Flood Water Kills 26 Wedding Guests In Pakistan
PESHWAR, Pakistan - At least 26 people, mostly children, were killed Saturday when a vehicle carrying wedding guests was washed off a mountainous road by floods and flung into a gorge, officials said. 
The dead included 18 children and six women.
"Rescue operation has been completed, dead bodies of 26 people had been retrieved," Rahimullah Mehsud, a local government official of Khyber tribal district, where the incident took place, told AFP.
- Mehsud earlier said rescue workers and residents were facing difficulties as the "area is remote and mountainous".
- The accident happened when a pick-up truck carrying the groom's party of 29 was hit by floods in a remote village in Khyber, one of Pakistan's seven tribal districts bordering Afghanistan.
- Three people who survived were taken to hospital. Hekmat Khan, another government official, confirmed the new death toll and told AFP that the child victims were aged up to nine years.
The heavy monsoon rains began earlier this month, drenching the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and central Punjab provinces, which have been badly affected by flooding in recent years that some scientists have linked to climate change. Source:The Nation, AFP
PAKISTANI PUTS CHILDREN ON SALE TO PAY OFF FINE
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - In a bid to pay a fine imposed by a Pakistani
Jirga (tribal court) a man put his children on sale.
Ghulam Rasool Katohar on Tuesday put his four children, aged
between three and eight years, ‘on sale’ at Pakistan’s Jacobabad press club to
pay the amount as fine imposed by a Jirga, Dawn news reported.
Katohar said a family belonging to the Khoso tribe had
accused his son of having an extramarital affair with a woman of that tribe
about two years ago.
He said the family took the matter to the Jirga on Sunday
who found his son guilty and imposed a fine of Rs1.6 million to be paid to the
rival side to settle the dispute.
He was not in position to afford the burden and had to sell
his children to raise the money and
save his family from violence.
save his family from violence.
Source: Gulfnews
PAKISTAN TO PROBE GLOBAL FAKE DEGREE EMPIRE
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan will investigate a firm accused by the
New York Times of earning tens of millions of dollars by running a global fake
degree empire, officials said Tuesday.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has directed the
Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to probe “if the said company is involved in
any such illegal work which can tarnish the good image of the country in the
world”, a ministry statement said.
According to the Times article published Monday, the
Karachi-based company called Axact set up an elaborate network of hundreds of
websites for fake universities with names like “Columbiana” and “Barkley”,
complete with paid actors who appeared as faculty members and students on
promotional videos.
The report, which quoted former employees and analysed more
than 370 websites of fake universities, accreditation bodies and other
purported institutions, sparked a wave of criticism on social media even as the
company denied wrongdoing.
Axact’s media venture named Bol is set to launch a news
channel, featuring leading TV anchors and journalists lured from previous
employers by high salaries, heightening interest in the story.
- The NYT article cited clients from the US, Britain and the United Arab Emirates who had paid sums ranging from thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars for their degrees — with some believing the universities were real and they would soon receive coursework.
- The “university” websites mainly route their traffic through servers run by companies registered in Cyprus and Latvia, and employees would plant fictitious reports about Axact universities on CNN iReport, a website for citizen journalism.
- Axact and its CEO, Shoaib Ahmad Shaikh, did not respond to requests from AFP for comment on Monday or Tuesday.
But a message on its website declared the story “baseless,
substandard, maligning, defamatory, and based on false accusations” and added it
would sue the New York Times.
The message did not directly address the allegations but
accused domestic media rivals of colluding with the US newspaper to plant a
slanderous story in order to harm its business interests.
According to an FIA official who did not wish to be named,
the allegations raised by the newspaper would be a crime under
Pakistan’s Electronic Transaction
Ordinance, punishable by 7 years
in prison.
Pakistan’s Electronic Transaction
Ordinance, punishable by 7 years
in prison.
Source: – AFP
PAKISTAN REJECTS CALLS BY UN,EU TO HALTS EXECUTIONS OF CONVICTS
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - The Pakistan government has rejected
calls by the UN and the European Union (EU) to revive moratorium on execution
of convicts, a media report said.“Capital punishment for terrorists did not violate international law,” Dawn quoted a Pakistan government spokesperson as saying on Sunday.
“Pakistan respects the international community, but the
country is passing through extraordinary circumstances, which demand
extraordinary measures to be taken,” a government spokesman said, referring to
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s conversation with Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif on December 25 in which the UN chief called for halting executions.
The EU too had called for halting executions. The spokesperson said that a “peaceful Pakistan is in the
best interest of the world”.Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam tweeted: “Pakistan is cognisant of its obligations under UN Human Rights Conventions/Covenants. Execution of terrorists violates no international law.”
On Dec 25, Sharif assured Ban Ki-moon that all legal norms
would be respected while handing down sentences to terrorists and during the
execution of the sentences.Pakistan lifted the moratorium on executions following Dec 16 Peshawar school carnage by Taliban, in which over 140 people, most of them schoolchildren, were killed.
So far six people, convicted of attacks on army headquarters and the former president Pervez Musharraf, have been executed.
Pakistan has some 8,000 death-row inmates awaiting execution. But the government says that moratorium has only been lifted in terrorism cases.
The number of those convicted in terrorism-related offences is about 170.
Source: IANS
HONOUR KILLING OF PAKISTANI PREGNANT WOMAN IS NOT ACCEPTABLE?
ISLAMABAD – Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif demanded to know
yesterday why police stood by while a pregnant woman was beaten to death
by her family in front of one of the country’s top courts.
Farzana Iqbal, 25, was killed by a group of attackers, including her
father, on Tuesday because she had married the man she loved and
prompted the anger of her family.
- An investigation into the case showed that her husband had earlier killed his first wife, said a source in Sharif’s administration.
- A statement from Sharif’s office described Iqbal’s death as a “brutal killing” and said it was “totally unacceptable”.
- “I am directing the chief minister to take immediate action and a report must be submitted by this evening to my office,” it quoted Sharif as saying.
- Her husband said that police did nothing during the 15 minutes the violence lasted outside Lahore High Court.
- “I begged them to help us but they said, this is not our duty,” Muhammed Iqbal told Reuters. “I took off my shirt (to be humble) and begged them to save her.”
- Later a source in Sharif’s administration quoted a Lahore police report as saying that Iqbal had killed his first wife.
The person, who she had married had actually killed his own
wife in an earlier case and remained a proclaimed offender. He was
later arrested and was released on bail. Not a pristine character, according to
source.
The husband was not immediately available for comment.
In parts of Pakistan, a largely Muslim nation of 180 million people,
women are expected to agree to arranged marriages and refusal can mean
an “honour killing”.
Source: Reuter
POLICE SUSPENDED FOR PARADING NAKED COUPLE IN PAKISTAN
GAMBAT, Pakistan - According to witnesses, police in the Sindh town of Gambat forced the man and woman to walk to the police station naked as punishment for trying to have sex outside marriage.Mobile phone footage shows a naked man being beaten by police and a woman begging them to let her cover herself.
After a public outcry, officials suspended the officers involved.
- The BBC’s Shahzeb Jiliani says incidents of public dishonouring are not uncommon in Pakistan, but this incident is particularly shocking because it was carried out by police and filmed on mobile phones.
- Last year, several men were arrested for stripping a middle aged woman naked and parading her round the village as punishment for her son allegedly having an affair with a woman in their family.
- Shahnaz Bibi told the BBC at the time that her life had been ruined by the ordeal, and she could never go home.
- The footage of this latest incident shows the man, Mumtaz Mirbahar, being pushed around and abused by police officers on his property.
- He is then forced to walk naked to the police station, alongside his alleged partner, as a large crowd looks on.
- Mr Mirbahar said he has been “deeply scarred” by the incident. He has been released on bail, but the woman involved is still in detention.
Local police said they took action in response to several public complaints against Mr Mirbahar, who has been reportedly holding drink and dance parties during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.Neighbours confirmed to the BBC that there had been an issue, but said the police did not have the right to humiliate anyone in that manner.
Pakistani activists say unless stern action is taken against the officers involved, police abuses of their power are unlikely to end here.
U.S IS THE BIGGEST THREAT TO PAKISTANIS
A survey commissioned by Al Jazeera in Pakistan has revealed a widespread disenchantment with the United States for interfering with what most people consider internal Pakistani affairs.
- An overwhelming number, 59 per cent of respondents, said the greatest threat to Pakistan right now is, in fact, the US, a donor of considerable amounts of military and development aid.
- 11 per cent of the population identified the Taliban fighters, who have been blamed for scores of deadly bomb attacks across the country in recent years.
- Another 18 per cent said that they believe that the greatest threat came from neighbouring India, which has fought three wars with Pakistan since partition in 1947.
- The resentment was made clearer when residents were asked about the Pakistan's military efforts to tackle the Taliban.
- Keeping with recent trends a growing number of people, now 41 per cent, supported the campaign.
- About 24 per cent of people remained opposed, while another 22 per cent of Pakistanis remained neutral on the question.
- A recent offensive against Taliban fighters in the Swat, Lower Dir and Buner districts of North West Frontier Province killed at least 1,400 fighters, according to the military, but also devastated the area and forced two million to leave their homes.
- However, when asked if they support or oppose the US military's drone attacks against what Washington claims are Taliban and al-Qaeda targets, only nine per cent of respondents reacted favourably.
- A massive 67 per cent say they oppose US military operations on Pakistani soil.
PAKISTAN POLICE ACADEMY ATTACKED
Unidentified assailants have attacked a police training academy near the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore, killing at least 20 officers and injuring scores of others, police say.
The attackers - thought to number between five and 10 - also took several officers hostage in the incident on Monday, Al Jazeera's Kamal Hyder reported.
Hyder said the police were preparing to storm the compound. A security official said the police officers were preparing for training when the attack began.
"Unknown gunmen have attacked the police training school, we have called in elite forces," Mumtaz Sukhera, a senior police official, was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying.
Witnesses said the attackers had entered the academy disguised as police officers.
The attackers reportedly hurled grenades at the police and TV footage showed several police officers bleeding and lying on the ground.
Hyder said the latest attack would raise fresh questions about the ability of the country's interior ministry to provide security.
Imtiaz Gul, a Pakistani political analyst, said the attack underscored the "ill-preparedness" of police and paramilitary forces in the country.
"The kind of attack that took place is very, very difficult to pre-empt. There are people who came prepared to kill. On the other side, you see the kind of response from paramilitary forces.
"The entire country has been paying the price for this ill-preparedness," he said.
Pakistan has faced scores of attacks in recent years and, although Lahore has largely escaped the violence, it has not been immune.
Earlier in March, armed men brazenly ambushed Sri Lanka's cricket team in the city, killing six police officers and a driver, and wounding several of the players.
The attackers - thought to number between five and 10 - also took several officers hostage in the incident on Monday, Al Jazeera's Kamal Hyder reported.Hyder said the police were preparing to storm the compound. A security official said the police officers were preparing for training when the attack began.
"Unknown gunmen have attacked the police training school, we have called in elite forces," Mumtaz Sukhera, a senior police official, was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying.
Witnesses said the attackers had entered the academy disguised as police officers.The attackers reportedly hurled grenades at the police and TV footage showed several police officers bleeding and lying on the ground.
Hyder said the latest attack would raise fresh questions about the ability of the country's interior ministry to provide security.
Imtiaz Gul, a Pakistani political analyst, said the attack underscored the "ill-preparedness" of police and paramilitary forces in the country.
"The kind of attack that took place is very, very difficult to pre-empt. There are people who came prepared to kill. On the other side, you see the kind of response from paramilitary forces.
"The entire country has been paying the price for this ill-preparedness," he said.
Pakistan has faced scores of attacks in recent years and, although Lahore has largely escaped the violence, it has not been immune.
Earlier in March, armed men brazenly ambushed Sri Lanka's cricket team in the city, killing six police officers and a driver, and wounding several of the players.
Courtesy: Al Jazeera
PERMANENT SWAT'S TALIBAN CEASEFIRE AGREED
Taleban rebels in Pakistan's Swat valley have agreed to a "permanent ceasefire", a senior official has said. Syed Mohammad Javed, commissioner of Malakand, which includes Swat, revealed the deal but gave no details. There has been no confirmation from the Taleban.
Swat, once
one of Pakistan's most popular holiday destinations, has been blighted by violence since 2007.
Reports of the pact come a week after a 10-day ceasefire and a deal to implement Sharia law in parts of Swat.
Local Taleban met a senior elder, Sufi Mohammad, to discuss ceasefire terms before the agreement was announced, reports said.
Sufi Mohammad, a pro-Taleban cleric, is the father-in-law of Maulana Fazlullah, who has been waging a violent campaign to impose Sharia in t
he region.
Following the deal struck last Sunday to agree to introduce Sharia law, negotiations between Maulana Fazlullah and Sufi Mohammad now appear to have led to a more permanent deal.
"They have made commitment that they will observe a permanent ceasefire and we'll do the same," Mr Javed, the commissioner of Malakand, told reporters on Saturday.
A Taleban leader was expected to confirm the ceasefire later on Saturday, Reuters news agency reported.
Source: Reuters , World News and BBC
Swat, once
one of Pakistan's most popular holiday destinations, has been blighted by violence since 2007.Reports of the pact come a week after a 10-day ceasefire and a deal to implement Sharia law in parts of Swat.
Local Taleban met a senior elder, Sufi Mohammad, to discuss ceasefire terms before the agreement was announced, reports said.
Sufi Mohammad, a pro-Taleban cleric, is the father-in-law of Maulana Fazlullah, who has been waging a violent campaign to impose Sharia in t
he region.Following the deal struck last Sunday to agree to introduce Sharia law, negotiations between Maulana Fazlullah and Sufi Mohammad now appear to have led to a more permanent deal.
"They have made commitment that they will observe a permanent ceasefire and we'll do the same," Mr Javed, the commissioner of Malakand, told reporters on Saturday.
A Taleban leader was expected to confirm the ceasefire later on Saturday, Reuters news agency reported.
Source: Reuters , World News and BBC
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