Quote:"At least eight drones took part in the attack, and they have fired some 18 missiles at three training camps of Taliban, their two vehicles and some bunkers," said a local intelligence official that spoke on condition of anonymity.



Taliban militants have fired at the US aircraft from some of these bunkers. The militants shot down one drone on January 24.



"According to the initial reports we have received from various areas, at least 29 people have been killed while around a dozen more are injured," said the official about Tuesday's attack, adding that the death toll might rise.



People are buried under the debris of the demolished house, but no one dares to carry out rescue work since the drones are still flying in the area, the official said over phone. "Almost all those killed are Taliban (fighters)."



The US has intensified its campaign to target militant hideouts with drone strikes in Pakistan's rugged tribal region since an Al-Qaeda double agent killed five CIA officials and two private security contractors in a suicide bombing in the Afghan province of Khost on December 30.

Quote:Zulfiqar Mirza said today that Amry may be called in for restoration of peace in Karachi. The people of Karachi must realized that we have enough problems.



ANP/MQM have all the responsibility ...ANP have started this fresh violence by killing MQM unit incharge in Qabza Colony...and in retaliation killing has started.



People dressed in Shirt-Trousers (Urdu speaking) are being dragged out of buses and beaten by ethnic group in Banaras, Site area, Suhrab Goth etc.



The root of the problem is newly built road whichlinks North Nazimabad to Orangi Town ...the road passes through a small mountainous area known as "Kati Pahari". City Govt. has started a Bus Service from Sadar to Orangi Town by using this short route.....which ANP backed transporters think ..a direct attack on their "mini buses" business. The armed men have taken positions on this Katti Pahari and fires on public/Buses. MQM is responding with target killing of ANP workers involved in giving support to transporters...ANP again retaliates with killings ...and the story goes on.



The Govt. is actually enjoying the situation....let them fight. See two rangers got shots from the same Kati Pahari and have pulled out of the area. If they were given orders, the whole area would be made secure in just few hours as told by DG Rangers. Police and Rangers are clearly instructed to be quite.



The media program are again fueling the fire as yesterday Haji Adeel of ANP said on AAJ TV that No one can force us to withdraw from Karachi and if someone think like this ...it must be [color="#FF0000"]keep in mind that all those came from India must also go back to India or sea[/color]. He said Govt should start disarming movement from "90" etc.

Quote:US defense officials say, in all, there are some 200 US military personnel in Pakistan, including troops that guard the sprawling American embassy in Islamabad.



Among them are more than 100 Special Operations troops training the Pakistani Frontier Corps, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the issue is so sensitive.

Quote:AS Pakistan’s problems deepen, and its politicians carry on with their bickering, the country’s air is heavy with discord. However, somehow rising above the din is an emphatic message : Washington must offer more market access to Pakistani exports.



This call has been issued for several years by trade policymakers and industrialists representing major export sectors. Yet in recent months it has been made from the highest government levels, including top officials at the foreign ministry and President Zardari. One even hears the market access mantra uttered by municipal leaders. Speaking at Columbia and Harvard universities in November, Karachi nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal implored America to make Pakistani exports duty-free.



Pakistan’s wish for freer trade with the United States is understandable. [color="#FF0000"]Unfortunately, it is also highly unlikely to be fulfilled anytime soon.[/color]

....

Quote:One reason is the low value of Pakistan’s exports. When importing nations bestow a preferential status on international exports, they do so because the goods are deemed of sufficiently high value to warrant such treatment. However, about 80 per cent of Pakistan’s manufactured exports, and roughly two-thirds of its total exports, consist of low-value, low-tech textiles and clothing. In an era of cutting-edge technologies and services, nations are much more likely to waive import duties on coveted electronics than on towels and T-shirts.

Quote:KARACHI : Pakistan's total liquid foreign exchange reserves have witnessed a decrease of 586.5 million dollars to 14.51 billion dollars due to a payment made for Euro Bonds, State Bank of Pakistan said Thursday.



SBP spokesman, Syed Wasimuddin said that the government made a payment for Euro Bonds worth 600 million dollars on January 26.



According to break-up, foreign reserves held by SBP amount to 10.72 billion dollars and net forex reserves held by banks (other than SBP) 3.79 billion dollars.

Quote:He claimed family members of Dr Aafia told the Taliban leadership that they had lost all hopes in the Pakistan government and now Allah Almighty and the Taliban were their only hope. Later, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid also called our sources from somewhere in Afghanistan and owned a statement given by the Taliban commander.



The militant commander alleged that the US soldier, whom his fighters kidnapped from Afghanistan’s Paktika province near the border with Pakistan’s troubled South Waziristan in June 2009, had admitted his involvement in several raids in Afghanistan. “Since he has confessed to all charges against him, our Islamic court had announced death sentence for him,” the Taliban leader claimed.

Quote:Paramilitary spokesman Maj. Aurang Zeb said security forces were on maximum alert at the funeral in the Malir area of the city.

The first attack on Friday killed 12 Shias, followed hours later by a blast at a hospital where the wounded were being treated which killed 13 people.

Quote:Pakistani TV channels broadcast live footage from the venue, showing men and women clad in black and carrying black flags, beating their chests and chanting slogans of “Ya Hussein, Ya Hussein.”

Quote:Senior police investigator Raja Umer Khattab said the Jundullah (Army of God) militant group was behind the attacks.

Quote:The Pakistan cricket team landed in Karachi unannounced on Saturday night after a disastrous tour of Australia in which they lost all matches.



The cricketers were ushered out of the Haj terminal instead of the Jinnah terminal and security officials even tried to shield them from the media. Journalists, however, managed to get hold of Intikhab Alam and throw some probing questions at the hapless coach.



“I will put down the miserable performance to poor shot selection and pathetic catching.”

Quote:ABCD

Sir: The other day I happened to pass by a village school and saw a teacher teaching young students the English language. Explaining what the letters of the alphabet stood for, the teacher said that A stands for ‘atta’, B for ‘bijli’, C for ‘cheeni’ and D for ‘drones’. The respected teacher deserves a better appointment.

DR IRFAN ZAFAR

Islamabad

Quote:RAWALPINDI: Former information minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed was injured while four people, including two of his bodyguards were killed when gunmen opened fire at his party’s election office on Monday.

....



“Unidentified gunmen opened fire with Kalashnikovs. It was an assassination attempt,” Qureshi said.

Quote:ISLAMABAD: The top brass of Pakistan Army is all set to undergo a reshaping process with the retirement of at least 12 three-star generals, including four corps commanders, during the ongoing calendar year, warranting promotion of major generals and the necessary reshuffle.



Three of the lieutenant generals, including incumbent Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Lt-Gen Ahmad Shuja Pasha, are scheduled to retire next month. However, according to informed sources, Lt-Gen Pasha in all probability will get an extension ‘in the interest of continuity’.



A senior security official told Dawn that the army chief did not need to send a summary for extension in the tenure of a three-star general. He cited the example of Lt-Gen Masood Aslam, Corps Commander for Peshawar, who was to retire last year but was given an extension by the army chief.



The other extensions in the recent history of Pakistan Army were of Lt-Gen Hamid Javed, chief of staff to former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf, and the chief of Strategic Plans Division, Lt-Gen Khalid Kidwai.



Lt-Gen Kidwai was due to retire in 2006, but was given extensions more than once due to the technical nature of his assignment. He continues to be the chief of the SPD even after completion of his extended term as lieutenant general.



The incumbent ISI chief will reach the age of superannuation on March 18. Others who are due to retire next month include Lt-Gen Tanvir Tahir, Inspector General of Communications and Information Technology, General Headquarters (GHQ); and Lt-Gen Mohammad Ashraf Saleem, Commander of Air Defence, Pakistan Army.



Lt-Gen Ahsan Azhar Hayat, currently serving as Inspector General of Training and Evaluation at the GHQ, will retire in the middle of March.



Another four lieutenant generals, including two corps commanders, will be retiring in May. They are Corps Commander for Lahore Lt-Gen Ijaz Ahmad Bakshi, Corps Commander for Mangla and Chairman of the Special Support Group, Lt-Gen Nadeem Ahmed, former Corps Commander for Mangla and incumbent Deputy Chairman Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (Erra) Lt-Gen Sajjad Akram, and Lt-Gen Sikandar Afzal, force commander for the United Nations mission in Liberia last year.



Others who are scheduled to retire during the current year are Lt-Gen Masood Aslam, Corps Commander for Peshawar, who is already on extension, Lt-Gen Shahid Iqbal, Corps Commander for Karachi, Lt-Gen Zahid Hussain, Quarter Master General (QMG), and Lt-Gen Mohammad Asghar, Rector of National University of Science and Technology (NUST).

Quote:KHYBER: A Pakistan Army brigadier was killed and two other officers were injured when their vehicle was ambushed by militants in Tirah valley on Wednesday.



The brigadier was heading a rescue team on its way to help the victims of a helicopter crash in the Khyber region.



A Pakistani military helicopter crashed in Khyber while operating against militants, officials said.



“A brigadier was martyred and two other officers were wounded in firing by militants during the rescue effort,” a senior security official told AFP.



Earlier, an army helicopter crashed in Tirah valley.

Quote:RAWALPINDI: The military on Wednesday comprehensively evaluated the country’s security scenario along with the emerging threats and evolved an effective response in case of any eventuality from the eastern border.



The evaluation was carried out in the 126th Corps Commanders’ Conference which was held at the General Headquarters with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani in the chair.



The Corps Commanders’ Conference was synchronised with the conclusion of the Azm-i-Nau II war game.



The commanders were given a comprehensive briefing on the concluded war games, in which, through a systematic and professional discourse, response to existing as well as emerging threat scenarios was exhaustively evaluated.



The corps commanders expressed their satisfaction at the evolution of a comprehensive and integrated response.