At least 10 people including three security personnel and two policemen while 35 others sustained injuries when a suicide bomber ripped through a check post in Mingora area of Swat on Saturday. A child was also among the victims. At least 20-25 vehicles caught fire after the blast.
According to witnesses, a suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden car into a check post of security forces outside the Circuit House, causing heavy blast. Check post was destroyed and several cars were burnt. Curfew was imposed in Mingora after the incident. The injured were shifted to Saidu Sharif hospital in which situation of 4 of the victims stated to be critical.
According to bomb disposal squad, 14 kg explosive material was used in the blast. Interior Minister Rehman Malik condemned the blast and asked IG NWFP to submit the report of the incident

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan News: Interior Minister Rehman Malik has welcomed the Indian Home Minister’s statement with regard to dialogues with Pakistan would also include Kashmir issue.

According to the details, Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram assured that the confidence-building measures on Kashmir will be taken up in the Indo-Pakistan foreign secretaries meeting, to be held on February 25.

KARACHI, Pakistan News: The funeral prayers of the martyrs of Karachi suicide attack will be offered at Nishtar Park on Tuesday as the metropolis wears a deserted look a day after the attack on a mourning procession on Youm-e-Ashur.

According to reports the death toll in the suicide blast has risen to 40, as Federal Minister of Interior Rehman Malik has constituted a joint investigation team for the Karachi bombing probe.

Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah has also announced the day of mourning today as public holiday has been declared in the province.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik in a statement said that arson incidents after the bombing indicate a planned conspiracy hatched by the enemies of the country and democracy. He appealed to the citizens to observe restraint.

KARACHI, Pakistan News: A delegation of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) met with President Asif Ali Zardari here at Bilawal House.

The MQM delegation comprised of Deputy Conveyer MQM Dr. Farooq Sattar, Governor Sindh Dr. Ishratul Ibad, Provincial IT Minister Raza Haroon, Adil Siddique,Wasim Aftab, Health Minister Dr.Saghir, Sardar Ahmad and City Nazim Mustafa Kamal while Interior Minister Rehman Malik assisted President Zardari.

Federal Ministers Farooq Sattar and Rehman Malik talked to media after the meeting. Farooq Sattar said MQM expressed solidarity with President Zardari on the death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto and praised her services for the country. The decision about local bodies system will be taken in upcoming meetings, he added.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik said corruption will be rooted out from the country and decision on local bodies system will be taken according to nation wishes. He said an internal meeting of PPP and MQM will be held in this connection and PPP and MQM will continue work together to strengthen democracy.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan News: Supreme Court of Pakistan issued Thursday a contempt of court notice to Minister for Interior Rehman Malik on transferring DG FIA against court’s will and asked him to file his response by December 24.

The apex court bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has also ordered the minister to present himself before the bench on December 24.

The bench expressed its anger over transfer of Director General Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Tariq Khosa and termed the act an interference in court’s affairs.

CJ ordered the Acting Attorney General Shah Khawar to re-transfer Khosa as DG FIA immediately and also rejected the Federation’s request of awarding at least a day for implementing the order.

Chief Justice in his remarks ordered the government “to do today whatever it wants” in complying with the court’s orders, saying that if the government failed to obey the court will take action against the Interior Minister.

The bench also canceled a notification issued by the Interior Ministry of formation of investigation team to probe into Steel Mill corruption case.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan News: Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Saturday appreciated Allama Tahirul Qadri for issuing fatwa against suicide attacks and termed it a welcome step.

In a statement issued here, Malik said that the edict issued by Dr. Tahirul Qadri against the suicide attacks is positive development.

He also called upon all Ulema that they should issue a joint edict of ousting the terrorists from the sphere of Islam.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan News: The government has issued list of 8041 persons who benefited from NRO including 34 politicians. The list includes President Asif Zardari, Begum Nusrat Bhutto, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, MQM Chief Altaf Hussain, Farooq Sattar, Federal Minister Babar Ghauri, Jahangir Badar, Ambassador Hussain Haqqani and Wajid Shams-ul-Hassan. The top beneficiary of NRO is Altaf Hussain whose 72 cases including 31 murder cases were dismissed.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Minister of State for Law Afzal Sindhu revealed that total number of NRO beneficiaries were 8041 including 7793 persons from Sindh only. Sindhu told that Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and his wife’s names were not in the list as the court had dismissed PM’s cases upon finding him not guilty; whereas, his wife had made an agreement in the court. The minister of state told that President Asif Zardari, Nusrat Bhutto, Rehman Malik, Jahangir Badar, Ahmad Mukhtar, Altaf Hussain, Farooq Sattar, Babar Ghauri, Governor Sindh Ishrat ul Ibad, Shoaib Bukhari, Kanwar Khalid Younus, Salim Shahzad, Imran Farooq, three ambassadors Waseem Akhtar, Wajid Shams ul Hassan and Hussain Haqqani, A.R. Siddiqui, former chief secretary Punjab Javed Qureshi, Anwar Saifullah, Siraj Durrani, Mushtaq Awan, Gul Sher, Haji Nawaz Khokhar, Rana Nazir Khan, Waliur Rehman, Yousuf Talpur, Slaman Farooqi, Usman Farooqi, Peer Mukaram, Tariq Anis, Haji Kabir, Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali, Chaudhry Shaukat Ali, Mian Rasheed, Mian Tariq Mehmood, Sardar Maqsood Laghari, Brig. (Retd) Imtiaz, Brig. (Retd) Aslam Hayat, Safdar Baqri, Saeed Mehdi, Noman Saigol and Mir Baz Khetran are included in the list.

Sindhu said that the top beneficiary of NRO was Altaf Hussain with 72 cases including 31 cases of murder and 11 cases of attempt of murder. He told that term of NRO was ending on November 28 and all the cases would be reopened automatically. However, President Zardari’s cases could not be reopened until he was in Presidency. Sindhu said if the court gives verdict against a person the government would not support him. The minister of state maintained that cases filed against PPP leaders in Nawaz Sharif’s tenure were result of political vendetta. He said verdict of only one corruption case was announced in 10 years and 3 judges had to resign after that.

National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) was issued by the former president of Pakistan General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf on October 5, 2007. It granted amnesty to politicians, political workers and bureaucrats who were accused of corruption, embezzlement, money-laundering, murder and terrorism between 1st January 1986 and October 12th 1999, the time between two Martial Laws.

The NRO states: “Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in sub-section(1), the Federal Government or a Provincial Government may, before the judgment is pronounced by a trial court, withdraw from the prosecution of any person including an absconding accused who is found to be falsely involved for political reasons or through political victimization in any case initiated between 1st day of January, 1986 to 12th day of October, 1999 and upon such withdrawal clause (a) and clause (b) of sub-section (1) shall apply.”

The current Chief Justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, suspended this ordinance on October 12, 2007. But he was soon dismissed after Musharraf abrogated the constitution on November 3, 2007. The new Chief Justice, Abdul Hameed Dogar revived the NRO on February 27, 2008.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Interior Minister Rehman Malik claims he will resign from the office if presence of Blackwater is proven in Pakistan. Malik said that Afghan Refugee Camps have become hub of terrorism.

Malik maintained that shifting Dr. Afia from Afghanistan was a violation of international laws. Giving statement in Senate’s Standing Committee Malik said that Afghan refugees wouldn’t be given more relaxation to return. “We will send back 1million illegal Afghan immigrants at every cost,” Malik added. He told that a plan regarding Afghan refugees’ return would be handed over to United Nations soon.

That it was correct no organization by the name of Blackwater was present in Pakistan as it had been renamed as Xe Wild which in real is Blackwater. He revealed that many other organizations were operating in Pakistan. Gul claimed that current government had made agreements like Musharraf regime. He said that the government was following the footsteps of Musharraf. “Musharraf also used to say that Pakistan is carrying out drone attacks but later he himself confessed US carried out these attacks,” he added.

Islamabad, Pakistan:- A Motorway Police (MP) official was martyred in a suicide attack near Lillah Motorway Interchange while the MP arrested a terrorist.

According to the officials a suicide attacker in a Suzuki Alto blew himself up when the MP stopped him for checking. The car used in blast had appeared on Motorway at 7:12pm from Peshawar Interchange yesterday. Interior Minister Rehman Malik has strongly condemned the incident. The official who was martyred in the attack is named Shah Iran. The accused arrested is aged some 25 years. The officials said they had intelligence information about the car, adding that it was to be used for carrying out terrorism activity in Lahore. Federal Minister for Transportation announced compensation of Rs 2 million while IG Motorway of Rs 0.6 million for the relatives of martyred official. IG Waseem Ahmad told that two terrorists were riding in the car and one of them blew him up while the other was arrested. RPO Rawalpindi Aslam Tareen maintained that there was only one terrorist who had been arrested and was being interrogated.

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik expressed fear that terrorists could carry out more attacks in the country.

Talking to media after visiting the yesterday’s blast victims in PIMS hospital, Malik said the person appeared before the media on Monday as Hakimullah Mehsud seems to be his brother. He said action against specific targets of Mehsud group of Taliban is underway and it will be expand if needed. Taliban leadership has been eliminated.

Interior minister said Taliban leadership in Swat meeting had decided to carry out attacks after eid whereas terrorists in Waziristan also vowed to take revenge of Baitullah Mehsud killing. Therefore, terrorists could carry out more attacks countrywide.

Rehman Malik said no on allowed to challenge government’s writ and warned the terrorists to leave the country or otherwise get ready to face the consequences.