Punjab Governor Blasts Government For Protecting Jihadists

Salmaan Taseer, the Governor of Pakistan’s Punjab province, has said that Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif should make it clear to the public whether he is in favor of or against terrorist organizations, according to a Pakistani daily.

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Women In Pakistan Mark International Women’s Day

Political parties and civil society organizations arranged seminars and public rallies across Pakistan, including in the militancy-hit Swat district where a woman was publicly lashed by Taliban militants last year, to mark World Women’s Day.

The women’s wing of Pakistan’s Labour Party, the Labour Education Foundation, and women who work in brick kilns rallied in Islamabad and demanded an end to violence against women, according to a report in the Urdu-language newspaper Roznama Express.

In the Swat District, female workers from different political parties, NGOs, and female students and their teachers staged a rally to observe the International Women’s Day, the report said. The rally was led by celebrated Pakistani TV actress Atiqa Odho and Sitara Ayaz, the provincial Minister for Social Welfare and Women Development.

Pakistani Clerics Demand Removal Of Ahmadi Muslims From Key Government Positions

Speakers at a seminar organized by Majlis-e-Ahrarul Islam Pakistan have demanded the immediate removal of Qadianis (Ahmadi Muslims) from key positions in Pakistan’smilitary and civilian government departments, according to an Urdu-language daily.

The government should restrict Qadianis to their constitutional status, which does not recognize them as Muslims, and implement law regarding Qadianiat, the speakers said, pointing out that Ahmadis are no longer Muslims according to Pakistani law.

According to a report in the Urdu-language newspaper Roznama Islam, the seminar was organized by Majlis Ahrarul Islam, an organization active in Pakistan and India against Ahmadi Muslims.

Three Afghan Cops, 15 Taliban Militants Killed In Kandahar Province

A roadside blast killed three border policemen in the southern Kandahar province. Also in Kandahar province 15 Taliban militants were killed in a NATO air strike, according to an Afghan news website.

Gen. Abdul Razzaq, a senior official of the border province, said that a police vehicle struck a roadside bomb near the Lway Karez area of Spin Boldak, killing the policemen and a civilian, according to a report on the Afghan website pajhwok.com.

Separately, 15 Taliban militants were killed when a NATO air strike targeted their hideouts in the Myanshin district of Kandahar province.

In a statement, the provincial governor's office said that the air strike was carried out on Sunday night after receiving intelligence on Taliban wearabouts.

Source: www.pajhwok.com, Afghanistan, March 9, 2010

India Issues Terror Alert For Cities Of Mumbai, Kolkata And Bangalore

The Indian interior ministry issued a security alert for Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore on Monday, warning that the three major cities could be targeted by terrorists, according to an Urdu-language daily.

Based on information obtained during the interrogation of suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorist Salman Ahmed, the ministry has asked the governments of Maharashtra, West Bengal and Karnataka to take all possible steps to foil any bid by terrorists to strike the cities.

According to a report in the newspaper Roznama Siasat, an unidentified interior ministry official said: “We have some information and we don’t want to take any chances. So, we have alerted the concerned state governments to take all necessary security measures immediately.”

Conflicts Between Hizb-e-Islami and Taliban Increase Strength of Afghan Government; Taliban’s Shadow Governor Surrenders

The armed conflict between the Hizb-e-Islami and the Taliban in Afghanistan’s Baghlan province strengthens the capability of Afghan security forces, according to an article in a Dari-language Afghan daily.

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Report In Pakistani Daily: Punjabi Taliban Behind March 8 Suicide Bombing In Lahore

The March 8 suicide bombing at the Special Intelligence Unit (SIU) building is believed to have been carried out by the Punjab chapter of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to avenge the killing of militant commander Qari Zafar, according to a Pakistani daily.

Indian Daily: 820 Clashes Between Militant Groups During 20 Years Of Militancy In Jammu & Kashmir

As many as 577 militants were killed in various group clashes between different militant organizations over the past two decades of militancy in India’s Jammu & Kashmir, according to an Indian daily.

Statistics provided by Jammu & Kashmir’s interior ministry report that 820 incidents took place between various militant outfits due to turf war, and 577 militants and 173 civilians were killed in these incidents.

Khyber Agency: Taliban Claim Responsibility For Killing Of Lashkar-e-Islam’s Deputy Chief

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Monday claimed responsibility for a suicide attack that killed the deputy chief of Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) in the Tirah valley of Khyber Agency last month, according to a Pakistani daily.

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Cartoon In Urdu Daily: Pakistani Provinces Clash Over Sharing River Water

Texts on men: Punjab, Baluchistan, Sindh, North West Frontier Province

Source: Roznama Jasarat, Pakistan, March 9, 2010

Taliban’s Deputy Emir Says Top Commanders Are Safe

Maulvi Faqir Muhammad, the Deputy Emir of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP, or Movement of the Pakistani Taliban), has rejected the government claim that it killed him and two other top militant commanders, according to an Urdu-language newspaper.

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Afghanistan To Enforce Ban Against Black-Tinted Vehicle Windows

The Afghan interior ministry has announced that no one, including high-ranking Afghan and foreign officials, will have the right to use black-tinted windows for their vehicles in Kabul, according to a Pashtu-language Afghan news website.

5 Commanders and 70 Fighters from Hizb-e-Islami Surrender In Baghlan Province

Five commanders from the Gulbuddin Hekmatyar-led Hizb-e-Islami party have surrendered to the Afghan government in the country’s northeastern Baghlan province, according to a Dari-language daily.

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Taliban Kill 75-Year-Old Man On Spying Charges

The Taliban in Afghanistan have killed a 75-year-old man, Juma Khan, on the alleged charge of spying for the government in the southern Paktika province, according to a Dari-language Afghan daily.

Taliban Commander Killed In Herat Province

Police in Afghanistan said that a Taliban commander, Mullah Mahmoud, was killed in recent fighting in the country’s western Herat province, according to a Dari-language daily.

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Pakistan Sacks Over 900 Securitymen For Refusing To Take Action Against Militants

As many as 903 personnel of the Pakistani paramilitary force Frontier Constabulary (FC) have been dismissed from jobs for refusing to take part in operations against militants in a semi-tribal area of Peshawar, according to an Urdu-language daily.

Pakistan Closes Down 90 Illegal Pro-Taliban FM Radio Stations

Pakistan has imposed a ban on extremist FM radio stations and closed down 90 illegal local radio stations that support militants in the restive tribal areas along the Afghan border, according to an Urdu-language daily.

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Pakistani Women Mark International Women’s Day In Lahore

In Lahore, Pakistani women organized a rally to increase awareness about women’s rights, marking the international women’s day (March 8).

Source: Roznama Jang, Pakistan, March 8, 2010

Militant Commander Killed In North Waziristan; 23 Tribal Elders Lost Lives For Supporting Government

Unidentified gunmen shot dead a Taliban commander in Pakistan’s tribal district of North Waziristan. In the neighboring South Waziristan, two securitymen were wounded in a rocket attack, according to an Urdu-language daily.

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Baluchi leader: Baluchis Cannot Be Forced To Drop Their Demands

Sardar Akhtar Mangal, Baluchi nationalist and leader of the Balochistan National Party, has said that use of force by the Pakistan Army will not cause Baluchis to drop their quest for their rights, according to an Urdu-language daily.

“The Baluchi nation is well aware of the double-standards of the [Pakistani] rulers and will never shed their demand for autonomy. They could never be forced to drop their demands,” he said, according to a report in the Urdu-language daily Roznama Islam.

Report: Lashkar-e-Taiba Militant Causing Sleepless Nights For Indian Security Forces In Kashmir

Twenty-five-year-old Abdhulla Unni, a resident of Pakistan, is one of the most wanted Lashkar-e-Taiba militants in India’s Jammu & Kashmir, according to an Indian website.

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Afghan President On Taliban’s Campaign Against Schools: ‘‘Those Who Close Schools Are Enemies Of Islam And Afghanistan’’

With the beginning of a new school year in Afghanistan, President Hamid Karzai has said that those who close children’s schools are enemies of Islam and Afghanistan, according to a Pashtu-language Afghan daily.

Richard Holbrooke Comes Under Fire For Anti-Pashtun Statement

Analysts and tribal elders in Afghanistan have condemned U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke over statements he made against the Pashtuns, according to an Afghan new website.

Holbrooke reportedly said that the Taliban had put down roots on both sides of the Pakistan and Afghanistan border, adding that each Pashtun family has at least one member with links to the Taliban, according to a report on the Afghan website pajhwok.com.

A number of political analysts called his statement irresponsible.

Abdul Ghafoor Liwal, an Afghan academic, condemned the statement, saying that such remarks will harm the international community’s confidence in Pashtuns.

Jamaat-e-Islami Chief: Islamic Rulers Harm The Muslim Ummah By Following The U.S.; Jamaat-e-Islami Fully Supports The Jihad Being Waged By Hamas, Hizbullah, Hizbul Mujahideen, And The Afghan Taliban

Jamaat-e-Islami chief Syed Munawwar Hasan has said that there is a conspiracy to portray Muslims as terrorists all over the world through propaganda. He added that the Muslim rulers had already accepted being the U.S.’s slaves, and are now following its dictates to harm the Muslim Ummah, according to a Pakistani daily.

According to a report in the leading daily The News, Hasan said that Pakistani institutions “established by the [British] colonial rulers, are still serving the aliens with a slavish mentality and the U.S. has taken the Pakistani government and the army hostage.”

Radical Pakistani Cleric: Unrest In Pakistan Can Be Controlled By Enforcement Of Islamic Shari’a

Maulana Abdul Aziz, the orator of the Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) in Islamabad, has said that the enforcement of Islamic Shari’a is necessary to overpower the current unrest in the country, according to an Urdu-language daily.

‘‘The rulers and political leaders should work for the willingness of Allah instead of the United States and resolve the problems of the masses instead of indulging in internal differences,” the militant cleric said.

Indian Defense Minister Says U.S. Arms To Pakistan Being Used On Kashmir Border

Indian Defense Minister A. K. Antony has said that weapons provided by the U.S. to Pakistan to fight against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda are being used along the border in Kashmir by the Pakistani army, according to an Urdu-language daily.

According to a report in the Roznama Rashtriya Sahara newspaper, Antony said that India is not convinced by the U.S. explanation that its sophisticated weapons are not being used against India.

“The U.S. decision to supply sophisticated arms to Pakistan is a matter of serious concern to us as the experience has been that these are used against India,” he said.

The Indian defense minister also asked Pakistan to destroy 42 terror training camps that continue to operate on its soil.

Source: Roznama Rashtriya Sahara, India, March 7, 2010

Report: Indian PM’s Visit To Saudi Arabia Worries Pakistan

Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere are nervous about the outcome of the recent visit of Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to the Saudi kingdom, according to a Pakistani daily.

‘‘Their apprehension is that Saudi policy may tilt toward India instead of Pakistan. Pakistan’s Ambassador in Saudi Arabia Umer Khan Alisherzai has assured his fellow countrymen... that the ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia cannot be harmed by any external factor,’’ according to a report in The News daily.

Pakistan’s ambassador said that the two countries continue to enjoy excellent relations, which no other country can undermine. Alisherzai made the comments at a recent Pakistani community gathering in Jeddah, the report added.

Indian Mujahideen Operative Accused In Delhi Blasts Arrested At India-Nepal Border

The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of police in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has arrested an Indian Mujahideen operative accused of being involved in the 2008 Delhi serial bomb blasts, according to an Urdu-language daily.

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Lashkar-e-Taiba Founder Hafiz Saeed Addresses Rally In Lahore, Accuses India Of Imposing War On Pakistan; Participants Carry Placards With Slogans – “Water or War”; “Liberate Kashmir To Secure Water”; “No Peace With Indian Water Aggression”

In Lahore on Sunday, Hafiz Muhamamd Saeed, the Lashkar-e-Taiba founder and chief of its charity arm Jamaatud Dawa, addressed a public rally organized by the farmers’ wing of the charity.

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On Women’s Day, Afghan Human Rights Campaigner Says Afghan Women Are Denied Role In Government’s Decision-Making Process

Dr. Sima Samar, the head of Afghanistan’s Independent Human Rights Commission, has said that Afghan women are marginalized in society and are not involved in making important decisions in government departments, according to a Dari-language daily.

Her statement coincides with international women’s day, March 8.

She said that the government has not even invited women to share its vision as it is trying to establish a peace jirga, or a council of elders to work towards creating peace in Afghanistan.

According to a report in the Dari-language newspaper Roznama Husht-e-Subh, Samar added that there are many reports of rape and sexual assault against women in different parts of Afghanistan, adding that women are punished for alleged crimes in public without court proceedings.

Source: Roznama Husht-e-Subh, Afghanistan, March 8, 2010

United Nations: Taliban Have Planted Mines In Ground, Walls And Trees

The United Nations has warned that in southern Afghanistan Taliban militants have planted mines not only in the ground and by roadsides, but also inside of walls and trees, according to a Dari-language daily.

A statement released by the UN in Afghanistan on Saturday said that most of the mines are planted in the Marja and Nad Ali districts of the southern Helmand province.

According to a report in the Dari-language newspaper Roznama Mandegar, a UN official said that the Taliban is the only group planting mines in Afghanistan.

Source: Roznama Mandegar, Afghanistan, March 7, 2010

Taliban Focus On Neighboring Provinces After Operations In Helmand

The Taliban are focusing their activities in the other provinces of Afghanistan following the recent military operations in Marja and other parts of the southern Helmand province, according to a Dari-language Afghan daily.

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Karzai Urges Pakistan To Surrender All Arrested Taliban To Afghanistan

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has once again urged Pakistan to extradite all captured Taliban leaders to Afghanistan, according to a Pashtu-language Afghan daily.

Karzai made this proposal while talking to Pakistan Army chief General Ashfaq Kayani in Kabul on Saturday, according to a report in the Pashtu-language newspaper Wrazpanra Khadmatgar.

Siyamak Herawi, a presidential spokesman, said that Afghanistan will follow up this request with a formal letter to Pakistan. In recent months, several Afghan Taliban leaders have been captured in Pakistan.

Source: Wrazpanra Khadmatgar, Afghanistan, March 8, 2010

Hizb-e-Islami, Taliban Militants Fight Over ‘‘Tax’’ Collection In Baghlan Province; 120 Hizb-e-Islami Militants Surrender

At least 120 Hizb-e-Islami militants have surrendered to the Afghan security forces in the country’s northeastern Baghlan province, according to a Pashtu-language daily

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Afghan Forces Capture Taliban Commander In Ghazni Province

Afghan security forces captured a local Taliban commander in the country’s southern Ghazni province on Sunday, according to an Afghan daily.

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Afghan Minister Criticizes Move Against Live Broadcast Of Taliban Attacks

Afghanistan’s Minister for Information and Culture Sayed Makhdoom Rahin has criticized the Afghan security agencies for trying to curb media freedom in the country, according to a Dari-language Afghan daily.

His criticism comes after the National Security Department (NSD) of Afghanistan asked the media not to broadcast live reports of Taliban attacks.

According to a report in the Dari-language newspaper Roznama Arman-e-Milli, Rahin said that police have no right to order journalists what to do or not to do.

He said that any kind of media control should first be coordinated with his ministry. Therefore, the NSD move is not valid as it is not coordinated with the ministry, he added.

Source: Roznama Arman-e-Milli, Afghanistan, March 7, 2010

Six Taliban Killed In Helmand Province

Six Taliban militants were killed in the southern Helmand province of Afghanistan on Sunday, according to a Pashtu-language news website.

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Seven Taliban Killed In Zabul Province

Seven Taliban militants, including two commanders, were killed in a joint operation by Afghan and foreign forces in the volatile southern province of Zabul, according to an Afghan news website.

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Hamid Karzai Visits Marja, Taliban Fire Rocket

Afghan President Hamid Karzai made his first trip on Sunday to the southern Afghan town of Marja, a former Taliban stronghold recently freed by the U.S. forces, according to an Afghan news website.

The visit comes three weeks after thousands of U.S., NATO and Afghan forces launched their biggest offensive yet to drive the Taliban out of the Marja and Nad Ali districts of southern Helmand province, according to a report on the Afghan website quqnoos.com.

Taliban Commanders Arrested In Paktika Province

Two Taliban commanders have been arrested in the southern Paktika province of Afghanistan, according to a Pashtu-language daily.

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Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Emir Hakimullah Mehsud: Our War With Pakistan Has Two Objectives – Pakistan 'Should Abandon the Company Of America… [And] Enforce Islamic Shari'a' - No. 2602- Urdu-Pashtu Media Project - October 16, 2009

Eminent Pakistani Author: Talibanization is Threatening Southern Punjab - No. 2600 - Urdu-Pashtu Media Project - October 16, 2009

In Open Letter to Shanghai Summit, Taliban Urges Participants 'To Render Assistance in the Work of Liberating People and Countries of the Region from the Claws of the Colonialists – and To Take a Decisive Stand on the West's Invasion of Afghanistan' - Special Dispatch Series - No. 2599- Urdu-Pashtu Media Project - October 15, 2009

Afghan Daily Urges Action Against Uzbek Militants: Without Timely Action By Afghanistan and Pakistan, 'Northern Afghanistan Can Become a Launching Pad for Militants' Attacks against Central Asian Countries' -  Special Dispatch Series - No. 2596 - Urdu-Pashtu Media Project - October 14, 2009

Debating the Pakistani National Interest over the Kerry-Lugar Bill - Inquiry & Analysis Series- No. 553- Urdu-Pashtu Media Project - October 13, 2009

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