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Bosnia facing worst crisis in 15 years- envoy

2011-05-10T12:44:00.000+05:00

A Muslim woman says a prayer in front of a monument with the names of 1,226 victims killed in the summer of 1992 at the beginning of the Bosnian war. – Reuters Photo

UNITED NATIONS: Ethnically divided Bosnia is facing its most serious crisis since it was established as a state 15 years ago, its international envoy warned on Monday, accusing Serb officials of threatening its viability.
Bosnia in the 1990s suffered Europe’s worst conflict since World War Two. The country remains divided between former wartime adversaries living in two autonomous regions — a separatist Serb Republic and a Muslim-Croat federation.
That situation resulted from the 1995 Dayton peace accord that ended the Bosnian war. Rivalry between the two regions has blocked reforms and progress towards European integration.
In a regular report to the UN Security Council, Austrian diplomat Valentin Inzko accused Serb authorities of “concrete actions which represent the most serious violation of (Dayton) that we have seen since the agreement was signed.”
In the latest challenge to central authority in Bosnia, the regional Serb parliament last month backed plans for a referendum on the legality of Bosnia’s national court, which prosecutes war crimes suspects, saying it is biased against Serbians.
The referendum, expected in mid-June, would also pronounce on the authority of Inzko, who as the international “high representative” for the Balkan state has the power to overturn laws and fire officials.
Inzko demanded that the Serb Republic authorities drop the referendum plan in the coming days. “Should this not happen …
I will have no choice but to repeal the … referendum decision,” he said.
In an unusually hard-hitting speech, the normally low-key Inzko said the international community faced “the most serious and most direct challenges to (Dayton) since it was signed over 15 years ago.” Bosnia’s bid to join the European Union and Nato had “come to a complete halt.”
The Serb Republic, and especially its president Milorad Dodik, “have continued openly to question the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Bosnia,” Inzko said.
Seven months after general elections, formation of a state government had become “almost impossible,” political parties “have continued to play zero-sum politics” and the situation looked set to continue for the time being, he added.
The divided Security Council took no immediate action on Inzko’s report. Western nations said they would back Inzko in any action he took.
US envoy Rosemary DiCarlo said, without elaborating, that Washington was “in the process of considering our own measures in support of Dayton and Bosnian state institutions, should they become necessary.”
But Ambassador Vitaly Churkin of Russia, which strongly backs the Serbs, criticized Inzko’s speech as “emotional.” He said the referendum did not directly violate Dayton, and that the political crisis in Bosnia was caused by the Muslims and by Inzko, who he said had made “arbitrary use” of his powers.

Bin Laden had Pakistan ‘complicity’: Key US senator

2011-05-10T12:42:00.000+05:00

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney answers a question during a press briefing at the White House in Washington on May 9, 2011. the US said that it would not “apologize” for launching a raid to kill al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden on Pakistani soil, after the Islamabad government complained about US “unilateralism.” Carney said Washington took Pakistani complaints seriously but added: “we also do not apologize for the action that this president took.” Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani earlier complained about the US raid on Abbottabad last week which killed bin Laden, after the Pakistani government was not informed in advance. — AFP PHOTO

WASHINGTON: US Senate Intelligence Committee chairwoman Dianne Feinstein charged Monday that slain al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden could not have lived as he did in Pakistan without some official complicity. “I just don’t believe it was done without some form of complicity,” Feinstein told reporters as she delivered a stark and scathing warning to the troubled US ally to do more to battle extremists or risk souring ties.
“I think either we’re going to be allies in fighting terror, or the relationship makes less and less sense to me,” said the senator, who indicated she foresaw cuts in billions in US aid absent a course correction in Islamabad.
While some US lawmakers have called for stepping up help to Pakistan, “I feel a little differently,” said Feinstein who complained that “we provide funds, we try to help the government wherever we can” and get little in return.
“It’s becoming increasingly problematic,” she said. “I thoroughly agree with the administration’s request that Pakistan take a good look at what the support services were for bin Laden.” Feinstein said it was “incomprehensible” that bin Laden could live unperturbed for six years in “a military community” in Pakistan before the May 2 raid in which elite US commandos shot dead the elusive al Qaeda leader.
While Pakistan has denied knowingly allowing the world’s most hunted man to live in relative luxury, “I just don’t believe it,” said Feinstein, who stressed “that level of complicity is really a problem.” Feinstein charged that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) have been “essentially favoring the Haqqani network, which attacks our troops in Afghanistan,” while denying US forces access to their bases in remote North Waziristan.
“You have them not turning over both the inspirational head and the operational head of LeT, following the Mumbai bombing, to India,” she said, referring Lashkar-e-Taiba.
“Now you have this,” she said, referring to bin Laden.

CIA won’t withdraw spy chief in Pakistan: officials

2011-05-10T12:38:00.000+05:00

“The current CIA station chief is a true pro, someone who knows how to work well with foreign partners and is looking to strengthen cooperation with Pakistani intelligence,” one of the US officials said. – File Photo

WASHINGTON: The Central Intelligence Agency has no intention of bringing home its chief operative in Pakistan despite an apparent attempt by the Pakistani media to unmask his identity, US officials said on Monday.
While the Pakistani media reports apparently were inaccurate, US officials said they believe the leak was a calculated attempt to divert attention from American demands for explanations of how Osama bin Laden could have hidden for years near Pakistan’s principal military academy.
US special forces killed bin Laden a week ago.
American officials suspect the attempted outing of the CIA station chief in Islamabad — the second incident of its kind in six months — was the work of someone in the Pakistani government, possibly Pakistan’s principal spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence directorate (ISI).
The tense relationship between the CIA and the ISI has deteriorated further with the revelation that bin Laden lived for five years in Abbottabad, close to Pakistan’s capital.
The Obama administration has demanded access to ISI operatives and to bin Laden’s wives, who are in Pakistani custody, to try to map out the al Qaeda leader’s support network.
A private Pakistani TV network and a newspaper published what they said was the real name of the top CIA representative in Islamabad.
Two US officials familiar with dealings between Washington and Islamabad indicated that the name the TV channel aired was wrong, and that the real station chief would remain at his post.
“The current CIA station chief is a true pro, someone who knows how to work well with foreign partners and is looking to strengthen cooperation with Pakistani intelligence,” one of the US officials said.
This week’s incident follows a similar, more damaging leak to the Pakistani media in December.
In that incident, the man then serving as the CIA’s station chief in Islamabad left the country after his name appeared in local media accusing him of complicity in missile attacks in which civilians were killed.
US officials said they believed the exposure of the station chief was deliberate retaliation by elements of ISI who were upset that their agency and some of its officers had been named as defendants in a lawsuit filed in the US courts.
It was filed by the families of Americans killed by Pakistani militants in attacks on a Jewish center and other civilian targets in Mumbai, India in November 2008.
Allegations about ISI’s alleged relationship with the Lashkar e Taiba, a Pakistan-based group accused of carrying out the Mumbai attack, are expected to be aired at the trial in Chicago this month of a businessman accused by US authorities of involvement with the militant group.
The new attempt to disclose the CIA officer’s identity is a fresh blow to Pakistani-US relations, which were strained close to breaking point even before the raid last Monday in which US Navy SEAL commandos secretly flew across Pakistani territory, attacked his Abbotabad hide-out, killed the al Qaeda leader, and spirited away his body for burial at sea. – Reuters

Floods along mighty Mississippi swamp farms, homes

2011-05-10T12:37:00.000+05:00

A home sits surrounded by floodwater May 9, 2011 in Memphis, Tennessee. - Photo by AFP

MEMPHIS: The worst floods to hit the central United States in more than 80 years swallowed up homes, farms and roadways Monday, as the mighty Mississippi River swelled to six times its normal width.
Officials patrolled stressed levees in waterlogged Memphis, Tennessee where the Mississippi – normally about half a mile across – is currently about three miles (4.8 kilometers) wide.
Daryl Hissong and his three-year-old son were among thousands of people forced from their homes by the muddy waters of record spring flooding.
They packed up on Sunday and by Monday morning there was five feet (almost two meters) of water inside his home in Millington, Tennessee, a suburb of Memphis.
“They said it’ll probably be a month before all of this goes down,” Hissong told AFP as he looked at the flood which had swept up to the rooftops of neighboring trailer homes.
Levees and natural bluffs have protected most of Memphis from serious flooding, but those living in the affluent neighborhood of Mud Island were struggling to keep the waters at bay.
The floodwaters already have engulfed homes along the shoreline and on Monday broke through a sandbag barrier set up around a condominium on the other side of the road.
“We’re staying and riding it out, I guess,” resident Dawn Watkins said as workers reinforced the sandbags. “I didn’t have any water until just a few minutes ago.” The US Army Corps of Engineers has deployed about 150 people to patrol the city’s levees day and night to check for potential problems.
“We’re very confident that the levee system is up to the test,” spokesman Jim Pogue said.
Portions of the Mississippi were closed to shipping and the US Coast Guard opened flood gates outside of New Orleans to help protect the low-lying city as a flood wave makes its way slowly down to the Gulf of Mexico.
“We’re looking at some pretty substantial flooding all the way from Memphis to Louisiana,” said Tom Bradshaw, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Heavy rains last month filled rivers and creeks already swollen from the melting of a thick winter snow pack, which are backing up because the Mississippi is so swollen.
It’s the biggest flood in the Mississippi Valley since 1937 and the river is rising above those records in some areas, Bradshaw said.
“What’s helping us is that we have a lot of levees we didn’t have back in 1937 and they’re able to control the water a lot better so you don’t see the massive displacement of folks and literally washing away of towns that you did in the old days,” Bradshaw said.
But it will still take weeks for the river levels to return to normal and there are plenty of homes which could be lost, particularly in the low-lying Mississippi Delta.
Martin Moss, who lives near Horn Lake, Mississippi said the potential flooding was hard to take after three weeks of tornado warnings and severe thunderstorms which blasted the area last month.
“I could use a break from all this,” said Moss as he packed up his irreplaceable possessions and stored them in his attic.
And then there’s the second flood – tourists, gawkers, and amateur photographers whose cars glutted Downtown Memphis streets.
“I can understand their curiosity, but it was really quite difficult,” said Mary Ann Bodayla, who lives on Mud Island. “Even the mailman had difficulty because there were so many cars.” Meanwhile, Governor Steve Beshear of Kentucky said Monday most of the 3,800 people evacuated from counties along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers may soon be allowed to return home and assess the damage.
In Missouri where waters have also begun to recede, Governor Jay Nixon sought federal assistance for farmers in 56 counties. Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour is seeking federal help for 14 counties while Illinois Governor Pat Quinn is seeking federal funds for 11 counties.

US was prepared for Pakistan clash in bin Laden raid: report

2011-05-10T12:36:00.000+05:00

US President Barack Obama. - File Photo

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama ordered that the team sent to raid Osama bin Laden’s compound be large enough to fight off Pakistani forces should they intervene, the New York Times reported.
Citing unnamed officials, the paper said Obama raised the prospect of a clash 10 days before the May 1 raid, resulting in an extra two fighter helicopters being sent to protect the commandos raiding the compound.
“Some people may have assumed we could talk our way out of a jam, but given our difficult relationship with Pakistan right now, the president did not want to leave anything to chance,” it quoted a senior official as saying.
“He wanted extra forces if they were necessary.” The Times also reported that two teams of specialists were on standby for the mission: one to bury the al Qaeda leader if he were killed, and another made up of lawyers, interrogators and translators in case he was captured.
It said the latter team was likely aboard the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson in the North Arabian Sea.
Bin Laden was buried at sea after he was shot dead in the raid, officials have said.
The latest revelations come at a time of heightened tensions between the two military allies, with Pakistan slamming the US operation and denying what it called “absurd” allegations that it was sheltering the world’s most wanted man.
Islamabad has also vowed to retaliate against any similar operations.
Washington in turn has emphatically refused to say sorry for taking out its enemy Number 1, blamed for masterminding the September 11, 2001 attacks in which almost 3,000 people were killed. – AFP

No one getting Osama bounty: White House

2011-05-10T12:31:00.000+05:00

WASHINGTON: White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said on Monday that no one would receive the federal government's $25 million reward money for finding Osama bin Laden because no one intentionally directed U.S. intelligence officials to the al Qaeda leader.

In a press briefing on Monday, Carney said "as far as I'm aware, no one knowledgeably said, 'Oh, Osama bin Laden's over here in Abbottabad at 5703, you know, Green Avenue.'

Carney said that the reward isn't given if someone "accidentally" provides the necessary information through the intelligence gathering process.

In 2001, the State Department offered a $25 million reward for information about bin Laden's whereabouts. In 2004, then-Sen. Hillary Clinton pushed for the passage of a bill that would allow the Secretary of State - the position she now holds - to authorize as much as $50 million as a prize.

At least one man has already begun angling for the prize money: Gary Brooks Faulkner, a 51-year-old American who was detained last year in Pakistan while setting out on a "lone wolf" mission to hunt down Osama bin Laden.

""I got off my ass. I got the son of a bitch out. He's dead now," Faulkner said in a recent interview with WLS Radio. "Whether it was by my hands or something else...You still realize that we lost total contact after he left Tora Bora. Nobody knew anything. He's in Pakistan, he's in Africa, he's in Somalia...he's everywhere else. People did nothing, absolutely nothing until I came on the scene, and that's a fact."

New York lawmakers have suggested that the money instead go to survivors of 9/11, as well as the families of victims.

Reps. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) and Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) introduced legislation on Sunday proposing to direct the bounty to those directly affected by the attacks.

"If the bounty isn't paid, Osama bin Laden's victims should get it," Weiner said, according to Politico.

The money, Nadler added, "was allocated for 9/11 victims in effect, and this is simply, saying use it more effectively for the purpose that it was set up in the first place."

Names of Osama’s wives released

2011-05-10T12:30:00.000+05:00

WASHINGTON: US officials have released the names of three wives of al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden which were arrested from Abbottabad compound.

According to American television, the three wives who were living with Osama Bin Laden have been identified as Umm-e-Hamza, Umm-e-Khalid and Amal al Saada.

Umm-e-Hamza and Umm-e- Khalid hailed from Saudi while Amal al Saada is Yemeni national. Fourth wife of Osama lived in Syria.

US official said that Pakistan agreed to give access to the US for quizzing Osama’s wives.

Bomb kills two police officers

2011-05-10T12:29:00.002+05:00

PESHAWAR: A bomb attack targeting a court in Nowshera on Tuesday killed two police constables including a female officer and wounded six other people, police said.

"It was a bomb blast. Two police constables including a policewoman were killed and six others were wounded. There are two police officers among the injured," said Qureish Khan, district police chief in Nowshera district.

The attack took place at the main entrance of the district courts in the town of Nowshera, about 35 kilometres (22 miles) east of Peshawar.

The district courts are located close to several military and other government buildings.

The target of the attack was the district courts, Khan said, adding that bomb disposal experts had informed him that a remote-controlled device was planted at the main gate of the district courts.

A doctor in Nowshera's main hospital said they had received two dead bodies and six injured.

Pakistan lose to Britain 2-3 in Azlan Shah hockey

2011-05-09T08:21:00.002+05:00

IPOH, Malaysia: Pakistan after recording two successive victories were beaten by Britain 2-3 in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup men's field hockey here on Sunday.

Britain took the lead when Robert Moore made a goal in the eighth minute but Sohail Abbas leveled the score in the 31st minute before the half-time.

However in the second half, Jonathan Clarke got Britain take lead again netting a goal in the 39th minute and in the 63rd minute he made another goal to strengthen Britain’s position.

Just a minute later, Pakistan reduced the margin as young Abdul Haseem Khan scored goal but then the Green Shirts could not make another goal to equal the score and in the end Britain emerged victorious 3-2.

In another match, Australia were held by India to a 1-1 draw after a hard contest.

For Australia, Jacob Whetton and for India, Rupinderpal Singh made goals as both teams were playing 1-1 draw at the half-time.

Joint ventures to be pursued with Kuwait

2011-05-09T08:16:00.002+05:00

President Asif Ali Zardari with the Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Saba, Al-Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah on his departure after the two days official visit to Kuwait on Sunday. – Photo by APP

KUWAIT: President Asif Ali Zardari and Kuwait Amir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah agreed on Sunday to set up a high-powered committee, which will meet immediately to identify areas of investment in Pakistan by Kuwaiti entrepreneurs.
The two leaders discussed at length the prospects of enhanced bilateral cooperation in various fields, especially the commercial, manpower and energy sectors, president’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar told APP after the talks.
There was unanimity of views on various issues of regional and international importance, as the two sides exchanged views on the challenges faced by the Ummah, particularly the situation in Afghanistan, the Middle East, fight against terrorism and Pakistan’s role for peace and stability in the region.
About the situation in the Middle East, President Zardari said the use of violence and destruction of assets was counter-productive and it was time that individual and collective capabilities were utilised to bring stability and peace to the region.
He apprised the Kuwaiti leader of the many security and economic challenges faced by Pakistan and the impact of last year’s floods on its economy.
He said Pakistan needed the support of its true friends like Kuwait at this critical juncture to deal with the various problems it faced.
The president praised the role of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development vas-a-vis development projects in Pakistan, including the Neelum-Jhelum hydropower project.
He said the Kuwaiti government could help Pakistan by encouraging the fund as well as the Kuwait Investment Authority to finance development projects and invest in various sectors of its economy.
He said the Kuwaiti public and private sectors could take advantage of Pakistan’s investment-friendly policies and invest in various sectors, including agriculture and energy.
President Zardari expressed his gratitude for the people and government of Kuwait for their generous support to Pakistan in difficult times, particularly after the 2005 earthquake and last year’s floods.
He thanked the Kuwaiti amir for hosting and looking after around 150,000 Pakistanis working in various fields and said recruitment of more skilled and semi-skilled Pakistani manpower would help Pakistan overcome unemployment.
He called for easing visa restrictions to resolve the problems faced by Pakistani businessmen, bankers and other professionals in visiting Kuwait.
President Zardari called for increased defence and parliamentary cooperation through bilateral visits.
Praising the role of the Sabah family and the Kuwaiti leadership in strengthening relations with Pakistan and their close association with the Bhutto family, he said that during all the PPP governments there had been a marked upswing in relations between the two countries.
The amir of Kuwait praised Pakistan’s support in efforts to liberate his country following the invasion by Iraq in 1991 and offered his support for increased cooperation between the two countries.
BUSINESSMEN: Talking to a delegation of the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the president promised full protection of foreign investment and invited Kuwaiti businessmen and entrepreneurs to take advantage of Pakistan’s investment-friendly policies.
He said that as Pakistan had steadfastly pursued liberalisation and de-regulation of the economy as well as a privatisation process, there was no upper limit on foreign equity and no restriction on repatriation of capital, profits and dividends.
The president, who arrived here on Saturday for a two-day visit, said that with an attractive package of tax incentives, investment in Pakistan was given comprehensive legal protection.
He said that after a bilateral Agreement on Encouragement and Reciprocal Protection of Investment during the visit of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in February, concerns that a prospective Kuwaiti investor might have about the safety of investment should be put to rest.
He said a number of areas, including energy, downstream oil industry, port development, mining and minerals, corporate agriculture, livestock and dairy development, construction, textiles, banking and financial sectors, offered lucrative opportunities and were open for investment in Pakistan.
The president said that despite a complex regional situation, Pakistan had done remarkably well in the economic field; the stock exchange was thriving, foreign remittances and foreign currency reserves are reaching a record level and exports were expected to touch a new high figure in the current financial year.
He said there remained an untapped potential for a quantum jump in the volume of trade between the two countries.
He said the trade volume in 2009-10 was $2.2 billion, with Pakistan’s exports at merely $87 million against $2.1 billion imports, primarily of
high speed diesel.
The president said Pakistan was universally acknowledged for its basmati rice, textiles and clothing, sports goods, surgical instruments, carpets, marble, tents and many other products and increased buying of these products by Kuwaiti importers could help address to some extent the imbalance in bilateral trade.
A senior executive of the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, Sheikh Talal Al Khalid Al Jabbar Al Sabah, also called on the president.
Bhasha, Tarbela dams
The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) announced that it would participate in the financing of Bhasha Dam and desilting of Tarbela Dam projects in Pakistan.
The announcement was made by DG Kuwait Fund Abdulwahab Ahmad Al-Bader during his meeting with President Zardari here at Bayan Palace on Sunday after the president invited the Fund to participate in the desilting of Tarbela Dam project, the feasibility of which would be ready by July this year.—APP

PPP, MQM agree to keep LG system in Sindh

2011-05-09T08:15:00.002+05:00

The proposal to change the local government system in Sindh was believed to be one of the main differences between the PPP and MQM. – File Photo

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People`s Party and Muttahida Qaumi Movement have decided to keep the local government (LG) system of Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf in force in Sindh, sources told Dawn on Sunday.

They said that the commissionerate system would not be introduced in Sindh because the two parties had reached a fresh understanding which led the MQM to announce that it would rejoin the federal cabinet.
“It has been decided by the two parties that unlike other provinces the commissionerate system will not be introduced in Sindh,” said MQM leader Zahid Mehmood.
He said his party had been urging the PPP to hold local body elections which were due last year.
President Asif Ali Zardari`s spokesman Farhatullah Babar said: “The PPP had once decided to table the commissionerate system bill in the provincial assembly after the MQM parted ways with the government.”
The proposal to change the local government system in Sindh was believed to be one of the main differences between the PPP and MQM.
Besides replacing the old LG system, the commissionerate system envisaged the division of Karachi into four districts as had been done in Hyderabad, but the MQM has opposed the proposal.
The commissionerate system bill was to be tabled in the provincial assembly on January 7, but the MQM put pressure on the PPP not to change the LG system.
Other three provincial governments have already wrapped up the local government system, but have not come up with an alternative so far.
The Balochistan government has enacted its own LG law, but it is reported to have many flaws.
The draft of LG law prepared by the Punjab government also has several discrepancies.
Punjab Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman told a private TV channel recently that his government had prepared the draft law which would be approved by the cabinet soon and tabled it in the provincial assembly. The new law, he said, would remove the flaws in the previous system.
Former chairman of the NRB Daniyal Aziz told Dawn that the draft prepared by the Punjab government had a number of flaws and it could not be implemented. He said he would brief the media on the issue in a couple of days

Provinces asked to prepare surplus budgets

2011-05-09T08:14:00.000+05:00

Deficit provincial budgets have been one of the major reasons behind the government`s failure to contain fiscal deficit within the target of 4.7 per cent agreed with the IMF for the current year, later revised to 5.5 per cent. – File Photo

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has urged the provinces to announce surplus budgets ahead of its crucial talks with the International Monetary Fund for preparing by May 17 a consolidated federal budget with less than five per cent deficit.
A senior government official said the economic team would hold a final round of internal consultations on Tuesday about the outlines of next year`s fiscal and monetary policies, setting the macroeconomic policy direction before going for a formal dialogue with the IMF in UAE on May 11 and 17.
“The budget will be finalised by May 17 in Dubai in consultation with the IMF,” he said.
The broad contours of the budget are almost ready based on suggestions made by political parties that will be shared with the lending agency with confidence about next year`s fiscal and monetary framework.
Deficit provincial budgets have been one of the major reasons behind the government`s failure to contain fiscal deficit within the target of 4.7 per cent agreed with the IMF for the current year, later revised to 5.5 per cent.
“There are indications to suggest that the fiscal deficit will be higher than six per cent of GDP if grants are also accounted for,” the official said.
This time, the centre wants the provincial governments to prepare written statements to be able to ascertain which provincial government will offer how much of surplus cash to ensure that the consolidated deficit does not go beyond five per cent of GDP and it does not keep fluctuating throughout the year as during the current year, attracting criticism from lenders and political leaders abroad.
Officials said that persuasions by the federal government had finally led the provincial governments to come up with cash surpluses during the current year although they had announced budgets with more than Rs80 billion of combined deficit.By the end of April, three provinces are reported to have come up with surplus cash while Punjab and Azad Kashmir are in minor deficits.
When the government team opens talks with the IMF mission, it will have some `honoured commitments to start with`.
The officials said the government would present to the mission an overall tax rationalisation plan under which regulatory duties on almost all imports would be done away with.
At the same time, the government plans to reduce customs duties on a range of imports, mostly machinery and equipment to promote investment.
The government has already finalised two budget plans and discussed with the National Assembly`s standing committee on finance and separately with major political parties.Under its plan A, the government envisages tax revenue target of Rs1.952 trillion with Rs72 billion additional income from reformed general sales tax while plan B envisages Rs1.968 trillion revenue with Rs90 billion coming from withdrawal of zero ratings and tax exemptions.
The government expects additional revenue of about Rs254 billion because of increase in the size of economy and higher inflation.
The economic advisory council, headed by former adviser on finance Hafeez A Pasha, has advised the government not to expect more than Rs1.880 trillion to avoid facing shortfalls and higher deficits at the end of the year.

World Bank team due in Pakistan on Friday

2011-05-09T08:13:00.002+05:00

The World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the Asian Development Bank had postponed their visits, all citing security risks caused by Bin Laden’s killings. – File Photo

WASHINGTON: The World Bank is sending a delegation to Islamabad on Friday, ending a temporary travel ban on Pakistan imposed after Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s killing in a US raid last week.
The International Monetary Fund and the Asian Development Bank also are expected to send their delegations soon, diplomatic sources told Dawn.
An IMF delegation was scheduled to arrive in Pakistan in the first week of May to review economic and policy developments, and discuss the budget for the fiscal 2011-12.
The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank also had postponed similar visits; all citing security risks caused by Bin Laden’s killings.
But the UNDP, which determines security risks for international organisations, has since reduced its security alert level for Pakistan, enabling the World Bank, IMF and ADB to reschedule their visits.
Last year, the IMF withheld $3.5 billion from an $11.3 billion loan package for Pakistan in a bid to persuade Pakistani authorities to cut their budget deficit.
Pakistan hoped that the talks would lead to a possible deal on the disbursement of the much needed loan. The World Bank, however, has assured Pakistan that the delay would not affect loan disbursements for development and social projects. Funding for rebuilding of areas devastated by massive flooding last year would also continue, the bank said.
The IMF – a major donor to Pakistan – worries that unless the Pakistani government boosts tax revenue, its economy may unravel through escalating inflation. Now, the government finances much of its budget by borrowing from the central bank – essentially printing money.
Bin Laden’s discovery in a compound in Abbottabad has further increased Pakistan’s economic concerns. US lawmakers have urged the Obama administration to reconsider billions of dollars of US military and economic assistance to Pakistan over Osama bin Laden’s presence in a garrison town close to Islamabad.
But Finance Minister Hafeez Sheikh told reporters in Islamabad on Saturday that the United States would not suspend its assistance to Pakistan over the dispute.
“There is no threat to the assistance because economic relations with the US are at government to government level,” he said.

Q`s new demands met ahead of NA session

2011-05-09T08:12:00.002+05:00

President Pakistan Muslim League, Ch. Shujaat Hussain and Senior Federal Minister, Ch. Pervez Elahi meeting with Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani at PM House on Sunday. – Photo by APP

ISLAMABAD: As Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani prepared to make a policy statement in the National Assembly on Monday on the killing of Osama bin Laden by US commandos, he had to spend most of Sunday on efforts to repair fissures which appeared to be developing in his party’s new alliance with the PML-Q.
Mr Gilani needed to act effectively to satisfy his new allies particularly because he will need their support in the lower house where PML-N is planning an all-out assault on the Osama issue; with a demand for him and President Asif Ali Zardari to accept responsibility for the Abbottabad fiasco and resign.
At the request of the Chaudhrys of Gujrat, Mr Gilani had to change the portfolio of Q-League’s Riaz Hussain Pirzada from minorities’ affairs to health.
At a meeting with the prime minister, Pakistan Muslim League-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Senior Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi took up grievances of the newly-inducted ministers from their party and urged him to immediately address them.
The Chaudhrys are facing a difficult situation because some of the ministers who are unhappy with their ‘lowly’ portfolios have threatened a rebellion if they are not given high-profile ministries.
There is a feeling in the PML-Q ranks that the PPP has given them the ministries which are to be devolved to the provinces under the 18th Amendment by the end of next month.
An official announcement said the prime minister also changed the name of the ministry of minorities’ affairs to interfaith harmony. This portfolio, according to government sources, is also expected to be given to a PML-Q nominee.
It is not clear which portfolio will now be allotted to Chaudhry Anwar Ali Cheema who has taken oath as federal minister for health.
Earlier in the day, Minister for Production and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa PML-Q chief Amir Muqam threatened to resign from the cabinet and set a one-week deadline for the Chaudhrys to meet his demands.
“I will quit the ministry if Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain does not meet the demands of the party workers from the province,” he said at a meeting of members of the PML-Q general council from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
Mr Muqam is among the seven PML-Q men who were administered oath by President Asif Ali Zardari as federal ministers. He is now asking the leadership of his party to call a meeting of the central executive committee to get approval of the decision to join the ruling coalition. The same demand has been made by some PML-Q dissidents who have criticised the Chaudhrys for taking the decision in haste without consulting party workers and office-bearers.
Mr Muqam, who is apparently unhappy over bifurcation of the ministry of industries and production, also said the PML-Q would not sit with the Awami National Party (ANP) in the provincial assembly. He, however, has no objection to sitting with the same party at the centre.
He urged the PML-Q leadership to put pressure on the PPP to explain its position on the May 2 US military operation in Abbottabad.
The US forces carried out the operation hours after the PPP and the PML-Q agreed on a power-sharing formula under which 14 new ministers took oath the following day despite the fact that the nation was in shock over the silence of the civilian and military leaders over the Abbottabad incident.
At the regional party meeting, some speakers made harsh remarks against the Chaudhrys and accused them of getting positions in the government for their relatives and favourites.
Sources in the PML-Q said a group of party dissidents, headed by the most vocal opposition MNA Marvi Memon and Awais Leghari, was set to submit an application to the speaker of the National Assembly seeking allocation of their seats on the opposition benches.
Five dissident senators, besides members of the breakaway Likeminded faction of the PML-Q, have already submitted an application to the Senate chairman for separate seats and refused to sit on the treasury benches.
In another development, the prime minister appointed Privatisation Minister Ghaus Bakhsh Maher as Chairman of the Privatisation Commission.

Obama`s visit put off amid new pressure

2011-05-09T08:11:00.002+05:00

President Barack Obama walks down the stairs from Air Force One upon arrival at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. on Friday, May 6, 2011. – Photo by AP

WASHINGTON/ NEW YORK: US President Barack Obama said on Sunday that Osama bin Laden had a support network in Pakistan, as his senior aides spelled out a strategy that seeks to punish those responsible for hiding the Al Qaeda leader in Abbottabad where he was killed last week by American commandos.
“We think that there had to be some sort of support network for Bin Laden inside of Pakistan,” President Obama told the CBS show ‘60 Minutes’.
US National Security Adviser Thomas E. Donilon went a step ahead and categorically declared that “there was a network in Abbottabad, Pakistan, which supported Bin Laden”.
Mr Donilon also announced that President Obama had no plans to visit Pakistan in the near future. “There is not a visit on his schedule at this point. If he’d go to Pakistan, but there was at this point scheduling before the events of last Sunday,” when US commandos killed Bin Laden in his hideout.
The top US security official, however, acknowledged that he had “not seen evidence” to suggest “that the political, the military or the intelligence leadership would have foreknowledge of Bin Laden”.
Senator John Kerry, the US Congress’s top foreign policy official, further elaborated this point: “There is no evidence that at the highest level, General Pasha, General Kayani, the president of Pakistan, knew this, there’s no evidence at this moment.”
But, he added, “It is extraordinarily hard to believe that he could have survived there for five years or more in a major population centre without some kind of support system and knowledge.”
The statements give a clear picture of America’s post-Bin Laden strategy towards Pakistan, which not only requires Islamabad to break its ties with all terrorist groups but also to expose and punish those still having links with people like Osama.
But they also indicated that the United States wanted to achieve this objective by increasing its engagement with Pakistan and not by isolating it. Explaining what he wanted Pakistan to do now, President Obama said the US did not yet know “who or what that support network was”, which was supporting Bin Laden but would like to know.
“We don’t know whether there might have been some people inside of government, people outside of government, and that’s something that we have to investigate and, more importantly, the Pakistani government has to investigate,” he said.
“They have indicated they have a profound interest in finding out what kinds of support networks Bin Laden might have had,” Mr Obama said.
National Security Adviser Donilon said the US had already told Pakistan that “we will act to protect our interests”.
“They need to provide us with intelligence by the way from the compound that they gathered including access to Osama bin Laden’s three wives whom they have in custody,” he said. “We have had difficulty with Pakistan but we’ve also had to work very closely with Pakistan in our counter-terror efforts. More terrorists and extremists have been captured or killed in Pakistan than in any place in the world.”
In their first interviews since Bin Laden’s elimination, President Obama and his senior aides defended not informing Pakistan before sending their troops to the Abbottabad compound.
Mr Donilon rejected the suggestion that the US did not warn Pakistan before sending its troops inside the country because they did not trust the Pakistanis.
“That’s not a matter of trusting or not trusting and let me address that. It’s a matter of operational security,” he said. “To share it with any government outside the US would have been to lose control of dissemination which would not have been in the national interest.”
Mr Donilon and Senator Kerry also rejected the suggestion that Bin Laden was killed unarmed and while he was ready to surrender.
The US commandos “entered the compound and were fired upon. They had to breach several walls and doors to get to where Osama bin Laden was. At no point during the course of this operation did Osama bin Laden indicate that he was prepared to surrender”, said Mr Donilon. Like other senior US officials and politicians who participated in television talks shows on Sunday, Senator Kerry said Pakistan should increase its efforts to fight terrorists but added that this should be done by further engaging Pakistan, not by isolating it.
“I think this is a time of enormous opportunity. It’s opportunity for our relationship in Pakistan and an opportunity for our policies in Afghanistan. And obviously they are very, very linked,” he said.

Nadal, Federer set-up Madrid semi-final clash

2011-05-08T08:20:00.003+05:00

MADRID: Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will meet for the 24th time on Saturday when the two superstars clash in the Madrid Masters
semi-finals.

Top seed Nadal, who beat his Swiss rival for the 2010 title at the Caja
Magica here, marched into the final four when he snuffed out Frenchman Michael Llodra's challenge 6-2, 6-2 in little more than an hour.

It took more effort from third seed Federer as he held off two-time French Open finalist Robin Soderling 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 in his quarter-final.

The second semi-final will feature second seed Novak Djokovic against
unseeded Brazilian Tomaz Bellucci.

Djokovic took his streak to 30 victories with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win over
Spain's David Ferrer, the third-best winning start to a season in history.

Federer and Nadal will be meeting in Madrid for the third consecutive year.

The Swiss won the title in 2009 with a victory over Nadal, with the Spaniard taking it back 12 months ago.

Federer earned the only break of his match against Soderling, taking a 5-4 lead on a volley winner and serving out the victory after one and a
three-quarter hours.

Nadal's victory over Llodra was his 36th in succession on clay - his last
loss on the surface came in the fourth round to Soderling at the 2009 French Open.

The top seed has charged through another clay campaign this year with titles in April at Monte Carlo and Barcelona so far.

Nadal was untroubled by Llodra, a classic serve-and-volleyer who was simply out of his depth on clay against the best the game has to offer.

The world number one did not lose a point on serve until his third game and was never under pressure from Llodra who saved two match points before Nadal secured the victory after 74 minutes without facing a break point.

Bellucci became the first Brazilian into the semi-finals of a Masters since three-time Roland Garros champion Gustavo Kuerten in 2003 thanks to a 7-6 (7/2), 6-3 defeat of Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych.

Bellucci is coached by "Guga's former mentor, Larri Passos. Bellucci
achieved his second Top ten victory in less than 24 hours after dispatching world number four Andy Murray in the Madrid third round.

On the women's side, Julia Goerges booked the first of the semi-final
spots, defeating Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 6-2.

She will Saturday tackle fourth seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, a winner over Czech Lucie Safarova by 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.

In other quarter-finals, China's sixth seed Li Na beat American Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 and will face Czech Petra Kvitova, who put out Dominika Cibulkova 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Basu doing action stunts

2011-05-08T08:20:00.000+05:00

MUMBAI: Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu is doing some serious muscle flexing action stunts in the freezing cold of Russia. She is doing heavy-duty action scenes for the first time.

Basu said that it was freezing cold and she had not got to train herself in such extreme condition before coming there.

She said that she was giving our 100 percent.

"The safety precautions are in place and it's great to do action in such challenging conditions. The thrill is just double," said Basu.

India eyes on Afghan endgame, Manmohan plans trip to Kabul

2011-05-08T08:18:00.002+05:00

NEW DELHI: Osama bin Laden's killing has left India nervous about the endgame in Afghanistan and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is ready for a short-notice visit to Kabul in this regard.

Sources indicated that the trip may take place as early as next week.

The Indian mission in Afghanistan has been intimated that they should be ready for the visit in "48-hour notice" at best. Also, visas for the 20-member media contingent traveling with the Prime Minister have been obtained.

Though Singh has been planning the visit to Afghanistan for sometime now, the recent developments there as well as the killing of Bin Laden have "brought a sense of immediacy to the whole thing".

Post-bin Laden, New Delhi has set its nervous eyes on the endgame in Afghanistan and the role of Pakistan after early withdrawal of the western forces.

There are serious concerns in Indian diplomatic circles about any role of Pakistan in Afghanistan after Bin Laden killing.

Haqqani calls for probe into Osama hiding in Abbottabad

2011-05-08T08:17:00.002+05:00

WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s ambassador to US Husain Haqqani has said that Pakistan government should investigate how Osama bin Laden managed to hide in a compound in Abbottabad.

In an interview to US TV, he said he didn’t know whether the al-Qaeda leader had help from his the government or military to stay concealed in Abbottabad, adding he did not think that speculations were going to solve the problem.

What we need now was for Pakistan’s elected leaders to exercise the leadership and get to the bottom of the matter, Haqqani said, during the interview.

Haqqani urged patience, saying said the US shouldn’t rush to judgment about whether to withdraw military aid or to put undue pressure on the Pakistani government.

He was of view that a government elected three years back could not be held accountable of decades old matters.

US aid not to stop: Hafeez

2011-05-08T08:16:00.002+05:00

Federal Minister for Finance, Dr.Abdul Hafeez Sheikh chairs a ECC meeting in Islamabad on Saturday, May 07, 2011. - Online File Photo

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Dr Hafeez Shaikh has dispelled an impression that the United States will suspend economic assistance in the wake of Osama bin Laden`s killing.

Talking to newsmen after a meeting of the Economic Advisory Council here on Saturday, he said: “There is no threat to the assistance because economic relations with the US are at government to government level.”
He said neither the tax rate would be increased nor any new tax would be introduced in the next budget. The tax base would be broadened by netting non-filers and the taxation system would be made more equitable, he added.
The minister said one per cent turnover tax would be replaced by gross asset tax and the GAT would be adjusted against the income tax deposited by an individual.
He said that no decision had been taken about a raise in the salary of government employees and the issue would be decided by the cabinet.
Meanwhile, convenor of the EAC Dr Hafiz A. Pasha said that there were legal issues involved about the imposition of the GAT after the passage of the 18th Amendment and legal experts were being consulted to seek their opinion whether the federal government could impose a tax on immovable property.
He stressed the need for broadening the tax net, ensuring equity in tax system, overcoming energy shortages, capital markets and banking sector reforms and undertaking micro-economic reforms to improve competitiveness of industry and agriculture.

Foreign channels’ live coverage from Abbottabad barred

2011-05-08T08:15:00.003+05:00

The hideout house of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is pictured where he was killed by US Special Forces in a ground operation in Pakistan's hill city of Abbottabad on May 7, 2011. - AFP Photo

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority has barred all major foreign television channels from making live broadcasts from Abbottabad five days after US commandos killed Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden there, reflecting the government’s unease over the coverage of perceived failures of its agencies.
The Pemra issued a restraining order in a statement released by the government’s Press Information Department on Saturday evening, accusing nine channels, the BBC and CNN included, of violating section 30 of the Pemra Act.
The move, which is likely to come under criticism on grounds of curbing press freedom, comes amid continuing interest at home and abroad in the May 2 operation by US navy commandos that killed the world’s most wanted man in Abbottabad.
The statement added that Pemra had stopped “foreign satellite TV channels from illegal uplinking of signals and live covering (of) news from Abbottabad”. The agency named the channels as Fox News, NBC News, CNN, CNS, IBN, BBC, Al-Jazeera, Voice of America (VOA) and Sky News.
“All foreign channels have been issued notices to show cause (about their alleged illegalities) and stop illegal activity immediately,” the statement said.
It said: “Pemra issues temporary uplinking for covering any event live from Pakistan for a specific event and time” and added: “Pemra being a regulator is steadfast in discharging its regulatory responsibility and ensuring level playing field for all stakeholders.”
However, representatives of several foreign electronic media organisations told Dawn their crew were still in Abbottabad and some said their channels, like BBC, Al Jazeera, VOA and NBC, were not airing their news live from the spot.
A VOA official said the notice seemed to be more aimed at earning fees and that it should have been issued at least four days ago rather than at a time when most channels were likely to close their operations in Abbottabad.
As a policy, VOA does not have live coverage and all its programmes are forwarded to their offices through Radio Pakistan, the officials said.
However, the Qatar-based Al Jazeera uses the uplink facility of a local media agency, a group official said.
Some sources in the foreign electronic media alleged the Pemra action seemed to have been taken in haste against “well known channels”, contending that the list contained no unfamiliar name.

PML-N likely to take up overtures by Q-League dissidents

2011-05-08T08:15:00.000+05:00

Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly and a key leader of the PML-N, told Dawn that a number of PML-Q lawmakers were in touch and the party leadership would now decide whether or not to accept them. — File Photo

ISLAMABAD: The PML-N is expected to take up overtures by a dissident faction of the PML-Q in the National Assembly and the Q League`s support for the creation of new provinces in the country at a meeting of its central executive committee on Tuesday.
Sources in PML-N told Dawn that since it would be the first meeting of the CEC after the PML-Q joined the PPP-led coalition government, extra input was being ensured from the party`s rank and file for crucial decision making. The entire focus of discussion would be on getting maximum results in the next general election, they added.
The CEC is expected to take a final decision on whether to accept the Q-League lawmakers, who have been in touch with the PML-N leadership, after the Chaudhrys-led party joined the cabinet.
Five PML-Q senators have already announced that they will sit on the opposition benches.
Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly and a key leader of the PML-N, told Dawn that a number of PML-Q lawmakers were in touch and the party leadership would now decide whether or not to accept them. He said their names would be disclosed at a proper stage.
A PML-N lawmaker claimed that about a dozen O-League MNAs were ready to join his party and it might accept. But, he said, some party leaders were opposing the move to bring the O-League dissidents into the PML-N fold.
“We are already a major opposition party in the National Assembly and they (dissidents) are coming to the party just to ensure their tickets for the next elections,” said another PML-N legislator.
Although the party needed support of the 48-member unification block carved out of the PML-Q MPAs in Punjab Assembly to remain in power, there was no such situation in the National Assembly, he added.
However, he said that if the Q-League dissidents in the National Assembly wanted to join the N-League unconditionally, there should be no objection.
The second most important agenda item of the CEC meeting would be the party`s official stance on the creation of new provinces.
Division of Punjab has so far proved to be an Achilles heel for the PML-N. When Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif recently talked about the creation of Karachi as a separate province, political observers termed it a mere reaction to other parties` demand for creation new provinces in Punjab.
One of the agreement points on the basis of which the PML-Q decided to join the federal government was creation of new Saraiki and Hazara provinces.
The PML-N sources said the CEC was also expected to come up with a formal stand whether it would support the division of existing provinces into new ones.
A PML-N office-bearer said the party was against the creation new provinces merely on the basis of language and ethnicity. He said the PML-N would recommend formation of new provinces as administrative units because it believed that division on the basis of language and ethnicity would create disunity in the country. For which, he said, the party was going to call for constitution of a broad-based commission having representation of all political parties like that of the committee on constitutional reforms which came up with the 18th and 19th Amendments.
When asked if the PML-N felt marginalised on the political landscape after the PML-Q joined the PPP government, Chaudhry Nisar said this unholy alliance had proved to be a blessing in disguise for the PML-N because it would help them target both President Asif Zardari and Chaudhry Shujaat in one go. And moreover, he said, it would help the people know that the PPP and the PML-Q were sitting together for their own vested interests, and not for any good of the country.

Malik gives Zardari’s message to Saudi king

2011-05-08T08:14:00.000+05:00

Interior Minister Senator A. Rehman Malik called on His Majesty King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud. - APP Photo

RIYADH: Interior Minister Rehman Malik handed over a message from President Asif Zardari to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

The unscheduled visit and presence of the cream of Saudi leadership at the meeting between Mr Malik and King Abdullah set off a wave of speculations in Riyadh. Some observers saw the occasion as an aftermath of Osama bin Laden’s killing while some others linked it to, what they said, was an effort by Washington to reset its ties with Islamabad and Riyadh in the wake of the Arab uprising.
The Saudi leaders who attended the meeting included Foreign Affairs Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal, Chief of General Intelligence Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz, Secretary General of the National Security Council Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Minister of State and Commander of the National Guard Prince Miteb bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Adviser to the King, Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Abdulaziz bin Ibrahim Al Ghadir.
Mr Malik was accompanied by Ayaz Mohammad Khan, Pakistan’s charge d’ affaires in Riyadh.
According to sources, the post-Osama scenario and recent developments were examined at length. The two sides pledged to stand by each other in times of need. They agreed to continue consulting and coordinating with each other on every major development.According to political analysts, an exchange of high-level visits in the weeks ahead cannot be ruled out.
The interior minister’s visit came at a time when fingers are increasingly being pointed in Washington towards Islamabad and its security apparatus over the presence of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad. Some press reports over the past few days have indicated that Saudi Arabia and Turkey had tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to persuade Pakistan to hand over Osama bin Laden to the United States.

US releases seized Osama bin Laden videos

2011-05-08T08:13:00.000+05:00

This frame grab from an undated video released by the US Department of Defense on May 7, 2011, reportedly show Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden watching television at his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. - AFP Photo

WASHINGTON: US officials on Saturday released extraordinary videos of Osama bin Laden seized in the daring raid that killed Al-Qaeda chief, saying the material shows he was a hands-on leader who took pains to shape his public image.
The tracking of bin Laden and the May 1 raid, in which more than 20 US Navy SEALs swooped on his hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan and shot him dead, represented an intelligence coup on a historic scale, a senior US intelligence official said.
The Al-Qaeda leader “was far from a figurehead, he was an active player,” the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters at the Pentagon.
The seized material includes digital, audio and video files, printed items, computer equipment, recording devices and handwritten documents.
“As a result of the raid, we have acquired the single largest collection of senior terrorist materials ever,” the official said.
“This is the greatest intelligence success perhaps of a generation,” the official said.
Five videos were made public, including an extraordinary one in which the Al-Qaeda chief is seen holding a remote and sitting with a blanket over him, watching images of himself on television in a spare-looking room.
In that video, bin Laden has a gray beard, but in other videos that were apparently meant for distribution as propaganda his beard appears to have been dyed black.
Audio was removed from the videos to avoid any possible terror messages, US officials said.
One video is styled as a “message to the American people” and is believed to have been recorded in October or November. Bin Laden is groomed and is speaking from a prepared text.
Three others recordings appear to be propaganda message rehearsals. The official said these show missed “cues” and problems with lighting.
“This clearly was an Al-Qaeda leader who was very interested in his own image,” the official said. He “jealously guarded his image.”
It remains an “open question” now who will succeed bin Laden as head of the terror network, the official said.
Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Egyptian surgeon long considered Al-Qaeda’s number two, “is obviously the presumed successor.”
However, Al-Qaeda acknowledged their chief’s death in a statement, but “did not announce a new leader, suggesting it is still trying to deal with Bin Laden’s demise,” the official said.
There are “strong indications he is not popular within certain circles of the group. So I believe it’s an open question as to who will take over from Osama bin Laden.”
Like his Saudi-born co-conspirator, Zawahiri has been in hiding ever since the September 11, 2001 terror strikes on the United States.
Reportedly last seen in October 2001 in eastern Afghanistan, close to the Pakistan border, Zawahiri has released multiple videos from hiding, calling for war on the West.
The material seized from the compound “only further confirms how important it was to go after Bin Laden,” CIA Director Leon Panetta said in a statement.
The effort that traced Bin Laden to Abbottabad also showed the CIA’s “perseverance, skill and sheer courage,” Panetta said.
In Pakistan, bin Laden’s Yemeni wife said the Al-Qaeda kingpin had lived for five years in the Abbottabad compound, Pakistani security officials said.
The revelation, if corroborated, would pile further embarrassment on the country, which is already reeling from accusations of incompetence and complicity in allowing bin Laden to hide out a mere 30 miles (50 kilometres) from the capital Islamabad.
The terror chief’s wife, who was shot in the leg during the raid by US Navy SEALs, is undergoing medical treatment and interrogation in Pakistan along with 15 of his other relatives, the officials said.
“She said in Arabic that bin Laden and his family were living in this compound for the last five years and he never left the compound,” said one of the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“But this is only her statement and we have not yet corroborated it,” the official added. A second security official confirmed the information.
Mounting questions have been raised about how bin Laden managed to hide out for so long in Pakistan, in a garrison town which is home to a top military academy and many retired generals.
The leader of Pakistan’s opposition in parliament demanded that President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani resign following the incident.
“The operation tramples on our honour and dignity, and the president and prime minister must either give an explanation or resign,” Chaudhry Nisar Ali told reporters.
“The government is keeping silent and there appears to be nobody to respond to propaganda against Pakistan,” he added, saying that people in the country were feeling “insecure” after the covert US mission.
Al-Qaeda has vowed to avenge the death of the architect of the September 11, 2001 attacks, declaring him a “martyr” and calling on Muslims to rise up against the United States.
Attacks on government targets in the Afghan city of Kandahar which killed two and wounded 29 on Saturday were described as “revenge” by extremists for Osama’s killing, a statement from President Hamid Karzai’s office said.
“Al-Qaeda and its terrorist members who have suffered a major defeat with the killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistani territory have tried to hide this defeat by killing civilians in Kandahar and take their revenge on the innocent people of Afghanistan,” the statement said.
US President Barack Obama had earlier swept aside the threats, decorating on Friday the team that killed Osama and pledging the United States would crush Al-Qaeda.
The White House has been eager to avoid triumphalism over the killing of the world’s most wanted man, blamed for the deaths of 3,000 people in the attacks, in a bid to avoid whipping up Muslim anger.
Obama on Thursday laid a wreath at Ground Zero, the site where the World Trade Center once stood, in a sombre moment aimed at bringing closure to Americans still haunted by the September 11 attacks.

Post-Osama strategy being thrashed out

2011-05-08T08:12:00.000+05:00

Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani met with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to discuss the country's security situation following the killing of Osama bin Laden. —File photo by APP

ISLAMABAD: Amid mounting international and domestic pressure on the government over the May 2 US special forces’ “get Osama bin Laden” operation, the country’s top civilian and military leadership got their heads together on Saturday in an effort to come up with a collective response.
President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Chief of the Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani met for the second time at the Presidency since the Abbottabad operation.
According to an official statement, they ‘comprehensively reviewed’ the situation in the “perspective of Pakistan’s national security and foreign policy”.
The meeting decided that the prime minister would take the nation into confidence through parliament and give a policy statement on Monday.
The Senate is in session and the National Assembly will resume its proceedings on Monday afternoon after a nine-day recess.
A full debate on the issue would be conducted in parliament, the statement said.
The prime minister, who returned from a three-day official visit to France early in the morning, also held consultations
with Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Hina Rabbani Khar.
The meetings took place at a time when the government was under pressure from the international community to shed light on Osama’s hiding near the country’s premier military academy, besides demands from within the country for heads to roll.
The demand for the resignations of the president, the prime minister and the military leadership has come not only from Opposition Leader in the National Assembly, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan of the PML-N, but also from former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi of the Pakistan People’s Party.
At a news conference in Lahore on Saturday, Mr Qureshi said that besides resignations by President Asif Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, action should be taken against heads of the Army and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) if they were held responsible by an official inquiry.
The US intrusion has heaped embarrassment on the political and military leadership and the nation has been demanding answers to the disturbing questions the operation has thrown up. Although the government has come up with different statements through the Foreign Office over the past couple of days, still a number of key questions remain unanswered.
Moreover, contradictory statements regarding the working of radars and surveillance system and the technology used by US forces in the May 2 swoop has also confounded the nation.
According to an official handout, the prime minister, in his consultative meetings “emphasised that the sole criterion for formulating our stance is safeguarding of Pakistan’s supreme national interest by all means, by all state institutions, in accordance with the aspirations of the people of Pakistan, who above all value their dignity and honour”.
Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan told a private news channel that the government would make public details of its version about the Abbottabad incident after an inquiry.
“We will definitely take the nation into confidence and make public the real facts about the incident,” she was quoted as saying.