‘Taliban al-Qaeda’ claims responsibility for PIA plane attack

KHAR: A group calling itself the Taliban al-Qaeda group has claimed responsibility for the recent firing on the passenger airline in which a woman was killed.

It is the first time that any militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack on the Pakistan International Airlines plane that was landing at the Peshawar airport after having flown from Riyadh. However, the claim lacks credibility as this little-known group has not been blamed for any attack on the security forces or government installations yet.

Talking to reporters on Thursday, the Taliban al-Qaeda group chief Yousaf Raza Mujahid said the plane was fired at to avenge the atrocities committed against the Taliban.He also claimed responsibility for the recent attacks on the security checkpost in Helmand province in Afghanistan and military base in Nuristan.

He vowed to continue struggle against the unjust system of governance and justice in Pakistan. He said that militants would convene a meeting to discuss ceasefire during Ramazan.

Afghan election contender Ghani dismisses fraud claims

KABUL: Afghan presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday defended himself against electoral fraud allegations that have tipped the country into a political crisis, saying that all ballots cast for him were legitimate.

"Our votes are clean, and we will defend each vote," Ghani told supporters in his first speech since the dispute over fake votes erupted.

Qaeda claims recent attack on Tunisia minister’s home

TUNIS: Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb said Friday it was responsible for a recent attack on the home of Tunisia´s interior minister that killed four policemen, the first such claim in the country.

"A group of lions... went to cut off the head of the criminal Lotfi Ben Jeddou at his home... and God allowed them to kill a number of his personal guards," an AQIM statement said.

The statement, posted on an Internet forum, said the May 27 attack on the house in the western border region of Kasserine, had also wounded other guards and that weapons had been seized.

It added that Jeddou, who was not in the house, "got away this time, but he won´t the next."

And it said that "entering into open war against Islam and its partisans to please the United States, France or Algeria, will cost dearly."

Meanwhile, the interior ministry said two terrorists were killed by national guardsmen during an operation Friday in the Jendouba region to the north, and that other "terrorists" were being hunted.

Several militants and members of the security forces were killed in Jendouba in February and March.

 

4.1pc GDP growth in six months, claims Dar

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has claimed that Pakistan witnessed a GDP growth of 4.1 percent in the first half of the current financial year against 3.4 percent in six months of the last financial year.

However, in the first nine months of the current fiscal, revenue of the country increased to Rs1,574.6 billion against the Rs1,352.3 billion collected during July-March in the last fiscal showing the growth of 16.4 percent.

During the press briefing here on Wednesday, the minister said that budget deficit had come down 3.1 percent (Rs815 billion) in the first nine-month period against 4.6 percent (Rs1,046 billion).

Dar said that remittances had increased by 11.9 percent to $11.58 billion during the nine-month period from $10.35 billion. Exports have increased to $19.11 billion in nine months of the current fiscal year from $18.02 billion in the same periodof the last year, showing the growth of 6.1 percent. Forex reserves have swelled to $11.67 billion.

As far as inflation is concerned, it stood at 8.6 percent during July-March 2013-14 whereas it was at 7.98 percent in the same period of the last financial year. He said that 3,188 companies have been registered with the SECP in the first nine months of the current fiscal against 2,883 companies that got registered in the same period of the last financial year, showing a growth of 10.57 percent.

The growth in large manufacturing scale stood at 6.05 percent as against 2.78 percent in the period under review of the last fiscal year. “We have planned to give a credit line of Rs380 billion to the agriculture sector during the ongoing financial year, which is up by 13.09 percent if compared with Rs336 billion disbursed in last year,” Dar said.

FC claims 30 suspected terrorists killed in Kalat

QUETTA: At least 30 suspected terrorists were killed during a Frontier Corps (FC) operation in the Kalat district of Balochistan while ten FC personnel were injured.

FC spokesperson told Geo News the operation was conducted in the Parodh area of Kalat district during which the suspected militants used rocket launchers, hand grenades and other arms against FC personnel.

The spokesperson claimed that the suspected terrorists were part of banned orgainsations and were involved in attacks on trains and other incidents.

The operation was monitored by IGFC Major General Ijaz Shahid.

Lot of progress made in talks with Taliban, claims Nisar

ISLAMABAD: The Minister for Interior, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, said on Thursday that a lot of progress had been made in the talks with the Taliban.

Speaking at the launching ceremony of a think tank the Centre for Policy Research and Dialogue, the minister said a meeting would be held soon to review the dialogue process with the Taliban. He said Pakistan will become peaceful because of the efforts made by the government.

Ch Nisar said the former rulers imposed a war on Pakistan for 12 years to serve the foreign interests. “This war continued for over a decade and nobody held talks to resolve the conflict,” the minister said.

He said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government started talks and in a few months, a headway was made in the process. “Now those people who did not take any step to initiate the talks are raising objections and resorting to criticism,” he added.

Chaudhry Nisar said facts should not be distorted, as there were no acts of terrorism from 2001 to 2004 in the tribal areas. “No Pakistani or tribesman was involved in the incident of 9/11 but the rulers of the time got the war stuck in their throat,” he said, adding that millions of people in Fata were displaced from their homes in the previous years. He said Islam is not a religion of violence but it is all about peace and forgiveness and Allah dislikes chaos.

Chaudhry Nisar, talking about removing the name of former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf from the Exit Control List (ECL), said the government had clarified its position on the issue. He said Musharraf shifted to his farmhouse from the AFIC without informing the government.

The minister said the people had stopped making a difference between right and wrong and truth and falsehood. He said the rulers should adopt the strictest standards of accountability as it was necessary for stopping degeneration in the society.

Meanwhile, Chaudhry Nisar had an unscheduled meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday evening and it is understood that the minister briefed the premier about the reported release of 19 detainees in the tribal areas.

Sources in the Prime Minister’s House told The News that an international wire service wrongly involved the Prime Minister’s Office in the release of such detainees. The detainees who were released are non-combatants and the impression that the prime minister asked for their release or it was part of any deal with the Taliban was false.

No authorisation has been given by the prime minister in this regard. The Prime Minister’s House officially clarified that the release of some prisoners involved in petty crimes by the local political administration had been wrongly termed as release of the Taliban prisoners.

Kasuri lied to gain attention of Musharraf, claims Rashid

0  0  0

ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid has refuted Ahmed Raza Kasuri's claim that the government attempted to lure Pervez Musharraf with a secret deal to stay away from the country for a period of five years.

"Ahmed Raza Kasuri tried to gain attention of former military ruler General (retd) Pervez Musharraf by telling a lie," Rashid claimed.

The minister further said that the government made no offer to Musharraf, claiming that the former president ousted Kasuri from his defence counsel team that is why he lied to gain the attention of Musharraf.

Earlier, Kasuri had said that Musharraf was offered to sign a 5-year bond and not return till the date of its expiration.

However, he went on to say that his Musharraf turned down the deal of secret agreement.

Pakistan’s Syria policy neutral, claims Sartaj

 

LONDON: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz has said Pakistan wants to strike a balance between Saudi Arabia and Iran to ease tensions between the two countries.
In an interview with BBC’s Urdu Service, Sartaj said Pakistan was following a neutral policy on Syria in line with UN resolutions. He said that sectarian divisions were very harmful for the Islamic world. In reply to a question, the adviser said the $1.5 billion aid provided by Saudi Arabia was direly needed by the country.

He said Pakistan had released Afghan Taliban to take forward the reconciliation process in Afghanistan. Pakistan wanted the Afghan Taliban to take part in the election process and join the mainstream, but they are no more in our control. He regretted that soon after the start of the election campaign in Afghanistan, negative statements had been increased against Pakistan by Afghan leaders.

Sartaj said no request had been made for getting additional US arms and ammunition in Afghanistan and if Pakistan would need them, it would be acquired from other US bases in other parts of the world.

The adviser said without resolving the issues with the neighbouring country, the Pakistan military had reservations over friendship and trade with India. He said the environment will have to be improved to resolve the Kashmir issue.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will visit Iran in May or June to discuss bilateral relations and world issues. When he was asked if Pakistan was sending arms to Syria, he said there was no specific agreement about Syria in the present circumstances.

He said Islamabad was making efforts to sell small arms and fighter aircraft to Saudi Arabia. He said it was strange that objections were being raised about it, though all world nations wanted to sell their weapons to other countries. He said there was no difficulty for Saudi Arabia to purchase weapons from any other country. There was no need for creating any doubts on the issue, he added.

He said the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline project was intact, but due to sanctions the time limit for its implementation would have to be reset.

Turkey PM claims victory, warns rivals ´will pay price

ANKARA: Turkey´s Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed victory for his Islamic-rooted party in Sunday´s key local elections and warned his foes they will "pay the price" for plotting his downfall.

"Those who attacked Turkey got disappointed," Erdogan told a jubilant crowd of thousands, speaking from the balcony of his party´s Ankara headquarters after months of turmoil marked by street clashes, sleaze claims and an Internet clampdown.

"You have supported your prime minister. I thank you infinitely," Erdogan told the crowd, his voice still hoarse from marathon campaigning for the municipal polls that were seen as a referendum on his 11-year rule.

Erdogan, 60, has been eyeing a run for the presidency in August -- the first time voters will directly elect the head of state -- and his midnight victory speech sounded at times like the start of his next campaign.

"You have protected the independence struggle of the new Turkey," the man often called "the sultan" told his flag-waving followers, interrupted by chants of "Turkey is proud of you", "Stand tall, don´t bow" and "God is great".

With 95 percent of all ballots counted, Erdogan´s Justice and Development Party (AKP) emerged well ahead of its rivals on 45 percent of the vote, with the opposition Republican People´s Party (CHP) on 28.5 percent. The AKP looked headed for strong victories nationwide, including in the biggest city Istanbul and the capital Ankara, over the secular opposition.

But in Ankara the main opposition, the centre-left CHP, said the vote was close. A definitive result in the capital awaited vote recounts, which were under way in some districts.

Erdogan again threatened to pursue his declared nemesis Fethullah Gulen, a reclusive Muslim cleric whom he accuses of running a parallel "deep state" undermining his government from faraway rural Pennsylvania.

Erdogan has accused loyalists of the 73-year-old imam in the police and justice systems of damaging leaks on Twitter and of bugging secret security talks on Syria before then releasing the explosive audio recording on YouTube.

"We will enter their caves and ... they will pay the price," he warned. "How can you threaten our national security on Syria? Syria is currently in a state of war against us." "There won´t be a state within a state," he stressed.

Months of political turmoil -- fought out in fierce street clashes and the Internet leaks -- have left Turkey deeply polarised between Erdogan´s Muslim conservative supporters and a secular political camp. Erdogan´s inner circle has been hit by the damaging online leaks since December, with wide-ranging bribery and sleaze claims against the prime minister and his political and business allies going viral in the youthful country.

The spiralling crisis has sent down the Turkish lira and stock market in recent months and rattled investors´ faith in a Muslim democracy that has often been described as a model for post-Arab Spring countries.

The premier´s heavy-handed response to being challenged on the streets and online has included a police crackdown on protesters in Istanbul that left eight dead and thousands wounded and arrested, and blocks on Twitter and YouTube.

The crackdown has alienated NATO allies and detracted from Erdogan´s much lauded record of driving an economic boom and transforming the country into an emerging global player."Our democracy must be strengthened and cleansed," said Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the opposition CHP, as he cast his vote Sunday.

Despite a round of reprimands from foreign powers and human rights groups, the "results show us that Erdogan has survived these scandals with very little damage," Mehmet Akif Okur of Ankara´s Gazi University told AFP. "Voters believe that if Erdogan falls, they will fall with him. No matter how serious the corruption allegations are, the voters supported Erdogan to keep the status they have acquired under his rule," he added."

Seeing that his ´authoritarian´ measures have not hurt him at the ballot box, Erdogan will be more ambitious in pushing through tougher policies. I would expect lawsuits against the Gulen movement and arrests in the coming days. "Away from the national issues, local rivalries that regularly flare up at elections in Turkey left at least nine people dead Sunday.

Sana claims Rehman Malik penned threat letter to Bilawal

LAHORE: Punjab Law Minister, Rana Sanaullah made a startling claim on Sunday, saying former interior minister Rehman Malik authored the letter containing threats to Pakistan People’s Party Patron-in-Chief, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

Rana Sana was replying to a question while talking to media persons after laying a foundation stone for Thalassemia Center here.

“The initial investigation has revealed that the threat letter was penned by Rehman Malik,” he claimed.

He said Rehman Malik had been making moves in the previous five years win an aim to cause damage to the Punjab Government.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had claimed in a Twitter message on Thursday that he had received ‘a threat letter’ from the proscribed Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ).

The Punjab Law Minister assured that fool-proof security would be provided to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari if he undertook a visit to Punjab province.

On the ongoing peace process between the government and Taliban militants, he said the TTP appeared serious and hoped that the ceasefire would be extended.

Russian media rejects US claims on civilian deaths in drone attacks

MOSCOW: Number of civilian’s deaths from US drone attacks in Pakistan is far bigger than Washington admits, Russian media said on Sunday.

In a documentary on US drones, the Russian media said over 3000 people half of them civilians have been killed in 350 aerial strikes in Pakistan.

The Russian media called US term ‘Signature Strikes’ as worrying since in this procedure suspects are killed in US drone attacks without any substantial evidence.

They said the US drone attacks are tantamount to war crimes and sheer violation of international laws.

Brendon dismisses claims he is son of Michael Jackson

According to the Ibtimes American singer Brandon Howard has released video dismissing claims that he is son of late pop legend Michael Jackson.

The video was posted on Facebook in the wake of DNA test reports, revealed by FilmOn.com, which claimed Jackson to be the father of Brandon.

Even Jackson estate lawyer Weitzman has cast doubt over the reports, claiming he has never heard of Brandon before.

As reported by Ibtimes Brandon said in the video "It seems a lot of people are speaking on my behalf, so I'm going to keep this short and simple.”

"1,I did not call TMZ, I didn't put out a story, nothing. 2, I never proclaimed to be his son, 3, I am definitely not suing the estate, I have been taken care of very well and also I make my own cash, 4, It's true I had a DNA test, but this had nothing to do with any of this, I swear on my life.”

"I'm done, wherever you guys go from here, that's what it is and whatever the DNA results come out to be, the results, it is what it is.”

"This is coming from me personally, so spread it around and make sure everybody knows this is me, okay, me, alright? So thank-you for listening and talk to you soon."

Brandon, who was represented by Jackson’s father Joe in the 1980s, is the son of Miki Howard.

Jackson reportedly have had an affair with his mother whom he met in 1982, a year before Miki was born.

US jobless claims drop to 3-month low

WASHINGTON: First-time claims for US unemployment benefits fell last week to a three-month low but remained little changed from a year ago, according to official data released Thursday.
Initial jobless claims totaled 323,000 in the week ending March 1, a decline of 26,000 from the prior week's revised reading of 349,000, the Labor Department said.
It was the lowest level of claims, a sign of the pace of layoffs, since the last week of November.
The Labor Department cited no particular factor driving the fall in claims, which was larger than analysts expected. The consensus was for claims to fall to 338,000.
The four-week moving average of claims, which helps to smooth week-over-week volatility, fell by 2,000 to 336,500.
A year ago, the moving average was 350,500.
"We need to see more than just one week's data to confirm that the underlying trend in claims remains about flat behind all the weather-induced noise," said Ian Shepherdson of Pantheon Macroeconomics.
The claims report came ahead of the Labor Department's closely watched monthly jobs report due Friday.
Analysts estimate net job creation picked up to 163,000 in February after a mere 113,000 in January. The unemployment rate is expected to hold steady at 6.6 percent.

US stocks rise after upbeat jobless claims data

WASHINGTON: US stocks opened modestly higher on Thursday as investors weighed improved unemployment claims data ahead of Friday's key monthly jobs report.
Five minutes into trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 42.43 points (0.26 percent) at 16,402.61.
The tech-rich Nasdaq Composite rose 12.03 (0.28 percent) to 4,370.00, while the S&P 500 index, a broad measure of the markets, advanced 5.36 (0.29 percent) to 1,879.17.
US initial jobless claims for the week ending March 1 fell more than expected, by 26,000 to a three-month low of 323,000.
"Another employment update is in the spotlight ahead of tomorrow's nonfarm payrolls number," Wells Fargo Advisors said.
Analysts project the Labor Department's report will show job creation picked up to 163,000 in February after a mere 113,000 in January.
The unemployment rate is expected to hold steady at 6.6 percent.