Category Archives: Pakistan
Terror camps in Pakistan behind violence, attacks in Xinjiang: China
Beijing: China on Monday blamed ‘extremists’ trained in terror camps in Pakistan for orchestrating attacks on civilians in the troubled Xinjiang province, where 25 people, including alleged militants, were killed in violent incidents over two days.
While nine people were killed in a violent attack on Saturday, another 11, including five suspected militants, were killed in another attack last night.
A statement by the Kashgar municipal government said militants trained by the ‘East Turkistan Islamic Movement’ in Pakistan were responsible for the recent flare up in violence.
“A group of religious extremists led by culprits trained in overseas terrorist camps were behind the weekend attack on civilians in China’s far-western Xinjiang,” state run Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying.
“Initial probe has shown that the heads of the group had learned skills of making explosives and firearms in overseas camps of the terrorist group East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) in Pakistan before entering Xinjiang to organise terrorist activities,” it said.
The Xinjiang region witnessed massive riots in 2009, when almost 200 people were killed in its capital Urumqi, following which China launched a major crackdown against Uyghur Muslim separatists.
On July 18 this year, 14 “rioters” were killed when they reportedly attacked a police station and killed four people in the province’s Hotan city.
This is perhaps the first time that China has pointed fingers at its close ally Pakistan while referring to ETIM camps there. Xinjiang shares its borders with Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) and a lot of trade between China and Pakistan is routed through Kashghar as it is located close to the border.
There was panic in Kashgar city after militants attacked a restaurant last evening before setting it on fire.
The incident left six civilians and five militants dead. The attack came after nine people were killed in another incident on Saturday.
While five ‘suspects’ were shot dead by police last night, four others were caught. Fifteen persons, including three policemen, were injured in the attack, Xinhua reported.
The regional publicity department said in a statement that a “group of armed terrorists” broke into a restaurant in the city centre in Kashghar about 4 pm yesterday and killed the restaurant owner and a waiter besides setting fire it.
“They then ran out and hacked civilians indiscriminately, leaving four dead and 12 injured, while police and fire fighters were striving to put out the fire,” it said.
Terming it a “premeditated terrorist attack”, it said police opened fire and killed four suspects at the scene, while another suspect died later in hospital.
The area was cordoned off and traffic restrictions were imposed on major roads and squares.
Many people were seen fleeing in horror from the downtown area as police cars, fire engines and ambulances whizzed by to tackle the second violent incident within a day.
The attacks resembled the 2009 riots and following up incidents in which Uyghurs had attacked Chinese Han settlers in Urumqi in what police called “a severely violent terrorism case” organised and premeditated by terrorist groups.
A crackdown ensued by security forces on ETIM, which China accuses of fomenting trouble in the region, besides Uyghur leader Rebiya Kadeer, who lives in US in exile.
Yesterday’s attacks were also reportedly directed against Han settlers, and the attacks left the mainland Chinese scared to do business in the province.
Pakistani Army officer beats helpless music director
ISLAMABAD: A serving Army officer allegedly beat black and blue an award-winning music director, Sohail Javed, on Wednesday night in Lahore Cantt after a row which started after the officer’s son hit the car driven by Sohail’s wife with his bike.
While Colonel Nadeem thrashed Sohail, the officer’s wife allegedly beat Sohail’s wife. Sohail has recently shifted from Karachi to Lahore and resides in Askari 10, a garrison housing society that affluent people generally prefer to live in considering it a better place on security grounds.
Incidentally, while he was brutalised by an Army officer, he was also denied justice from the housing society administrator and then the police. “I am a serving officer and I will not spare you now or in the days to come and when ever and where ever I will see your family I will beat the hell out of you guys if need to be I will make sure you don’t live in Askari 10 in peace”, Col Nadeem roared as he beat Sohail in the office of Askari 10’s administrator. The administration officer, Major (retd) Ameer Bahadar didn’t intervene as Sohail and family was being beaten in the office. Instead he later told the family to report FIR and he couldn’t be any help as there is a serving officer involved. Askari 10’s administer, Maj (R) Ameer Bahadar, refused to talk with The News when contacted for his version. “It was dispute between the two parties. You go and talk with them, not me,” he said.
The North Cantt Police Station didn’t register the FIR either, telling the family that the police can’t afford creating mess with the army officer. Sohail who spoke to The News on this issue, has mentioned all these details in an application now sent to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, and the copies have also been sent to the chief of the army staff, Punjab chief minister and DG Housing GHQ.
Sohail, who survived cancer and have already gone through two major chest surgeries, said that Colonel Nadeem didn’t listen to them and instead kept saying “how dare you touch my son. I am serving officer and I will not spare you now or in the days to come and when ever and where ever I will see your family I will beat the hell out of you guys if need to be I will make sure you don’t live in Askari 10 in peace”. This clearly shows that “the colonel knows that he is above the law.”
The first thrashing incident occurred around 9pm Wednesday when Sohail’s wife, Asma, and son were heading to the Askari Market for buying grocery. “Three boys improperly riding a motorcycle came and intentionally hit the car from behind and broke the back light of our car causing minor dents,” said the application. As Asma reprimanded the hitters for being careless, they hurled abuses at her, provoking her 15-year son to come for the mother’s rescue.
The boy driving the bike threatened with serious consequences as, according to Sohail, the guy said: “his dad is a colonel and he will fix my wife and her family.” “Once the things started getting out of hand my wife called me to the scene,” Sohail explains. “On reaching there I saw my wife and son surrounded by a mob and I could see them in trouble, I pushed a few boys away and secured my family, in that process I slapped a boy,” Sohail explains.
“Colonel Nadeem’s wife showed up at the scene later on and yet again the scene got wild as the lady did not try to diffuse the situation,” he further notes in the complaint sent to the Chief Justice of Pakistan.
All this while, Sohail narrates, I kept requesting that I need to just speak to Colonel Nadeem whose son was riding the bike and no one else but nobody gave his information.
As Sohail and family returned home, the colonel’s son allegedly came to Sohail’s house along with friends delivering threats of dire consequences. “A few hours later another party came to our house in three cars with people appearing to be gundas and gave threats and abused along with army officers and the families of the boys who were riding the bike.” “I was slapped repeatedly in front of my house,” Sohail explains, adding that “this also amounts as infringement or our liberty, me and my family could not move or get out of the house”.
“Once the complaint was sent to the Askari admin office we were asked to meet the security admin at the Askari 10’s administration officer Mr Major Ameer’s office at 9am, July 28, 2011 to resolve the matter and come to a peaceful conclusion.”
“On July 28, 2011 at 9 am when we went to the Askari admin office the above mentioned major was not present at the scene and the above mentioned colonel with a group of 20 people including his wife was present at the scene and assaulted me and my wife as soon as they saw us and started kicking and beating us and dragged us on the road and kept abusing us in most foul words.”
Major Ameer after the incident came over to my house, Sohail goes on, and asked me to come with him to the spot where the car accident happened and see if there was any security camera footage available, as no camera were mounted in that direction no footage or evidence could be found.
“I am a survivor of cancer and have gone through two major chest surgeries hence any kind of pushing around or rough handling is a serious danger to my health. My wife and I tried to explain this to the colonel and that we only want to talk it out so this is over. But he did not listen to us and kept saying how dare you touch the son of Colonel Nadeem I am serving officer and I will not spare you now or in the days to come.”
“In order to save myself and my wife I had to run to the other office of Major Ameer and requested him to help us. In return we were told Askari admin cannot do any thing about this incident and we should report our issue to the police and take it up with them.”
“Before we could report a complaint, strangely a complaint was filed against us, alleging the injuries those boys got were because of us, which is completely untrue,” he writes in the application sent to the chief justice.
After an entire day of waiting and going through the proper channel of reporting a complaint and medical check up “we were told that our FIR cannot be reported, no action will be taken on our complaint as “they cannot mess with an army colonel and I am not hurt enough and no blood or broken bone to take this case any further.”
“Dear Sir we here by request that this matter should be taken up most urgently with a proper investigation further. How can honourable army officials who are also known as the defenders or our nation can beat and humiliate civilians and their families.”
“It is therefore respectfully prayed that for grievances of the applicant and appropriate action may kindly be ordered and the culprit may kindly be penalized with in accordance with law that is under the Pakistan penal courts and relevant law there too, it is further prayed that the security to the life and liberty of our family may kindly be insured by the local police,” said the application.
Source
http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=7742&Cat=13&dt=7/29/2011
Anthony Permal on being a Pakistani Christian
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By Anthony Permal
