Saudi king orders steps against "terrorist threats"

RIYADH: King Abdullah ordered all necessary measures to protect Saudi Arabia against potential "terrorist threats" after chairing a security meeting to discuss the fall-out from Iraq, the state news agency SPA said on Thursday.

The world´s top oil exporter shares an 800-km (500-mile) border with Iraq, where the militant Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and other Sunni Muslim groups have seized towns and cities in a lightning advance this month.

Riyadh has long expressed fears of being targeted by jihadists, including some of its own citizens, who have taken part in conflicts in Iraq and Syria, and earlier this year decreed long jail terms for those who travel overseas to fight.

"Concerned for the national security of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia against any measures that terrorist organisations or any other groups might resort to ..., (the king) has ordered all necessary measures to protect the gains of the homeland and its stability, and the security of the Saudi people," SPA said.

King Abdullah acted a day before he was due to meet U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Jeddah to discuss the crisis in Iraq and Syria, and a day after two Saudi men were involved in a suicide bombing in Lebanon.

The Saudi ambassador in Lebanon said on Thursday he was not able to rule out that Wednesday´s attack in a Beirut hotel, which killed one of the Saudis and injured three security guards, was intended to target the embassy, located nearby.

Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia has been one of the biggest supporters of mainly Sunni rebels in Lebanon´s neighbour Syria fighting against President Bashar al-Assad, who is backed by Riyadh´s main regional adversary, Shi´ite Muslim Iran.

However, it has shied away from arming rebel groups like ISIL that it fears are connected to al Qaeda, which waged a campaign of attacks inside the kingdom a decade ago led by veterans of jihad in civil wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Saudi Arabia´s envoy in Lebanon, Ali Awad Asiri, said it was important to find out who was behind Wednesday´s bombing in Beirut, in which local security forces said the Saudi bomber was killed and another Saudi wounded and then arrested at the scene."We want to know why a Saudi citizen was involved in such a criminal act," Asiri told television channel al-Hadath.

His comment that the attack may have been directed at the Saudi embassy came in a later interview broadcast on the al-Arabiya channel.

"We need to know how they were lured into this, who finances them, why they were in that place to carry out this criminal act. We have special ties with the security forces in Lebanon and the Lebanese government," he said.

Sindh government had been warned of threats to old airport gates: Nisar

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on Thursday that the Sindh government had been warned of threats to the Karachi old airport gate which was used by terrorists during an attack on Sunday night.

Speaking to media outside Parliament, Nisar said the federal government had written to the Sindh government in March about specific old airports gates not being secure. The report mentioned that terrorists were aware of these unsecure gates at the Karachi airport. Nisar added that despite the warning no measures were implemented by the provincial government.

The interior minister further said six security alerts had been sent to the Sindh government. He asked what action had been taken in light of these alerts by those individuals who were apologising daily for the Karachi airport attack. Nisar questioned why no security checks had been setup in the sensitive area used by the terrorists to enter the airport.

Chaudhry Nisar said upon his arrival in Karachi the chief minister and IG Sindh were informed of a meeting; however he failed to understand the logic of the meeting being at any other location when the attack had taken place at the airport.

“Is this airport in India that it is not the responsibility of the Sindh government,” Nisar said while questioning if the terrorists had entered the airport via parachutes or helicopters.

Nisar said he was informed that the airport had been cleared and he had asked for the wall of the cold storage to be broken. According to Nisar rescue and relief was the responsibility of the chief minister but he was the one who called for machinery to aid in rescue efforts.

The interior minister said only the truth should be told to the people as he called for a judicial inquiry of the incident by a Sindh High Court judge.

Threats were from state, non-state actors: Hamid Mir

KARACHI: Geo News senior anchor Hamid Mir has said that he stands for national sovereignty, supremacy of rule of law, democracy and freedom of expression, and his voice could not be silenced.

Hamir Mir issued his first official statement on Thursday after regaining consciousness. In his statement, Hamid Mir thanked the Pakistani people and said it was due to their prayers and the grace of Allah that he has gotten a new life.

He said that he had informed the Geo management, his family and close friends of threats he was facing prior to the April 19 attack. Hamid Mir said he had identified the elements from whom he was facing threats and they were identified by his brother Amir Mir following the attack.

According to Hamid Mir, he had informed close associates, apart from Amir Mir, about who would be held responsible if he was attacked. Hamid Mir said he had threats from state and non-state actors but in the recent past such events had taken place which led him to inform his colleagues about the elements who could be involved in conspiracies to kill him.

Hamid Mir said that a few days ago, some members of intelligence agencies came to his house and informed him that his name, along with that of other journalists, was on a hit-list.

Despite being asked, these people did not provide any details pertaining to who had made the hit-list. After this meeting, Hamid Mir informed officials at concerned departments that in the past he had threats from state and non-state actors because usually state actors use the name of non-state actors to threaten journalists so they can be stopped from telling the truth.

According to Hamid Mir, he had informed the intelligence personnel who came to his house that he felt threatened the most by the ISI and they should convey this to their officers. Hamid Mir further said that the ISI was upset with him because of a ‘Capital Talk’ programme which covered the long march of Mama Qadir Baloch. Hamid Mir added that he was aware of the ISI being upset over his criticism of the role of intelligence agencies in politics.

Hamid Mir said that if officials had reports of threats he was facing why was he not informed in writing. He questioned why those who had planted a bomb underneath his car in November 2012 were not exposed despite the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claiming responsibility for it?

According to Hamid Mir, phone numbers of those who had issued him death threats were provided to the Islamabad Police, but why did the police not take action against them? He said that despite a police report, action was not taken against those who had attacked his children in Islamabad.

Hamid Mir said that he would provide further details of these incidents when the time comes. He said his life was in the hands of Allah and he was answerable before the Almighty.

Hamid Mir said his fight was the same as that of his father Professor Waris Mir. This was a fight for Pakistan’s survival, safety and to strengthen the country. His fight was for democracy, elimination of terrorism, supremacy of law, protection of freedom of expression, rights of small province and to be the voice of the poor. He added that this voice could not be silenced.

Hamid Mir said that he was working alongside the media, civil society, and political parties in this fight. The senior Geo News anchor said that he would continue to wage this fight till his last breath. He added that no institution or individual in Pakistan was above the law or constitution.

Hamid Mir said after being shot multiple times he now understands the gravity of the sacrifices rendered by the jawans of the Pakistan Amry and security forces better than someone who has not been through the same ordeal.

Mir said this does not mean that he should remain silent on the unconstitutional role of the intelligence agencies in politics in the name of being patriotic.Hamid Mir strongly condemned the government and state enforced shutdown of Geo transmission, adding that in the past Geo News had stood firm when it was banned during the dictatorship of General (R) Musharraf. With the support of the people and God willing, Hamid Mir said the Geo team would once again overcome such measures.

Hamid Mir expressed fear over the security of his brother Amir Mir and other family members and said if they were harmed the responsibility would be on state elements and the government. Hamid Mir said that Allah had saved his life which proved that the Almighty was more powerful than those who had attacked him.Hamid Mir appealed to people to continue their prayers for his health and complete recovery.

Hamid Mir received e-mail threats like slain reporter

 

ISLAMABAD: The veiled threat received by Geo News anchor Hamid Mir from an intelligence agency’s officials has striking similarities with the e-mail warning received by the slainjournalist Saleem Shahzad prior to his kidnapping and ultimate death.
In his first formal statement from the hospital bed on Thursday, Hamid Mir said a few days ago, officials of an intelligence agency came to his house and told him that Mir’s name was on a hit list along with some other journalists.

“When I asked as to who had prepared the hit list, the men gave no response,” said the star anchor whose statement was read out before the media by his brother Amir Mir.

Hamid Mir said he had told the officials that in the present circumstances, he faced the greatest threat from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and they should convey it to their bosses.

It appears that a similar kind of veiled threat was received by the late Shahzad who was the Pakistan Bureau chief of Asia Times Online, Hong Kong, and Italian news agency Adnkronos (AKI).

Shahzad was kidnapped from Islamabad on May 29, 2011 and his body was found floating in a canal near Mandi Bahauddin on May 30 with visible torture marks.

Although, the ISI categorically denied the allegations of its involvement in the murder of Shahzad, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the US government officials pointed fingers at the agency. According to the Judicial Commission on Saleem Shahzad case, the slain journalist received an e-mail from the then ISI’s DG Media Rear Admiral Adnan Nazir months before his murder.

“I must give you a favor. We have recently arrested a terrorist and have recovered lot of data, diaries and other material during the interrogation. The terrorist had a list with him. If I find your name in the list, I will certainly let you know,” read the e-mail which was conceived by Shahzad as a veiled death threat.

The commission also found that while forwarding this e-mail to his magazine editor and HRW as a reference in case of any untoward incident, Saleem also cc’d this e-mail to Adnan. “The commission thus has reason to believe that these words were indeed uttered by Rear Admiral Adnan and were accordingly perceived by Saleem to be a threat.”

However, in its report, the commission had also clarified that the e-mail could not be considered as “sufficient circumstantial evidence” against the ISI.

“The commission has no reason to discard the perception of Saleem in construing such words as a threat and showing his reaction...However, there is evidence available on record which shows that in the subsequent seven months, Saleem and Admiral Adnan Nazir kept interacting with each other, and the tone of the interaction is absolutely normal, decent, courteous, friendly and cordial, as if no threat was ever given to or perceived by Saleem. This dilutes the effect of the crucial e-mail. This threat, after the lapse of seven months, cannot singularly be taken as a sufficient circumstantial evidence to conclusively hold that ISI is responsible for this incident on that account,” said the report.

Nevertheless, the commission has not ruled out the strong perception in the journalist community that the ISI harasses and intimidates journalists.

During the course of inquiry, the commission recorded the statements of several senior journalists including Hamid Mir, Absar Alam, Imtiaz Alam and all of them complained about Rear Admiral Adnan Nazir.

Although, threats and acts of intimidation are denied by the ISI, “yet from the statements of the above named, the commission cannot hold that their understanding and perception about the threats etc. extended to them are misconceived, simply for the reason that it had been refuted by the ISI official.” When so many senior and respected journalists have come forward to record their perception, noted the commission, that they found certain words, gestures and acts of ISI officials as intimidating and threatening, then it is hard to dismiss it lightly, “merely on account of a bald denial by ISI.”

“Therefore, from the overwhelming material available on record, the commission is convinced that there are sufficient reasons to believe that the agencies, including ISI, have been using coercive and intimidating tactics in dealing with those journalists who antagonise the agency’s interest.”

Finally, the commission noted that the strong perception in journalist community that the ISI has had a motive to kill Saleem Shahzad may hold some weight, but there is no tangible evidence to establish that fact.

It may be noted that various allegations of excesses by the agencies, including ISI, have been leveled by journalists, politicians and others.

High state of preparedness required to face threats, says COAS

 

RAWALPINDI: The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), General Raheel Sharif, has said that the multidimensional security threats faced by the country require a high state of preparedness at all times.
General Raheel was interacting with the troops during his visit to the Sonmiani Ranges on Friday where he witnessed air defence firing exercises, says a press release issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations.

The full range of air defence weapons, including guns and surface to air missiles, were used in the exercise. The COAS greatly appreciated the professionalism of participating units and standards achieved in engaging aerial targets.

Gen Raheel emphasised that the highest standard of training and professionalism must remain our hallmark to accomplish the mission.Earlier, on arrival at the Range, the COAS was received by Commander Army Air Defence Command Lieutenant General Muhammad Zahid Latif Mirza.

Afghans vote in landmark poll, undeterred by threats

KABUL: The voting phase of the landmark Afghan presidential election has concluded. Voting was largely peaceful on Saturday, with only isolated attacks on polling stations as a country racked by decades of chaos embarked on its first ever democratic transfer of power.

A roadside bomb killed two policemen and wounded two others in the southern city of Qalat as they were returning from a polling station, while four voters were wounded in an explosion at a voting centre in the southeastern province of Logar.

There were no reports of more serious attacks so far on an election that Taliban insurgents had vowed to derail, branding it a U.S.-backed sham.

The United States, having spent $90 billion on aid and training for Afghan security forces since it helped vanquish the Taliban in 2001, could point to its success promoting democracy as a major achievement toward leaving Afghanistan as a more stable country.

The stronger the next president's mandate, the less vulnerable Afghanistan could be to instability. Even if the election is less flawed this time, it could take months - perhaps even until October - for a winner to be declared at a time when the country desperately needs a leader to stem rising violence as foreign troops prepare to leave.

Nearly 3,500 members of the US-led coalition force have been killed in Afghanistan since deployment over a decade ago.

KABUL SEALED OFF

About 12 million were eligible to vote in the election, and there were eight candidates, with former foreign ministers Abdullah Abdullah and Zalmay Rassoul, and former finance minister Ashraf Ghani the favourites.

Karzai is barred by the constitution from running for the presidency again. But, after 12 years in power, he is widely expected to retain influence through politicians loyal to him.

The Taliban warned civilians ahead of the election they would be targeted if they try to vote, and dozens died in a spate of attacks in the preceding weeks.

A veteran Associated Press photographer was killed and a senior correspondent of the same news agency was wounded on Friday when a policeman opened fire on the two women in eastern Afghanistan as they reported on preparations for the poll.

More than 350,000 Afghan troops were deployed, guarding against attacks on polling stations and voters. The capital, Kabul, was sealed off by rings of roadblocks and checkpoints.

In the city of Kandahar, cradle of the Taliban insurgency, the mood was tense. Vehicles were not allowed to move on the roads and checkpoints were set up at every intersection.

Hamida, a 20-year-old teacher working at a Kandahar polling station, said more than a dozen women turned up in the first two hours of voting and added that she expected more to come despite the threat of an attack by the Taliban.

"We are trying not to think about it," she said, only her honey-brown eyes visible through her black niqab.

Raising questions about the legitimacy of the vote even before it began, the election commission announced that at least 10 percent of polling stations were expected to be shut due to security threats, and most foreign observers left Afghanistan in the wake of a deadly attack on a hotel in Kabul last month.

The interior ministry said six officials - including an intelligence agent - were detained on Saturday for trying to rig the vote, and elsewhere several people were arrested for trying to use fake voter cards.

RISK OF DELAY

One of the chief risks is the length of time it may take to declare a new president. If none of the candidates wins over 50 percent of the vote, the two frontrunners would go into a run-off on May 28, spinning out the process into the holy month of Ramadan when life slows to a crawl.

A long delay would leave little time to complete a pact between Kabul and Washington to keep up to 10,000 US troops in the country beyond 2014, after the bulk of the American force, which currently stands at around 23,500, has pulled out.

Karzai has rejected the pact, but the three frontrunners have pledged to sign it. Without the pact, far weaker Afghan forces would be left on their own to fight the Taliban.

Uncertainty over the outcome could also stall crucial foreign aid and economic reform, foment ethnic tensions and leave a political vacuum in which the Taliban could gain ground.

The election is a landmark after 13 years of struggle to quell an insurgency that has killed at least 16,000 Afghan civilians and thousands more soldiers.

Karzai's relations with the United States became increasingly strained in recent years as Afghan casualties mounted, and he voiced frustrated that Washington was not putting enough pressure on Pakistan to stop the Taliban, who base themselves in borderlands.

Although Karzai's departure is a turning point for Afghanistan, none of his would-be successors would bring radical change, Western diplomats say.

"The only positive thing in this election is that it is necessary to save the state as it is, and therefore there is a need to transfer power one way or the other," Sarah Chayes, a South Asia expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace told a media briefing on the eve of the vote.

"Whether the election will be the great transformative event that everybody expects is, I think, delusional."

Polling stations officially closed at 5:00 pm (1230 GMT), officials said, after a day without major security incidents.

But voting was set to continue for some time as voters in line at polling stations would be allowed to cast their ballot, a senior official with the Independent Election Commission said.

Shahbaz asked to probe LeJ threats to Bilawal

ISLAMABAD: Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah on Friday wrote a letter to Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif expressing his concern over a threatening letter to the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari from the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ).

The opposition leader requested the chief minister to investigate the matter and take action in this regard.“I would like to draw your attention to an important issue regarding the threatening letter received by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari from proscribed outfit LeJ. This is an issue of utmost importance and PPP is taking this as a matter of great concern,” Shah wrote.

The opposition leader stated in the letter that in the past, the PPP had faced irreparable losses due to terrorist activities and now the party was not in a position to risk the life of its leader. “I expect that Punjab government shall take this matter seriously and a detailed inquiry be initiated at a higher level in this regard,” he added.

Shah stated he would be grateful if immediate action was taken at this point.Meanwhile, the PPP submitted a condemnation resolution in the National Assembly Secretariat over the threatening letter.

The resolution signed by all the PPP legislators stated: “This House strongly condemns the life threats given to PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and demands immediate action against the proscribed outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.”

Meanwhile, the Sindh Assembly adopted a resolution with unanimous vote to condemn the LeJ’s threatening letter to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. The resolution moved by Dr Abdul Sattar Rajper also urged the Sindh government to approach the federal government to take a serious notice of the threatening letter and take necessary precautions for ensuring safety and protection of the life of the PPP chairman.

Sindh Assembly passes resolution against threats to Bilawal

 

KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Friday unanimously passed a resolution condemning a threatening letter received by PPP Patron-in-Chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari from the outlawed Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ).
In a related development, a special security squad has been detailed for Bilawal following the threats by the LeJ.PPP MPA Abdul Sattar presented the resolution which condemned the threatening letter received by his party chief. The resolution was unanimously passed by the assembly.

Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani said the situation had become clear after the threats to the PPP chief and added that action should be taken against those terrorists who had been identified.Another MPA Irfanullah Khan Marwat from the PML-N claimed that the threatening letter to Bilawal was an attempt to sabotage the dialogue process between the government and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. He further claimed that every time steps were taken for the betterment, such conspiring elements became active.

On the other hand, a special security squad has been formed for the PPP patron-in-chief following the LeJ’s threatening letter. Sources told Online the Sindh government had chalked out a special security plan under which 30 special commandoes would perform duties for his security while three bullet-proof vehicles had also been allotted in this regard.

Bilawal in a tweet on Thursday claimed that he had received threats from the LeJ and he would hold the Punjab government responsible if it continued to provide protection to the group and refused to take action against them. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif took notice of the tweet and directed the Punjab Police chief to probe the matter. Later, the Punjab IGP contacted Bilawal who appreciated the prompt action of Shahbaz over the threat given to him and other party leaders.

The Punjab chief minister had directed the concerned officials to probe the matter. It is worth noting that Bilawal has been the most vocal and the boldest voice among the Pakistani political leadership against the militant groups since the start of his political career last year.

Meanwhile, PML-N leader Hamza Shahbaz, while answering a question outside the Parliament House about the threats to Bilawal, said, “We pray to Allah Almighty for the safety of everyone.” However, he said that it would not be appropriate to accuse anyone without having solid proof.

He also spoke to a private TV channel where he accused Bilawal of issuing senseless statements and added that there should be no politics on important national issues such as terrorism. “May Allah protect Bilawal Bhutto Zardari,” prayed Hamza.

According to Hamza, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif did not play politics on the issue of Thar and instead visited the drought-affected district of Sindh.

This triggered a harsh response from the PPP, as Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon said it would be better for Hamza to advise the federal government and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to refrain from bowing before the terrorists rather than issuing statements against Bilawal. Sharjeel said the PML N leader should keep his advice to himself as the government’s ‘reconciliation policy’ with the Taliban had raised serious concerns among the 180 million Pakistanis.

He described the ongoing negotiations with the terrorists as an insult to the Constitution and said Hamza should listen to the heirs of families whose loved ones sacrificed their lives to safeguard the country. –Agencies

Meanwhile, Manzoor Wattoo, President, PPP Punjab, in a statement issued here on Friday said that the PPP workers were upset and agitated over the life threat given to Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari by the LeJ adding that the response of the Punjab government on this was equally disappointing. He called upon the Punjab government to take action against the terrorist organisation that had safe havens in the Punjab. He described the statement of Hamza Shahbaz Sharif on the matter as in bad taste.