<b>A woman has been raped in the complex containing the mausoleum of Pakistan's founder in Karachi city, police say.</b>
The victim, who has not been identified, went missing two days ago on a visit to the mausoleum of Pakistan's founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
She was visiting the city with her husband from the central province of Punjab, police say.
<b>Karachi, Pakistan's only port and its largest city, has a high rate of crime, including kidnappings and rape.</b>
"The rape took place in a room in the museum within the mausoleum compound," Superintendent of Police, Niaz Khoso, told the BBC.
"After she recorded her statement, we searched the premises."
"We found pieces of her clothing, bits of hair and other pieces of evidence," he said.
The woman recorded her statement with the police after a medical examination at a local hospital.
According to her statement and that of her husband and family members, she arrived in Karachi from the central Pakistani town of Lodhran three days ago.
<b>The newly-wed 19-year-old victim said she was kidnapped at gunpoint by two men from the gate of the mausoleum on 15 March.</b>
She told police she was drugged and then raped by her kidnappers and other men who later joined them.
In the meantime, her family reported her as missing to the local police.
On 17 March, the victim was found in a drugged state by paramilitary personnel on guard duty at the mausoleum.
She was handed over to the police, who got in touch with her family.
ISLAMABAD, March 18 (Xinhua) -- <b>A French-made Mirage fighter plane of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) crashed</b> in eastern Punjab province on Tuesday, but the pilot ejected safely, according to a statement.
<b>The PAF statement said the PAF fighter aircraft crashed 22 kilometers west of Rajan Pur district in Punjab on a routine operational training mission.</b>The pilot of the plane ejected safely and no loss of civilian life or property has been reported on ground.
<b>RAWALPINDI, March 20 : The federal government is reported to have directed law-enforcement agencies to further strengthen security following intelligence reports that eight to 10 teenage suicide bombers have been sent from South Waziristan to target sensitive installations and security forces in Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Lahore, Kohat and Multan.
âThe suicide bombers, sent by a Taliban leader, may crash an explosive-laden vehicle, either car or motorcycle, into their targets,â the intelligence report said.</b>
The federal government in directive said the suicide bombers could try to target Western diplomats, stock exchanges in Lahore and Islamabad, police rest-houses and clubs, Jamia Al-Muntazir of Model Town, Lahore, CSD stores, cinemas in Rawalpindi Cantt, Chaklala Airbase, Naval Headquarters in Islamabad and army welfare shops in Multan, Lahore and Kohat Cantonment.
Security agencies have already been put on high alert across the country to foil any subversive activity.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->HYDERABAD, March 20 : A noted scientist has said that due to an unjust distribution of water, a very dangerous situation had developed in Sindh as the quality of water of Indus River was deteriorating with each passing day.
University of Sindhâs Natural Sciences faculty director Dr Mohammad Yar Khuhawar said that only 10 per cent water was being released in the sea as a result of which the sea water is eroding rich agricultural land and the quality of underground water is also deteriorating.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<b>KHAR: Pro-Taliban militants attacked checkposts manned by Bajaur Scouts and Bajaur Levies late on Friday, official sources told Daily Times on Saturday. </b>
Heavy weapons were used from both sides when the security forces retaliated, they said. The checkposts are located in Rehmanabad, Sadiqabad and Shende Mor.
âThe crossfire lasted for an hour, but no loss of life was reported from either side,â a source said. âThe security forces returned the fire using heavy weapons, including mortar guns,â a resident said.
<b>Three checkposts of Khasadar force and a girlsâ school were bombed in Darra Adam Khel on Friday. No loss of life was reported.</b>
Sources said unidentified men had planted bombs at checkposts No 4 near Germany Kalay and checkposts No 7 and No 8 on Indus Highway. A bomb damaged the building of Pirwal Akhorwal Government Girls High School. The school was closed on Friday.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Makhdoom <b>Syed</b> Yousaf Raza Gillani is the new Prime Minister-designate of Pakistan.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Belongs to muslim upper-caste family since he is an Syed.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Family and education</b>
Makhdoom Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani belongs to an influential and <b>spiritual</b> (Read Jehadi) family of Multan, born on June 9, 1952 in Karachi, Pakistan. His father was a descendant of Syed Musa Pak, a leading spiritual figure of Multan who had hailed from the Iranian province of Gilan. One of Gillani's maternal aunt is the wife of Pir Pagara.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Will have to see what his 'spiritual' background means to the future of pakisatan as an nation state since it is facing an existential crisis of enormous proposition due to the jehadi war on its's soil.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Political career</b>
Yousuf Raza Gillani <b>began his political journey from the platform of Pakistan Muslim League</b> during General Zia-ul-Haq's martial law in 1978.
....
After a short stint with the Muslim League, <b>Gillani become part of the Pakistan Peoples Party</b> in 1988 and has since remained PPP's loyal and steadfast supporter.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
This means he has served in both the main political parties of pakiland.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Jail</b>
Yousaf Raza Gillani was arrested on 11 February 2001 under the auspices of National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the government's anti-corruption agency set up by the military government in 1999, over charges of the misuse of his authority while he was Speaker of the National Assembly. <b>Specifically, he was accused of hiring up to 600 people from his constituency on government payroll. NAB claimed that Gillani inflicted a loss of Rs 30 million annually</b> on the national exchequer. He was convicted by an anti-corruption court formed by President Pervez Musharraf and spent nearly six years in prison.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Mr.10 percent has some competiton now from Mr.30 million.
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Gillani's maternal aunt is the wife of <b>Pir Pagara</b>.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
This is very important.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Iranian province of Gilan<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
It means he is Shia.
It means popcorn times. Let me predict life of this adminstration before another coup.
8 month - 13 months.
<b>This clears up matter on the Logewala battle as it comes from an paki source. Sometime back an article from the Commie run Hindustan Times attacked the army version of the Battle at Longewala. Now commies will have to run for cover after confirmation that the army version was indeed true and the commie lies have been exposed.</b>
<b>Former Pakistan Brigadier spills the beans on 1971 war</b> Link
<i>Paki tanks not supported by Paki Air Force at Longewala; Pakistani Army trained Mizo insurgents in East Pakistan; Unsuccessful coup attempt made to overthrow Paki President Yahya Khan.</i>
New Delhi: The Indian Air Force battered Pakistani tanks in their already-botched ground offensive at Longewala in the 1971 war, primarily because they were not supported by their own Air Force despite urgent pleadings.
- The Pakistani Army helped and trained Mizo insurgents in East Pakistan led by Laldenga.
- An unsuccessful coup attempt was made to overthrow President Yahya Khan, who handed over power to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto soon thereafter.
These are some snapshots from a book authored by a former Pakistani Brigadier, who himself arrested Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from his Dhanmondi residence in Dhaka on March 25, 1971.
The book also delves into graphic details of the situation prevailing in the then East Pakistan, which finally led to the surrender of the Pakistan Army to the Indians in 1971.
The Way It Was â Inside the Pakistan Army by Brig. (Retd.) Zahir Alam Khan has been dubbed by its Indian publisher âNatrajâ as âthe first honest and no-holds-barred autobiography of a soldier in the Pakistan Army.â
Brig. Khan, a trained commando, himself led the forces into Longewala, an operation which was meticulously planned.
Under âOperation Labbaikâ as it was called, the Pakistani forces started from Reti and entered India from the Tanot area.
They were to have taken over Longewala, Ramgarh and Ghotaru and then proceed to capture Jaisalmer.
âIAF had a field dayâ
However, the author said, that as there was no support to the Pakistani troops from their own Air Force, the Indian Air Force âHawker Huntersâ had a field day bombing Pakistani tank formations as these were rendered sitting ducks.
âThe IAF, which appeared a little after 7oâclock, flying without any opposition from the Pakistan Air Force, had four Hawker Hunters ... Anything that moved was immediately attacked, otherwise the Hunters circled for their endurance and before returning to their base, attacked the tanks that had been located.â
<b>Jammed guns</b>
Countering commentators on the battle who claimed that the 22 Cavalry did not use its anti-aircraft machine guns, Brig. Khan said these had got jammed by the desert sand and five tank commanders were killed trying to cock the jammed machine guns with their feet.
On the Mizo insurgency, Brig. Khan said, âThey were being supplied food by the Government of Pakistan just across the border from Assam.â
The Mizos were led by âPresident of Mizoram, Laldengaâ whose âgovernmentâ consisted of various ministers and commander-in-chief of the army.
âOne of them [who] identified himself as Paulian, the Foreign Minister of Mizoram,â met Brig. Khan and informed him that there were about 2,000 men and 3,000 non-combatant civilians living in the Pakistani territory and these food supplies had stopped.
He said that during discussions with his seniors âI recommended that we allow them to come to Rangamati [in East Pakistan], supply them with food and then use them to clear the [Chittagong] Hill Tracts.â
This suggestion was accepted by General Tikka Khan, who headed the Pakistan Army in East Pakistan then.
âI returned to Chittagong and informed Paulian that the Mizos could start coming to Rangamati, we would supply food for their army and the non-combatants, they would have to place their army under my command. Paulian was satisfied and left immediately to inform his government.â
<b>Coup bid foiled</b>
Regarding the coup attempt against Yahya Khan, the former Brigadier said that several top Army officers had âdrafted a letter asking President Yahya to resign and hand over power or else 6 Armoured Division would march on Rawalpindi and enforce his removal.â
âMajor General M.I. Karim, the then GOC, was asked to sign the letter and [he] did so. Col. Javed Iqbal and Col. Alim Afridi flew to Rawalpindi and delivered the letter to the CGS [Chief of General Staff] who conveyed the contents to President Yahya.â
Following this, pro-Yahya sections in the Army decided to airdrop commandos on the division headquarters with plans to seize it. Thus, the coup attempt was foiled.
Eight years after the 1971 war, the author spent some time with the former Army Chief, Gen. Abdul Hamid Khan, in Lahore and had a private conversation.
âI asked him why, after announcing on the 16th [December] that the war in West Pakistan would continue, a ceasefire was announced two days later. <b>His answer was that the Pakistani generals were not obeying orders.â</b> <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<b>Internal politics</b>
Besides operational details, the former Pakistani Army officer provides insight into the internal politics in the force, the overzealousness as also cowardice shown by certain officers, some of whom later rose to very senior positions in the Pakistan Army echelons.
As there was a delay in launching an operation during the 1971 war, a Pakistani officer himself drove a rail rake carrying tanks at a high speed causing a major accident. <!--emo&:roll--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ROTFL.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='ROTFL.gif' /><!--endemo-->
The author also spoke of one officer who used to jump into the trenches even before bombing would begin. <!--emo&:roll--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ROTFL.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='ROTFL.gif' /><!--endemo-->
The officer had also got trenches dug up outside his office for no reason, Brig. Khan said, and added that the officer later rose high in the military hierarchy. <!--emo&:roll--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ROTFL.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='ROTFL.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<b>Watch out for Munich, 1972</b>
B Raman
<i>After the detention of two terrorists with Pakistani links on March 7 for trying to blow up a plane, China should take a fresh look at its airport security. For all Beijing knows, Al Qaeda could be planning a repeat of the massacre during the Munich Games of 1972</i>
<b>New Pakistani PM to free judges</b>
Story Highlights
<i>NEW: Pakistan's chief justice makes first public appearances in four months
NEW: Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry one of many judges arrested by president
New prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani vows to release all judges
The 55-year-old former aide to slain Benazir Bhutto won by 264 votes to 42</i>
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