Pakistan

Pak forces kill 25 militants in restive tribal areas

sitansu — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:45:31 +0530

Pakistani fighter jets and heavy artillery guns pounded suspected Taliban and al qaida hideouts in the country's northwest tribal areas killing 25 people, including some foreign militant commanders, officials said.

The air force jets attacks and artillery bombardment were directed at four places in strife-torn Bajaur district, where security forces have been carrying out operations for the past two months.

Officials said 17 militants were killed among them were Uzbek commanders, who were trained al qaida fighters and involved in number of abductions of tribal force, created by the government to confront the Taliban.

The air-strikes were followed by sorties of helicopter gunships and long-range artillery fire.

Meanwhile, in shells fired by the Pakistani forces, six people were killed as these landed on village housetops, among them some women and children.

Fighter planes also hit militant positions in Shur and Peochar areas of Swat valley, TV channels reported.

An army spokesman said that 24 militants, including 11 foreigners were also arrested in Bajaur tribal region.

Miandad takes over as PCB director general

manoj — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:06:12 +0530

The Pakistan Cricket Board appointed former captain Javed Miandad as director general, and he immediately vowed to bring international cricket to Pakistan.

"I will use my connections to convince teams to tour Pakistan and our cricket will be back to normal soon," said Miandad soon after his appointment, which will see him take on an advisory role.

"My priority will be to restore the image of Pakistan cricket which has been hit by controversies in the recent past," said Miandad, 51.

Pakistan cricket has been hit by doping and discipline scandals in the last two years. Two of its most prominent fast bowlers, Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, tested positive for nandrolone in 2006.

Akhtar was banned for two years and Asif for one year, although the bans were eventually lifted on appeal.

International teams have also refused to tour Pakistan due to security fears in the wake of suicide bombings and the ongoing "war on terror" in which al Qaida and Taliban networks are being targeted by US and Pakistan forces.

Miandad stressed the need for developing Pakistan cricket at the grassroots level.

"I have played a lot of cricket and with my experience I know the problems which Pakistan cricket is facing, so I will do my level best to help Pakistan cricket develop in the right manner," he said .

Miandad played a record 124 Tests and 233 one-day internationals for Pakistan and had three stints as Pakistan coach.

He was a persistent critic of the previous PCB and had recently turned down the offer to replace former coach Geoff Lawson after the Australian was sacked, citing family commitments.

The role went to former Pakistan captain Intikhab Alam.

Suspected US missile strike kills 6 in Pakistan

sneha — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:28:42 +0530

A suspected US missile strike hit a village deep inside Pakistani territory on Wednesday, officials said, killing six alleged militants and indicating American willingness to pursue insurgents beyond the lawless tribal regions.

The strike was the latest in a surge of cross-border attacks in Pakistan's militant-plagued northwest in the last three months. The attacks have killed scores of suspected al Qaida and Taliban militants, but have enraged the country's civilian leadership.

The attack was the first to hit an area outside the semiautonomous tribal belt that directly borders Afghanistan, something which could trigger extra anger among Pakistanis.

Hours after the strike, a large Islamist political party warned it would block two major supply routes for US and NATO forces in Afghanistan that run through Pakistan unless the attacks ended.

"If these missiles attacks continue, then we will ask the people to create hurdles in the way of supplies for NATO," Qazi Hussain Ahmed, chief of Jamaat-e-Islami, told reporters.

The party has shown it can easily mobilize thousands of supporters at short notice. The supply lines have never been blocked by protests but militants and criminals often attack trucks traveling with them.

Javed Marwat, a local government official, told The Associated Press that two missiles destroyed a house in Indi Khel village in Bannu district. Two Pakistani intelligence officials said their agents reported that militants from Central Asia were among the six killed.

The US, which says Taliban and al Qaida militants use pockets of northwest Pakistan to plan attacks on foreign troops in Afghanistan, has been blamed in about 20 cross-border missile strikes since August. The US rarely confirms or denies the strikes, which are believed to be carried out mainly by the CIA.

The missiles are apparently fired from unmanned planes launched in Afghanistan, where some 32,000 US troops are fighting the Taliban and other militants.

Secret deal

Pakistan has protested the strikes as violations of its sovereignty and international law but the attacks continue, leading analysts to speculate that the two nations may have a secret deal.

Until Wednesday, all the attacks since August were in North and South Waziristan, two tribal regions where the government has ceded much of its limited control to militants. US officials say they want to help Pakistan regain sovereignty over such areas.

The Bannu district, which falls under the control of the regional government, begins roughly 18 miles away from the border with Afghanistan.

Two other intelligence officials, both based in Bannu, said militants had begun moving farther away from the border, including to their district and other settled areas, in an apparent bid to avoid the missile strikes.

All the intelligence officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to news media.

Pakistani officials says they are rarely warned of such attacks, and have demanded the US share intelligence so that Pakistan can go after targets on its own.

Even as the US strikes have picked up, American officers in Afghanistan have stressed improved day-to-day Pakistani cooperation in squeezing militants nested along both sides of the lengthy, porous border.

US military officials said troops in Afghanistan coordinated with Pakistan on Sunday in shelling insurgents inside Pakistan who were launching rockets at the foreign troops. Pakistan's official statement on the matter referred only to militant activity in Afghanistan.

'Operation Lion Heart'

In the past month, NATO and Pakistan also have cooperated in so-called Operation Lion Heart — a series of complementary operations that involve Pakistani army and paramilitary troops, and NATO on the Afghan side, said Col John Spiszer, US commander in northeast Afghanistan.

"What we have done is worked very hard to refocus our...intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance assets to do everything we can to identify transiting across the border," he told a Pentagon news conference in Washington via teleconference from Afghanistan on Tuesday.

Commanders hope pressure on both sides of the border will eventually mean militants will be "running out of options on places to go," Spiszer said.

US officials have praised Pakistani military offensives against militants in its border region, including an operation in the Bajur tribal area that the army says has killed some 1,500 alleged insurgents.

Besides questions of sovereignty, Pakistani officials say the US missile strikes are counterproductive because they often kill civilians and deepen anti-American and anti-government sentiment along the border.

But Gen David Petraeus, the head of US Central Command, has defended the missile strikes, saying at least three top extremist leaders, whom he did not identify, have been killed in recent months in the attacks.

Also Wednesday, gunmen shot and killed a retired Pakistani army general who had led military operations against insurgents in the tribal regions. The attack occurred on the outskirts of the capital, Islamabad.

Ameer Faisal Alvi was in his vehicle when the assailants opened fire, killing him and his driver before fleeing, police official Mohammed Tariq said. The motive was unknown, he said.

US says it fired at insurgents in Pakistan

wali — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:02:37 +0530

US troops in Afghanistan launched a barrage of artillery at insurgents attacking their position from inside Pakistan's volatile tribal region, in a cross-border strike, US and NATO officials said.

The strike, coordinated with the Pakistani military, occurred less than a mile inside Pakistan's border and came after the militants fired rockets at a US position in Afghanistan.

Al-Qaida and Taliban militants have long found refuge in the border region, where they launch attacks on US and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

The operation Sunday highlighted growing cooperation between the Afghan, Pakistani and US militaries, officials said.

Coordination meetings have resumed between Afghan, Pakistani and US officers, while the US has deployed extra troops to help seal the border, while Pakistan's military conducts an offensive against militants in Bajur, an unruly tribal area that is a rumored hiding place of Osama bin Laden.

"This recent event is yet another example of our close cooperation with Pakistan's military and our (Afghan National Security Forces) partners in responding to a common enemy," Lt Col Rumi Nielson-Green, a US military spokesman in Afghanistan, said.

Sunday's operation came at an especially sensitive time, with a surge in US missile strikes deepening already widespread antipathy among Pakistanis toward the presence of Western forces in the region.

Pakistan, which has publicly protested the missile strikes, would not confirm any military operation on its side of the frontier - an indication of the delicate balance it has struck in the face of public discontent over its role in the US-led war on terror.

On Sunday, US troops in Afghanistan's eastern Paktika province fired 20 rounds into Pakistan after insurgents across the border launched the rockets at their outpost, officials said. The US troops were there as part of a NATO-led force.

The artillery barrage hit nearly 1,200 feet inside Pakistan, said a NATO spokesman, who requested anonymity in line with regulations.

A secondary explosion where the artillery barrage was directed indicated the site contained additional munitions, a NATO statement said. It did not say if there were any militant deaths.

In an official statement, the Pakistani military said only that a NATO outpost was attacked by militants Sunday and that NATO troops "engaged the fleeing militants" on the Afghan side of the border, while informing a Pakistani military post of their actions.

Asked whether any strike occurred inside Pakistan, a Pakistani army spokesman declined to go beyond the statement.

Over the past month, NATO and Pakistani forces have been cooperating in so-called Operation Lion Heart - a series of complementary operations that involve the Pakistani military and Frontier Corps, and NATO on the Afghan side, said Col John Spiszer, US commander in northeast Afghanistan.

"What we have done is worked very hard to refocus our intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance assets to do everything we can to identify transiting across the border," he told a Pentagon news conference in Washington.

BCCI has confirmed India's tour in '09, says PCB

sneha — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:44:22 +0530

The BCCI President Shashank Manohar has assured his Pakistani counterpart Ejaz Butt that the Indian Cricket Team will visit Pakistan as per schedule early 2009.

According to a press release issued by the PCB, Butt and Manohar had a telephonic discussion about the tour on Tuesday.

Manohar told Butt that he has written to his government for the clearance of the tour and the BCCI is expected to get a reply in the next ten to 12 days and the PCB would be informed accordingly.

India is due to tour Pakistan to play three Tests, five one-day internationals and a twenty20 game from January 20 and the itinerary of the tour has been agreed upon by both the Boards.

But the tour is subject to clearance from the Indian government which this month stopped its junior hockey team from touring Pakistan for a test series as it was not satisfied with the security arrangements made by the Pakistani authorities.

The PCB has talked about shifting the series to a neutral venue including England or switching the series with India in case the Indian government does not give clearance for the tour.

NATO fires at insurgents in Pakistan

megha — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:15:29 +0530

NATO troops in eastern Afghanistan fired 20 artillery rounds at insurgents inside Pakistan after coordinating with Islamabad, officials said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, five Afghan troops were killed in a clash with insurgents in the west.

The military alliance said it fired the rounds after insurgents attacked its troops in Afghanistan's eastern Paktika province with rockets from across the border on Sunday.

"The artillery fire caused a secondary explosion at the rocket launch site, which indicates additional munitions in the location," the NATO statement said.

The Pakistani military confirmed the two sides coordinated in an attack on insurgents in Pakistan but provided no other details.

Officials say relations between NATO-led troops in Afghanistan and Pakistan's military are improving. However, Pakistan has been complaining about unilateral missile strikes conducted by US forces into its tribal areas.

Pakistani officials say the US strikes violate their country's sovereignty.

Separately, insurgents in the western Farah province ambushed an Afghan army supply convoy, killing five troops and wounding five others, said Gen Fazludin Sayar, the army commander for the western region.

Sayar said five insurgents also died in the clash in Farah's Bala Buluk region on Monday.

Insurgent attacks in Afghanistan are up 30 percent from 2007, military officials say. A tally of official figures provided to The Associated Press show that more than 5,400 people have died in insurgency-related violence this year.

Most of the casualties are suspected militants.

ICL eyeing Asif, Sohail Khan?

manoj — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:20:47 +0530

The Indian Cricket League may soon have some more Pakistani players under its umbrella as it is eyeing to sign fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Sohail Khan for the next season.

Sources close to the players said that both the pacers were under consideration to join the ICL bandwagon which already has signed some 18 players from Pakistan, the most recent being senior batsman Mohammad Yousuf.

The source said that Asif had been approached with an offer, while the ICL had been given good feedback on the young pacer Sohail Khan who has played a few one-day internationals and has been successful in domestic circuit.

"Asif is pretty frustrated that the Pakistan board has not accepted his request to provide him legal support in his doping offence case with the Indian Premier League drugs inquiry tribunal," one source told PTI.

"Asif is also upset because the Board has put on hold all his payments this year because of his doping offence," the source added.

He said Asif personally was not happy with the inquiry being held into his doping offence by the IPL tribunal and had discussed the ICL option with some players.

The pacer was suspended by the PCB after he tested positive in a doping test carried out in the IPL in June.

Both his tests have come positive but the ratio of the banned substance in his sample is different raising questions by Asif and his lawyer about the authenticity of the doping tests procedures in the IPL.

The IPL drugs inquiry tribunal will hear Asif again on November 29 and the PCB has said it can't offer any support to the pacer until he is cleared.

"The ICL is interested in both players but will wait and see what happens on November 29th, a source said.

PCB to lift ban on ICL players, says Inzamam

manoj — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:01:11 +0530

Indian Cricket League champion Lahore Badshahs' skipper Inzamam-ul Haq has claimed that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is all set to lift the ban on players aligned with the 'rebel' twenty20 league.

"I have got positive vibes and response from the PCB about granting recognition to the ICL, and I am hopeful the bans on the ICL players would be lifted soon," Inzamam, also a former Pakistan skipper, said.

The legal advisors and officials of the PCB are working on finalising a way to lift ban on ICL players, sources close to the board revealed recently.

Inzamam also urged the ICC to take some affirmative steps to safeguard the rights of the cricketers.

"I think it is also time the ICC play its role and take steps to safeguard the players rights, who are signed up for the ICL.

"The ICL is promoting cricket and providing livelihood to many players and also giving chances to young Indian cricketers. So it is time the ICC and Indian board to recognize it to make the tournament official," he said.

The Lahore Badshahs defeated the Hyderabad Heroes in the three-match final to lift the second edition of the ICL 20-20 championship trophy in Ahmedabad recently.

The skipper on Monday also expressed his eagerness to participate in a friendly encounter with the national team, who recently clinched a three-match ODI series against West Indies in Abu Dhabi, provided the PCB allows them.

Former Pakistan cricketer Javed Miandad recently compared the two sides and came out with the proposal of staging a friendly match between them.

'Friends' pledge support to Pak

tejas — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:32:58 +0530

Cash-strapped Pakistan on Monday received a pledge from a group of friendly nations, including China and the US, which assured support to the country's efforts to overcome the "formidable challenges" faced by it.

The 'Friends of Democratic Pakistan' group met in Abu Dhabi and noted that Islamabad faces formidable challenges and the country needed international help in overcoming the challenges.

"The officials noted that Pakistan faces formidable challenges and well coordinated international cooperation with Pakistan is needed to address those challenges," a release issued after the meeting said.

The group of nations also affirmed the need to build strategic partnerships with Pakistan Government to promote economic development and financial stability, address energy needs, build institutions and bring peace and stability in the region.

The grouping also decided to hold expert-level meetings in the third week of January to discuss various issues.

The meeting of representatives from China, European states, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United States, came two days after Pakistan said that the IMF had granted a loan of nearly $8 billion.

Pakistan needs $4.5 billion to deal with a balance of payments crisis that has raised the risk of the violence-hit nation defaulting on its foreign debts.

Yousuf receives notice from PCB

sneha — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:48:43 +0530

PCB has sent a notice to Mohammed Yousuf after he joined the ICL accusing him of violating his central contract clauses and asked him to repay the money they spent on his legal battle with the ICL.

He, however, made it clear that he would contest the legal notice by saying that he had committed no crime by signing up for ICL.

Yousuf, who represented Pakistan in 79 Tests and 269 one-dayers, said he would never put his career at stake had things were little better.

He also accused PCB for intentionally stopping him from playing the Twenty20 competition in Canada in October.

"I went to Canada in 1999 when I was a Christian. After that I never went to Canada yet the Board said the Canadian embassy had rejected my visa application because they claimed I had done a religious tour of their country."

"I never filled the visa application form it is always done by the Board. So I don't know what happened but it was another excuse to drop me from the team for the Twenty20 event in Toronto last month," Yousuf said.

Yousuf also hoped that soon ICL will get official status from the International Cricket Council.

"Sooner or later the ICC and its member Boards have to realise they can't keep the ICL isolated for long."

Pak reopens route for NATO supply to Afghanistan

megha — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 13:33:20 +0530

Security forces escorted container trucks and oil tankers through the Khyber Pass on Monday after Pakistan reopened the route critical to transporting supplies to NATO and US troops in Afghanistan.

Pakistan suspended the vehicles from the passageway for a security review last week after militants hijacked several trucks whose load included Humvees bound for the US-led coalition.

On Monday, a dozen or so paramilitary pickups joined a convoy of around 30 vehicles as part of new security measures. The escort trucks bore rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine guns. Earlier, the transport trucks travel with little or no security.

Al Qaida and Taliban fighters, as well as ordinary criminals, are behind escalating violence along the porous Afghan-Pakistan border. The danger has made the Khyber Pass an increasingly perilous 30-mile stretch, but one that the US and NATO still rely upon heavily.

It was not possible to confirm exactly what was being transported in Monday's convoy. Military supplies usually travel in sealed, unmarked containers. The route is also a critical commercial trade passage between the two countries.

Bakhtiar Khan, a No 2 government representative in the area, said troops were authorized to shoot "at sight" any militants or otherwise armed attackers who attempt to assault the convoy.

Akhtar Gul was among the drivers who had been waiting for several days to enter the pass. He was pleased to see the armed escorts.

"Previously we had many apprehensions about the security of our lives and the trucks," said Gul, who said he did not kow what was in the sealed container he was transporting. "But we hope that now it will be safe."

US and NATO officials in Afghanistan have sought to play down threats posed to the convoys coming through Pakistan, but NATO has said it is close to striking pacts with Central Asian countries that would let it transport "non-lethal" supplies from north of Afghanistan.

In April, NATO concluded a transit agreement with Russia, but it will be of practical use only once the Central Asian nations between Russia and Afghanistan come on board.

Most of the supplies headed to foreign troops in Afghanistan arrive in the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi in unmarked, sealed shipping containers and are loaded onto trucks for the journey either to the border town of Chaman or through the Khyber Pass.

Pakistan blank West Indies to clinch series 3-0

megha — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:37:31 +0530

Rao Iftikhar returned career-best bowling figures while Younus Khan struck a brilliant hundred to guide Pakistan to a 31-run win over the West Indies in the third and final one-day international in Abu Dhabi.

Iftikhar on Sunday took 4-59 to foil a fighting 122 by Chris Gayle as the West Indies, chasing 274 to win, were bowled out for 242 in 46.3 overs to give Pakistan a 3-0 series win at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium. Pakistan won the first match by four wickets and the second by 24 runs.

Gayle fought a lone battle in the lost cause, hitting his second century in the series, but other than him only Ramnaresh Sarwan (62) put up any resistance as Pakistani bowlers, led by Iftikhar, exploited the conditions well.

The 27-year-old Iftikhar broke the Gayle-Sarwan second-wicket stand of 151 to revive Pakistan's chances, trapping Sarwan in the 33rd over and then dismissing Shivnarine Chanderpaul (three) and Xavier Marshall (naught) in his next.

Gayle, who hit 113 in the first match, was lucky to reach his 18th one-day hundred after television replays showed he edged one from Iftikhar to wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal on 99 but was ruled not out.

Gayle finally fell in the 44th over, caught behind off Umer Gul to end any hopes of an unlikely win. He hit six sixes and five boundaries during his 137-ball knock. Gul finished with 3-31.

Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik attributed the 3-0 routing to a team effort. "When we came here for this series we had planned to give it our best effort and commitment and I am pleased that through a complete team effort we have won this series 3-0," said Malik who praised Younus and Iftikhar.

"We put up a good total with Younus hitting a hundred and for me the turning point was Iftikhar taking four quick wickets," said Malik. Iftikhar's previous best figures of 3-33 came against South Africa at Faisalabad last year.

West Indian coach John Dyson said a lack of experience in his side had a telling effect. "We have some newcomers whose inexperience was the difference. The target was gettable and Gayle and Sarwan put us in a strong position but we didn't pull it off," said Dyson.

Earlier, Pakistan were helped to 273-6 in their 50 overs by a brilliant 101 by Younus Khan and an unbeaten 79 by Misbahul Haq who together added 103 for the third wicket.

Younus hit five boundaries and a six, and also added 85 for the second wicket with opener Khurrum Manzoor (30) after Pakistan won the toss and batted. Younus and Manzoor steadied the innings after Pakistan lost Salman Butt for naught.

Younus reached his sixth one-day hundred with a sharp single off Daren Powell but two balls later he attempted a reverse sweep off spinner Nikita Miller and was bowled. Malik made 13 and Shahid Afridi managed just six.

Haq continued his good work, hitting three boundaries and a six and added an invaluable 40 for the sixth wicket with Akmal who was bowled off the final delivery for 21.

Pakistan kept an unchanged side, meaning paceman Shoaib Akhtar missed all three matches due to calf muscle injury. West Indies brought in Brendan Nash in place of Carlton Baugh.

Pakistan closes NATO's supply line into Afghanistan

wali — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 18:02:55 +0530

Pakistan has closed the Torkham border crossing in the Khyber tribal agency resulting in temporary suspension of NATO's primary supply line into Afghanistan.

The closure has suspended movement of fuel tankers and food trucks to NATO and US-led forces in Afghanistan for security reasons, media reports said in Islamabad on Sunday.

"All Afghanistan-bound supplies for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) have been stopped as the (Torkham) highway is vulnerable," Geo TV quoted Khyber Agency's political agent Tariq Hayat as saying.

Poor security on the strategic road into Afghanistan forced the government to close the crossing, Hayat said.

Pakistan's tribal areas have became a safe haven for Taliban militants who fled Afghanistan after the US-led forces toppled the hardline Taliban regime in 2001.

The Pakistani military is currently engaged against Taliban and al-Qaida-linked militants in the Bajaur tribal district where officials say more than 1,500 militants have been killed since August.

Akram backs recognition for ICL

manoj — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 09:10:38 +0530

Impressed with the level of competition and huge gatherings during the second season of the Indian Cricket League, legendary Wasim Akram on Saturday expressed hope that International Cricket Council will soon grant recognition to the rebel Twenty20 league.

"The sort of cricket that is being played in the ICL and the huge crowds its matches are attracting is a proof that the ICL will eventually get recognition. The ICC should sanction ICL and I believe it will do that sooner than later," the former Pakistan captain told reporters.

Akram said some of the Pakistani players competing in the rebel league were still good enough to play for the country, and that it will be a big loss to the Pakistan cricket if Mohammed Yousuf is ignored for the national duty.

"Yousuf is a great batsman and Pakistan will miss him once it starts playing the big games. Players like Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Imran Farhat, Imran Nazir, Mohammad Sami can still play for Pakistan," he said.

Akram also suggested that Pakistan should mind playing at neutral venue, if other countries were hesitant to visit there due to security reasons.

Pak eyes clean sweep over West Indies

megha — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 20:29:20 +0530

Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik said on saturday that his team will try its level best to complete a 3-0 one-day series win over the West Indies and jump to fourth position in world rankings.

Pakistan, currently sixth, will leapfrog arch rivals India (fifth) and New Zealand (fourth) in the ICC one-day rankings if they beat the West Indies in the third and final match in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

Pakistan clinched a last over thriller by four wickets on Wednesday and then edged the West Indies by 24 runs in the second match on Friday. And Malik hoped his team would achieve the clean sweep.

"We will do our best because my aim has always been to improve and come in the world's top two teams and here is an opportunity for us to do that," said Malik who is line to have his captaincy extended if the team wins.

Appointed captain after Pakistan's disastrous first-round exit from the World Cup in the West Indies last year, Malik's tenure was due to end next month.

However, he said he is more concerned about the team winning than his tenure as captain.

"I don't think on those lines. At the moment we have a task on our hands and that is to win the last match which will give us more confidence for India," said Malik of the series against Pakistan's arch rivals in January.

Malik said fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar is still battling a calf injury which forced him to sit out in the first two matches.

"He (Akhtar) is still struggling. Anyone can get injured here because the ground is very soft, so we will look at his fitness before the match," said Malik.

West Indian coach John Dyson said his team needs to improve its finishing to avoid a clean sweep. "The first two matches proved that Pakistan is stronger team overall," said Dyson, a former Australian opener.

"We need to improve both in bowling and batting to match Pakistan who are playing very well.

Dyson said the West Indies were winning easily against weaker teams but added that against top sides "we lose easily, so we must convert our chances against teams who are in the middle of the table".

Dyson said the West Indies, currently number eight, need to bowl in the right areas while batsmen need to rotate strike.

"We are giving too many free hits in the bowling and in the batting our batsmen have the style of play the crowds in the Caribbean love, which is they like to see the ball seen crushed, but in between you have got to pick up singles, like Pakistan are doing."

Pak secures IMF loan worth $7.6 billion

megha — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 18:46:51 +0530

Pakistan announced on Saturday that it will receive a loan of at least $7.6 billion from the International Monetary Fund, the Fund's first rescue in Asia since the global financial crisis began.

Shaukat Tarin, top finance adviser to Pakistan's premier, said the financial crisis had severely impacted the country's foreign exchange reserves as he announced the package, aimed at staving off a balance of payments crisis.

"We have reached an agreement with the IMF with the help of our friends and other officials," Tarin told a news conference, adding that Pakistan would receive four billion dollars this year as part of the 23-month IMF deal.

Pakistan needs up to $4.5 billion to deal with a balance of payments crisis that has raised the prospect of the violence-hit nation defaulting on its foreign debts.

"The impact of the financial crisis in the world and the difficulties we faced at home impacted gravely, particularly to our foreign exchange reserves which were $16.4 billion in October 2007 and now are less than $7 billion," Tarin said.

He added that the interest rate on the IMF programme will be 3.51 to 4.51 percent and Pakistan will repay the loan over five years starting from 2011.

Pakistan's finances have "deteriorated significantly", according to an IMF report released last month, due to recent political instability, Islamic militant violence, and high oil and food prices.

While the Islamic republic has almost run out of foreign currency reserves to cover its import bill, the rupee has lost 25 percent of its value this year and the stock market has dropped 35 percent.

Pakistan's financial experts and the business community said they were relieved by the IMF aid.

"The IMF assistance will stabilise our weakening currency and restore the confidence of foreign investors and the local business community," financial expert Muzmmil Aslam told AFP.

"What we have to do now is to get ourselves disciplined in financial matters," Aslam said.

But businessman Majyd Aziz, former chief of the Karachi chamber of commerce, said Pakistan remained mired in decreasing exchange inflows and rising imports.

"The IMF's assistance will certainly help us, but I see tough times ahead for our people when the IMF will dictate its conditions to our government in the future," Aziz said.

The government had said it would only apply to the IMF as a last resort because the Fund would only give credit under strict conditions, such as elimination of subsidies.

Pakistan's new civilian administration initiated discussions with the Fund because it only had a few weeks to arrange the money. "We had gone to our friends to get financial help, but they advised us to get endorsement from the IMF," Tarin said.

Pakistan's precarious financial situation has caused worldwide alarm due to its role as a key ally in the US-led "war on terror" and its position as the Islamic world's only nuclear power.

A group of bilateral donors known as the "Friends of Pakistan" - including China, the United States, Britain and the UAE - are also scheduled to meet in Abu Dhabi on November 17 to decide on economic aid to help stabilize the nuclear-armed South Asian power.

The move to shore up the Pakistani economy is the first in Asia by the IMF since financial woes spread across the globe triggered by the US sub-prime mortgage crisis.

The fund is nearing agreements to make emergency loans to Iceland and Ukraine and discussing an aid package with Hungary in moves that would increase its direct involvement in helping to contain the global crisis.

During the 1997-98 financial crisis in Asia, the IMF loaned billions of dollars to Indonesia, Thailand and South Korea to cover their foreign exchange denominated debt.

Two journalists attacked in NW Pakistan

monika — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 19:25:28 +0530

Two journalists were wounded on Friday after an apparent kidnap attempt in northwestern Pakistan.

A Japanese and an Afghan journalist were travelling in a car in the regional capital, Peshawar, when gunmen opened fire, wounding both men and their Pakistani driver, police said.

Officer Mohammed Khan identified the Japanese man as Motoki Yotsukura from the Asahi newspaper, and said he was wounded in the leg.

His colleague, Sami Yousaf Zai, said in a Peshawar hospital that he was shot three times - once in the hand and twice in the chest.

The injuries to all three were not believed to be life threatening.

Khan said police were treating the incident as an apparent abduction attempt.

Another officer said it may have been an assassination attempt.

Security appears to be crumbling in Peshawar, a strategically vital city and a hub for Western-funded relief work in the region.

Gunmen abducted an Iranian diplomat in the city on Thursday, joining Chinese, Afghan and Polish men already kidnapped in the region, a day after an American aid worker was ambushed and killed there.

Speaking before the Japanese man was attacked, the Interior Ministry chief said he believed Pakistan Taliban fighters were behind the recent kidnappings.

Pak accuses Taliban of kidnapping Iranian diplomat

sneha — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:23:23 +0530

Pakistani authorities on Friday blamed the Taliban for the kidnapping of an Iranian diplomat and other foreigners in the country and said they are sending bad signals to the world.

Heshmatollah Attarzadeh, commercial attache of the Iranian consulate in Peshawar, capital of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), was kidnapped from Hayatabad neighbourhood when he was heading to his office on Thursday, Pakistani police and the Iranian embassy said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping.

There has been no information about the whereabouts of Attarzadeh and police say they are searching for him.

"The militants after facing defeat, have now started abduction of foreigners and abduction of the Iranian diplomat is the third incident of its kind in recent weeks," Interior Advisor Rehman Malik said.

"Tehrik-e-Taliban are involved in incidents of abduction as they had kidnapped two Chinese engineers and are still holding one as the other had escaped," Malik told reporters in Islamabad.

"We regret and condemn the kidnapping of Iranian diplomat," the advisor said, adding "It is no service to Islam. They are not sincere to the country. They are enemy of the country."

He said he has also talked to the government of NWFP about the incident and has summoned a meeting on Sunday to discuss the incidents of abductions on Sunday.

"I have asked the intelligence institutions to work out a plan to stop the abductions," the Advisor said. The kidnappers shot dead the diplomat's guard and took Attarzadeh to an unknown place.

Steps promised

Pakistani Prime Minister and the NWFP government had promised steps to recover the diplomat. But the Pakistani law enforcing agencies have not yet succeeded to get any clue about the missing Iranian diplomat.

Police sources say that search operation was conducted in Hayatabad and in the nearby tribal areas but no information could be received to trace Attarzadeh.

In Tehran, the Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi strongly condemned abduction of Iranian diplomat and called the move as "act of terrorism".

He said that Pakistan is seriously responsible for immunity of the diplomat in accord with the Vienna Convention.

The Iranian ambassador in Islamabad Mashallah Shakeri had been in touch with the Pakistani authorities who said that it is responsibility of the Pakistani government to ensure peaceful recovery of the diplomat.

Witnesses said that three gunmen, with long beard, stopped the car of the Iranian diplomat, who was on his way to his office in Peshawar's cantonment area.

Incidents of kidnapping and attacks on foreigners have intensified in recent months in Pakistan, especially in northwest of the country.

Afghan ambassador to Pakistan Abdul Khaliq Farahi was kidnapped by unidentified men from Peshawar on September 22. There has been no information about him since then.

Zia ul Haq Ahadi, brother of Afghan Finance Minister Anwar ul Haq Ahadi, was also kidnapped from Peshawar on November 2.

Another Afghan national, Abdul Haq Danishmand - head of Peshawar's Aryana University which mostly teaches Afghan expatriate staff - was kidnapped in Pakistan on November 3 while he was on his way from the Afghan city of Jalalabad to Peshawar.

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PCB to use diplomatic channels to ensure India tour

manoj — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:18:35 +0530

Desperate to host Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men next year, PCB chairman Ejaz Butt says he is willing to travel to India to ease the security concerns of the BCCI and the Indian government.

Butt insisted that the PCB has no plans to shift the series to a neutral venue as of now and such an option would be considered only in "extreme circumstances."

"We are not even thinking about having the series anywhere else except Pakistan. Playing at some neutral venue is an extreme and last option," PCB chairman Ejaz Butt said from Abu Dhabi, where Pakistan is playing a one-day series against West Indies.

"If need arises, I will even travel to India to personally talk to the Indian board and government and convince them it is absolutely imperative for them to undertake the scheduled tour," he added.

India are scheduled to tour Pakistan in January and February to play three Tests, five one-day internationals and a twenty20 game.

PCB CEO Saleem Altaf had on Thursday stated that neutral venue was an option in case of security fears but Butt said the PCB will use all diplomatic channels to convince the Indians to tour Pakistan.

"If we start playing our home series at neutral venues, then cricket in Pakistan will not survive and die. So agreeing to relocation of our home series against India would be our last resort," he added.

Butt revealed that the board will get in touch with the Pakistan government and ask for help to make the tour possible.

"There are security issues but remember India has been to Pakistan thrice in the last four years and played without any problems," Butt said.

"For us the Indian tour is very important, because if they don't come as scheduled, then it means we risk losing the right to host the Sri Lankans, Australia and the Champions Trophy all slated for next year," he added.

The PCB chief admitted getting invites from England and UAE to host the series if Indian security concerns make it impossible to organise it here.

"Yes we have got offers from England and UAE to host the series and that is an option with us, but only in extreme circumstances," he said.

"India has always been very supportive of Pakistan cricket and even in recent months when other countries didn't want the Champions Trophy to be held in Pakistan they were the ones who stood by us," Butt said.

He said the PCB, in conjunction with government agencies, will ensure state level security for the Indians.

"The tour is a matter of great importance for us it will have a big impact on the future of Pakistan cricket," he said.

Suspected US missile strike kills 10 in Pakistan

sneha — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:08:39 +0530

A suspected US missile strike killed at least 10 Islamist militants in a Pakistani tribal region known as a hub of al Qaida and Taliban rebels, security officials said on Friday.

The strike comes amid repeated warnings from Pakistan that the attacks are in violation of international law and could deepen resentment of the United States in the world's second-largest Islamic nation.

But Washington has stepped up the strikes since March, when a civilian government took over from General Pervez Musharraf, who turned Pakistan into a close US ally in the "war on terror."

In the latest attack, officials said, two missiles apparently fired from a drone aircraft demolished a house in North Waziristan, part of Pakistan's lawless tribal regions along the border with Afghanistan.

"Nine foreigners were among ten killed," a top security official told AFP. Pakistan officials normally use the term "foreigners" to describe al Qaida militants.

Up to 14 militants were killed last Friday in a US missile strike which destroyed an al Qaida training camp in Kumsham village in North Waziristan.

A series of recent strikes against suspected al Qaida and Taliban hideouts in Pakistan's tribal areas, all blamed on unmanned CIA drones, have raised tensions between Washington and Islamabad.

President Asif Ali Zardari warned the new US commander for Iraq and Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, last week that the attacks were "counterproductive" and could harm the battle for hearts and minds here.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and the country's military leadership also told the general that the United States should respect Pakistani sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Pakistan's army chief General Ashfaq Kayani is scheduled to undertake a three-day visit to Brussels from Tuesday for talks with senior NATO officials about US missile strikes on Pakistani soil near the Afghan border.

US and NATO officials say that the rugged tribal regions have become safe havens for militants linked to Taliban and al Qaida who fled the US action against the former Taliban regime in Afghanistan in late 2001.

Pakistan rejects accusations that it is not doing enough to tackle the extremist threat within its own borders.

Kayani to raise US missile strikes with NATO

manoj — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:54:27 +0530

Pakistan's army chief will visit Brussels next week for talks with senior NATO officials about US missile strikes on Pakistani soil near the Afghanistan border, the military said.

The missile attacks by US drones in Pakistan's northwest tribal areas, which US and NATO officials describe as a safe haven for Taliban and al Qaida, have sharply raised tensions between Washington and nuclear-armed Pakistan.

"Army chief Ashfaq Kayani will discuss the complexities of security issues and the need for a comprehensive approach, while fully addressing Pakistan's interest," the military said in a statement.

Kayani will undertake the three-day visit from Tuesday after receiving a special invitation from chief of the NATO military committee admiral Giampaolo Di Paola, it said.

The military committee is the highest forum of NATO, which meets regularly to discuss various strategic issues concerning the organization.

"He will participate in the meeting of Chiefs of Defence for discussion on the prevailing security situation in the region and discuss implications of drone strikes," the statement said.

The Pakistani foreign ministry on Thursday said the United States was breaking international law by launching missile attacks on its northwestern tribal region bordering Afghanistan.

President Asif Ali Zardari recently promised zero tolerance against violations of his country's sovereignty.

WEF wants India to act as a force for stability

manoj — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:46:00 +0530

Terming Pakistan as "a source of instability" in South Asia, the World Economic Forum (WEF) has said that India can establish itself as a "force for stability" by continuing dialogue with its neighbour.

In a report on National Security, the WEF said that India's security policies must address potential threats coming from outside its borders.

"India's security policies will need to combine economic, diplomatic and military aspects to protect Indian society and also secure energy supply and trade routes," the WEF report said.

Stating that although its dialogue with India was ongoing, the situation in Kashmir and the continued instability in Afghanistan and along its border with Pakistan remain a source of instability in the region, it added.

Favouring continuation of international efforts to bring stability in Afghanistan and its borders with Pakistan, the report said that the level of uncertainty and instability around the two countries' borders must be addressed to prevent further violence and the rise of unrest among sympathisers in other regions.

Noting that radical groups organised along ethnic, far left or religious lines were gaining ground, especially in disadvantaged districts of India, the WEF report said these internal sources of insecurity needed to be closely monitored to prevent the spread of unrest in certain regions and deter extremist attacks.

Recalling that the past months had witnessed a number of fatal attacks carried out in several cities including Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore, the report said between 2004 and mid-2008, over 4,800 people were killed in terrorist attacks, many of which were not attributed to any single group.

"When the perpetrators of attacks were identified, most belonged to radical political groups. Religious radicals were the next group of perpetrators," the WEF report said, without identifying their ideological leanings.

The report cautioned that India to keep an eye on all the extremist groups to prevent them from spreading their tentacles in other parts of the country.

It recommends that police and government should try to prevent the rise of radical organisations and terror attacks as there was "fear and insecurity" in society because of these terror incidents.

However, it warned that there was potential for greater tension between various religious groups in the country.

The Forum suggested that India should focus on making local people partners in progress in states like West Bengal, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, which have been affected by Naxalite menace, to address the threat of violence and social unrest.

On another plane, the report urged India to improve and enhance diplomatic relations with different states and groupings as an important strategy to mitigate geopolitical risks.

'Trusted nuclear power'

The report says that with the Indo-US nuclear deal, India has established itself as a "trusted party on nuclear issues" even without being a signatory to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT).

It predicted that nuclear deal would have its implications beyond power generation, in sectors such as health and manufacturing.

The report proposed that India should develop "strong agreements" and work with other nations to protect its energy supply routes in the future.

It advised India to "diversify its energy supply" sources to mitigate risks of disruption. WEF said this would help India to shift towards use of greener power and greater fuel efficiency.

Of the $81 billion planned for military expenditure till 2020, the report noted that $8.1 billion was earmarked for training to optimise technology as an integral part of security strategy.

"This greater use of technology for surveillance and policing would help India's security services work more efficiently to counter internal threats and collaborate with other countries on international issues," it added.

The report noted that India's military spending was around three percent of its GDP for the past several years, but the last Union Budget had increased it by 10 percent of the previous year's defence budget.

"India's military expenditure is higher in percentage terms than many other states, including China, although in absolute term it is less, at about $16 per capita, compared to $19 in Pakistan and $32 in China," the report added.

Bin Laden is isolated, Qaida resilient: CIA chief

tejas — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 08:44:23 +0530

Osama bin Laden, deeply isolated and likely near the rugged Afghanistan-Pakistan border, has been forced to devote much of his energy to his own security while his al Qaida terror network remains resilient, CIA Director Michael Hayden said on Thursday.

"He is putting a lot of energy into his own survival, a lot of energy into his own security. In fact, he appears to be largely isolated from the day-to-day operations of the organization he nominally heads," Hayden said in a speech, referring to al Qaida.

The CIA chief suggested that bin Laden was hiding somewhere in the remote Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, where he said al Qaida has regrouped and bolstered its organization.

Hayden described "the sheer challenge of surveying every square mile of that inhospitable and dangerous region," and said "part of the explanation for his survival lies in the fact that he has worked to avoid detection."

But he said hunting down bin Laden remains a high priority for the Central Intelligence Agency.

"Although there has been press speculation to the contrary, I can assure you that the hunt for bin Laden is very much at the top of CIA's priority list."

He said killing or capturing the Saudi-born bin Laden would deal a severe blow to the terror group blamed for the attacks of September 11, 2001.

"Because of his iconic stature, his death or capture clearly would have a significant impact on the confidence of his followers, both core al Qaida and these unaffiliated extremists ... throughout the world."

In a speech before the Atlantic Council think tank examining the threat posed by al Qaida, Hayden said the network had "suffered serious setbacks, but it remains a determined, adaptive enemy, unlike any our nation has ever faced."

Hayden, appointed in May 2006 by President George W Bush, may soon be stepping down as CIA chief amid media speculation that president-elect Barack Obama may choose to replace him and National Intelligence director Mike McConnell when he takes office on January 20.

During the campaign Obama vowed to hunt down bin Laden, accusing Bush of diverting resources from the war in Afghanistan and the hunt for bin Laden to fight what he has called an unnecessary war in Iraq.

Role of Pakistan

In his speech, Hayden described the tribal areas of Pakistan as an al Qaida "safe haven" that is linked to every major terrorist threat against the United States.

"Let me be very clear: Today, virtually every major terrorist threat that my agency is aware of has threads back to the tribal areas. Whether it's command and control, training, direction, money, capabilities, there is a connection to the FATA," Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

Al Qaida was on the retreat in Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Iraq, while it had strengthened in Pakistan and expanded its activity into North Africa, Somalia and Yemen, he said.

The group was cultivating Somali extremists, gaining strength in Yemen where attacks were on the rise, and striking Western targets in Algeria - including French tourists and workers.

"North Africa, East Africa, Yemen serve as kind of a counterweight to the good news out of Iraq, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere," he said, adding that the problems in North and East Africa were not as serious as previous threats elsewhere.

Taking questions after his speech, Hayden said al Qaida had exploited a peace deal orchestrated by General Pervez Musharraf's former government with militants in the tribal regions.

Musharraf's approach, focusing on long-term development of the remote area, would have been "wise and far-seeing" except for the immediate threat posed by al Qaida in Pakistan, he said.

"But our enemies took advantage of that respite, took advantage of that breathing space to build up the kind of safe haven that I described in my remarks."

Hayden praised Pakistan's new government for launching major military assaults on insurgents in the region, referring to "tough fighting against hardened militants."

He also said Pashtun separatists in Afghanistan had forged an "operational alliance" with al Qaida fighters across the border in Pakistan, which became clear a year ago and was a "troubling" development.

Al Qaida not only used Pakistan as a headquarters but now posed a direct threat to the government in Islamabad, he said, citing bin Laden's call for open war against Pakistan after a military raid on the Qaida-linked Red Mosque.

Pak to consider any US proposal on Kashmir

sneha — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 19:31:31 +0530

Apparently bouyed by US President-elect Barack Obama's offer to play a role in finding a solution to the Kashmir problem, Pakistan on Thursday said it was ready to consider any constructive proposal from Washington to address the vexed issue with India.

"Sooner this dispute is resolved the better off the region would be," Foreign Office Spokesman Muhammad Sadiq told reporters in Islamabad.

He was replying to a question on Kashmir with reference to Obama's offer to help resolve the issue during an interview to a US magazine while campaigning for the November 4 Presidential polls.

Sadiq said Pakistan was ready to look into any constructive proposal from the United States to resolve the vexed issue -- whether bilaterally, through a multilateral organisation or third party mediation.

He said Pakistan looks forward to continued constructive engagement with India to address all outstanding issues and achieve mutually beneficial cooperative relationship.

Replying to a question about Chenab river flow, the Foreign Office Spokesman said Pakistan was pursuing the matter with India at technical, diplomatic and political levels.

He said Indian leadership has affirmed its commitment to the implementation of the Indus Waters Treaty and hoped that New Delhi would resolve the issue at the earliest in accordance with the accord and in the spirit of promoting good neighbourly relations.

To another question, he said the prisoners issue between Pakistan and India was a humanitarian matter. Pakistan has sought the release of its nationals from Indian jails while facilitating the release of Indian prisoners in Pakistan.

He said 29 Pakistani prisoners will be repatriated to this country tomorrow through Wagah border.

Karzai, Zardari agree on talks with Taliban

manoj — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 12:22:39 +0530

After a top-level tripartite closed door meeting between the heads of states of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, the three nations agreed to continue to pursue talks with the Taliban.

The meeting, one of the series of private meetings held at the UN on Wednesday night, attended by Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai and the Saudi King Abdullah agreed to continue the dialogue with Taliban initiated at the mediation of the Saudis.

Briefing newsmen after the parleys, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the dialogue with Taliban was being held on the agreement of the renegade group to accept the constitutions of both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The tripartite talks come in the wake of reports that the new Barack Obama-led administrator in the United States was not opposed to talks with reconcilable elements of Taliban.

The meetings in the United Nations of the three heads of states comes after a series of parleys between top Saudi, Pakistani, Afghan and Taliban officials held in Saudi Arabia recently.

The Pakistan president also held a 20-minute meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice where he pressed Washington to ease up on US strikes hitting Taliban and al Qaida elements in Pakistan's restive border with Afghanistan.