Operation to continue till end of last terrorist: PM

 

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has directed officials to continue the operation till the end of the last terrorist and the establishment of complete peace in the tribal region of the country.
According to information, the prime minister approved the launching of the operation during the national security meeting held last week. A private TV channel quoted the prime minister as saying that the operation should continue till the end of the last terrorist and establishment of complete peace in the territory.

Nawaz Sharif said that the security of life and property of the citizens was the top priority and all resources should be utilised to flush out terrorism from the country.Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that the government had made full-fledged efforts for dialogue with full responsibility and now the operation will continue till the elimination of the last terrorist.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said a decisive battle would be fought against the terrorists.In a statement, the minister said the launch of a full-scale military operation, Zarb-e-Azb, against terrorists in North Waziristan was a well-thought-out decision of the government.

Khawaja Asif said the decision was taken after the failure of peace negotiations with the Taliban militants. He said it was a decision of the entire nation as the people of Pakistan had unanimously decided that terrorists should be neutralised once and for all.

“The whole nation is standing by the armed forces, which are fully capable of annihilating these elements,” the minister said.He said the Pakistan Army has been directed to crush the terrorists completely and the armed forces will not refrain from any sacrifice for the defence and security of the country.

Khawaja Asif said, “This time the operation will continue until its logical conclusion.”Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Pervaiz Rashid on Sunday appealed to all politicians and the nation to stand united behind the government and the armed forces in the war against terror.

In his statement after the launch of the military operation in North Waziristan to flush out the terrorists, the minister said that as a democratic government they have exercised the option of dialogue with the terrorists but contrary to the peace overtures the terrorists continued killing our people. But now either they will have to surrender or face defeat, he added.

The federal minister stressed upon the nation to stand united behind the men and women in uniforms. The Pakistani nation has decided that those who want to disrupt their lives will be taken to task, he added. The federal minister said this terror network will now meet its fate with the ultimate might of the state, adding they know that people of Pakistan are peace loving and will defend their way of life.

Karachi airport attack: Last nail in peace talks coffin

ISLAMABAD: The bloody Fidayeen attack targeting the Jinnah International Airport has not only exposed the inability of law enforcement agencies to protect the vital national installations from terrorist attacks but has also proved to be the last nail in the coffin of peace talks between the Pakistan government and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The dreadful assault has set alarm bells ringing for the law enforcement agencies which had earlier been criticised due to their failure to stop at least three similar Fidayeen attacks in the past — on May 22, 2011 targeting the Mehran Naval Base in Karachi, on August 16, 2012 targeting the PAF Kamra Airbase and on September 15, 2012 targeting the joint civil-military airport in Peshawar that houses the Bacha Khan International Airport and Pakistan Air Force and Army Aviation bases.

Subsequent investigations revealed that all these attacks were well planned, which could not have been possible without inside help.From the time Osama was gunned down in Abbottabad on May 2, 2011, the TTP has launched a bloody campaign of retribution against the Pakistani security forces and civil and military installations.

The June 8 Fidayeen attack by the TTP has given credence to the apprehensions of security establishment that the talks by the Taliban are just a ploy to gain time and space and to evade a possible military operation in North Waziristan. Even otherwise, by entering into unconditional negotiations with a terrorist group that is accused of having killed over 50,000 Pakistanis, the government has only undermined the writ of the state and security of the nation.

With the TTP’s responsibility claim, which in fact is an open declaration of war against the government, the civilian administration seems to have been left with no other option but to react with full military might by launching the much-delayed military operation in North Waziristan, which is being used by the Taliban as a launching pad to plan and launch terrorist attacks all over Pakistan. The government’s policy of one step forward, two steps back cannot bring peace — only more death and destruction.

While describing the airport assault an act of revenge for the November 1, 2013 killing of Hakimullah Mehsud in a US drone attack, TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid has also dismissed the Pakistani government’s recent offer of a new round of peace talks as a ruse.

Threatening more terrorist attacks in the days and weeks to come, he said: “Pakistan used the peace talks as a tool of war. We have yet to take revenge for the deaths of hundreds of innocent tribal women and children in Pakistani air strikes. It’s just the beginning, we have taken revenge for one (Mehsud), we have to take revenge for hundreds.”

In fact, the June 8 Jinnah airport attack came 48 hours after the country’s civilian and military leaderships conveyed a clear message to the tribal elders in North Waziristan to flush out the miscreants, especially the foreign militants, from the volatile area within 15 days. The message was conveyed on June 6 when a Jirga of the Utmanzai tribe, led by Haji Sher Mohammad, held separate meetings with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan and Corps Commander Lt Gen Khalid Rabbani.

The tribal elders were told that they had failed to honour the six-point peace agreement, signed in 2006, as per which the Utmanzai tribe and the Shura Mujahideen North Waziristan leader Hafiz Gul Bahadur, who is considered to be a “good Taliban”, were bound to expel the foreigners from the area.

The bottomline of the tribal elders’ meetings with the governor and corps commander was that they would get rid of the foreign militants, especially the Uzbeks; otherwise, the Government of Pakistan would have no other option but to initiate a military action. The tribal elders had actually formed the Jirga to request the federal government to put off the imminent military action in North Waziristan.

However, the fact that the TTP has already claimed responsibility for the Karachi Fidayeen attack clearly indicates that the Taliban Ameer Mullah Fazlullah has already made up his mind to completely abandon the peace talks. Earlier, on May 14, Fazlullah had sacked the pro-talks Khalid Mehsud alias Said Khan Sajna as the Ameer of the South Waziristan chapter of the TTP without consulting the Taliban Shura.

Three days later, on May 18, Fazlullah had ordered [in a video message] the TTP suicide bombers or Fidayeen attackers to get ready to face the tanks and guns of the enemy forces. “The suicide bombers who are able to receive his message should convey the same to others who are still unaware of my orders. Like the Taliban militants, the Pakistan government, the armed forces and the intelligence agencies would also have to accept the writ of Allah Almighty by enforcing Shariah which is the mission of my life and which I will continue to pursue come what may,” said Fazlullah, who has already been accused of having ordered the killing of several senior Pakistani military officials, including the General Officer Commanding of Swat.

Following Mullah Fazlullah’s open declaration of war against the state of Pakistan, the pro-talks Said Khan Sajna faction of the Taliban announced to discard the TTP umbrella on May 28. The development was being described by security analysts as a major setback not only for Mullah Fazlullah but also for the military might of the TTP given the fact that Sajna enjoys the support of 12 major Mehsud tribes of South Waziristan, which had played an important role in the past in establishing the Tehrik-e-Taliban as a force to reckon with.

However, the audacious attack on the Jinnah International Airport has proved that the parting of ways by Sajna has hardly affected the military might of the TTP, courtesy the availability of Uzbek militants belonging to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.

Those investigating the Karachi airport attack have conceded that a group of foreign fighters, especially the Uzbeks, seem to have played a major role in the Fidayeen attack. “Three militants blew themselves up and seven were killed by security forces,” said DG Rangers Rizwan Akhtar in televised remarks. “The militants appear to be Uzbeks.”

The Uzbek militants living in North Waziristan had already denounced the 15-day deadline set by the Pakistani authorities for the foreign militants to leave the area. Irked by hoisting of national flag by tribesmen in Miramshah and Mirali areas as a proof of their allegiance to the state of Pakistan in order to escape bombings, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan had declared on June 7 that it has decided to respond by hoisting black flags. In fact, the sale of the national flag had increased as more and more people in North Waziristan want to hoist it to demonstrate their allegiance to the state and escape bombing.

However, the IMU has criticised those hoisting the Pakistani flag, stating that those doing so were “weak-hearted Muslims” who are using the flags as a “defence” to ward off bombing. In a message posted on a militant website, the IMU’s spokesman, Abu Ibrahim, said the local tribesmen frightened by army attacks and bombings by military planes and helicopters and artillery had begun hoisting the national flag on roofs of their houses. “We still have not understood how effective this ‘defence system’ is against bombs and rockets,” he said. The IMU, comprising militants from Uzbekistan and of Turkic origin, has its main base in the town of Mirali.

To tell the truth, the TTP and IMU have long been collaborating and conducting joint terrorist attacks, especially targeting the Pakistani security forces. The last time they carried out a jointly coordinated terrorist operation was on December 16, 2012 when the terrorists targeted the Pakistan Air Force base in Peshawar. Four attackers were later identified as Uzbeks belonging to the IMU. The TTP and IMU had earlier joined hands to form a special unit of deadly Fidayeen attackers called the “Ansar Al Aseer” (the supporters of prisoners) whose prime mission would be to secure freedom for the imprisoned militants by carrying out jail-break Fidayeen operations all over Pakistan.

London subway strike called off at last minute

LONDON: Commuters in London and the city's hordes of tourists are breathing more easily after a planned three-day subway strike was called off at the last minute.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union suspended the strike Monday afternoon after progress was reported at talks with transport officials. The strike was due to start later Monday.

Union official Mike Cash said "real movement and significant progress on the issues at the heart of this dispute" had been made. The dispute centers on management plans to close all ticket offices on the sprawling subway network known as the Tube. Officials say some 750 jobs would be lost out of a staff of 18,000.

A two-day strike last week caused widespread disruption.

Around 3.5 million journeys are made daily on the Tube.

Last letter from Titanic sells for $200,000

LONDON: The last letter known to have been written on board the Titanic sold at auction in Britain for £119,000 ($200,000, 145,000 euros) on Saturday.

The letter was written by second class passenger Esther Hart just hours before the doomed ocean liner sank.

The price tag paid by an unknown bidder breaks the previous record for a Titanic-related letter, which had stood at £94,000, according to the auctioneers.

Titanic sank on its maiden voyage with the loss of more than 1,500 lives. It struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic while crossing from Southampton to New York, sinking below the waves in the early hours of Monday, April 15, 1912.

Emigrating to Canada, Hart and her daughter Eva made it into the Titanic lifeboats and were rescued by HMS Carpathia, but her husband Benjamin was among the dead.

The letter, written on Titanic stationery and dated the Sunday afternoon before the sinking, was due to be delivered to Hart´s mother back in Britain, upon the ship´s return to Southampton.

Hart later found it in a pocket of her husband´s coat, which she had with her.

The letter, headed "On board R. M. S. ´Titanic´", comes complete with an envelope embossed with the White Star Line flag.

"My Dear ones all," Hart wrote. "As you see it is Sunday afternoon and we are resting in the library after luncheon. I was very bad all day yesterday could not eat or drink and sick all the while, but today I have got over it."

She described going to a church service with her daughter and the voyage so far.

"Tho they say this Ship does not roll on account of its size. Any how it rolls enough for me, I shall never forget it. It is very nice weather but awfully windy and cold. They say we may get into New York Tuesday night but we are really due early Wednesday morning, shall write as soon as we get there."

"The importance of this legendary item cannot be overstated," said Andrew Aldridge, from Henry Aldridge and Son Auctioneers in Devizes, southwest England, which sold the letter.

It is "the only known surviving example of its type to have been written on that fateful day, surviving the sinking, and having belonged to such a well-known survivor," he said.

"The letter and envelope are in remarkable condition, with an impeccable provenance, and they represent a truly unique opportunity to own the finest example of its genre in existence. It is quite simply the jewel in the crown of Titanic manuscript ephemera." (AFP)

Civilian leaders have the last word in decision-making

 

KARACHI: Civilian leaders have the last word in decision-making, said Kamran Khan in his programme ‘Aaj Kamran Khan Kay Sath’ on Friday.
He said observers say framing of charges by the court against former president Pervez Musharraf and the government’s decision to decline his request for travel abroad point towards the fact that Pakistan’s civilian leadership is playing the central role in the decision-making process.

The military leadership had advised the government regarding Gen (retd) Musharraf’s travel abroad saying since charges have been framed against Musharraf and the trial is to proceed so Musharraf should be allowed to go abroad to visit his ailing mother. But the civilian leadership, especially Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his political associates thought that in view of the political situation obtaining in the country and in view of the supremacy of the law and the constitution in the country, the request should be declined and Musharraf should not be allowed to go abroad for the time being. At least permission to Musharraf to go abroad should not come from the political government, and if such a decision comes from the court then things should proceed in the light of that decision.

The observers opine that during all the civilian governments since the creation of Pakistan, the balance regarding decision-making between the civil and military leadership has generally tilted toward the military, but now an improvement is being noted and the situation has changed altogether.

Perhaps it is for the first time in recent history that the political leadership has rejected an important advice from the military leadership, and this very decision indicates that perhaps now the civilian leadership has embarked on taking all the major decisions. The civilian leadership will for sure consult the military in this regard, but it is not clear if it will accept the advice given by the military.

Before the formation of the Pakistan Muslim League-N government, the party leaders had always emphasized that the country should have a strong democratic government which should have the authority to take all the decisions whether those decisions related to the foreign policy or the security affairs or any other matter.

In the last five years, though there was a civilian democratic government, the observers say, yet the central decision-making was with the military. Even decisions of domestic nature were taken after consultation with the military, whether the decision related to the appointment of a head of a national institution, the foreign minister and other purely civilian matters, the military leadership was always consulted, and it was generally observed that the military leadership even enjoyed the veto power in most of the matters.

It was believed in those days that the situation will change with the change of government because Nawaz Sharif and all his political contemporaries always spoke against the practice, and Nawaz Sharif always said that a democratic government should have total authority to take all the decisions.

Sunny Leone says ‘Ragini MMS 2′ will be her last erotica in Bollywood

Sunny Leone said, “I now want to explore the actor within me."

Adult film star Sunny Leone wants to shed her bold avatar and focus on doing movies that will get her noticed as an actress.
With her choice of films like ‘Jism 2′ and ‘Ragini MMS 2′ Sunny has been tagged as a bold actress and now she wants to change that image.

“I am ecstatic at the response that my songs and scenes from ‘Ragini MMS 2′ have received. While I loved doing all of this, I now want to explore the actor within me,” Sunny said.
The 32-year-old said that ‘Ragini MMS 2′ will be her last erotica in Bollywood as she wants to take a break from ‘horrex’ (horror and sex) movies.

“Sex and horror is a lethal combination. They are proven sellers. When oomph is combined with horror, it creates an entirely new experience for fans of the genre,” Tanuj Garg, CEO, Balaji Motion Pictures said.
Directed by Bhushan Patel and produced by Ekta Kapoor, ‘Ragini MMS 2′ releases on March 21.

The 10 films that won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film over the last decade

It’s time for the Oscars! Love it or hate it, it's happening.
Let other people argue about whether "American Hustle" is overrated, or about whether Matthew McConnaughey should get credit for starving himself for "Dallas Buyer’s Club," or about whether there were enough drugs in "The Wolf of Wall Street."
Let us pay homage to the 10 foreign language films of the last decade that were amazing, won Best Foreign Language Film, and were snubbed for Best Picture nominations because of things like "Avatar" and because Americans don't like reading subtitles.
Here are the 10 films that won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film over the last decade, complete with trailers and pithy summaries by IMDB.
Enjoy, and then go watch them because they are all great.