PTI says Pervez Rashid failed to answer ‘four questions’

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Central Information Secretary Dr Shireen Mazari has said that Federal Information Minister Pervez Rashid failed to answer the four questions raised by the PTI.

In a statement issued here on Saturday, she said that Nawaz Sharif had sought clear majority in his speech before the election results.

Terming the minister as a political acrobat she said “we demanded appointment of judicial returning officers but there should have been accountability”.

Mazari added that Najam Sethi was appointed Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board for causing 35 punctures. She also criticized Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who she said had not visited IDPs camp.

Imran makes four new demands

 

BAHAWALPUR: The Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, on Friday presented four demands before the government and gave one month’s time for acceptance of the same.
He threatened that if the demands were not met, one million people would march on Islamabad on August 14 for a ‘Naya Pakistan’ and strengthening of democracy through reforms.

Addressing a big public gathering at Dring Stadium Bahawalpur, he asked the government who was behind Nawaz Sharif’s victory speech on May 11 after announcement of the only 15 percent results, what was the role of then Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry in the elections, who was declared winners through rigging in 35 constituencies and who had made changes in the electoral roll and why there were so massive number of rejected votes in the elections.

He said that the time was not far when he would mend the Punjab police. He said if any policeman fired at or tortured activists of the PTI, he would hang them with his own hands.He invited all the political parties to join hands with him for real democracy and ‘Naya Pakistan’ through electoral reforms.

The PTI chief said it was shameful that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) did not resign despite ‘massive rigging’ in May 11 polls. He claimed that results were changed in at least 90 constituencies under a massive rigging plan.He also attacked the Punjab Police over the Lahore incident and asked whether they were the servants of Sharif family or the Punjab government.

Discussing the IDPs issue, Imran Khan asked Nawaz Sharif not to play politics on the issue. He said the prime minister had invited him just for a photo session with IDPs in Bannu which he rejected because it was not time for politics, adding that situation required practical service for the IDPs.

He said the IDPs issue would become a huge problem for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, if all the Pakistanis did not support them.Imran demanded the Punjab and Sindh governments for removing the ban on the entry of IDPs in their respective provinces.

Earlier, Makhdoom Javed Hashmi in his address asked Imran Khan to support the demand of Bahawalpur and Seraiki provinces.It is important to note that although it was a big gathering but not as much as being claimed by the PTI leadership, especially by the south Punjab organisation.

Agencies add: Imran said if the prime minister was actually concerned about the IDPs, he would have informed him about the operation beforehand.Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that the days of PML-N government were numbered adding that he had to convey three important messages and the first one was for the PML-N government.

“The one, who was in power, is gone and the one, who is in now, will be removed very soon.”Hashmi described southern Punjab as the most neglected region and said Imran should recognise the sense of deprivation among the locals. Pakistan would progress with the creation of new provinces, he remarked.

Karachi: Four bodies recovered from Baldia Town

KARACHI: Four bodies bearing torture marks and hands tied behind their back were recovered from Baldia Town area of Karachi on Monday morning, Geo News reported.

According to police, four blind-folded bodies were found from Rais Goth area of Baldia Town today morning. The bodies had torture marks and bullet wounds while their hands were tied behind their back

The spent shells of 9mm pistol were also recovered near the bodies.

The bodies were shifted to the hospital for medico-legal formalities and identification purpose, however, the identity of the deceased could not be ascertained until the last report was filed.

Four injured in Islamabad explosion

ISLAMABAD: Four people sustained injuries in an explosion in the outskirts of Islamabad here on Friday, Geo News reported.

Sources said the blast took place in Pandorian during the Urs of Pir Chun Badshah.

According to initial reports, four people sustained injuries in the blast.

The nature of the blast is yet to be ascertained.

Govt musters four parties’ support for national causes: PM briefed

ISLAMABAD: Four mainstream political parties have assured the government that they would resist any threat to parliamentary democratic order and supremacy of the constitution since any adventure could inflict irreparable loss to the integrity of the country.

The three-member special committee, headed by Prime Minister’s Adviser on National Affairs Professor Irfan Siddiquee had meetings with the leadership of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Jamiatul Ulmai Islam (JUI) of Maulana Fazalur Rehman, Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) of Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao and Awami National Party (ANP) in the light of mandate given to it by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Federal ministers Professor Ahsan Iqbal and Khawaja Saad Rafiq are the other two members of Professor Siddiquee’s committee. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been briefed about the initial and encouraging response of the political parties in question to the three member committee.

The committee will continue to establish contact with other political parties and groups in the wake of upcoming developments in the political arena. Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has yet to take ultimate decision about siding with the division on the national horizon but the government’s confidants have furnished contacts with the MQM also to muster its support for the national causes.

Interestingly, the favourable reaction of the government pertaining to the arrest of Altaf Hussain in London recently has evoked tremendous goodwill between the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the MQM. Highly placed sources in the government told The News here on Sunday evening that the whirlwind visit of Allama Tahirul Qadri to Pakistan next week is part of the intrigue to destabilise the country and for the reason political and democratic forces have decided to forge unity in their ranks to frustrate any attempt to uproot the democratic order in the country. The administration has knitted a net to nab Allama Tahirul Qadri who is Canadian national and involved heinous offences, including fiscal crimes and several irregularities.

His close family members are also partner in the crimes. The federal agencies, including FIA, Intelligence Bureau (IB) and FBR, are hectically engaged in compiling documentary evidence into the offences reportedly committed by Qadri and his family members. The government is also examining to institute cases against Allama Tahirul Qadri for inciting violence, instigating people against the constitution and lawfully in-place government, attempting to dislodge constitutional order in the country and preaching violence. It could pave the way for registration of criminal case against him under Article 124 (A) Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). Tahirul Qadri could be another case resembling Pervez Musharraf, who could come to Pakistan with big bang, but stranded here due to the cases awaited for him. Pervez Musharraf is trying hard to leave the country but facing enormous difficulties, the sources pointed out.

The sources reminded that Allama Qadri will have to face different sort of administration this time when he will be landing Pakistan in a couple of days since the present government wouldn’t tolerate daring by him to the institutions created by the people and irresponsible rhetoric by him. The government wouldn’t hesitate in nabbing the Canadian national after gathering solid evidence about his crimes.

The Canadian and British High Commissions would also be taken in loop about the offices under money laundering that have been committed on the soil of Pakistan, but the properties were procured in Canada and the United Kingdom with the black money whitened in the two countries. He has huge property in the United Kingdom besides Canada and some other European countries.

The government is confident that no mainstream political party or group would join hands with the Allam, and once the government decided to lay hand on him, he wouldn’t be able to solicit support from any influential quarter, the sources added.

Worst loadshedding spell as four Mangla Dam units break down

 

KARACHI/ISLAMABAD: The country on Sunday witnessed the worst spell of loadshedding after five units of the Mangla Dam broke down.
Loadshedding is likely to increase in various cities after the power shortfall in the country exceeded 4,500 megawatts (MW) from 3,500MW.According to sources, thermal power plants are not producing electricity according to their capacity despite sufficient fuel supply. They said the power distribution companies were providing low voltage to reduce the duration of loadshedding .

The sources further said that the duration of loadshedding could be increased to 16 hours.Several areas of the country are experiencing power outages of 12-15 hours daily while the situation in some cities of the Punjab is even worse.

Power generation in the country stands at 13,350 MW while demand is 16,900MW.Meanwhile, Minister of State for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali has claimed that the government is proactively executing diverse programmes to overcome the energy crisis.

Meanwhile, four people died of sunstroke and dozens others were hospitalised as the mercury rose to almost 50 degrees centigrade in several cities of the country on Sunday.According to reports, three persons, including two-year-old Arzoo of village 82/6-R, Ahsan, 10, and 32-year-old Muhammad Aslam hailing from village 67/5-R of Sahiwal, fell unconscious due to sunstrokes. They were shifted to hospitals where they expired.

Ahmed Deen, 65, of village 62/5-R died after exposure to the heatwave.Meanwhile, dozens of people affected by intense hot weather were shifted to different hospitals in Sahiwal where, according to medics, the condition of three was critical.

The citizens have expressed grave concern over the nearly 15 hours of loadshedding daily and demanded that the provincial government improve power supply.In Karachi, temperature was recorded at 40 degrees centigrade on Sunday morning. Rural Sindh is also suffering from the intense heat wave. Extremely high temperatures were recorded in various cities of the province including Jacobabad, Nawabshah, Larkana, and Sukkur. However, the temperature is likely to drop in the province from Monday (today).

In Punjab, the situation is no different as the heat wave is prevalent in most parts of the province. Extremely hot weather has gripped most of the plain areas of Punjab including, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan and Bahawalpur divisions.

Severely hot weather also grips many parts of Balochistan, including Turbat and Sibi division, whereas the use of cold drinks has increased due to the heat.The Met Office has predicted that the heatwave would continue to grip most plains areas of the country for the next few days.

An intense summer is also being witnessed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The citizens are visiting parks, canals, beaches and recreational spots to battle the weather whereas the demand for cold beverages has also increased.

Meanwhile, the Met Office has predicted rain with thunderstorm in some areas of Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Malakand and Hazara Division.Jacobabad remained the hottest area during the last 24 hours where the temperature recorded was 50°C, while the maximum temperature recorded in other cities were: Dadu, Sukkur, Larkana, Moenjodaro, Sibi 49°C; Noorpur Thal, Rohri, Shaheed Benazirabad, Rahim Yar Khan, Padidan and Turbat 48°C.

Our correspondent from Lahore adds: With a high mercury level on Sunday, a majority of citizens thronged the city canal and other water spots to beat the heat.With loadshedding and severe heat, a large number of Lahorites went to the Lahore canal to beat the heat. All swimming pools and other water sports facilities were packed. Hours-long traffic jam was also witnessed at the canal road near Jallo Morr.

Met officials said the highest maximum temperature in the city was recorded as 46.3 C. They predicted very hot and mainly dry weather with chances of dust raising winds for the next 24 hours. They said a westerly wave lying over the extreme northern parts of the country had moved away eastwards while the seasonal low pressure lies over northern Balochistan.

Sale of plastic paddling pools has also increased in the city. A vendor sitting at the roadside in Faisal Town said since the morning he had sold over ten large and five small pools.

Blast kills four Afghan policemen: officials

GHAZNI: An explosion killed four Afghan police including a district chief on Thursday as they attempted to defuse a roadside bomb in the restive south, officials said.

Afghanistan has seen a flare-up in violence ahead of the second-round presidential election on June 14, with Taliban insurgents threatening to disrupt the polls.

Thursday´s blast occurred as Mohammad Qasim and his team attempted to defuse one of two roadside bombs found in Waghiz district of Ghazni province.

"They defused the first bomb and while they were trying to defuse the second one nearby, it detonated and killed them," provincial spokesman Shafiq Nang told AFP.

One policeman was wounded in the attack and taken to a nearby hospital, deputy police chief of Ghazni, Assadullah Safi, said while confirming the incident.

The incident comes after 16 policemen were killed in a series of attacks in the space of 24 hours last month, as security forces gear up to guard the election.

Providing security for the vote is a key test for Afghan police and soldiers, with the bulk of 51,000 NATO combat troops due to pull out of the country by December after more than a decade fighting the Taliban.

No one has claimed responsibility for Thursday´s attack, but roadside bombs are the Taliban´s weapon of choice in their war against the foreign and Afghan forces. (AFP)

Militants storm checkposts in Bajaur from Afghanistan Four soldiers killed

 

KHAR: Four soldiers were killed and four others sustained injuries when Afghanistan-based militants attacked the security forces checkposts in the Mamond Tehsil of Bajaur Agency, official sources said on Wednesday.
The sources said the militants attacked the security forces checkposts in Manro Zangal and Makha Top in Mamond Tehsil with heavy weaponry at 4am.

“Two soldiers were killed and three others sustained injuries in the attack in Manro Zangal while two soldiers were killed and another sustained injuries in an attack on a checkpost in Makha Top,” an official said.

The official sources claimed several militants were killed in the retaliatory fire by the soldiers manning the checkposts.However, the claim could not be confirmed from independent sources due to the inaccessibility of the area for journalists.

Local sources said the exchange of fire continued for several hours. The security forces sources said the militants escaped from the area after the forces returned the fire.It was the third such attack in Mamond Tehsil during the last two weeks. The sources said security forces had beefed up the security in the border villages.

Around 19 militants were killed and five Frontier Corps soldiers were injured in clashes between the security forces and militants on May 25 and 31.

APP adds: Pakistan condemned the unprovoked attacks from the Afghan side and the matter was raised with the Afghan government in Kabul and with their embassy in Islamabad.

The Foreign Office spokesperson, in a statement, said early Wednesday morning, two Pakistani border posts — Manro Zangal and Makha Tops in Bajaur Agency — were attacked by terrorists from Afghanistan.

The spokesperson said as a result of this unprovoked firing, two Pakistani soldiers were martyred and three others, including one officer, were injured.Pakistan said it was the third incident of cross-border attack in the last 10 days.

The spokesperson said it had been emphasized that Afghanistan must take concrete steps to stop the use of its territory against Pakistan. For its part, Pakistan remains committed to supporting all efforts for peace and stability in Afghanistan, said the spokesperson.

Four including 3 women gunned down in Swat

SWAT: Four persons were killed when unknown culprits opened fire in a house in Buner District of Swat on Monday morning, Geo News reported.

According to police, the incident occurred in Palwari area of Buner where unknown armed assailants opened fire in a house that killed three women and a man.

The ferocious incident didn’t end here. The brutal murderers set the bodies along with the house on fire after killing their targets.

Police reached the incident site and initiated investigation.

Lahore: Four arrested in 'honour killing' case

LAHORE: Police investigating the murder of a pregnant woman bludgeoned to death outside a court have arrested four men including her uncle and two cousins, a senior officer said Friday.

Farzana Parveen was killed on Tuesday outside the Lahore High Court by more than two dozen attackers armed with bricks, including numerous relatives, for marrying against her family´s wishes.

The brazen, brutal nature of the killing, in broad daylight in the centre of Pakistan´s second largest city, has triggered outrage around the world.

Police were apparently at the scene, but did not intervene.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday told Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who is his brother, to take immediate action on the case.

"Special investigation teams set up by police on the directive of the chief minister arrested four more people including an uncle and two cousins of the slain woman and a driver on Thursday night," senior police official Zulfiqar Hameed told on Friday.

The new arrests bring the number held over the killing to five, after Parveen´s father was detained at the scene of the attack.

Shahbaz Sharif has ordered police to round up all those involved within 24 hours.

He has also directed that the case should be heard in an anti-terrorism court. This should mean it moves more quickly than in a regular court.

Pakistan´s regular courts are notoriously slow, with many cases dragging on for years with little progress.

The country´s Supreme Court took suo moto and demanded a police report on the incident within 48 hours.

The United States branded Parveen´s killing as "heinous", with a State Department spokeswoman denouncing "violence that occurs in the name of tradition and honour, such as so-called honour killings".

In a macabre twist to the case, on Thursday Parveen´s husband Mohammad Iqbal admitted to that he had strangled his first wife -- but was spared prison because he was forgiven for the act by his son

"I was in love with Farzana and killed my first wife because of this love," Iqbal said.

When she was killed, Parveen was arriving at court to testify in Iqbal´s defence after he was accused by her relatives of kidnapping her and forcing her into marriage.

Those protesting and holding marches should wait four years: PM Nawaz

LAHORE: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Wednesday that the politics of the 1980’s and 90’s would no longer work.

Addressing a ceremony to mark ‘Youm-e-Takbeer,’ the prime minister said those holding protests and rallies should step out of the politics of the 80’s and 90’s and wait four years and let the people decide who they want to elect.

“The politics of delivering and fulfilling peoples’ promises will now work not that of the 80’s and 90’s,” Prime Minister Sharif said.

Prime Minister Sharif added that the government’s agenda was the development of Pakistan and asked what the agenda of those holding protests was.

According to the prime minister Pakistan should focus on economic growth.

Four more cases registered against Geo

 

LAHORE: On the court orders, more cases were registered against the Geo channel on Friday in Vehari, Sarai Alamgir, Peshawar and Aroop (Gujranwala) for the alleged broadcast of blasphemous content in a morning show.
In Lahore, on the application of a local lawyer Azfar Kamal, Additional Sessions Judge Safdar Ali Bhatti ordered the registration of an FIR against the morning show host Shaista Lodhi, actress Veena Malik and her husband Asad Khattak.

However, Awami Justice Party President Mehar Ghulam Mustafa Mankan withdrew his application from a court in Faisalabad he had submitted for the registration of a case against the Geo administration. He said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, some media organisations and individuals were hatching conspiracies against the Geo TV network.

Four more cases registered against Geo

LAHORE: On the court orders, more cases were registered against the Geo channel on Friday in Vehari, Sarai Alamgir, Peshawar and Aroop (Gujranwala) for the alleged broadcast of blasphemous content in a morning show.
In Lahore, on the application of a local lawyer Azfar Kamal, Additional Sessions Judge Safdar Ali Bhatti ordered the registration of an FIR against the morning show host Shaista Lodhi, actress Veena Malik and her husband Asad Khattak.

However, Awami Justice Party President Mehar Ghulam Mustafa Mankan withdrew his application from a court in Faisalabad he had submitted for the registration of a case against the Geo administration. He said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, some media organisations and individuals were hatching conspiracies against the Geo TV network.

PM, COAS met frequently in four months

ISLAMABAD: No Chief of Army Staff (COAS) has held so many meetings with a prime minister in such a short span of time as General Raheel Sharif has had with Nawaz Sharif in just four months but still meeting of the minds on Pervez Musharraf’s fate is missing.

This is indicative of the fact that though the two Sharifs have met for a number of times, they have not held even a slight discussion on the former general’s future.Both apparently consciously avoided touching this subject for their own reasons and restricted their deliberations to only burning national issues specifically security matters, terrorism and peace talks with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

All together, the Sharif duo has met for some half a dozen times since the new army chief took command of the Pakistan Army in November last. Since then, Nawaz Sharif has been abroad on official tours for nearly a month, which means that the prime minister and the COAS have held meetings at least twice a month which is a very good frequency keeping in view the record of the sessions between such position holders in the past.

This regularity, generally speaking, signals the impression that all’s well as the two top guns sit together and positively work to thrash out issues, sharing views on almost all matters that have the potential of marring their relations.

They met in December, January, February and March, and are expected to be under one roof once again four days later on April 19 at the Pakistan Military Academy Kakul passing out parade where the prime minister will be the chief guest. They may hold a session even before that.

Almost every time, the two chiefs met, senior cabinet ministers and other top officials harped on the theme that the government and the army are on the same page on all critical issues. This was always taken as a positive development in a country where they have usually been holding conflicting stands.

Intensive interactions no doubt help remove misgivings and misunderstandings apart from helping formulation of consensus policies. But although the two sides have been frequently meeting, they have not been on the same wavelength and have not developed the desired rapport on the Musharraf saga otherwise General Raheel Sharif would not have deemed it necessary to issue his famous public statement, prompting some elements, who dream of rocking the relations between the two for their ulterior motives, to paint it as a storm.

All the soldiers’ concerns that the general wanted to address through his public remarks could have been discussed with the prime minister and an easy way-out would have been conveniently found to remove them.

Interpretations of the chief’s comment are galore. One most mooted and plausible puts it as a reaction to some statements of two Khawajas, Defence Minister M Asif and Railways Minister Saad Rafique.

Instead of going public, the best option was to point out to the prime minister their “irresponsible attack” that may have demoralised the soldiers fighting on different fronts, and get it stopped

General Raheel Sharif has just started his three-year tenure as the army chief. Never before has any of his predecessors issued such a statement after just first four months of assuming office. Regardless of what other highly placed government functionaries have stated, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan turned out to be more forthcoming, honest and saner when he admitted the row, though temporarily, which he hoped would go not without much difficulty.

The COAS has made it a point to take some other generals including Ashfaque Nadeem, the Chief of General Staff, and Zaheerul Islam, the Director General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in some high-level meetings with the prime minister, who was assisted by his close aides.

Apart from the elaborate contacts the prime minister has had with the army chief, Chaudhry Nisar too has been having comprehensive interactions with the top men of the security establishment including the ISI chief for consultations on the peace talks and other matters.

At no stage has the government gone solo on the question of the dialogue process. It constituted the first committee after talking to the army. Again, it consulted the force when it formed the second body. Thus, there has been no breaking of communication on this critical issue. But still some people, who pose themselves to be speaking on behalf of the security establishment, have been asserting that the army is annoyed over the release of some Taliban prisoners.

However, even if the government has wanted to free any such inmates, it can’t do so because all of them are in the custody of the army. Rebutting this vicious campaign, the interior minister has to say that the 19 Taliban prisoners were set free after consultations with the army.

If Nawaz Sharif indeed needs to rein in some of his ministers from unnecessary haranguing against Musharraf that is taken as criticism on the army, Raheel Sharif is required to hold back those elements in different agencies. Both have equal bigger responsibility to nip the evil of fueling confrontation in the bud. Everyone is well aware that Pakistan’s plate is full of paramount problems and it can’t brook any adventurism.

Four of a family shot dead in Kashmore

KASHMORE: At least four people of a family were shot dead in Bhitayi Colony area of the city, Geo News reported Monday.

According to reports, gunmen barged into a house and opened indiscriminate firing, killing a couple and their daughter and son.

Police said that the assailants managed to flee after the killings. Identities and ages of the deceased were yet to be known.

Four killed in held Kashmir, say police

HELD SRINAGAR: Suspected militants on Sunday killed two policemen guarding the home of a pro-India politician in held Kashmir.

Two militants sprayed bullets towards the home of a National Conference politician who was inside meeting party workers in the town of Khrew, 25 kilometres south of the main city of Srinagar, an officer and a party official said.

“The two policemen died before reaching hospital,” the officer at the scene told AFP on the condition of anonymity. The attack sparked a gun battle with forces on patrol in the area that left both of the militants dead, the officer said. Yawar Masoodi, a youth leader of the National Conference and the party workers were unharmed. The militants fled into nearby mustard fields after snatching the police officers’ weapons.

Government forces chased them, sparking the gun battle as reinforcements from a nearby army camp also moved in, the officer said. “Both the attackers were later neutralised and the snatched weapons also recovered,” Inspector General Nalin Prabhat from the federal Central Reserve Police Force said.

At the time, Masoodi was in a “closed door meeting” with party workers discussing election campaign plans, said National Conference spokesman Junaid Azim Mattu. “These two individuals arrived at the gate. On being stopped for frisking by the police guards they suddenly took out weapons from under their ferans (traditional Kashmiri tunics),” Mattu said.

Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, from the National Conference party, said the attack highlighted security concerns for all politicians in the region. The fighting has left tens of thousands, mostly civilians, dead in the past 25 years. “The attack on Yawar’s residence is evidence of the continued risk associated with being a mainstream politician in Kashmir,” Abdullah said on Twitter.

Four abducted soldiers back in Iran

TEHRAN: Four Iranian soldiers abducted by extremists have returned home after being held for two months, state media on Sunday cited the intelligence ministry as saying.

The ministry did not address the fate of Jamshid Danayifar, a fifth soldier abducted along with his fellow border guards on February 6. The Jaishul Adl (Army of Justice) rebel group said Danayifar was executed in late March.

“Four of the abducted border guards returned to the homeland,” the ministry said in a statement carried by state broadcaster IRIB’s website.Reports on Friday said the four, along with Danayifar´s body, had been handed over to Iranian officials after being released. No details were immediately available where the soldiers had been held while prisoner, or how Iran secured their freedom.

The five were abducted in the restive southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan, while serving their 24-month mandatory military service near the border with Pakistan.The news that Danayifar had been “executed” drew international condemnation, with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon calling it an “appalling act”. A US State Department spokesman called for the “swift release” of the Iranian conscripts.

Jaishul Adl had warned of further killings if Tehran refused to “release their prisoners”. — AFPOnline adds: Four Iranian freed border guards have been received by some Sunni and Baloch influential men and security officials at a frontier point near the provincial capital Zahedan, Iranian media reported on Sunday.

According to the reporter of ‘SunniOnline’, the Iranian hostages have been released after continuous efforts made by prominent religious and tribal elders under the supervision of Islamic Sunni scholar, Mawlana Abdol-Hamid.

The outlawed armed group, Jaish al-Adl, claimed the responsibility of abducting five Iranian border guards on February 8, this year. The spokesman of the group told Iranian news agencies that they released four of the guards to respect the appeal of the tribal and religious elders; however, one of the hostages had been shot dead two weeks ago.

Next round of talks in three to four days

ISLAMABAD: Professor Ibrahim Khan, who attended the first round of talks with the TTP, said on Thursday that the two committees could make the next trip to the tribal areas in three to four days.

He admitted that both the committees had not only presented their respective demands already submitted again but a few additional proposals were also put up for consideration. “Certainly, the government committee will be discussing and taking fresh instructions on these issues,” said the TTP intermediary.

Talking to The News by telephone, Prof Ibrahim said: “This is first time that the prime minister braving all criticism by his own party leaders and opposition decided to take the talks process to its logical end.”

“In so many years, both the armed forces and the government have developed a different attitude towards the militancy while the TTP and its allied groups have also developed a tendency of resistance. Both will have to undergo a serious change so that confidence is built between them during the coming meetings,” he said.Prof Ibrahim said the negotiators were facing lots of difficulties due to lack of confidence but it was not difficult to overcome these difficulties once trust was developed.