PESHAWAR: As Operation Spring Cleaning enters its fourth day on Sunday, at least 17 militants have been killed and many others injured during clashes between security forces and militants in Darra Admakhel.

Official sources said severe clashes between security forces and militants were underway in Tor Chappar area of Darra Adamkhel.
The fighting has resulted in the death of 17 militants since morning while a number of others have also been injured.LINK

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday confirmed for the first time that it has the Afghan Taliban's No. 2 leader in custody, and officials said he was providing useful intelligence that was being shared with the United States.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar was arrested around 10 days ago in a joint operation by CIA and Pakistani security forces in Karachi, US and Pakistani officials said on condition of anonymity Tuesday. The army on Wednesday gave the first public confirmation of the arrest.

''At the conclusion of detailed identification procedures, it has been confirmed that one of the persons arrested happens to be Mullah Baradar,'' chief army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said in a written message to reporters.

''The place of arrest and operational details cannot be released due to security reasons.''

Baradar was the second in command behind Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar and was said to be in charge of the day-to-day running of the organisation's leadership council, which is believed based in Pakistan. He was a founding member of the Taliban and is the most important figure of the movement to be arrested since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

The White House has declined to confirm Baradar's capture. Spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters the fight against extremists involves sensitive intelligence matters and he believes it's best to collect that information without talking about it.

Baradar, who also functioned as the link between Mullah Omar and field commanders, has been in detention for more than 10 days and was talking to interrogators, two Pakistani intelligence officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

One said Baradar had provided ''useful information'' to them and that Pakistan had shared it with their US counterparts. A third official said Wednesday that Baradar was being held at an office of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in Karachi.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.

Baradar's arrest suggests that Pakistan’s intelligence services are ready to deny Afghan militant leaders a safe haven in Pakistan — something critics have long accused them of doing.

The arrest may also push other insurgent leaders thought to be sheltering in Pakistan toward reconciliation talks with the Afghan government — a development increasingly seen as key to ending the eight-year war.

The arrest came shortly before US, Afghan and Nato troops launched a major offensive against militants in the Taliban stronghold of Marjah in the southern province of Helmand, one of the regions that Baradar was believed to control. It is the largest operation in Afghanistan since President Barack Obama ordered a ''surge'' of 30,000 more US troops to Afghanistan.

Washington has pressed Islamabad to crack down on Afghan Taliban believed to be staying in Pakistan, and to go after Pakistani Taliban groups who have strongholds in the country's northwest regions bordering Afghanistan.LINK

LONDON: Lady Gaga, Jay-Z and Robbie Williams top the bill Tuesday at the 30th anniversary edition of Britain's top music awards the Brits, where this year's nominations are dominated by female artists.

Flamboyant US superstar Lady Gaga is up for three awards, as are homegrown talents Lily Allen, Florence And The Machine and Pixie Lott.

The show has even received royal approval—Prince Harry, grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, has recorded a special message to be played at the event, at London's Earls Court venue Tuesday evening, AFP reported.

Lady Gaga, whose single “Poker Face” was Britain's top seller last year, is in the running for best international female solo artist, best international album and best international breakthrough act.

Allen and Florence And The Machine are in contention for best British female solo artist and best British album, while Allen is up for best British single (“The Fear”) and Florence And The Machine best British breakthrough act.

Lott is up for best British female solo artist, best British breakthrough act and best British single.

“I'm just really excited,” she told Sky News television. “British females have really taken over, it's definitely girl power—females are leading at the moment.”

Williams will receive a lifetime achievement award amid reports he could take to the stage with his former band Take That, who have staged a highly successful comeback in recent years.

There will also be a performance from Cheryl Cole, whose Chelsea footballer husband Ashley is at the centre of reports about an alleged sex text flirtation with another woman.

The Brits has witnessed a host of headline-grabbing incidents over the years.
In 1996, Michael Jackson's performance of “Earth Song” was interrupted when Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker ran across the stage and waved his bottom in Jackson's direction.

And the following year, Britain's then Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott had a bucket of iced water thrown over him by Danbert Nobacon of anarchist band Chumbawamba.

This year's event also features two awards designed to mark 30 years of the Brits—best album of the last 30 years and best single.LINK

KARACHI: The International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), at the University of Karachi, has successfully produced a foreign variety of tomatoes known as cherry tomatoes.

The large-scale production of the tomato variety was carried out at the ICCBS greenhouses, the centre’s director, Professor Dr. Iqbal Choudhary said on Tuesday.

Choudhry added that it is for the first time in the country’s history that the cherry tomatoes have been produced using state-of-the-art plant technology.

The tomatoes had been under cultivation for the last two years and while some were produced last year, this is the first time a large-scale production has been made possible.

The seeds of cherry tomato were initially taken from Canada and germinated at the biotechnology wing of the university, the professor said. The plant was grown in greenhouses for the initial adaptation where environmental conditions were comparatively controlled.

After a successful first cultivation from seeds, disease-free and healthy plants are propagated at mass-scale using plant tissue culture techniques and cutting techniques and the newly propagated plants are allowed to grow for fruiting in a system where they are able to utilise the maximum light, humidity and nutrients.

Using state-of-the-art techniques, a cherry tomato growing facility had been under development at the ICCBS greenhouses since last year.

A handful of plants will produce a large volume of the small tomatoes, especially once cultivation really thrives in the hot summer months, Choudhry added.

The mass scale production is in a successful progress and soon will be introduced for marketing as a new variety of tomato and its plants will be made available for local farmers for cultivation in mass scale. —APPLINK

LAHORE: Giving just three days, the Indian home ministry has allowed the Pakistan foreign office to send its security delegation to India on Feb 19 to check the security arrangements made for the World Cup hockey tournament, which is being held in New Delhi from Feb 29.

On the request of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), made a month back, the Pakistan foreign office had contacted the Indian home ministry, which responded on Tuesday, asking to send the delegation on Feb 19.

The Foreign Office, sources told Dawn, is busy in finalising a security delegation to visit India on the scheduled date.

Due to strained political relations between the two neighbouring countries the security fear had suspended various sports and cultural activities between them.

But as the World Cup is a mega event of the International Hockey Federation (FIH), Pakistan has preferred to send the team to participate in it, since bilateral sports activities are almost suspended.LINK

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry met with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani at the latter’s official residence in Islamabad on Wednesday to resolve the points of contention existing between the executive and the judiciary.

On Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Gilani paid a surprise visit to a dinner being hosted by the Chief Justice in honour of Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday.

The Prime Minister and the Chief Justice exchanged pleasantries.

Prime Minister Gilani informed Chief Justice Iftikhar that he had some 'good news' that he would soon share with the nation.

The executive recently came under heavy criticism for elevating Justice Khwaja Sharif to the Supreme Court without consulting Chief Justice Iftikhar.

Justice Khwaja Sharif was the sitting Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court and was to be replaced by Justice Saqib Nisar.

However, both judges refused to accept their new postings, as they had yet to receive Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry's seal of approval. — DawnNews LINK

ISLAMABAD: Federal Sports Minister Mir Ijaz Jakhrani told the National Assembly on Wednesday that the government has announced a cash reward of Rs. 0.5 million each for the two female athletes who won gold medals in South Asian Games.

Sprinter Nasim Hameed set a new record in 100-meter race while Sara Nasir bagged a gold in karate. “Both players have done the country proud and performed superbly,” Jakhrani said.

Jakhrani assured that the govt would fully support these athletes and assist them in coaching and other requirements.

“They are our assets and we’d send both young players to Commonwealth Games as well as the Olympics.”

Earlier, MNA Khushbakht Shujaat, appealed to the Prime Minister to boost female sports by providing good facilities for them.

MNA Marvi Memon eulogised the tremendous performance of female athletes at the South Asian games on behalf of her party. She called for establishing a specific fund for supporting female sports in the country, particularly to encourage those belonging to poor families.

Our Islamabad correspondent adds: The Senate on Wednesday called upon the Federal Government to provide a job to Pakistani athlete Naseem Hameed who emerged as the fastest woman athlete in the South Asian Games. The 22-year-old athlete entered her name in the history books of the South Asian Games when she clinched gold by leading eight runners in the 100-metre sprint to record her career-best feat at the Banglabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka.

A resolution passed by the upper house states: “It is indeed a tremendous achievement but it requires praise, support and appreciation ... She belongs to a family living below the poverty line.”

“The Federal Government has been requested to provide her [Naseem] with a job in any autonomous, semi-autonomous body or corporation such as PIA, etc., and her training programme, too, should be taken up by the government.”

The resolution further said that “Naseem has shown potential for further victories, if properly trained ... A civil award may be bestowed upon her.”

Meanwhile, in a point of order raised by women legislators in the National Assembly, Marvi Memon, from PML(Q), and Khush Bakht Shujaat, from MQM, also called on the government to provide Naseem with better sporting facilities and a regular means for earning a livelihood.LINK

ISLAMABAD: One of the pioneers of rebel opposition to India in the disputed Kashmir region said on Thursday that talks between Pakistan and India would fail if they did not focus on the “core issue” of Kashmir.

India suspended a four-year-old peace process with Pakistan after an attack on the Indian city of Mumbai by militants in 2008.

India had been demanding action against the militants it says were behind the assault before a peace process could resume, but this month it offered to hold high-level talks despite little progress in Pakistan’s prosecution of seven suspects.

Syed Salahuddin, commander of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, the biggest Kashmiri rebel group, said talks would be “a futile exercise” if they did not address the dispute over the Himalayan region, cause of two of the three wars between Pakistan and India since their independence in 1947.

The United States wants to see an improvement in ties between the nuclear-armed rivals to help stabilise Afghanistan where both are competing for influence.

An easing of tension would help Pakistan focus on its fight against al Qaeda-linked militants on the border with Afghanistan.

Indian officials say they have offered open-ended talks on all issues affecting peace and security, emphasising counter-terrorism. Pakistani media says India is reluctant to revive full-scale talks covering all problems, including Kashmir.

“I talk on behalf of the jihadi leadership, that we all stand for a negotiated settlement,” Salahuddin, who is also head of the United Jihad Council, a loose alliance of 13 guerrilla groups, told Reuters in an interview.

“But negotiations must be Kashmir-centric ... unless this core issue is addressed and it is focused upon, there will be no result.”

He said Kashmiris must also be involved in talks.

“It’s not a bilateral boundary dispute between India and Pakistan. It is question of the right of self-determination of 30 million people,” he said.

Both Pakistan and India claim Muslim-majority Kashmir in full but rule it in part.

India accuses Pakistan of arming and sending militants into Indian-controlled Kashmir. Pakistan denies that, saying it only gives political support to what it calls a freedom movement.

Indian Defence Mininster A.K Antony told reporters in New Delhi on Thursday Pakistan was not tackling the militants.

“One thing is very clear, almost all the 42 terrorist outfits operating from across the border ... are intact,” he said. “There is no attempt on the part of the government of Pakistan to dismantle these terrorist outfits.”

The heavy-set, bearded Salahuddin, 61, has been at the forefront of the 21-year-old insurgency in Kashmir.

Salahuddin, from Badagam town in Indian Kashmir, was a politician who turned to militancy after he lost an election for the Kashmir legislative assembly in 1987, which he says was “massively rigged” by India.

He first crossed into Pakistan-administered Kashmir in 1990 and went back to Indian Kashmir several times for militant action when he would also meet his family under cover of darkness.

His group’s office, in a middle-class neighbourhood in Rawalpindi, gives no hint of a militant campaign except for Islamic books on jihad stacked in a cupboard.

Salahuddin said there was no hint of weariness among those fighting Indian forces.

“So far, every democratic, political and constitutional method has failed to yield any result. There is no other option other than this armed struggle,” he said.

Salahuddin calls for the merger of Kashmir with Pakistan but acknowledged there was a “school of thought” in Kashmir seeking independence from both India and Pakistan. But both were united in demanding Kashmir be freed from Indian rule, he said.

He defended alleged militants from the Lashkar-e-Taiba group, including its founder Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, blamed by India for the Mumbai assault in which 166 people were killed.

“They are absolutely innocent in this respect,” he said LINK.

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry said on Tuesday that it was a “wrong notion” that administration of justice in a country like Pakistan was “the sole duty of courts or the legal fraternity”.

“For such a wrong notion, the allied institutions have started feeling relaxed as a result whereof good governance is being compromised,” the chief justice said at a full-court reference held to bid farewell to Justice Sardar Mohammad Raza Khan, who retired on Tuesday. “Judiciary’s main concern is to strengthen the institutional framework for the rule of law to command public respect and to remain independent and sensitive to the suffering of the people. Only by adhering to these principles, good governance could be achieved,” the chief justice emphasised.

He said that when any of the three organs of government, legislature, executive and judiciary, became ineffective or was not working according to its constitutional mandate, lack of good governance resulted.

The duty of the judiciary, the chief justice said, was to preserve and protect the constitution, interpret laws, enforce fundamental rights and settle disputes. Without an independent, impartial and effective judiciary, a civilised society is hardly conceivable.

“A country cannot claim to have good governance without providing easy, affordable, speedy and impartial justice to the people. A sound judicial system and good governance are key factors in stability and economic growth of a country,” the chief justice said.

Attorney General Anwar Mansoor said the judicial branch in the equation of power between the three pillars had been the weakest, by design, and the least powerful.

“The executive not only dispenses the honours, but also holds the sword of the community, while the legislature not only commands the process, but also prescribes the rules by which the duties and rights of citizens are to be regulated.”

The judiciary on the contrary, the AG said, had no influence either over the sword or the purse, no direction either of the strength or the wealth of society and could take no decision whatsoever. He said the judiciary only passed judgment and ultimately depended on the aid of the executive arm even for the efficacy of its judgments.

Supreme Court Bar Association President Qazi Mohammad Anwar expressed dismay over what he called indifferent attitude of the federal government to implementation of the apex court judgment on NRO. He said the government was earlier waiting for the detailed verdict, but after its release Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani stated in parliament that he had issued orders for implementation of the judgment and that the judgment could not be implemented against President Asif Zardari because he enjoyed immunity under the Constitution.

“The prime minister’s statement poses serious threat to the system, especially to democracy, rule of law and constitutionalism,” Qazi Anwar said, adding that decisions of the Supreme Court had an inbuilt mechanism of execution and did not require approval or directives of the prime minister.

“The prime minister’s statement suggests that it is he who has to decide what portion of the judgment is to be implemented and which portion is to be kept pending. We do not accept any supervisory role of the prime minister,” the SCBA president added.

Another area of concern for the legal fraternity, Qazi Anwar said, was about recommendations of the chief justice for appointments of judges in the Supreme Court, including an ad hoc appointment. The government, he said, had violated the Constitution by making such recommendations public and disputed.

He also expressed concern over non-implementation of recommendations made by the chief justices for filling vacancies in high courts. “Efforts to divide us have failed in the past and efforts to blackmail us in the name of proposed constitutional amendments are bound to fail,” he said. Qazi Anwar said that a meeting of the National Coordination Council at the Rawalpindi High Court Bar Association on Feb 14 would review these issues.

The chairman of the Pakistan Bar Council’s Executive Committee, Chaudhry Nasrullah Warraich, and Justice Raza Khan also spoke at the full-court referenceLINK.

ISLAMABAD: Describing the conviction of Pakistani neuroscientist Dr. Aafia Siddiqui as a miscarriage of justice, parliamentarians in Britain have called for a withdrawal of the case against her and urged her repatriation to Pakistan.

Lord Nazir Ahmed together with other speakers, said her trial in New York was full of flaws and not based on facts.

Ahmed said he would be writing a letter to the US President Barack Obama carrying signatures of other British MPs calling for Siddiqui's repatriation to Pakistan.

The Labour Peer further said he would also raise this question in the parliament to ascertain how the British Government could help in this regard.

Lord Altaf Sheikh, MP Muhammad Sarwar, Muhammad Saghir, a representative of Caged Prisoners which represent the inmates of Guantanamo Bay, Rabia Zia of the UK Chapter of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, journalist Yvonne Ridley, who witnessed the trial and Barrister Abid Hussain also spoke on the occasion.LINK

One member of the Pakistani cricket team that toured New Zealand and Australia was particularly disruptive and outright ill-behaved, Mohammad Yousuf, the interim captain for the two series, revealed yesterday in a TV interview. But it wasn’t just this mysterious player who copped some serious flak from Yousuf. Shoaib Malik and the Akmal brothers were subject to some harsh words a well.

“There is one player in the team who is disturbing team unity and other players. I spoke to coach Intikhab Alam and other management about it and they agreed with me," Yousuf said. “I will only disclose his name to the chairman of the board, Ijaz Butt.”

“Intikhab Alam (coach), Abdur Raqeeb (manager) and [Shahid] Afridi know who the player is and we discussed it as well several times,” Yousuf added.

“During the New Zealand tour and onwards Intikhab was telling me to be wary of him, but I wanted to see for myself. I saw in Australia how his body language was and we dropped him from the Tests. We decided in Australia during a meeting that we had to do something about him.”

Pakistan lost the Test series 3-0 in Australia, were whitewashed 5-0 in the ODIs for only the second time in history, and lost the final game of the tour as well - a T20 at the MCG.

Yousuf’s captaincy came in for much criticism, in particular from the last day of the Sydney Test onwards. To add to his woes a statement reportedly from the board chairman midway through the tour that the captaincy would change hands once the tour ended, completely disjointed the team.

Yousuf said the statement triggered a race for the captaincy and completely shook up the team’s morale. “I don't know when the statement was made, but when it was, suddenly everyone in the team changed. Six or seven players started to see themselves as captains all of a sudden. At the start of the tour in New Zealand, the players were cooperating with me, but as the tour went on I felt they weren't because they knew I wouldn't be captain in the next series.”

Yousuf defended his leadership, arguing that nobody wanted the job when the toughest challenges presented themselves. “I don't have natural leadership qualities in me but I have tried hard to do a good job of the responsibility given to me,” he said.

“It is unfair to compare me with Ricky Ponting as far as captaincy is concerned because he is far more experienced. I accepted the captaincy in the best interest of my country. I had a lot of lengthy discussion with Ponting during breaks as the two teams usually got together for lunch. He told me that when he was appointed to lead Australia he laid down two conditions before Cricket Australia: ‘I want players in the team who think along the same lines as me and I only want players who will put their country before everything,’ he told them.”

This comment seemed to be hinting at the Akmal brothers and when prompted Yousuf got stuck into the younger one in particular. “Umar was fine as far as I knew. What happened in his room and how he got a stiff back all of a sudden was a surprise to me. He miraculously recovered as soon as we told him that he would be going home,” Yousuf said with a grin on face.

Shoaib Malik, a man who doesn’t exactly tickle the fancy of Yousuf because of a fractious past, was also subject to some sly when the TV interviewer asked Yousuf to pick a possible candidate for Pakistan’s captaincy. “We all know what he’s good at, certainly not captaincy,” the veteran batsman said.

Yousuf’s interview, quite detailed and frank, was a sharp contrast to his perceived personality, humble and kind. It was evidence of the hard knock life that is Pakistan cricket and its captaincy. The sooner he brings this new found posture to the field the better it will be for his team’s fortunes, that is if we he leads againLINK.

The mayoral race in beleaguered New Orleans has a candidate who is a true social justice advocate and progressive--Nation contributor and civil rights advocate James Perry. The New York Times has declared the race all but over--pushing a "white mayor in NOLA" storyline--and while it might be an uphill climb in this final stretch, it's worth paying attention to Perry's ideas and passions about a city he has worked hard to build and rebuild as a life-long resident.
Perry also happens to believe this race isn't over. "We still have time left in the mayor's race in New Orleans. The citizens haven't spoken yet," he said. "The New York Times relied on polls that surveyed primarily white neighborhoods, and if you talk to people in low-income communities, they're ready for something different."
Clearly, the still devastated city needs a leader who understands how to rebuild it--and rebuild it in a just way. Perry has been in the trenches running a civil rights non-profit called the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center which fights for affordable housing and equal housing opportunity. That's a fight that makes Perry closely attuned to the most significant battles that lie ahead for the city's next mayor.
"We are faced with a difficult choice regarding the future of one of America's greatest cities," he said. "This great city can continue as a poster child for incompetence and corruption or be transformed into a national model for rebirth, rebuilding and renewed leadership. But we only achieve the latter by selecting a progressive Mayor who will make New Orleans safe by changing our philosophy on crime. We can't arrest our way out of the problem. We must invest in our youth and stop using prison to address mental health and social service issues."
Indeed in one debate, some of Perry's opponents proved that they didn't know the difference between a jail and an after-school program.
Perry doesn't shy away from the issue of race in New Orleans, even as he refuses to use it as a wedge issue. He writes: "We can choose to pretend that there is no racial problem. We can bury our heads in the sand and refuse to address the painful realities of racial differences in crime, education, housing, and employment...Or we can choose to courageously heal this painful divide, through open and accountable government, fair policies and procedures, broad community input, collaborative political efforts, and a determination to build a city that works for all her people."
He pledges that if elected Mayor, he won't run for reelection unless he cuts the murder rate by 40 percent. He believes the high murder rate is the city's most urgent issue. "There is murder after murder in New Orleans and I see the issue from where I live firsthand," he said.
Perry's " Road Map to a Safer New Orleans" includes strengthening partnerships between criminal justice, social service, mental health, and educational organizations to control crime; focusing limited resources on violent crime--not non-violent and municipal crime--and on the most dangerous youth and adult offenders; and implementing education and character development programs with high-risk youth in schools using proven evidence-based research methods.
He also supports "right of return" for homeowners as key to ending the shrinking of the city and rebuilding blighted housing stock. "We can't conquer blight of our housing without bringing the people back," he told me.
Perry proposes "5 Actions in 5 Days" when he takes office, including: a national search to hire a new Superintendent for the New Orleans Police and a monthly "Crime Report Card" to evaluate public safety performance; the city government's first Public-Private Partnership to implement a long-term economic development plan; and a revamped procurement system which reviews proposals in an open public process.
Perry has run a spirited grassroots campaign to take on the city's wealthier, entrenched interests and the candidates who represent them. New Orleans post-Hurricane Katrina deserves and needs a true social justice advocate at the helm. Check out Perry for yourself at www.JamesPerry2010.com. If you agree he's the right leader for a great city, contribute to James Perry's candidacy todayLINK.