Dr Tahirul Qadri refuses to get off at Lahore airport

ISLAMABAD: Emirates Airline flight EK-612 carrying Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri has landed at the main terminal of Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore on Monday morning after being diverted from Islamabad.

According to media reports, Dr Qadri has refused to leave the plane as the authorities took him to Lahore instead of Islamabad.

Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) earlier told that the flight EK-612 of Emirates Airline carrying Dr Qadri was diverted to Lahore who was arriving from Dubai and landed at 9:35 am at the main terminal of Lahore airport.

The authority further told that other passengers will be flown to Islamabad after Dr Qadri is escorted at the Lahore airport.

On the other hand, a temporary helipad has been prepared at the Minhaj ul Quran Secretariat for the helicopter that will safely carry PAT chief to the secretariat.

Strict security measures were witnessed at the Lahore airport before Dr Qadri’s arrival.

Earlier, a larger number of PAT workers crossed all barriers to reach the Benazir International Airport to welcome their chief Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri who was expected to land in the federal capital earlier.

Dr Qadri's supporters clashed with police and chanted slogans against the government as law enforcers tried to prevent them from reaching the airport. The police baton charged the supporters and resorted to using tear gas to disperse the crowd near Faizabad.

Following clashes with supporters, the police finally had to retreat after enraged activists pelted them with stones. Dozens of policemen were injured in the clashes, hospital sources told.

The protesters carrying banners and flags of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek, defying section 144 imposed by the government in the wake of the Qadris’ arrival continued their march to the airport.

Cell phones to be suspended in Pindi airport area

ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to suspend cell phone services in the limited areas of Islamabad airport on Monday on the occasion of the arrival of PAT leader Dr Tahirul Qadri.Official sources confirmed to The News on Sunday night that there were chances that cell services will be suspended only in the area of the airport for some time on Monday. They said there was no possibility of imposing any restrictions on social media.

Airport attack: Internal security be improved

KARACHI: Defence analyst Shahzad Chaudhry, while commenting on the attack on Karachi Airport, said that the government had to improve internal security in the cities. Senior analyst Rasool Bakhsh Rais and executive-director of Pildat Ahmed Bilal Mehboob also expressed their opinions in Geo News programme ‘Aaj Kamran Khan Kay Sath’ on Wednesday.
The host of the programme, Mohammed Junaid, said that a wave of terrorism swept around Karachi in the last a few days. It began with the attack on Karachi airport. Security institutions say that the terrorist attack was repulsed and 10 terrorists were killed. But 29 lives were also lost. The ASF personnel bore the brunt of the attack, with 22 of its personnel embracing martyrdom. It was learnt the following day that seven people had taken refuge in a warehouse adjacent to a cold storage to save them from the onslaught of the terrorists. Their plight did not come to light immediately and there was also a delay in putting out the fire which resulted in death of other seven people.

Defence analyst Shahzad Chaudhry said that the state had been left with only option after the attack on Karachi airport i.e. operation. The thing that the country had to decide now was the nature of the operation and the areas where the operation was to be carried out. There was now no alternative other than operation. He said that the government had to make the security of important installations foolproof. Internal security in the cities had to be improved. Police, paramilitary forces and intelligence outfits would have a pivotal role in the operation. The rift in the ranks of the Taliban was their weakness.

Shahzad Chaudhry said that now the bigger menace was those groups of Taliban which were outside the country and who were being controlled by foreign agencies. Commenting on Pakistan-India relations, Mohammed Junaid said that in the latest development in this regard, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had written a letter to the Indian prime minister that efforts should be made to normalise relations.

Senior analyst Rasool Bakhsh Rais said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s message of peace to his Indian counterpart was a commendable gesture. He said that he hoped that the Indian prime minister would reciprocate the gesture of peace. Pakistan should not leave any stone unturned in its efforts to improve relations with India.

Rasool Bakhsh Rais said that the foundation of India-China relations was trade, and so it should be between Pakistan and India. “If we find that Indian arms were used in the attack on Karachi airport, we should lodge a strong protest with India. The evidence of Indian interference in Balochistan should be put before the Indian prime minister.”

Commenting on electoral reforms, Mohammed Junaid said that the demand for electoral reforms was being raised for some time. The Election Commission had declared the 2013 elections transparent, but several political parties had raised questions over the transparency of the elections, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf being the loudest protestor in this connection. There was a consensus between the government and the opposition parties that electoral reforms were essential for free and transparent elections. However, demands in this regard had not been met. How the Nawaz government tackled the problem, and how it took along all the opposition parties in this regard would become clear through the government’s actions. Meanwhile, the government had been talking about forming a parliamentary committee on electoral reforms.

Executive Director of Pildat, Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, said that a new parliamentary committee on electoral reforms would complicate the exercise because the previous parliamentary committees had done a lot of spadework for electoral reforms while the Election Commission had already submitted 24 amendments before the law ministry.

He said that the condition for the post of election commissioners to be former chief justice of the Supreme Court or of the High Court must be done away with.

He said that the parliamentary committee for electoral reforms would not be able to satisfy Imran Khan because he wanted investigation into the excesses in the last elections and he called for verification of thumb impressions in four constituencies.

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.

Karachi airport attack: Chaudhry Nisar slams Sindh govt over ‘apathy’

ISLAMABAD: Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Thursday took a strong exception to Sindh government for not paying heed to interior ministry’s correspondence about security at the gates of old airport.

Calling for a judicial inquiry, he said that the Karachi airport incident was a result of non-seriousness on part of Sindh government which is condemnable. He urged the provincial government to speak truth to the nation.

He said that the Sindh government fulfilled its responsibilities over the last five months and it sent as many as six alert regarding potential terrorist attacks. Nisar Ali Khan said that the Sindh government didn’t take action despite it was informed precisely about the airport gates vulnerable to militant attacks.

The minister said as to why measures were not taken on the basis of intelligence information to prevent the attack.

Martyrs of Karachi airport attack laid to rest

KARACHI: Personnel of the Airport Security Force (ASF) who were martyred in the terrorist attack on the Karachi airport are being laid to rest in their respective hometowns amidst tears and sorrow.

ASF official Islamuddin’s funeral prayers were offered at the GPO ground in Multan. A resident of the Ghareebabad area of Multan, Islamuddin received a salute from the ASF officials before being laid to rest.

ASF ASI Tariq Masood Babar of Faisalabad was buried in his ancestral graveyard after his funeral prayers were offered in a nearby village.

ASF officials Mohammad Azam and Mohammad Hayat hailing from Toba Tek Singh and Mian Channu, were also buried in their hometowns.

The funeral prayer of ASF Inspector Muhammad Sarwar was held in Gul Bahar Colony, Lahore.

Meanwhile ASF sergeant Abdul Malik’s body has been transported to Sadiqabad where his last rites will be offered.

Cold storage fire near Karachi airport still rages on

KARACHI: Fire at a cold storage facility near Karachi airport could not be doused even after a lapse of two days.

The cold storage had caught fire as a result of the deadly attack on the airport by terrorists equipped with modern weapons on Sunday night.

The officials of the city’s fire brigade and Airport Security Force (ASF) had made claims to distinguish the fire by today.

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.

Operation to clear Karachi airport ends

 

KARACHI: Flight operations at Karachi’s international airport resumed after 16 hours on Monday afternoon after all 10 terrorists were killed in a joint operation by the security forces while the authorities confirmed the martyrdom of 19 persons, including 10 security personnel, and injuries to around 26 others.
However, seven employees of a private cargo service at the Karachi airport were still trapped inside a cold storage on Monday night. According to an ISPR statement, the army has launched an operation to rescue them.

According to the Jinnah Hospital administration, the martyred included ASF personnel Tariq Mehmood 32, Abdul Maalik 30, Muhammad Sarwar 45, Muhammad Hayat 40, Muhammad Azam 35, Muhammad Iqbal 35, Hafeez 32, Irfan 25, Ghulam Murtaza 30, Tanveer Anwar Khan 40, Islam-ud-Din 32, personnel of Pakistan Rangers Sindh Dil Murad Ali 35, PIA employees Muntazir 45, Fakhrul Hassan 30, Muzaffaral Hassan 30, Fazal Mehmood Zuberi 52, Syed Muhammad Ilyas 50, employee of Shaheen Airline Abdul Khaleeq Siddiqui 65. One of the deceased had not yet been identified.

The injured include ASF personnel Asad 22, Rajab Ali 40, Pervez 45, Faheem 26, Naseer Ahmed 35, Abid Hussain 35, Munawar Khan 35, Hafeez 35, Yousuf 45, Sikandar 35, Shabab Hussain 32, Muhammad Qasim 50, Muhammad Jamal 26, Ghulam Mustafa Shah 29, Rana Muhammad Afzal 22, Akhtar Hussain 45, PIA employees Ahmed Sheikh 45, Khawaja Muhammad Hassan 59, Special Security Unit (SSU) policeman Nisar Ahmed 28, police constables Naveed and Liaquat Ali 30, Pakistan Rangers Sindh personnel Zawar Ahmed 28, Ikramullah, Muhammad Imran 27, Muhammad Aqil and Faizullah.

The operation clean-up at the airport, headed by Corps Commander Karachi Lt. Gen. Sajjad Ghani, DG Rangers Rizwan Akhtar and IGP Sindh Iqbal Mehmood, started at 11:45 pm on Sunday night and ended at 4:30am after 10 heavily armed terrorists donning suicide vests and carrying Kalashnikovs, rocket-propelled grenades and hand grenades entered the airport and held hundreds of PIA and CAA personnel hostage at gunpoint.

Army contingents, including Special Services Group (SSG) commandos, also assisted the police and Rangers in the battle, officials said.DG Rangers Sindh Major General Rizwan Akhtar on Monday morning announced the completion of the operation, saying all 10 heavily armed militants had been killed.

Talking to newsmen, he said the terrorists killed in the operation appeared to be Uzbeks, but DNA tests would ascertain their identity.He said no aircraft was either destroyed or damaged in the attack. He said fire erupted at some places when the terrorists used hand grenades and other inflammable material.

DIG East Karachi Police Munir Shaikh said terrorists attacked the airport at 11:10pm with plans to take hostages and keep control of the airport for a long period but security forces immediately launched a counter attack and completed the operation in five to six hours by killing all the terrorists.

“The police and Rangers along with the ASF launched the airport was handed over to the CAA on Monday for flight operations,” DIG East Munir Shaikh told The News.He said terrorists entered the airport premises in two groups and took positions at Ispahani Hanger and International Cargo terminal.

“Terrorists didn’t appear to be Pakistanis and their features show they are citizens of some Central Asian country. They were carrying several AK-47 assault rifles, RPGs, rifle-grenades, hand-grenades and home-made bombs. Their backpacks also carried dates, water and militant literature,” he informed.

He said militants were also wearing suicide vests and some of them blew themselves up when they were encircled and besieged by the security personnel, causing some casualties and injuries to police and the Rangers.

He said terrorists had held at least 300 staff members of PIA and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as well as the staff of some other airlines hostage and after locking them in some rooms deployed some of their members as guard to prevent them from escaping.

“When the police, Rangers and ASF reached there to confront the terrorists, terrorists guarding the hostages joined the battle and were either killed or they blew themselves up during the fight,” DIG East added.

He said DG Rangers and IGP Sindh Iqbal Mehmood were jointly commanding the operation on the ground while he (DIG East), SSP East Pir Muhammad Shah and SSP Malir Rao Anwar as well as several SPs, DSPs and Jawans took part in the operation.

DIG East said one of the police personal, who was the gunman of SSP East Pir Muhammad Shah, embraced martyrdom and two others including SSP East were injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up near their APC at the airport during the clean-up operation.

Bodies of 10 terrorists, including one in pieces, were brought to JPMC mortuary, MLO Dr. Rohina said, adding that post-mortem examination of the bodies was yet to be performed.Meanwhile, PIA flights from Jinnah International Airport resumed at 1600 hours on Monday, a PIA spokesman said.

Around 20 flights were disturbed due to the terrorist attack. One domestic flight was diverted to Nawab Shah while three flights coming from abroad were diverted to Lahore. The passengers of the diverted flights were well looked after at Nawab Shah and Lahore.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Aviation Shujaat Azeem said Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif had commended the bravery of security forces for containing and eliminating terrorists attack.

Shujaat personally supervised the resumption of flight operations at Jinnah International Airport and visited all areas of Karachi airport along with DG CAA, Air Marshal (R) Muhammad Yousaf and DG ASF Brigadier Muhammad Azam Tiwana.

Security has been increased to the highest level at all airports.In a condolence message, Shujaat Azeem expressed his deep sorrow and grief over the killing of PIA engineers during the terrorist attack.

“The entire PIA family is deeply saddened at the loss of four employees of PIA Engineering — Fakhir Laghari, S.M Ilyas, Tanveer A Khan and Fazal Zuberi. May Allah Grant them eternal peace and strength to the family members of the departed souls”.

“Our prayers go out for the speedy recovery of all injured. We are grateful for the patience and discipline shown by the passengers present at the airport which helped in the success of the operation”, he said.

19 killed, 29 injured in Karachi airport attack: Nisar

ISLAMABAD: Giving details about the audacious militant attack on Karachi Airport, Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has said that 19 people were killed and 29 others injured in the attack.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, he said that the Pakistan Army, the Rangers, the Airport Security Force and the police had foiled the attack.

He said all the national assents remained safe in the attack except some minor damages to a couple of aircraft. He said that 11 ASF and seven Rangers personnel were killed in the operation.

The minister said that within the 20 minutes of the attack, the army had reached the airport and 10 militants had been killed till 1:30 am.

He said that 10 militants entered the facility through two different entry points of the airport where three of them blew themselves up while seven others were killed by the security forces.

The minister said that the attackers appeared to be foreign nationals and the weapons they were using hinted towards a certain country. He, however, refrained from confirming his claim before further investigation.

Chaudhry Nisar said that the forces had saved the people’s lives by rendering sacrifices.

Flight operations resume at Karachi airport

KARACHI: Flight operations resumed at the Karachi airport at 4:00 PM with the first flight departing for Islamabad.

Operations had been suspended after heavily armed militants launched an assault on Pakistan´s busiest airport in Karachi, leaving at least 30 dead including 10 militants in a six-hour siege that the army quelled at dawn on Monday.


Explosions and gunfire rang out as the attackers, equipped with suicide vests, grenades and rocket launchers, battled security forces in one of the most brazen attacks in years in Pakistan´s biggest city.

Authorities said all 10 militants were killed and that the bodies of 18 victims, including security personnel and four airport workers, had been identified at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC).

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has accepted the responsibility of the attack.

Karachi airport cleared, flights to resume at 4:00 PM

RAWALPINDI: DG ISPR Major General Asim Bajwa said on Monday that the final clearance of the entire airport has completed and the flight operation will resume at 4:00 PM.

In a message on a social networking website, the military spokesman added that the airport has been handed over to CAA/ASF and would likely re-open at 2:00 PM.

The prime minister’s adviser Shujaat Azeem said that the flights operations would resume at the Karachi airport from 4:00 PM.

Heavily armed militants launched an assault on Pakistan´s busiest airport in Karachi, leaving at least 30 dead including 10 militants in a six-hour siege that the army quelled at dawn on Monday.

Explosions and gunfire rang out as the attackers, equipped with suicide vests, grenades and rocket launchers, battled security forces in one of the most brazen attacks in years in Pakistan´s biggest city.

Authorities said all 10 militants were killed and that the bodies of 18 victims, including security personnel and four airport workers, had been identified at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC).

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has accepted the responsibility of the attack.

Death toll from Karachi airport attack rises to 22

KARACHI: Death toll from a brazen militant attack on Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport attack has risen to 22 after recovery of two more bodies from Cargo Terminal, according to a spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority.

The spokesman said that the two men were burnt to death after a fire erupted at the terminal during the militant attack.

He further said that five people were still missing and efforts were underway to recover them.

Terrorists attack Karachi airport

 

 

 

KARACHI: Terrorists on Sunday night attacked the Old Terminal of the Karachi Airport, a high security area, in which seven Airport Security Force (ASF) personnel were killed while 13 security personnel were injured. Among the dead were ASI Tariq Maqsood, PC Muntazir and PC Abdul Malik. Also dead were a PIA official, a CAA employee and six terrorists. The terminal is considered as a high security zone as VVIPs, including the president and prime minister, frequently use it.
Reports claimed that three passenger aircraft and a cargo aircraft were damaged in the brazen attack.Following the attack, all flights heading for Karachi were diverted to other towns, including Nawabshah.

There was no confirmation about the strength of the terrorists, who could be up to 15 in number. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rao Anwaar Ahmed of District Malir said that the exact number of terrorists was yet to become clear.

Pakistan Army troops had been called in from Malir Cantonment while police commandos and Rangers were battling the terrorists. Sources added that large contingents of security forces had surrounded the airport and routes to the airport had been sealed.

An ISPR statement said the corps commander Karachi had arrived at the Karachi Airport and was supervising the operation.The Director General, Rangers, Maj General Rizwan Akhtar, had also reached the Karachi Airport. Moreover, Pakistan Army personnel were also called to the Karachi Airport who took up positions at sensitive points and were battling with the terrorists.

Police sources said that during the search operation at the Cargo Terminal, they had detained a suspect who might be a member of the terrorist group and was shifted by the law enforcers to an undisclosed location for investigation.

During the gunbattle, six terrorists were killed, reports said. A number of fires were also visible at the airport and there was the sound of frequent explosions and firing. Sources said the passengers and other people at the Jinnah Terminal were safe and there was no threat to them. Reports said Amir Liaquat Hussain, Farooq Sattar and Murad Ali Shah were stranded at the Jinnah Terminal.

Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah had also reached the airport to oversee the operation.The CAA authorities had suspended all operations till 12am on Tuesday night from the Karachi Airport.

At the time of the filing of this report, the terrorists were present inside the Ispahani Hangar of Karachi Airport and law enforcers were battling with them. However, the Cargo Terminal and Terminal-1 had been cleared of the terrorists.

In a late night development, A Rangers spokesman confirmed that six terrorists had been liquidated while they were battling the others. He said the Rangers had safely evacuated passengers from an aircraft parked at the Jinnah Terminal and shifted the passengers and the crew to the airport lounge.

Meanwhile, District East police said that SSP East Syed Pir Muhammad Shah along with a police party had engaged with terrorists near the Ispahani Hangar. During the encounter, two suicide bombers exploded themselves in which the gunman of SSP East PC, Liaquat, was critically wounded. Two terrorist were gunned down by the policemen, who recovered two rocket launchers, three Kalashinkovs, AWAN rockets and a suicide jacket from them.

Meanwhile, ISPR Spokesman Major General Asim Bajwa tweeted that live TV coverage from inside the airport should stop because it was hindering the operation, giving away the position of assets and troops, thus helping the terrorists.The operation against the terrorists was continuing till the filing of this report.

Rs82 bn irregularities admitted in Benazir Airport project

ISLAMABAD: A stunning revelation was made before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Monday when the department of Auditor General of Pakistan informed the committee that it had detected Rs82 billion worth of irregularities in the under-construction new Benazir Airport in the last six years. The project has already cost Rs100 billion due to ill-planning of the government and turned into a tale of mismanagement.

Even top officials of divisions of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) confessed that the site of the airport, on which billions of rupees had already been spent, was improper and for this, an inquiry had been referred to the FIA.

The PAC was surprised when it was informed that the link road to the new airport from Islamabad to Rawalpindi had been started, and after coming into power, the PML-N government planned a 19-km-long new link road from Islamabad whose cost estimate was Rs30 billion, which was in addition to the project of the new Islamabad airport.

The PAC held its meeting here on Monday with its Chairman Syed Khursheed Shah in the chair.The PAC stopped the CAA from planning to acquire an additional 1,700 acre land having an estimated cost of more than Rs8.5 billion for the third runway of the new Islamabad airport that would be constructed after 20 years to deal with projected increase in air traffic.

The PAC raised a question over the project of the new Islamabad Airport when it was said that in the original plan of the airport, no facility was provided for the telecommunication network, no road link was planned, the site area of the new airport was barren without underground water and even the consultancy was given to a firm that did not have a qualified engineer. “If this airport was constructed in such a way, it would be the world’s ninth wonder,” remarked PAC Chairman Syed Khursheed Shah.

The CAA officials said that the prime minister had approved the project of 19-km-long road link to the new Islamabad Airport at an estimated cost of Rs30 billion in which the major part would be spent for acquiring the land which will be 600 metres wide. At first, the road would be widened by 100 metres and later, it would be widened further.

The PAC sought details of owners of the land, which came under the project of 19-km-long road link to the new airport, from the National Highway Authority (NHA).

PAC Chairman Syed Khursheed Shah questioned the reason for spending a hefty amount on the road instead of linking the new airport through a four-km-long road with the Kashmir Highway.

The top NHA officials failed to justify the new project saying that no final estimation was made and no process of land acquisition had been started yet.

Syed Khursheed Shah was astonished at the estimates of the new road link project and asked whether there was any other country where Rs1 billion were spent on one kilometre of road. “This money belongs to the people of Pakistan and it has not to be looted or plundered,” he observed.

PAC member Abdul Manan remarked that the width of the Motorway was 100 metres but a road link to the new airport was being constructed at 600 metres. He questioned whether the registeries of the land were acquired or not and on what rate.

The NHA officials replied that the Punjab Revenue Department got the rates and 130 metres of land near the Hajj complex would be a commercial area while the other was the agricultural land. “The commercial land’s rate is Rs20 million per kanal and agricultural land’s rate was Rs600,000 per kanal,” the NHA official stated.

The PAC chairman questioned about the traffic load of the road link to the new airport on which the top officials of the CAA failed to come up with estimates.

Syed Khursheed Shah stated that around 17,000 vehicles used the Motorway. He asked for an estimate of traffic volume in the next 30 years but the CAA gave no steady reply.Shah also asked whether the consultancy firm that was hired for the new airport knew the site was selected for the airport was not proper.

Secretary Civil Aviation Division Mohammad Ali Gardezi told the committee that the prime minister had referred the enquiry to FIA, at which the committee directed the FIA officials present to include this aspect in the enquiry.

The CAA officials had no answers for the question put up by Shah about the average time of landing and taking off of flights at the airport as well as the frequency of landing and taking off of aircraft.

On the issue of provision of water, the CAA officials told the committee that the site of the new airport and the surrounding area did not have water facility as the land was barren.

They said that the airport required 2 million gallons of water daily and the CAA was undertaking construction of a sustainable dam with coordination of the Punjab Small Dams Organisation after completion of feasibility studies and detailed designs to meet the long term water requirements of the airport.

They stated that four mini dams would be constructed within the premises of airport, under the supervision of DG ABAD and to meet the emergent water requirements pertaining to testing and commissioning of equipment presently being installed at the airport.

When Shah enquired about the 50-year data on average rate of rain in the area, the CAA officials said that they had no relevant data.The CAA officials gave reasons for the delay in the construction of the new Islamabad airport that included delay in the appointment of design-consultant, poor performance of project management consultant M/S LBG, non-availability of access road to NBBIAP site, non-possession of site and eviction of illegal occupants, improper sequencing of award of work packages resulting in serious coordination and interfacing issues between work packages, termination of non-performing work packages telecom and network i.e. power distribution and ATC, FCR and Radio and radar building, delay in design of passenger terminal building due to various design changes and value engineering studies resulting in substantial delay in award of this work package, delay in provision of peripheral services (Road Network, Water and Electricity) preventing testing of various completed facilities, award of remaining work packages i.e. Package-4, 5 and 9 e.g. airport special systems, furniture/fixtures, signage, counters and Aircraft Stand Equipment.

Khursheed Shah raised the issue of non-payment of dues of Rs1.2 billion by a private airline to the CAA.The CAA director general said that after assuming the charge, he summoned the chief operating officer of the airline and asked him to clear the dues on which the airline cleared the dues of Rs1 billion and Rs160 million of surcharge still was to be recovered from the airline. He said the airline requested for waving off the surcharge but he rejected it.

Shah asked about the remaining dues of Rs160 million on which the DG CAA said that the private airline defaulted in 2004 and 10-year payment plan was approved under which Rs160 million of surcharge was still not paid.Khursheed Shah directed the CAA to recover the amount with interest.

Plane lands at Bali airport in suspected hijacking: Indonesia air force

JAKARTA: A Virgin Australia plane landed at Bali airport on Friday after a suspected hijacking, Indonesian officials said. "We got information that a 737-800 from Brisbane to Bali has been hijacked," spokesman Hadi Tjahjanto told MetroTV television station, adding it was a Virgin flight.

"The pilot indicated that the plane has been hijacked," senior transport ministry official Harry Bhakti said on MetroTV."There´s an information that a passenger tried to get into a cockpit, we are investigating.

"Palani Mohan, a passenger on a Garuda flight that was about to take off from Bali, said: "The captain of my plane made an announcement saying we were delayed indefinitely because a hijack was going on in Bali airport, about 150 metres away from us.

"I saw at least five vehicles including military-style trucks, filled with men in uniform, rushing towards the plane."

Then the Virgin plane taxied away, followed by the convoy of security forces. The flight attendant said it´s been taken off to a different part of the airport.

"Bali airport seems to be in lockdown, we´ve been told no planes will be departing or arriving. The pilot’s not allowing anyone off our plane."

Kashgar airport enlarges storage capacity to accommodate maximum fresh fruits from Pakistan

BEIJING: The Kashgar International Airport set to become the first and only designated entry point for fruit imports in the south of China's Xinjiang province has enlarged its storage capacity to accommodate maximum quantity of Pakistani fresh fruits.
The Local news site Iyaxin.com reported the airport received official approval for the designation from the country's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) on Feb. 12.
"As of now, there are over a dozen storages in the airport, with each holding a capacity for more than 100 cubic meter of fruits. This shows Kashgar airport's considerable storage capacity," Kashgar Entry-Exit Inspection And Quarantine Bureau Prepatory Office prefectural-level Director Kejian Wang was quoted as saying.
"From now on, Pakistani mango and citrus exporters can be assured of sufficient storage rooms after their products left Pakistan," Wang told the publication.
Yimit Resuri, Deputy Director at the Xinjiang Entry-Exit Inspection And Quarantine Bureau told newspaper Xinjiang Daily that citrus and mangoes from Pakistan, and cherries from Tajikistan are currently allowed into China.
Wang added that transportation time for Pakistani fruits to China would also be significantly cut down.
"Before the establishment of the new entry point, imported fruits from Pakistan must be carried on ground transportation through the Khunjerab Pass. This long land route poses high risk of transportation damage to the fruits. In contrast, with the new air entry point, Pakistani fruits can quickly arrive in Kashgar after a 70-minute flight," Wang was quoted as saying.
The Kashgar Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau is working closely with the Kashgar airport, Pakistani-based Rayyan Airlines and a variety of international trade firms on the promotion of the new import options.
Currently, there are two other fruit import entry points in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region the Urumqi International Airport and the Khunjerab Pass.
The provincial-level Xinjiang Entry-Exit Inspection And Quarantine Bureau after inspection released a statement announcing that it had passed the required approval tests for the storage.