In his speech, Pakistan's chief national security advisor highlighted that five working groups under the Strategic Dialogue have held their meetings and that cooperation in the fields of energy, defense, counterterrorism, law enforcement is “moving very well.”

However, Sartaj Aziz called for greater trade access for Pakistani products and a robust inflow of American investment into prospective areas of the country's economy.

He said an investment conference being held in Islamabad will give the signal to American investors for opportunities they can utilize in the country.

The top advisor to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said the purpose of the dialogue is to convert the transactional relationship into a strategic relationship.

Aziz highlighted the significance of Washington giving “greater attention to Pakistan's concerns” regarding spillover of fighters, who were previously jointly trained to fight the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and those concerns regarding India and nuclear civil deal.

“I think there is an appreciation of these points,” he noted, at the event, moderated by Director South Asia Shuja Nawaz.

Regarding US concerns on terrorism, safe haven and cross-border militancy, Aziz said most of these were “perception issues but also partly issues of timing.”

The national security advisor explained that certain things that happened in the aftermath of 9/11 were transformed with changing situation like the birth of the Pakistani Taliban, which changed the mindset.

“Some people are looking at it from the old mindset and therefore, it has to be updated from where we are going.”

He said once the trust is restored the concrete ingredients of a better relationship like trade, investment, technology cooperation become much more meaningful.

Aziz said the relationship can be improved in fundamental ways and expressed confidence that goals laid out in the October 2013 meeting between President Obama and Prime Minister Sharif would be achieved.

The national security and foreign affairs advisor apprised Islamabad's efforts to tackle economic challenges and fight terrorism comprehensively.

In the regional perspective, he said, Islamabad is following a policy of having peaceful relations with neighbours India and Afghanistan.

Trade relations with India are picking up but disputes remain that need to be resolved, he said.

ISLAMABAD: India has proposed a meeting of the working group on Kashmir to look into a controversy started by alleged seizure of narcotics from a Pakistani truck.

“India has proposed to Pakistan to hold a meeting of the official-level Joint Working Group on Trans-LoC CBMs in the second week of February,” Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said in a twitter posting on Tuesday.

Pakistan and India have established a mechanism under which officials from both sides meet to discuss conventional CBMs including the ceasefire along the LoC and trade and travel across the LoC.

The group did not meet last year because of tensions in the aftermath of the ceasefire violations that led to suspension of peace talks.

The proposed meeting will not mark resumption of dialogue as India wants it to be incident specific discussing the alleged seizure of narcotics and subsequent events.

Replying to a question from Dawn about the meeting, Mr Akbaruddin said it is being held to “resolve issues which may have arisen in the interpretation of the Standard Operating Procedures on Trans LoC trade”.

Trade and travel between the two parts of Kashmir has been suspended since Indian police impounded a Pakistani truck in occupied Kashmir and allegedly found $2 million narcotics in the vehicle.

Following detention of the Pakistani truck in Indian-held Kashmir, officials in Azad Kashmir stopped Indian trucks from returning to press for their demand for release of the Pakistani truck and its driver.

Meetings of officials looking after the cross-LoC trade have failed to resolve the matter.