Indian Court Rejects Affirmative Action Policy On Religious Grounds

The High Court in India’s southern state of Andhra Pradesh today quashed a state government decision to reserve 4% of places for Muslims in education and in the state government services, according to an Indian website.

Pronouncing its verdict in the case, the High Court said that the quotas for minorities are unsustainable and cannot be implemented as per the constitution, according to a report on the website of The Times of India daily.

The court order is a big blow to the state government, which created the legislation setting the 4% quota for “backward” groups among the country’s Muslims.

Source: www.timesofindia.com, India, February 8, 2010

Pakistani Militants Blow Up Boys’ School, Healthcare Center In Mohmand

Taliban militants blew up a government run school, a healthcare center and the house of a pro-government tribal elder in Pakistan’s troubled tribal district of Mohmand, according to an Urdu-language daily.

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Clerics Reject Proposal To Introduce Co-Education In Punjab, Describe It As Attempt To Achieve Western Agenda In Pakistan

Wafaqul Madaris Al-Arabia, an independent network of 9,000 madrassas in Pakistan, has rejected a proposal to introduce co-education in government-run schools in the Punjab province, according to an Urdu-language daily.

The clerics of the Wafaqul Madaris Al-Arabia said that the system of co-education, whereby boys and girls sit in the same classroom, will be ‘‘an accomplishment of the Western agenda.’’

The clerics added, “This thinking is against our religious teachings. It is regretted that co-educational institutions create social problems, while our leaders have kept their eyes shut and instead of eliminating the basic roots of crimes, they are trying to promote it.”

Taliban ‘‘Force’’ Radio Pakistan To Discontinue VOA Program

After ‘‘direct threats’’ from the Taliban for airing ‘‘American propaganda,’’ Radio Pakistan management has decided to scrap an agreement with Voice of America (VOA) to broadcast its Pashtu-language radio program, according to a Pakistani daily.

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Indian Interior Minister: Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizbul Mujahideen Planning Attacks In India

Indian Interior Minister P. Chidambaram on Sunday slammed Pakistan for allowing Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen to hold a conference in Muzaffarabad last week, the capital of Pakistani Kashmir.

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Ruling Party Cleric Accuses Blackwater Of ‘‘Committing Crimes In Pakistan,’’ Says 9,000 Blackwater Personnel Present In Islamabad

Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the Emir of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) party, has said that the personnel of the U.S. security firm XE, formerly Blackwater, outnumber policemen in Islamabad, according to an Urdu-language newspaper.

There are 7,000 cops in the Pakistani capital while the number of the XE personnel is 9,000, the Pakistani cleric said, according to a report in the Urdu-language newspaper Roznama Express.

“If the Taliban are committing crimes in Pakistan, the U.S. company is also involved in crimes. Americans cannot be allowed to roam freely in Pakistan,” Rehman stated. Rehman’s JUI-F is part of the governing coalition in Islamabad.

Pakistani Security Forces Detain Commander Of Jandullah

Pakistani security forces have detained commanders of Jandullah and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan on the outskirts of Risalpur, a town in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province, according to an Urdu-language daily.

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Taliban Blow Up Girls’ School Near Bannu Town

The Taliban blew up a school for girls near the town of Bannu in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province (NWFP), according to a Pakistani daily.

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Dubai-Bound Emirates Flight Grounded In Mumbai After Terror Alert

A Dubai-bound Emirates plane with 356 passengers on board was grounded in Mumbai on Sunday after a terror threat was called in, according to an Indian website.

The flight EK 505 was grounded after an anonymous call was received saying that there were suspected terrorists on the plane, a Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) spokesperson said.

All the passengers were deplaned and a thorough checking of the passengers and luggage was carried out by the Indian security agencies, according to a report on the website of The Times of India daily.

Taliban Spokesman Asks U.S. To Release Pakistani Scientist

Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban in Afghanistan, has called on the U.S. to release Pakistani scientist Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, who was recently found guilty by a Manhattan court of trying to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan, according to a Pashtu-language daily.

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Jamaat-e-Islami Chief Blames U.S. For Attacks On Shi’ites In Karachi

Syed Munawwar Hasan, the Emir of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, has blamed the U.S. and India for the February 5 bomb blasts that killed dozens of people, mainly Shi’ite Muslims, in Karachi, according to an Urdu-language daily.

‘‘India and the U.S. are involved in the rising incidents of terrorism in Karachi but the [Pakistani] government is reluctant to name them despite solid evidence,’’ Hasan said.

Over two dozen people were killed and over 100 others were injured in two bomb explosions in Karachi on February 5th as the city was marking Chehlum, the 40th day, after the martyrdom of Imam Husain, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad.

Source: Roznama Islam, Pakistan, February 8, 2010

19 Taliban Militants Killed In Helmand Province

Nineteen Taliban militants were killed during a joint operation of the Afghan and international forces in the southern Helmand province of Afghanistan, according to a Dari-language Afghan daily.

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Jihadist Groups Organize Conference In Pakistani Kashmir, Issue Declaration Stating: ‘‘As Long As Jammu & Kashmir Is Under Indian Subjugation, Jihad Must Continue…’’

Jihadist groups in Pakistan organized a Kashmir solidarity conference in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani Kashmir on Thursday, where they pledged to continue jihad against India in Kashmir, according to a Pakistani daily.

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Hizb-e-Islami Spokesman Rejects Reports About Moldova Conference

Haroon Zarghoon, the spokesman for the Gulbuddin Hekmatyar-led Hizb-e-Islami in Afghanistan, has rejected media reports that representatives of Hizb-e-Islami and the Taliban met recently in Moldova to pave the way for an international peace conference, according to a Pashtu-language Afghan daily.

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Yemeni Official Reveals Pakistan Link To Al-Qaeda In Yemen, Says Pakistani Explosives Expert Behind Attempt To Kill Saudi Prince

A Pakistani explosives expert was responsible for manufacturing the explosive capsule that was used by an attempted suicide bomber in a failed attempt last August to assassinate Prince Muhammad Bin Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, the Assistant Interior Minister for Security Affairs of Saudi Arabia said, according to Saudi websites.

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Cartoon In Pakistani Daily: Karzai’s Offer Of Peace Talks

Source: Daily Times, Pakistan, February 5, 2010

Pakistan Bans Entry Of Foreign NGOs In Malakand Division

Governor: Foreign Militants Entering Musa Qala District Are Coming From Quetta In Pakistan

Mullah Abdul Salam, the district governor of Musa Qala in the southern Helmand province of Afghanistan, has said that foreign militants entering the district are coming from Quetta in Pakistan, according to a Dari-language daily.

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32 Taliban Militants Killed In Helmand Province

Thirty-two Taliban militants were killed during a joint operation of the Afghan and international troops in the southern Helmand province of Afghanistan, according to a Pashtu-language Afghan news website.

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Taliban Commander Killed In Zabul Province

A Taliban commander has been killed, along with his five men, by Afghan security forces in the country’s southern Zabul province, according to a Pashtu-language website.

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Five Taliban Militants Arrested In Balkh Province

Five Taliban militants have been arrested in the northern Balkh province of Afghanistan, according to a Dari-language daily.

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Four Foreign Militants Killed In Pakistan’s Bajaur District

Afghan Taliban Threaten To Execute Captured U.S. Soldier If U.S. Does Not Free Convicted Pakistani Scientist

The Afghan Taliban have demanded the release of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist convicted by a Manhattan court of trying to kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, and have threatened to execute an American soldier they are currently holding in Afghanistan, according to a Pakistani daily.

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Taliban Spokesman Claims Responsibility For Attack On U.S. Soldiers In Pakistan

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP, or the Movement of Pakistani Taliban) has claimed responsibility for a bomb attack that killed three American soldiers on Wednesday, according to a Pakistani daily.

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Pakistan Army Chief: ISI Not Playing Double Game In War On Terror

Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani has strongly rejected allegations that Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency – the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) – is using a double standard in the war on terror, according to a Pakistani daily.

General Kayani said that the Pakistan Army has made more sacrifices than the coalition forces in the war on terrorism in Afghanistan.

Kayani said that more than 2,000 Pakistani officers and soldiers have been killed and 6,000 wounded during counter-insurgency campaigns in the restive tribal belt of Pakistan. He added that 73 intelligence officials have also been killed in the war on terror in Pakistan, while 11 have been killed in Afghanistan.

His statement comes amid allegations that the ISI has been supporting the Taliban militants in Afghanistan.

Source: Daily Times, Pakistan, February 4, 2010

Video Footage Shows Taliban Commander Beating People For Not Offering Prayers

New video footage shows a Taliban commander beating people in Pakistan’s tribal district of Orakzai for not offering prayers under the leadership of Taliban commanders, according to an Urdu-language newspaper.

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Speculation About Maulvi Jalaluddin Haqqani’s Killing In U.S. Drone Attack In North Waziristan Astonishes Pakistan Government and Taliban

The death toll from Tuesday’s attacks by nine U.S. drones in North Waziristan rose to 31 on Wednesday as 14 more bodies were retrieved from the houses hit in the missile strikes, according to a Pakistani daily.

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Pakistani Neuroscientist Blames Israel For Manhattan Jury Verdict

Pakistani neuroscientist Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, who was found guilty of trying to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan by a Manhattan court on Wednesday, has alleged that the jury made itsdecision under Israeli influence, according to an Urdu-language daily.

According to a report in the Urdu-language newspaper Roznama Jasarat, ‘‘Coming out of the court room after the verdict, Dr. Aafia said that she doesn’t accept the American justice system and that all allegations against her are baseless and she is innocent.’’

‘‘She said that the decision is not American; it has come from Israel,’’ the report added.

Source: Roznama Jasarat, Pakistan, February 4, 2010

Report: Lashkar-e-Taiba Recruiting Jihadists From Maldives

Amid serious concerns that Pakistan-based terror organization Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) has been trying to set up a base in the isolated islands of the Maldives, India has quickened its efforts for a counter-terror partnership with its southern neighbor, according to an Indian website.

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Extremist Hindu Groups Protest EU Team’s Visit To Site Of Anti-Christian Violence

Hundreds of activists from extremist Hindu groups Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal protested against the visit of an 11-member European Union team to Kandhamal in the eastern Indian state of Orissa, according to an Indian website.

In recent years, the Kandhamal district of Orissa has witnessed recurring violence from extremist Hindus against Christians.

At least five people were arrested at the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa, for protesting against the EU team.

Iranian President Ahmadinejad To Visit Pakistan

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will soon visit Pakistan to develop a joint action plan to boost bilateral ties and strengthen tripartite contacts with Afghanistan on security issues, according to a Pakistani daily.

“We are in consultation through diplomatic channels to finalize [the] dates of the visit,” Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said.

Mottaki said that bilateral relations have received a tremendous boost over the last two years. He also expressed his hope that President Ahmadinejad’s visit would further consolidate the deep-rooted historical and cultural relations between the two countries.

Source: The News, Pakistan, February 4, 2010

Afghan Official: Peace Talks With Taliban Groups Started

An Afghan official has said that peace talks with different Taliban groups have begun, according to a Pashtu-language Afghan daily.

Masoom Stanikzai, security advisor and President Hamid Karzai’s designated peace talks official, said that the government is in regular contact with the Taliban groups, according to a report in the Pashtu-language newspaper Wrazpanra Afghan Jerga.

However, it’s too early to comment on possible results of these contacts, he added.

Source: Wrazpanra Afghan Jerga, Afghanistan, February 3, 2010

Indian Interior Minister: Indian Handler Behind The Mumbai Terror Attacks

Indian Interior Minister P. Chidambaram said that the ten Pakistani terrorists who attacked Mumbai on November 26, 2008 might have been guided by an Indian handler whose true identity is yet to be ascertained, according to an Indian website.

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Pakistani Official: Hakimullah Mehsud May Have Survived Drone Attack

A senior government official in Pakistan has said that Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud may have survived a U.S. drone strike last month, according to a Pakistani website.

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2,072 People Killed In 1,780 Incidents Of Terrorism In Pakistan Over Past 10 Months

As many as 1,780 incidents of terrorism were reported during the past 10 months across Pakistan in which 2,072 people were killed and 6,253 were wounded, according to an Urdu-language newspaper.

A total of 775 people were killed and 1,975 were wounded in 80 suicide attacks, while 242 people were killed and 564 were wounded in attacks on law-enforcement agencies, according to a report in the Urdu-language newspaper Roznama Islam.

The report said that 240 people were killed and 961 were wounded in 164 bomb explosions. Twenty six people died and 500 were wounded in hand grenade attacks.

Tribal Elders Demand That Taliban Prisoners Be Freed

Thousands of tribal elders in Afghanistan’s western Herat province have expressed their strong support for President Hamid Karzai’s peace efforts, according to a Pashtu-language Afghan daily.

More than 2,000 tribal elders gathered and stated that they wanted the Afghan government and international troops to release all Taliban prisoners who have been arrested over the past several years.

According to a report in the Pashtu-language newspaper Wrazpanra Sarnavesht, the participants also urged the international community to remove all Taliban leaders from the UN sanctions list in order to pave the way for peace talks.

Source: Wrazpanra Sarnavesht, Afghanistan, February 3, 2010

Hekmatyar Says Ready For Talks With ‘‘Independent’’ Afghan Government

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the fugitive chief of Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan, has said that he is ready for talks with an ‘‘independent’’ Afghan government, according to a Pashtu-language newspaper.

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Militants Torch NATO Supply Vehicle, Kill Driver In Baluchistan

Militants in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province torched a fuel supply vehicle that was being used to support NATO forces based in Afghanistan, according to a Pashtu-language newspaper.

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India’s Junior Foreign Minister Calls For ‘‘Sovereign Palestinian State’’

On Wednesday, India’s Junior Minister for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor called for the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state, according to an Urdu-language daily.

According to a report in the Urdu-language daily Roznama Sahafat, Tharoor said that he hoped that a just and comprehensive solution could be achieved for Palestinians, resulting in a ‘‘sovereign, independent, viable and united State of Palestine.’’

“Continued expansion of [Israeli] settlements is not helpful to the resumption of the peace process,” he told a seminar on ‘‘Beyond the Meltdown: Search for Options’’ in New Delhi.

The Institute of Objective Studies, an Islamist group based in New Delhi, hosted the two-day seminar in collaboration with the Indo-Arab Economic Co-operation Forum. .

Source: Roznama Sahafat, India, February 4, 2010

6,000 Election Officials Banned From Working On Next Afghan Polls

Afghanistan's election commission has banned 6,000 of the 165,000 workers who took part in last year's presidential election from working on this year's parliamentary vote, according to a Pakistani website.

The banned staff members are prohibited from working on any future elections because of their failure to abide by the body's “mechanisms and procedures,” said commission spokesman Noor Mohammad Noor.

“After the presidential election, for the improvement of the polling process, we have started a series of measures and one step was this one. We are trying to take more measures in this regard,” he said.

Last month, election authorities announced the postponement of the parliamentary elections to September 18. The elections were originally scheduled to take place on May 22.

Source: www.dawn.com, Pakistan, February 4, 2010

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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