Saturday, November 16, 2013

Israel said to be working with Saudi Arabia on Iran strike plan

Two old foes unite against Tehran
ONCE they were sworn enemies. Now Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency is working with Saudi officials on contingency plans for a possible attack on Iran if its nuclear programme is not significantly curbed in a deal that could be signed in Geneva this week. Riyadh reported to give Jerusalem okay to use Saudi airspace on cooperate on other tactical support, according to Sunday Times
Israel is working on coordinating plans for a possible military strike with Saudi Arabia, with Riyadh prepared to provide tactical support to Jerusalem, a British newspaper reported early Sunday.The two countries have both united in worry that the West may come to terms with Iran, easing sanctions and allowing the Islamic Republic to continue its nuclear program. According to the Sunday Times, Riyadh has agreed to let Israel use its airspace in a military strike on Iran and cooperate over the use of rescue helicopters, tanker planes and drones. “The Saudis are furious and are willing to give Israel all the help it needs,” an unnamed diplomatic source told the paper. The report comes as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in the midst of a blitz to lobby against a deal and cobble together an international alliance opposed to an agreement that allows Iran to continue enriching uranium. On Sunday, Israel will welcome French president Francois Hollande, who a week earlier put the kibosh on a deal between six world powers and Iran that would ease sanctions in return for initial steps toward curbing enrichment. Netanyahu on Friday urged France to remain firm in its pressure on Iran ahead of a new round of talks on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program in Geneva, kicking off Wednesday. After meeting Hollande, Netanyahu will head to Moscow on Wednesday to meet with President Vladimir Putin and lobby against the deal. Iran’s bid for the bomb “threatens directly the future of the Jewish state,” Netanyahu told CNN recently, in a short preview clip of an interview broadcast on Saturday. As the prime minister of Israel, he stressed, he had to care for “the survival of my country.” CNN reported that Netanyahu also said in the interview that he would do whatever it was necessary to do in order to protect Israel. The full interview will air Sunday morning. Should a deal be reached, according to the diplomatic source, a military option would be back on the table. Saudi tactical support, in lieu of backup from the Pentagon, would be vital for a long-range mission targeting Iran’s nuclear program. Saudi Arabia, a Sunni Muslim country across the Persian Gulf from Iran has long been at odds with Tehran, and fears a nuclear weapon would threaten Riyadh and set off a nuclear arms race in the region.

Saudis beating Ethiopian migrants

New video footage has emerged showing Saudi Arabia’s security forces beating Ethiopian migrant workers. The video posted online on Saturday shows men mercilessly beating and punching Ethiopians on the streets and other undisclosed locations. A person is also shown lying dead on the ground with a bullet mark in the chest. On Tuesday, the Ethiopian government announced the death of three of its citizens during clashes in Saudi Arabia. On Friday, Ethiopians staged a demonstration in front of the Saudi embassy in the capital Addis Ababa against the crackdown on illegal immigrants by Al Saud government. Between nine and 11 million of Saudi Arabia’s 27-million-strong population are foreign workers. On November 4, a seven-month amnesty for expatriate workers expired. Hundreds of thousands of people were forced to leave the country during the time they had to rectify their visa status without penalty. Many of the foreign workers say they could not use the amnesty due to bureaucratic difficulties or disputes with their original sponsors. Foreign workers cannot change jobs or leave Saudi Arabia without the permission of their sponsors, who are often Saudi companies or individuals providing workers to businesses for profit. Many of the country’s foreign laborers have also been arrested. In late October, rights group Amnesty International censured Saudi authorities for not addressing the “dire human rights situation” in the kingdom. The group also handed in a paper to the United Nations, which included information regarding a “new wave of repression against civil society, which has taken place over the last two years.”

China: Heated discussion over loosening of one-child policy

After China announced its decision to loosen the one-child policy, heated discussion and controversy has broken out in the country's most populous province, Henan. According to the decision approved at the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee held from Nov. 9 to 12 in Beijing, the new policy will allow couples to have two children if one of them is an only child. The evening after the decision was issued, a major Chinese web portal started an online poll regarding "whether people would choose to have a second child." Thousands of people voted in less than two hours, and more than 60 percent of them said "yes."
PROS
"The adjusted birth policy did not only meet many people's expectations, but is in line with a long-term balanced development of the population in China, " said Zhang Yuanzhen, a professor at Henan Institute of Family Planning. "It could be positive for structural population problems such as the aging problem, persistent imbalance of genders and decrease of working population," Zhang said. "The new policy will help keep the birth rate stable, preventing a sharp decline in population after it reaches the peak," said Zhang. It is estimated that China's population will reach a peak of 1.5 billion around 2033. The family planning policy was introduced in the late 1970s to slow down population growth by limiting most urban couples to one child and most rural couples to two children if their first child was a girl. It is estimated that the policy has resulted in 400 million fewer people in China, and the current fertility rate is stable between 1.5 and 1.6, far lower than the population replacement level. The policy was relaxed somewhat in 2011, to reduce some social problems, and its current form stipulates that both parents must be only children if they are to have a second child.
HESITATION
The most populous province with 120 million, Henan was the last to relax the policy due to the pressure of continuing population growth. Will there be another baby boom which will worsen the difficulties of sending children to kindergarten and school? People are starting to wonder. Internet user "Huang Shan" said, "I don't want any more children. The problem is that there are not enough social resources. It would be funny if there aren't enough schools and hospitals for more babies." "Liujing__2009" said,"I am hesitant. If I have a second child I will have to be a full-time mother. Two children will require much more energy to take care of them. My husband doesn't want a second baby, he thinks taking care of one is exhausting enough." Discussion of second babies or not has already led to fights. Wei is a doctor at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Henan College of Traditional Chinese Medicine. "Both sides of the parents want us to have another baby, but my wife and I are doctors. We are too tired to have another child," Wei said.
EXPERTS' OPINION
Regarding people's concern over a baby boom, population expert Zhang Yuanzhen said, "the new policy will have a large impact on individual families, but not on the whole country." There will not be a baby boom and it will not bring huge pressure to bear on food security, health, education or employment, said Zhang. According to a survey by the National Health and Family Planning Commission, the new policy will apply to roughly 15 to 20 million people, only half of whom are actually willing to have a second child. Also, due to the decades long family planning policy, families which have only one child in rural areas are far fewer than in those in cities. Thus the new policy will apply mainly to couples in the city. With the cost of raising a child in a city relatively high, people will think it through before they make a decision, said Zhang. The new policy is seen by some as unfair. "Xiaoyuer" said, "everyone should be able to have a second child regardless of whether he or she is the only child or not. The new policy sounds encouraging at first but later on people feel it is unfair." Liu Junjie, a population expert at Henan Academy of Social Sciences, said that China is unlikely to completely loosen its one-child policy soon. "People's thoughts are understandable, but the adjustment of population structure should be gradual," Liu said.

Aid flows to typhoon survivors as Philippines struggles to rebuild

Long-delayed emergency supplies flowed into the typhoon-ravaged central Philippines on Saturday, reaching desperate families who had to fend for themselves for days, as the United Nations more than doubled its estimate of homeless to nearly two million. The aid effort was still patchy, with relief officials reporting a surge in desperate, hungry survivors trying to leave the coastal city of Ormoc, 105 km (65 miles) west of Tacloban, the worst-affected major city. More than a week after Typhoon Haiyan killed at least 3,633 with tree-snapping winds and tsunami-like waves, hundreds of international aid workers set up makeshift hospitals and trucked in supplies. Helicopters from a U.S. aircraft carrier ferried medicine and water to remote, battered areas. Residents of Tanauan, a fishing town about 15 km (9 miles) southeast of Tacloban, said they only started receiving substantial aid on Friday after being forced to survive on biscuits and dispose of dead bodies on their own for days. More than 60 people were buried behind the municipal office in the district of 50,000 people. Down the road, dozens of corpses were interred under a roundabout. "I think (the response) was quite slow. This town was isolated. Media didn't come here. We were out of circulation for three days," said Penny Tecson, the wife of the district's mayor. She was running the recovery operation while her husband, Pel Tecson, was in Tacloban to coordinate the district's first large-scale delivery of aid from the national government. In one ward of Tanauan, neighborhood chief Cecilio Yepes Jr. estimated his community lost nearly 10 percent of its 1,176 residents. Here, the storm surge has transformed an entire swampy plain into a rubbish pile of trees and debris. Locals have recovered and buried 30 bodies. Another 98 remain somewhere in the vast wasteland that stretches on either side of the road. At least 800 people died in the district of Palo, which lies between Tanauan and Tacloban, national authorities said. In Tacloban, work crews and heavy equipment cleared debris from roadsides, but side streets remained piled with the sodden, tangled remains of homes which city officials fear could reveal hundreds more bodies when they are eventually cleared. There are 1,179 people missing, according to the national count. The official death toll only rose by 12 on Saturday, giving hope that initial local estimates of 10,000 dead were overblown. In front of Tacloban's San Fernando Elementary School, government workers distributed sacks of aid to a restless crowd of hundreds who had spent the last week camped in shattered wooden classrooms or in a main school building with floors covered in wet black sand. Nearby, about a dozen body bags were neatly lined up by the roadside. Rica Mobilla, an 18-year-old mother of one, said local authorities showed up two days after the disaster, handing out four kilograms of rice and a few packs of noodles for her family of thirteen. The family stretched this out with onions and garlic bought from the market. "I'm upset. I'm not blaming anyone. If there's aid there to give out we'll receive it," she said. President Benigno Aquino, caught off guard by the scale of the disaster, is scheduled to visit typhoon-affected areas on Sunday. He has been criticized for the slow pace of aid distribution and unclear estimates of casualties, especially in Tacloban, capital of hardest-hit Leyte province. In Tacloban the death toll is written on a whiteboard at City Hall and bodies have been buried in mass graves since Thursday. Tacloban mayor Alfred Romualdez said many people may have been swept out to sea after the tsunami-like wall of seawater slammed into coastal areas.
SURVIVORS START TO REBUILD, HOMELESS RISE
The Philippines Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Soliman acknowledged in a radio interview that the national relief response had been too slow to reach many areas. "We will double our efforts to distribute relief goods because we've been hearing complaints that a lot of people have yet to receive relief goods," she said. Arnaldo Arcadio, an emergency responder with the Catholic Relief Services group, said desperation over conditions in remote rural areas had led people to surge into Ormoc in hope of fleeing the city by ferry. "People are fleeing in mass numbers and coming to Ormoc, where they stand in line all day to get on a ferry only to be turned away," he said. "Ormoc is teeming with people who haven't eaten in days. They're hungry, thirsty and tired. They want to get out." Across Tacloban, survivors have begun to rebuild. The sounds of hammers ring out. Men gather in groups to fix motorbikes or drag debris off splintered homes and wrecked streets. Most have given up searching for lost loved ones. The number of people made homeless by the storm rose to 1.9 million, up from 900,000, the United Nations' humanitarian agency said. In Tacloban, at least 56,000 people face unsanitary conditions, according to the United Nations' migration agency.
U.S. HELICOPTERS AID RELIEF EFFORT
British Prime Minister David Cameron on Saturday pledged 30 million pounds ($48 million) for international aid agencies working in the Philippines. Japan plans to send 1,180 troops to the Philippines, its largest oversea deployment for disaster relief. Japanese destroyer Ise and transport vessel Osumi will leave for the Philippines in a few days carrying helicopters to deliver aid. But the patchy initial aid response highlighted the need for international agencies and local governments to prepare for more frequent, more devastating natural disasters, said Kristalina Georgieva, European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response. "This is a mindset change that must happen if we want to be able to stand up to this trend," she told Reuters in Tacloban. U.S. military assistance has been pouring into the Philippines since Thursday when the USS George Washington aircraft carrier and accompanying ships arrived off eastern Samar province, carrying 5,000 crew and more than 80 aircraft. The Philippines is one of Washington's closest allies in Asia and a crucial partner in President Barack Obama's strategy of rebalancing U.S. military forces towards the region to counter the rising clout of China. The Pentagon said on Friday that U.S. Navy amphibious ships will leave Okinawa in Japan "in the coming hours" carrying an additional 1,000 marines and sailors who will provide engineering equipment, relief supplies, and medical support. The U.S. military estimates that it delivered some 623,000 pounds (283,000 kg) of U.S. relief supplies to the Philippines so far. The American military also estimated that it had moved nearly 1,200 relief workers into Tacloban and airlifted nearly 2,900 displaced people from affected areas so far.

White House optimistic Obama will bounce back from healthcare glitches

He's vented, attacked, apologized and adjusted. Now, President Obama has one move left in his attempt to salvage the rollout of his healthcare law: hope the website works soon.
The White House, knowing a functional website is needed to calm its panicky allies, has now entered the wait-and-see period of its triage after the turmoil that has followed the Oct. 1 rollout. With the latest fix to the law unveiled, a bruising House vote behind them and experts working feverishly on the broken website, administration officials believe they may have weathered the worst. Although Obama's standing in polls and support within his party have dropped sharply, much like the downward trajectory of George W. Bush's second term, White House officials believe he can still recover. That optimistic assessment depends almost entirely on the administration's ability to reboot healthcare.gov, the once-hyped online insurance marketplace now undergoing extensive repair. At stake are the future of the president's signature domestic achievement, his political standing and reelection prospects for vulnerable Democrats in Congress. If the administration meets its goal of a mostly glitch-free site by the end of November, the last two months may be remembered as just another near-death experience for a healthcare overhaul that has had many. Even though many insurance executives and congressional Democrats are angry at Obama for his handling of the healthcare law, both groups have strong incentives to help the Affordable Care Act succeed. But if the White House fails, the recent setbacks could become the beginning of years of trouble for Democrats in office, as well as those seeking to get there, officials concede. Administration officials privately acknowledge that no argument defending Obamacare will connect with Americans until they begin to see the effects of the law at work. No work-around or temporary fix will reach enough people to build a critical mass of support. The website has to function, admit edgy aides who sometimes spit the word "website" with the contempt familiar to anyone who has ever called a tech help desk. Obama revealed his own frustrations Thursday, saying at a White House news conference that he has an obligation to show Americans that the law has made health insurance more affordable and accessible — "if we can just get the darn website working and smooth this thing out." Officials said Friday they were making progress on the site's many glitches and bugs. It now takes less than one second, on average, to load a page, down from eight seconds in the weeks after the launch, said Jeffrey Zients, a former top administration official who was brought back to oversee the repairs. The site can "comfortably" handle 20,000 to 25,000 consumers at the same time and more capacity is being added, he said. Still, problems persist in the system that sends consumer information to insurers, and as experts have ticked off 200 software problems, more continue to pop up. Zients said the officials expect to make the Nov. 30 goal, but added: "Not all consumers going on the website will have a seamless experience." While the tech team works, the president must convince his allies as well as his potential adversaries that, as he said Thursday, he's a clutch player who knows how to recover from a fumble. That group includes insurance executives who were called to the White House on Friday to discuss Obama's answer to the millions of policy cancellation notices sent to surprised consumers. After announcing Thursday that he would allow insurers to rescind those cancellations and extend the policies for another year, the president sought to persuade the executives to take him up on the offer. The group also includes Democrats on Capitol Hill, many of whom have gone from disgruntled to distrustful of the White House. On Friday, 39 House Democrats voted for the GOP alternative to Obama's extension fix. That sizable number of largely swing-district lawmakers was only the most visible sign of broader dissatisfaction that makes Obama's current holding pattern a challenge. Even those who stuck with the White House on Friday's vote have expressed frustration. In the wake of Obama's announcement, lawmakers were left to figure out whether their state officials and insurers would go along with the plan. Skepticism was high. "The message from the White House is, 'OK, you can be mad, it's frustrating. But be on the program,'" said one advisor to a House Democrat, who asked for anonymity while characterizing internal discussions. "But what program is that? The program where every five minutes there's a different plan?" Polling shows the public has similar doubts. For the first time in his presidency, fewer than half of Americans polled told Gallup that Obama was a "strong and decisive leader," a 6-percentage-point drop since September. The perception of Obama as "honest and trustworthy" and public confidence in his ability to manage government took a similar tumble. A continued slide, combined with continued technical glitches, could leave the White House little choice but to make additional changes to the law — mostly likely extending the enrollment period and delaying the penalties for people who don't carry insurance. Senate Democrats already have urged such a move. But in the face of ardent Republican opposition to the law — House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) on Friday repeated his hope to repeal "this train wreck" — the White House has resisted any fix that puts it at the mercy of House Republicans and pushes votes on the law well into an election year. "That will always be an option of extreme last resort," said Drew Altman, president and chief executive of the Kaiser Family Foundation. The White House has long argued that the popularity of the healthcare law will hinge on the popularity of its benefits — an untested theory until the public can easily access the online marketplaces that showcase most of those benefits. Still, in the pileup of bad news for Obama, there was some reason to hope that the policy now largely locked behind the broken site might have a chance of winning over the public. Though enrollment numbers in October were dismal, consumer interest was strong. Nationwide, more than 1.1 million people completed applications to get coverage; 106,000 actually selected a plan. Data from several states operating their own marketplaces suggest demand for health plans may be accelerating. In California, 35,000 people selected a health plan in October. Nearly the same number signed up in just the first two weeks of November, according to Covered California, the state's marketplace. Kentucky has seen similar growth: 5,586 people signed up in October, and nearly 4,000 did in the first two weeks of November. "We are feeling incredibly optimistic," said Gwenda Bond, a spokeswoman for the state health agency that operates Kentucky's marketplace, known as kynect. The White House may have a long wait, Altman noted, before it knows how far that optimism will spread. "In the long term, ultimately, the website will be working, this issue of cancellations will be in the rear-view mirror and the real question will be whether people who get coverage under the law like it or not," Altman said. "The real story about whether the law works or not will unfold next year and the year after that."

Video:Rawalpindi: مدرسے کے طالب علم خود مارکیٹ کو آگ لگانے میں مصروف ہیں

Bahawalnagar district: Outlawed Sipah-e-Sahaba terrorists burn Shia mosque and shops

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Yazidi takfiri nasbi terrorists of outlawed Sipah-e-Sahaba burnt a Shia mosque in Chishtian, a city of Bahawalnagar district of Punjab province on Friday night. Shiite News Correspondent reported that Yazidi terrorist Qari Ayoob led a mob of some 2000 terrorists and fanatics and attacked Shia mosque and Imam Bargah in which several Shiites were hurt. Under the patronage of local administration, the fanatics and terrorists of outlawed Sipah-e-Sahaba staged a rally in which they raised slogans to kill Shiites on sight. Notorious terrorist Ghulam Rasool Shah was leading the rally. They put Ghazi Medical Store, Al Najaf Optical and other shops of Shia Muslims on fire. They were also plotting to set the Shiites houses on fire. Shia parties and leaders have condemned the attack on peaceful Shia Muslims and demanded of Punjab government to break off its covert deal with the outlawed Sipah-e-Sahaba (renamed as Ahl-e-Sunnat wal Jamaat). They demanded hanging in public of the terrorists involved in the attacks.

Multan: Yazidi terrorists attack on Hussainabad Mosque & Imam Bargah

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yazidi nasbi takfiri terrorists of outlawed Sipah-e-Sahaba have attacked an Imam Bargah in Hussainabad area of Multan (Punjab province) on Saturday. Shiite News Correspondent reported that the armed terrorists stormed into Doulat Gate Hussainabad area where they began tearing the posters of mourning congregations that also had sacred material. Then, they hit the gate of Imam Bargah with batons and sticks to scare the peaceful Shiites. Latest reports had it that the Yazidi terrorists also desecrated an Islamic banner attributed to Hazrat Abbas (AS), the flag bearer of Imam Hussain (AS)’s army in Karbala. The terrorists burnt the Islamic flag (alam) at Ghanta Ghar Chowk. Shia parties and leaders have slammed the Yazidi terrorists for these provocative attacks and desecration of Islamic sanctities. They demanded immediate and stern action against the terrorists.

Death toll from Rawalpindi riots rises to nine

The death toll from Friday’s sectarian clashes in Rawalpindi rose to nine on Saturday, Geo News reported. AFP adds: Pakistan called in its army Saturday to quell sectarian unrest in three cities, after nine people were killed in violent attacks, according to officials. Authorities imposed a curfew in the city of Rawalpindi, where sectarian clashes on Friday left nine people dead and more than 60 injured, and spawned retaliatory violence in at least two other cities. Fighting erupted in the garrison-city, which neighbours the capital Islamabad, when a procession coincided with a sermon at a nearby mosque. "A curfew has been imposed in Rawalpindi city to avert further violence following the incidents on Friday," Waseem Ahmed, a police official told AFP. "The curfew will remain until midnight on Saturday. The whole city has been closed down," he said. Deeba Shehnaz, a spokeswoman for rescue services, told AFP: "According to the latest figures, we can now confirm the death of nine people from the sectarian violence on Friday. At least 68 others were wounded during the clashes." Angry protesters attacked the mosque and seminary, torching its building and an adjacent cloth market, where workers on Saturday were still battling to extinguish the fire completely. Rival groups then attacked each other, TV cameramen and security forces and also fired gunshots. The authorities deployed large numbers of troops in the city and later imposed a full curfew as soldiers patrolled the streets to stop protesters coming in from other cities. Violence also erupted in the southern city of Multan and Chishtian town, where civil authorities called in troops to maintain law and order. All entry points into Rawalpindi were blocked, resulting in traffic chaos on Saturday morning that choked parts of the highways leading to Islamabad.one local legislator, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, who is a member of the lower house of the parliament from the area said that violence there was the result of local administration's failure. "I declare the local administration responsible for Friday's violent acts. They failed to control the situation," Ahmed told a news conference.

Investigative report: Shahbaz Sharif govt was aware of Deobandi ASWJ’s plan to attack Ashura procession in Rawalpindi

by Aamir
In Rawalpindi District of Punjab at least 10 people were killed and 55 were injured in clashes between Shia and Deobandis near Raja Bazar when mourning procession of 10th Muharum was passing in front of a Deobandi religious seminary Jamia Taleem-ul-Quran. Our Special Investigative Reporter talked to some officials of Security branch, special branch and intelligence bureau in Rawalpindi who revealed that their agencies were aware of a piror plan of banned terrorist outfit Sipah Sahaba that is currently working in the name of Ahle sunnat waljamat(ASWJ) Rawalpindi section. Security agencies have received solid information from their sources inside organization that Deobandi cleric head of Jamia Taleem-ul-Quran had called workers of banned outfits in seminary and plan was to attack and disperse the mourning procession when reached near seminary. Officials told me that their official reports were sent to District coordination officer Rawalpindi and District Police Officer and Home Department Punjab. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was fully aware of the Deobandi plan to provoke and attack the Ashura procession of Shia and Sunni Barelvi Muslims.
In this tweet Deobandi ASWJ is planning the voilence
An Officer from Military Intelligence who was present in the Ashura mourning procession near Deoabanid seminary told that Deobandi Cleric Head of Jamia Taleem-ul-Quran was calling Shia as Infidels and their procession as non-Islamic act and violating the amplifier act but no law enforcement agency of Punjab government tried to stop or arrest him. There were many workers armed with assault rifles AK47 in compound of Deobandi seminary according to that officer of Military Intelligence. “I was surprised to see only two police men appointing in front of that seminary and police department of Rawalpindi did not take action against those persons who were gathered there with prohibited arms openly” Said an official of Special Branch of Rawalpindi district. A local senior Journalist told that Deobandi network of ASWJ had been expanded and growing since Nawaz league came in power and District administration is not interested in restricting or ban activities of banned outfits. He revealed that whenever any station police officer tried to take action against such activities faced pressure from high ranks of Police and received threats from banned outfit. In fact there is unannounced agreement between Punjab Government and ASWJ and this agreement was made due to mediation of provincial Law Minister Sanaullah who is godfather of deobandi terrorist organizations and groups.
Some insiders in Provincial Government says that cleric Zahid Muhamoud Qasmi Deobandi who is now General Secretary of Pakistan Ulema Council (actually this another mask of Deobandi takfiri clerics who have strong relations with ASWJ ,LEJ,TTP and are very close to Rana Sanaullah)is man of Sanaullah who played central role in setting up of close connection between Sanaullah and deobandi terrorists. Qari Zahid Muhmoud Qasmi is son of Late cleric Ziaullah Qasmi who was Chairman of supreme council of banned Spiah Sahabah Pakistan (SSP)and one of founding father of that organization.Qari Zahid Qasmi is running a network of land grabbers in Faisal Abad and he had tried to grab a land reserved for Bralvi sunni seminary in Faisal Abad and its goons had opened fired on Milad Procession and police administration had not taken any action against him due to pressure of Law Minister which angered Sahibzada Fazal Karim Chairman of Sunni Itehad Council and M.N.A from Muslim League.Sahibzada Fazal Karim first tried to convince Sharif Brothers to curb growing influences and control of deobandi terrorists on PMLN government in Punjab and partisan role of Sanaullah but in vain.When Sahibzada Fazal Karim realized deepened connection between Sharifs and deobandi terrorists then he parted his ways from Sharif brothers and he united Sunni bralvi organizations in the name of Sunni Itehad council which had mad an alliance with PMLQ and PPP in recent election against PMLN but he died during election and now his son Hamid Raza is Chairman of Councils. Sahibzada Hamid Raza head of Sunni Itehad Council told this reporter in his recent conversation that PMLN is supporting Deobandi terrorists in Punjab and in PMLN there are strong lobbies of deobandi and he revealed that main supporters of ASWJ in PMLN are Rana Sanaullah law ministers of Punjab,Speaker Rana Iqbal,Education Minister Rana Mashehood,Rana Hayat of Qasur District of Punjab including many M.N.As and MPAs of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz. He said that Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif were convinced that they and their families were being protected from deobandi terrorists due to that lobbies and they both were patronizing that lobbies. Another bad development in Punjab administration is that split along side sectarian lines in hierarchy of law enforcement agencies have been deepened and this split is creating more hurdles in handling of growing militancy and sectarianism in Punjab. There are many reports of intelligence agencies which show this deepened split in provincial administration along side of sectarian lines. Some well informed officials of intelligence agencies says that even in intelligence operatives this split is also taking shape and place which is more dangerous. LUBP, New York Times and some other reliable media outlets have been published many stories about alleged links between PMLN and Deobandi sectarian ,banned takifiri deobandi elements but still main stream Pakistani Media is censoring these fact and revelations. Most sectarian terrorist incident against Shia, Christians, Sunni Barelvis and Ahmadis were happened due to alleged connections between Deobandi terrorists and Government of PMLN and there were local law enforcement officials who supported and helped deobandi terrorists and paved way for violation against non deobandi religious communities. Recently Punjab Police had arrested Sibghatullah Muawia Deobandi, brother of head of Punjabi Taliban Ismatullah Deobandi, in ransom crime but soon he was released as Dawn news has reported on 15/11/2013. Punjab has become safe havens for Deobandi terrorists and extremist outfits. Deobandi militant group Ahl Sunnat Waljamat (ASWJ) has expanded its network at grass root level and has become a cover for terrorists acting against non Deobandi sects. This organization is spreading hate and insulting views about Shia, Sunni Barelvi, Ahmadi and other religious minorities. Strategy of this extremist organization is provoking other communities and paving way for full sectarian based civil war between Shia and deobandi school of thoughts. Its main propaganda cell is proliferating such disinformations and wrong messages about three Caliphs which can instigate Sunni Bralvis against Shia.”We are well aware of conspiracies of Deobandi Khawarijs who want to see a full civil war between Sunni and Shia” Said Sahibzada Hamid Raza head of Sunni Itehad Council while talking to this reporter. - See more at: http://lubpak.com/archives/290547#sthash.LlCeHCGr.dpuf

RAWALPINDI VIDEO: Stones Being Thrown from the Mosque

Bilawal Bhutto appreciates Sindh Govt., LEA on peaceful Ashura processions

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Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Patron-In-Chief, Pakistan Peoples has appreciated the People’s government in Sindh for maintaining law and order situation during Ashura, which were observed peacefully with religious harmony. In a press statement issued here, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also thanked the law enforcing agencies all over the Sindh province for vigilance and admired their coordination. “Role of each sepoy and officer is commendable for performing their national duties honestly and dedicatedly,” he added.

Bilawal Bhutto expresses grief over Rawalpindi incident

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Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Patron-In-Chief of Pakistan Peoples Party has condemned the macabre violence in Rawalpindi and expressed grief over the loss of so many innocent human lives and the ensuing damage and destruction on Friday. In a press statement issued here, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said while the entire nation was praying for a peaceful Ashura across the country, Punjab government lacked full attention to maintaining law and order. He said administration could have averted the sparking incident through simple pre-emptive administrative steps, but deliberately failed. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari expressed sympathies with those who lost their loved ones and the injured in Rawalpindi violence praying for their early recovery.

Multan administration calls army as clash kills one

The Multan administration has summoned the army in the wake of a clash between two groups in the city, DawnNews reported. One person was killed and two others were severely injured in the clash that took place in Multan's Nala Wali Muhammad area, following which the situation in the city became tense. Following the clash, miscreants blocked roads in the city by setting fire to tyres and other objects.

Situation remains volatile post Rawalpindi clashes, 8 arrested

Eight persons were arrested while the intermediate papers were also canceled in the city after the deadly clashes erupted on Friday afternoon, leaving seven dead and dozens injured, Geo News reported Saturday. Mobile phone services remained suspended while the curfew is also being observed with Rangers and other law enforcement agencies strictly guarding the entry and exit points of the city. Tension is still prevailing in the affected area while people are also forced to stay indoors to avoid any conflict. It is pertinent to mention that curfew was imposed in Rawalpindi after violent clashes between two groups left at least seven people dead and over 35 injured on Friday as worshippers massed to mourn the seventh century martyrdom of Imam Hussain (RA). The clashes erupted when a mourners’ procession was on its way through Fawara Chowk in the garrison city. According to a Punjab government spokesperson, the curfew was slapped to bring the situation under control following the deadly clashes and the subsequent unrest, which is feared to spark off more untoward incidents to the peril of local residents. The curfew, which was enforced at 12:00 AM, will remain imposed for 24 hours. As the troops took control of the city some of roads in the garrison city were also blocked with shipping containers and mobile phone services were suspended as a security measure. The district administration has warned the citizens to stay at homes as violation of curfew will not be tolerated. It further added that areas like Rawal Town, Potohar Town, and Cantonment were also under curfew.

Kerry, Clinton: Afghanistan Nearing Turning Point

Secretary of State John Kerry and his predecessor, Hillary Rodham Clinton, said Friday that Afghanistan is reaching a turning point in maintaining the advances made by women in Afghan society and any future security agreement needs to respect the rights of women. Kerry said Afghan women and girls have made great progress since 2001, enjoying greater access to education, health care and technology. But he said many women in Afghanistan remain concerned that the nation's society could revert back to the repressive days under Taliban control. "When Afghan women move forward, believe me, they never want to go back, not to the days when the Taliban ruled Afghanistan," Kerry said. He said the achievements of women in Afghanistan "is nothing less than remarkable" and it would be a tragedy if those gains were threatened. Under Taliban rule, girls were barred from attending school, women were forced to stay indoors and cover their heads and faces with burqas. Kerry, Clinton and former first lady Laura Bush noted during a forum at Georgetown University that Afghan women and girls have made great strides, attending school, serving in their country's legislature and owning their own businesses. Coalition combat forces are scheduled to leave Afghanistan at the end of 2014 and the U.S. and Afghan government are negotiating a security agreement that will determine whether the U.S. leaves in place a small combat force of between 8,000-12,000 troops after next year to train and advise the Afghans. Kerry expressed optimism that an agreement could be reached in the coming weeks, saying the two nations are "closer than ever" to completing a security plan that will define a new partnership with Afghanistan. Clinton said security was the "paramount issue" going forward and expressed hope that U.S. troops would be granted immunity from local arrest and prosecution under any agreement. Clinton noted that an agreement on immunity could not be reached with Iraq before U.S. forces departed and the country has been "descending into a cycle of terrible violence." "This is a big decision for the Afghan government. If you enter into a bilateral security agreement, it doesn't mean that the United States will be there in great numbers. It means that we will be available to help support the security forces of Afghanistan," Clinton said. If it is not signed, Clinton said the Afghans will be "left totally to themselves." Bush said as U.S. forces transition out of the country, it will be important for Americans to maintain a connection to Afghanistan. "I'm so worried that once our troops leave, nobody will pay attention to Afghanistan," Bush said.

Four injured in Peshawar blast

Four people including two policemen were injured when an explosion occurred near a police van in Peshawar Saturday morning, Geo News reported. According to the rescue sources, a blast occurred near a police mobile on Kohat Road in Scheme Chowk area of Peshawar today morning. Security forces cordoned off the area after the incident and started investigation. Further details about the nature of the blast are yet to be ascertained.

ایک مولوی پورے شہر کا امن برباد کر سکتا ہے

Rawalpindi goes under 24hr curfew following deadly clashes

Curfew has been imposed in Rawalpindi after violent clashes between two groups left at least seven people dead and over 40 injured on Friday as worshippers massed to mourn the seventh century martyrdom of Imam Hussain (RA). The clashes erupted when a mourners’ procession was on its way through Fawara Chowk in the garrison city. According to a Punjab government spokesperson, the curfew has been slapped to bring the situation under control following the deadly clashes and the subsequent unrest, which is feared to spark off more untoward incidents to the peril of local residents. The curfew, which was enforced at 12:00 AM, will remain imposed for 24 hours, sources told Geo News. As the troops took control of the city some of roads in the garrison city were also blocked with shipping containers and mobile phone services were suspended as a security measure. The district administration has warned the citizens to stay at homes as violation of curfew will not be tolerated. It further added that areas like Rawal Town, Potohar Town, and Cantonment were also under curfew.Earlier, a doctor at Rawalpindi's district hospital, said death toll from the clashes had reached to seven people whereas 35 more are under treatment for injuries. "Among 35 wounded people brought to our hospital, 13 had gunshot wounds," Khan said. He said five wounded people were shifted to another hospital. Police said private properties were also set on fire during the clashes. Media reports said large contingents of troops were deployed in the city following the clashes and forces used tear gas to disperse the rival groups. According to sources, violent youths attacked rival groups and also broke the cameras of reporters who arrived on scene. Video footage also showed participants of the procession beating policemen. An eyewitness saw crowds from the rival groups gathering in the hospital and chanting slogans against each other. Pakistan had deployed heavy security all across the country during Muharram to avert any terrorist attack and jammed mobile phone services, which hampered communication following the clashes.

POLIO THRIVES IN PAKISTAN

http://newsweekpakistan.com/
HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY 62 POLIO VICTIMS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED THIS YEAR, BLAME THREATS OF VIOLENCE FOR FAILURE TO ERADICATE DISEASE.
Polio is on the rise in Pakistan, health officials said Wednesday, as the number of infections in 2013 passed the total for the whole of 2012. Pakistan is one of only three countries in the world where the highly infectious disease, which cripples limbs, remains endemic. Opposition from militant groups has hampered efforts to vaccinate children against polio in Pakistan and officials said violence was part of the reason for the increase in cases. “Last year there were a total of 58 cases, but 62 fresh victims of polio have already been reported in 2013,” said a senior government official, who works with international donors working to eradicate polio. Six cases were in eastern Punjab province, four in Sindh in the south and nine in northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, but by far the bulk of the infections—43—were in the tribal areas along the Afghan border. The Pakistani Taliban banned polio vaccinations in the tribal region of Waziristan last year, alleging the campaign was a cover for espionage. “The main reason for the outbreak is militancy in the northwest. Vaccination teams are unable to reach the tribal areas because of risks to their lives,” the official said. Polio cases reached a low of 28 in 2005 but have risen since, reaching a peak of 198 in 2011. In August health officials warned of a serious polio outbreak in the northwest, saying more than 240,000 children had missed vaccination because of the Taliban ban. Elsewhere in the country, health workers giving out polio drops have been attacked and killed, including in the largest city Karachi. On Monday the World Health Organization linked an outbreak of polio in Syria that has paralyzed 13 children to a strain of the virus from Pakistan.

راولپنڈی عاشورہ جلوس سانحہ کے اصلی حقائق Eyewitness account of the Ashura day violence in Rawalpindi

راولپنڈی عاشورہ جلوس سانحہ کے اصلی حقائ
شام کے وقت جب میں گھر پہنچا تو امی جی اور ابو جی کو بہت پریشان دیکھا۔ ٹی وی پر چلنے والی خبر نے مجھے بھی پریشان کر دیا۔ خبر تھی راجا بازار میں ہنگامہ، پتھراؤ ، فائرنگ اور مدینہ مارکیٹ کو آگ لگا دی گئی ہے۔ مدینہ مارکیٹ کی خبر نے تو جیسے سب کو ہی بہت پریشان کر دیا۔ پریشانی کی اہم وجہ ہمارا چھوٹا بھائی ثاقب تھا۔ جو پولیس میں ہے اور اس کی ڈیوٹی مدینہ مارکیٹ کی چھت پر لگی ہوئی تھی۔ وہاں دیوبندی مسجد بھی تھی۔ اور اسی مسجد میں ان کی ڈیوٹی لگی ہوئی تھی۔ پریشانی کی وجہ سے کچھ سمجھ نہیں آ رہی تھی کہ کیا کیا جائے۔ فیصلہ کیا گیا کہ میں خود جا کر وہاں کا جائزہ لوں اور ثاقب کو کسی طرح گھر لے کر آؤں۔ جب میں گھر سے نکلا تو میرے بعد میرا چھوٹا بھائی عمر بھی چلا گیا۔ میں نے جب وہاں جا کر دیکھا تو سپاہ صحابہ کے دیوبندیوں کا ایک ہجوم تھا کا سب لوگ شیعوں کے خلاف نارے لگا رہے تھے۔گنج منڈی والے پل سے آگے کسی کو جانے نہیں دیا جا رہا تھا۔ میں نے ثاقب کی تلاش کرنی تھی اس لیے میں نے دوسرے راستے کی طرف رخ کر لیا۔ باقی تمام طرف کوئی ہنگامہ نہیں تھا بس مدینہ مارکیٹ کی طرف جانے والے راستے پر ہی ہنگامہ تھا باقی تمام طرف اہل تشع ماتم کر رہے تھے اور پولیس نے ان کو سکیورٹی فرہام کی تھی لیکن راجا بازار اور مدینہ مارکیٹ کی طرف بہت ہنگامہ تھا وہاں لوگ دکانوں کو آگ لگا رہے تھے اور پتھراو کر رہے تھے اور اس طرف سے لوگوں کو پولیس اور آرمی آگے نہیں جانے دے رہی تھی۔ میں نے ہر طرف سے کوشش کی لیکن میرا رابطہ کسی بھی طرح ثاقب سے نا ہو سکا اور میں افسردہ خالی ہاتھ لے کر گھر کی طرف آ گیا۔ گھر آ کر میں میں والد صاحب کو تسلی دیتا رہا کہ نہیں جی کوئی ہنگامہ نہیں ہے حالات ٹھیک ہیں بس کچھ لوگ ہی پتھراو کر رہے ہیں۔ لیکن حالات خود دیکھ کر آیا تھا بہت خراب تھے۔ کچھ ہی دیر میں ثاقب کا گھر کے نمبر پر فون آ گیا کہ وہ خیریت سے ہے اور آفس پہنچ گیا ہے اور عمر بھی اس کے آفس میں ہے۔ سب کو تسلی ہوئی اور 9 بجے ثاقب گھر پہنچ گیا۔ سب سے پہلی خبر تو اس نے یہ سنائی کہ اس کا موٹرسائکل جلا دیا گیا ہے۔ پھر میں نے اس سے تفصیل پوچھی کہ ہوا کیا تھا یہ سارا مسئلہ کہاں سے شروع ہوا تو اس نے کچھ یوں تفصیل سنائی۔ مولوی صاحب جمعہ کا خطبہ دے رہے تھے۔ اور اس مسجد کے مولوی صاحب دیوبند مسلک کے تھے جو شیعوں کے خلاف بہت نفرت انگیز تقریر کر رہے تھے مسجد میں سپاہ صحابہ کے لوگ اسلحے سمیت موجود تھے اور لاؤڈ سپیکر پر کافر کافر شیعہ کافر، یزیدیت زندہ باد کے نعرے لگوا رہے تھے کچھ ہی دیر میں وہاں شیعوں کا جلوس آنا تھا اور مولوی صاحب انتہائی جوش سے شعیوں کے خلاف تقریر کر رہے تھے۔ جب جلوس وہاں پہنچا تو نفرت انگیز نعرے سن کر شیعوں نے پتھراو شروع کر دیا لیکن مولوی صاحب نے تقریر جاری رکھی تقریر میں انہوں نے میلاد اور عاشورہ کے جلوسوں میں شرکت کرنے والے سنی اور شیعہ مسلمانوں کو کافر اور مشرک قرار دے دیا جس کی وجہ سے جلوس میں شامل سنی اور شیعہ کو بھی غصہ آ گیا احتجاج کیا – اس پر دیوبندی مسجد سے پتھراو شروع ہو گیا اور سپاہ صحابہ کے راجہ بازار کے صدر اور اس کے رشتہ داروں نے جلوس پر فائرنگ شروع کردی اور انہوں نے پتھروں کے ساتھ ساتھ مارکیٹ میں کھڑے موٹر سائکلز کو آگ لگانا شروع کر دی اور جب آگ مارکیٹ میں لگنا شروع ہوئی تو سپاہ صحابہ کے مولوی حضرات نے پولیس سے اسلحہ چھیننے کی کوشش کی ۔ اسی دوران باہر شیعوں اور بریلویوں نے بھی پولیس سے اسلحہ چھین لیا اور اپنے دفاع میں فائرنگ شروع کر دی۔ ادھر ہم صرف دو پولیس والے تھے اس لیے پھر ہم بڑی مشکل سے چھتوں سے چھلانگے لگا کر وہاں سے نکلے اور آفس پہنچے” اس کے بعد کا جو ہنگامہ ہے وہ سب آپ کو سچی اور چھوٹی خبروں کے ساتھ سننے اور پڑھنے کو مل گیا ہے۔ میرے خیال میں ایک چھوٹی سی بات کی وجہ سے اتنا بڑا مسئلہ بنا ہے۔ اگر آج کے خطبہ میں دیوبند مولوی صاحب اہل تشیع اور سنی بریلویوں کے خلاف تقریر نا کرتے جب کہ وہ جانتے تھے کہ آج ان کا جلوس بھی یہاں ہی آنا ہے اور یہاں آ کر جلوس نے ختم ہونا ہے لیکن اس کے باوجود انہوں نے تقریر کی اور خالص شعوں کے خلاف تقریر کی تو پھر ایسا مسئلہ تو ہونا تھا۔ پھر اس کے بعد سپاہ صحابہ کے مسلح لوگوں نے جلوس پر پتھراو اور فائرنگ شروع کر دی اور سنی بریلوی اور شیعہ کو اغوا کر کے دوبندی مسجد میں لے آئے کچھ بے گناہ شیعہ اور سنی زندہ جلا دیا گئے اور سپاہ صحابہ والے دیوبندی بھا گ گئے ایک مسجد شہید ہوگئی۔ سو سے زیادہ دکانوں کو آگ لگا دی گئی۔ کتنے ہی انسانوں کی جانے چلی گئی اور کتنے ہی زخمی حالت میں ہسپتالوں میں موجود ہیں۔ اور اس پر یہ چھوٹی خبروں نے اور نقصان پہنچایا ہے۔ اس واقعے کی کوریج پرمامور اسلام آباد میں ایک ٹی وی کے رپورٹر نے بی بی سی کے نامہ نگار محمود جان بابر کو بتایا کہ وہ فوارہ چوک میں ڈیوٹی پرموجود ہیں اور ابھی کچھ دیر پہلے علاقے سے قریباً دیوبندی لوگوں نے ان کی گاڑیوں اورکیمروں پر ہلہ بول دیا اور انہیں زبردستی یہ کہتے ہوئے رہائشی علاقے کے اندر لے گئے کہ لاشیں اندر پڑی ہیں تباہی اندر ہوئی ہے اور میڈیا باہر سے کس چیز کی کوریج کررہا ہے - See more at: http://lubpak.com/archives/290445#sthash.cQSjfpuw.dpuf