Showing posts with label key. Show all posts
Showing posts with label key. Show all posts

Friday, 6 June 2014

Key TTP commander among three killed in NWA

PESHAWAR: An important commander of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), along with two other militants, was killed in the armed clash of two groups of Taliban in North Waziristan on Thursday.

Ashiqullah Mehsud, a key commander of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and a so-called expert of suicide bombings was killed in a firing incident in North Waziristan tribal region Mir Ali, private news channel reported.The sources said that Ashiqullah was sitting with some members of the TTP when he was assaulted by the gunmen who escaped in a car after firing.

Both official and tribal sources confirmed that Ashiqullah Mehsud was the main commander of the TTP and was considered the master trainer of suicide bombing after Qari Hussain Mehsud who was the top expert and the inventor of suicide bomb blasts.

Intelligence sources believe that the incident is the result of a rivalry between Shehryar Mehsud and Khan Said Sajna groups. The latter also parted ways with the central TTP group.None of the groups have claimed responsibility for the attack yet. Furthermore, no statement has been issued by the TTP about Ashiqullah’s death so far.

Tuesday, 6 May 2014

Thai PM denies abuse of power in key legal challenge



BANGKOK: Thailand´s besieged Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra denied an abuse of power allegation at the nation´s Constitutional Court on Tuesday in a legal challenge which could see her removed from office.

The case, one of two potential knockout legal moves against her premiership, comes as Thailand´s political crisis reaches a critical juncture.

Anti-government protesters are still massed on Bangkok´s streets -- although in diminished numbers -- and Yingluck´s supporters are also threatening to rally to defend her.

The premier denied the complaint, filed by a group of senators, who said that the replacement of then-national security chief Thawil Pliensri after she was elected in 2011 was for the benefit of her party.

"I deny the allegation... I didn´t violate any laws, I didn´t receive any benefit from the appointment," a composed Yingluck told the court, adding she replaced Thawil for the benefit of the country.

Under the constitution -- forged after a 2006 coup that ousted Yingluck´s billionaire brother Thaksin Shinawatra as premier -- such an offence could lead to her removal and a ban from politics.

The court could also extend its verdict to cabinet members who endorsed the decision to remove Thawil, potentially dislodging a layer of ruling party decision-makers with ties to Thaksin, who lives overseas to avoid jail for corruption convictions.

Thawil has been re-instated as head of the NSC by the order of another court.

"It´s up to the judges," said Jarupong Ruangsuwan, leader of the ruling Puea Thai party, told before the hearing.

"All I can say is that if the court convicts the prime minister and her entire cabinet there will be turmoil," he said, adding "all may be known today".

The court has not given a date for its ruling.

Saturday, 3 May 2014

Indian-American appointed to key U.S. Treasury Department post

An Indian-American has been appointed to a key post in the U.S. Department of Treasury.
Jawahar Kaliani has been appointed as the Deputy Chief Information Officer for Application Services Delivery (ASD) at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Department of Treasury.
Taking over the job from Sunday, Mr. Kaliani will lead the development and implementation of complex applications to deliver secure business solutions that meet organisational priorities and support the agency’s mission of ensuring the safety and soundness of national banks and federal savings associations, a statement said.
“Jawahar’s experience has prepared him exceptionally well to serve in this role,” said OCC Chief Information Officer Edward Dorris.
“He is ideally suited to be part of the agency’s senior information technology (IT) team to continue our efforts toward achieving best in class productivity, efficiency and quality for the OCC employees and supervised institutions that depend on us,” Mr. Dorris said.
Mr. Kaliani joins the OCC from Amdocs Inc., where he served as vice-president of Customer Operations Management and led the development, execution and delivery of large-scale services and business IT solutions supporting major telecommunications clients who managed more than $30 billion in annual billings.
He has 20 years of demonstrated experience delivering critical applications in a managed services environment, optimising efficiency and performance to meet the goals of industry leaders.
During his career, Mr. Kaliani established, coached and mentored high-performing, cross-functional teams of more than 700 employees.
Mr. Kaliani holds an executive MBA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a Bachelor of Engineering in IT and Electronics from Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) in Mumbai and a Diploma of Engineering in IT and Electronics from BIT in Mumbai.

Tuesday, 8 April 2014

Govt to spend $34 billion for key infrastructure development: Dar



 
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Finance, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Tuesday said that the government would spend $34 billion in the next four years in various sectors of economy particularly for the expansion of motorways, power transmission lines and development of energy sector.
Talking to Minister of Finance of the Canadian Ontario Province, Charles Sousa, who called on him, Dar said that his government was determined to pursue very aggressive infrastructure development program in the country to help accelerate economic growth.

“The government is determined to pursue the policy of transparency, good governance and zero tolerance for corruption besides fulfilling its election manifesto by prioritising four ‘E sectors’ that include Education, Economy, Energy and Eradication of Extremism,” Dar said.

The finance minister also briefed Sousa about the introduction of 3G and 4G technologies in a transparent process, which would attract massive investments in the telecommunication sector. He expressed his determination to correct the existing energy mix in Pakistan as currently, 75 percent source of energy is furnace oil, due to which per unit cost has become exorbitantly high. Hence, the government intends to give priority to clean energy, he said.

Dar expressed voiced hope that the Canadian companies would invest in hydro projects as they have tremendous expertise in this field. He stated that the government has signed a 2,000MW nuclear power plant agreement with China and was negotiating for additional 3,000MW plant on BOT mechanism. While speaking about the security situation of the country, the Finance Minister underscored the need for giving dialogue a last chance.

The minister said that he will be presenting his second budget in June, 2014, adding although Pakistan’s GDP has been growing at three percent for the past few years, this year the growth is expected to be four percent. However, the target of 6% growth is likely to be achieved in the next few years owing to various economic reforms being undertaking by the present government, he added.

On the occasion, Sousa expressed the hope that by following robust and vigorous economic agenda, the government would certainly overcome economic difficulties, which would, in turn, pave the way for more foreign investments, both by expatriate Pakistanis and foreign companies. He stated that the better economic condition was the best way to give hope to the people, which would help reduce illiteracy and extremism.

Sousa appreciated Pakistan’s positive role in the post 9/11 war against terrorism and deplored criticism against Pakistan in this regard. He said that the Ontario government was pursuing a practical ‘energy mix’ policy adding the 50 percent source of energy was nuclear, followed by hydro and gas while the green energy constitutes only 6 percent.

Sousa stated that the Ontario government greatly admires Pakistani businessmen, entrepreneurs, doctors, engineers, accountants and other professionals, who have been making valuable contributions to the Canadian economy and society.

He said that he will be presenting his second budget as the Finance Minister and to boost the economy and employment the government is proposing to spend C$11.3 billion more than the previous year.

Monday, 31 March 2014

Torture provided no key evidence in hunt for OBL: US senate report





WASHINGTON: Water-boarding and other harsh interrogation techniques provided no key evidence in the hunt for Osama bin Laden, a new senate report into the use of torture by the CIA in the years after the September 11 attacks is expected to claim.

If confirmed, the finding in the 6,200-page senate report will directly challenge assertion by former members of the George W. Bush administration that the CIA’s so-called “enhanced interrogation” techniques were an essential tool in prosecuting the war on terror.

Congressional aides familiar with the still-secret report told the Associated Press that a review of some 6 million classified documents had led them to conclude there was no benefit derived from treatment that the United Nations and rights groups say amounted to torture.

The US senate’s powerful intelligence committee is due to hold a vote on Thursday on whether to release a 400-page summary of the report, setting in motion a declassification process that could take several months before documents are made public.

The findings of the report have already caused a bitter and public rift between Dianne Feinstein, the Committee’s democrat chair, and the CIA whom she has openly accused of trying to frustrate the publication of the report since its findings were approved in December 2012.

Most fundamental among its findings is expected to be that the treatment meted out to Al Qa’eda suspects in sites such as Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan, the Guantánamo Bay detention centre and “black jails” around the world did not ultimately yield critical intelligence.

The successful assassination of bin Laden was seized on by former Bush administration figures and top CIA officials as vindication of the “enhanced interrogation techniques” they authorised after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

That narrative was strengthened in the popular imagination by Kathryn Bigelow’s controversial film Zero Dark Thirty, a dramatic reconstruction of how bin Laden’s whereabouts were pieced together that was accused by civil rights groups of wrongly depicting torture as effective.

Among the key points of contention in the report was the treatment of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the man accused of masterminding the September 11 attacks who was waterboarded 183 times.

Intelligence officials have cited that Mohammed had confirmed that he knew an important al-Qaida courier with the nom de guerre Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti who helped lead CIA investigators to the compound in Abbottabad where bin Laden was killed.

However the Senate report concludes such information wasn’t critical and was obtained not when Mohammed was being water-boarded, but under standard interrogation months later, the unnamed aides told the Associated Press.

The CIA also has pointed to the value of information provided by senior al-Qaida operative Abu Faraj al-Libi, who was captured in 2005 and held at a secret prison run by the agency.

In previous accounts, U.S. officials have described how al-Libi made up a name for a trusted courier and denied knowing al-Kuwaiti. Al-Libi was so adamant and unbelievable in his denial that the CIA took it as confirmation he and Mohammed were protecting the courier.

The Senate report concludes evidence gathered from al-Libi wasn't significant either, aides said.

Essentially, they argue, Mohammed, al-Libi and others subjected to harsh treatment confirmed only what investigators already knew about the courier. And when they denied the courier's significance or provided misleading information, investigators would only have considered that significant if they already presumed the courier's importance.

The aides did not address information provided by yet another al-Qaida operative: Hassan Ghul, captured in Iraq in 2004. Intelligence officials have described Ghul as the true linchpin of the bin Laden investigation after he identified al-Kuwaiti as a critical courier.

In a 2012 news release, Ms Feinstein, the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Sen. Carl Levin, both Democrats, acknowledged an unidentified “third detainee” had provided relevant information on the courier.

But they said he did so the day before he was subjected to harsh CIA interrogation. “This information will be detailed in the Intelligence committee's report,” the senators said at the time.

In any case, it still took the CIA years to learn al-Kuwaiti's real identity: Sheikh Abu Ahmed, a Pakistani man born in Kuwait. How the U.S. learned of Ahmed's name is still unclear.

Without providing full details, aides said the Senate report illustrates the importance of the National Security Agency's efforts overseas.
Intelligence officials have previously described how in the years when the CIA couldn't find where bin Laden's courier was, NSA eavesdroppers came up with nothing until 2010 - when Ahmed had a telephone conversation with someone monitored by U.S. intelligence.

At that point, U.S. intelligence was able to follow Ahmed to bin Laden's hideout.
 

Saturday, 15 March 2014

Track-II experts call India, Pakistan to move swiftly on key issues

NEW DELHI: An India-Pakistan Track II diplomacy initiative onFriday sent out a message to Islamabad and New Delhi, pressing on the new Indian government which emerges in April elections, to continue the positive initiatives taken under previous governments.

“Islamabad and New Delhi must move forward on a menu of outstanding items in order to move the region out from the shadows of instability, human insecurity and lost opportunities in trade, energy, information connectivity,” said a joint resolution issued after the 4th Delhi Dialogue arranged by the Jinnah Institute and Centre for Dialogue and Reconstruction, which concluded in New Delhi on Friday.

The dialogue brought together journalists, policy experts, academics, advocates, former military officials and diplomats from India and Pakistan for two days of intense deliberations to discuss a wide range of outstanding issues between both countries.

The session on Afghanistan saw support for an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned reconciliation process in Afghanistan and recognised that a peaceful Afghanistan is essential for regional stability.

It recommended that serious efforts be made towards exploring the possibility of Pakistan granting India overland transit rights for trade with Afghanistan and India granting overland transit rights to Pakistan for other South Asian countries.

Urging both countries not to let competing interests in Afghanistan negatively impact bilateral relations, it also urged the regional countries to initiate a dialogue on adopting a non-interventionist policy.

“We urge both countries to engage with each other to clarify each other’s apprehensions on a post-2014 Afghanistan. We recommend that opportunities for mutual cooperation in the development and reconstruction of Afghanistan be explored, especially under the aegis of Saarc,” said the resolution.

On Kashmir, the resolution agreed that the bilateral dialogue should be irreversible and uninterruptable and urged both India and

Pakistan to fully implement all agreed CBM’s cooperate on outstanding issues and address each other’s concern on key issues like “Kashmir as well as terrorism with the aim of resuming the stalled bilateral dialogue.”

Both governments were urged to urgently take up discussions on Jammu and Kashmir so that a solution that is acceptable to India,Pakistan and the people of Kashmir on both sides of the Line of Control can be found.

Of importance was a recommendation that Non-Discriminatory Market Access be granted by Pakistan to India at the earliest, urging India to remove all non-tariff barriers to facilitate trade between both countries.

A statement issued later by the Jinnah Institute said: “As South Asia and the wider region grapples with the menace of transnational conflict, a renewed vigor is required towards resuming the stalled bilateral dialogue between Pakistan and India participants agreed at the recently concluded Delhi Dialogue on Friday.”

Against the backdrop of the upcoming Indian elections, participants agreed that expected victory of a Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could have a transformative effect on bilateral relations between both the countries.

Despite skepticism, participants unanimously hoped that the new government in New Delhi will build upon earlier initiatives taken under previous governments and expeditiously pursue the revival of the stalled dialogue process with Pakistan.

The Pakistani delegation impressed upon its Indian counterparts that unlike India, a cross-party consensus existed in Pakistan on improving relations with India and resolving all outstanding issues. They said that recent overtures of the Pakistan government presented an opportunity which must be reciprocated by India.

The participants also analyzed last year’s ceasefire violations and called on both Indian and Pakistani military establishments to regularise high level staff and field commander meetings to resolve any future untoward incidents on the LoC.

Noting that people-to-people contacts were essential in improving relations between the two nuclear armed neighbours, the dialogue participants recommended the extension of the one year multiple entry visa policy towards all category of travelers, particularly media-persons, artists, students and academics.

They urged both governments to ensure that the Wagah-Attari border is opened for 24 hour operations and both governments should explore opportunities for opening all economically feasible land routes between India and Pakistan for trade and travel, particularly Ganda Singhwala-Ferozpur, Muktasar-Fazilka and Khokhrapar-Munabao.

The Pakistan delegation comprised former ambassador Sherry Rehman, parliamentarian Shafqat Mahmood, former ambassador Aziz Ahmad Khan, former DG ISPR Lt Gen Athar Abbas, Syed Babar Ali, Arshad Zuberi, senior journalists Zahid Hussain, Mariana Baabar, Amir Mateen and Ammara Durrani.

The India delegation comprised former foreign secretary Salman Haider, former Ambassadors Jayant Prasad and Sharat Sabharwal, Dr Rajmohan Gandhi, Siddharth Vardarajan, Prem Shankar Jha, former Lt General Syed Ata Hasnain, Jyoti Malhotra, Suhasini Haidar, Gul Muhammad Wani, Sunil Sethi, and Syeda Hammeda.

Friday, 7 March 2014

Ambassador Jilani discusses Pak-US ties with key Congressman

imageWASHINGTON: Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States, Jalil Abbas Jilani visited the Capitol Hill to meet with Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen, a Republican from New Jersey, and Chairman Defence Appropriations sub-committee and discussed Pakistan-US relations.
Ambassador Jilani had a wide-ranging discussion with Congressman Frelinghuysen on Pakistan-US bilateral cooperation, the Pakistani embassy said Thursday.
Congressman Frelinghuysen appreciated Pakistan's sacrifices in the fight against terrorism.
He also noted that a vibrant Pakistani-American community in New Jersey was playing an active role in strengthening the bilateral relationship.