Marijuana Found at Osama Bin Laden’s Abbottabad Compound

Here's an item of note about the recent events in Pakistan: Over the past 24 hours it has been widely reported that ganja was growing along the outside walls of Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad. We'll let CNN, who first broke this little nugget of knowledge, explain the specifics:



My immediate reaction: It's a plant that's indigenous to that region of the world. So... who cares? Whether he was smoking pot or not doesn't mean he's any less of an evil, murderous son of a bitch. Nor does it mean that weed should be further stigmatized because of its proximity to an awful human being. That's just a ridiculous non sequitur.

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Inside Osama Bin Laden Compound: Video

Video shows the interior and exterior of the compound where Osama bin Laden was hiding and killed.

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Latest Pictures: Osama bin Laden compound in Abbottabad

Pictures allegedly showing the results of US special forces' assault on Osama bin Laden's hideout in Abbottabad. Reuters, who released all but the first picture shown here, have said: 'The photos [were] taken by a Pakistani security official who entered the compound after the early morning raid on Monday. The official, who wished to remain anonymous, sold the pictures. Reuters is confident in their authenticity'.

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US media: Osama killed in mansion outside Islamabad

 

WASHINGTON: Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is dead, and President Barack Obama will announce his death, nearly 10 years after the September 11 attacks in a televised address, a senior US official said.

The official said that Bin Laden was dead, but did not provide details of how his death occurred.

US media quoted sources as saying that Bin Laden was killed in an operation based on actionable US intelligence targeting a mansion outside Islamabad.

Obama was imminently to address Americans in a highly unusual Sunday night appearance on television.

The death of Bin Laden will raise huge questions about the future shape of al Qaeda and also have steep implications for US security and foreign policy 10 years into a global anti-terror campaign. (AFP)

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Salman launches Ready music

 

MUMBAI: Salman Khan was adamant about not wanting to launch the music of his latest film Ready at a five star venue.

Earlier there were reports saying that the actor wanted to gift bicycles to some of the key workers/or their children of Mumbai's Filmcity .

Now there is a slight change in plan. Today, the actor will have the music launch of his film Ready at Filmcity with the cast, the crew and all the staff members of this Government of Maharashtra run studio.

Salman's logic is simple. Says a source close to the actor, "Bhai feels these are the guys who have been with him for the last 21 years. And he feels they have supported him unconditionally through his highs and lows.

He just wants to reciprocate their goodwill and so besides giving them a surprise (obviously the actual plan cannot be revealed) he will also have dinner with them post the music launch."

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Pak-India commerce secretary level talks today

ISLAMABAD: Commerce Secretaries of Pakistan and India would meet here today and discuss various trade related issues to give impetus to the Pakistan-India economic engagement.

Indian Commerce Secretary Rahul Khullar, along with a six-member delegation, arrived here on Tuesday to hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart Zafar Mehmood on trade related issues.

"The talks would continue for two days on April 27 and 28 to cover various trade issues with an aim to boost trade among the neighbouring countries," sources said.

Rahul Khullar took stock of ongoing work at Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari-Wagah border. On plans for India to get Most Favored Nation (MFN) status from Pakistan, Khullar said the issue would be raised at his meeting with Pakistan delegation. "Though talks are unstructured, without any fixed agenda, such will be taken up," he added.

He said he expected a positive outcome from talks as there exists scope for enhancing trade between two countries. "I am going to listen to them and we feel that good things will come out,'' he said, adding he felt business visas must be relaxed to enable businessmen to travel easily between both countries.

On trade across Line of Control (LoC in disputed Kashmir), Khullar said the matter would be taken up at appropriate level, and if anomalies existed, steps would be taken to correct them.

This will be the second high-level interaction between the two countries after the resumption of dialogue on all bilateral issues.

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PML-N in bid to protect PPP from `blackmail`?

The PML-N will not offer its shoulders for removal of the PPP government, said sources.

LAHORE: As a power-sharing deal between the People`s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Q is maturing, the PML-N has indicated that it may save the PPP-led government from “blackmail of its present and would-be allies” during the approval of the forthcoming budget.

Sources told Dawn that a message to this effect had been conveyed through a go-between from Gujrat.

A PPP leader from Gujrat had called on senior PML-N leaders here on Sunday, seeking some `serious steps` from the latter, anticipating the situation `worsening` with the PPP-Q League deal entering its final phase, the sources said.

The visitor, who had been assured of full support against the Chaudhrys of Gujrat in the next elections whether he contested from the party`s platform or as an independent, was told on Sunday that a final decision would be taken after internal consultations, especially with PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif.

The PPP leader was informed on Monday that the serious steps sought by him would soon be taken.

The government was told not to be panicky about the budget as the opposition party would extend its help through parliamentary procedure in case the MQM refused to support the finance bill. It would also not hit hard at the government within and outside parliament, the sources said.

The sources quoted the PML-N leaders as saying that the party would not offer its shoulders for removal of the PPP government.

According to a PML-N leader, not only a couple of anti-Q League PPP leaders but also some members of the trading community are playing the role of a go-between to bring closer, or at least make less hostile against each other, the PPP and the PML-N leaderships.

By lending its support to the PPP, the PML-N would be able to check the PPP-PML-Q electoral alliance, curb the chances of return of the turncoats in Punjab to the Q League and thus save its provincial government a well as “foil attempts of the intelligence agencies to establish a national government of technocrats”.

None of the senior PML-N spokesman was available for comments on the reported development.

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Police arrests gang that threatened Zulqarnain

Cricketer Zulqarnain Haider.

SIALKOT: Police on Wednesday arrested a gang of eight bookmakers, which was allegedly involved in threatening Pakistan cricket team’s wicket keeper Zulqarnain Haider, DawnNews reported.

The city police also recovered a huge cache of ammunition, telephone sets and other suspicious objects from the suspects.

SP Sialkot, Nasir Qureshi told DawnNews that the suspects were operating from a building located in the Sambrial area of the city where they had built secret rooms hidden behind wooden cupboards.

Police also recovered around 250 telephone sets, satellite transmission equipment, mobile phones and records of betting during different cricket matches, Qureshi added.

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Kadhafi seen on 'back foot' as fighting rages

MISRATA: Libyan rebels appear to be gaining ground against Moamer Kadhafi, the British defence minister said Tuesday, despite a deadly attack on Misrata port by the Libyan strongman's forces.

"We've seen some momentum gained in the last few days. We've seen some progress made in Misrata. And it's very clear that the regime is on the back foot," British Defence Secretary Liam Fox said.

After nearly three hours of talks at the Pentagon with US Defence Secretary Robert Gates, Fox painted an optimistic picture of the Libya conflict despite fears on both sides of the Atlantic that the war could turn into a stalemate.

A NATO spokeswoman, meanwhile, said the alliance was considering sending a civilian "contact point" to Libya's eastern rebel bastion of Benghazi in order to improve political relations with the opposition.

Earlier Tuesday, forces loyal to the veteran Libyan leader, who has ruled the north African nation for some four decades, fired Grad rockets at Misrata port, killing at least three refugees and forcing an aid ship to stay out to sea.

As the United States and its allies pondered how to help the rebels, US President Barack Obama formally ordered a drawdown of $25 million in urgent, non-lethal American aid to Libya's Transitional National Council.

Officials said last week the aid could include vehicles, fuel trucks, ambulances, medical equipment, protective vests, binoculars, and radios.

A day after allied warplanes struck Kadhafi's compound in Tripoli, Gates and Fox also insisted that command centres for the regime's forces were legitimate targets.

"We have considered all along command and control centres to be a legitimate target and we have taken those out elsewhere," Gates told reporters.

Earlier, Tripoli said it had asked Russia to convene an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council over what it called an "assassination attempt" on Kadhafi when the NATO raid destroyed his office on Sunday night.

Tripoli said the bombardments went against Security Council resolutions 1970 and 1973, which passed thanks to a Russian abstention, and "were in violation of international laws and conventions."

Kadhafi's chief ally in Latin America, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez accused NATO of trying to kill his "friend."

"You know that Kadhafi is our friend, but this has nothing to do with friendship. Who has the right to drop bombs like this? They are looking for Kadhafi to kill him," said the leader of Latin America's radical left.

"We don't agree with everything Kadhafi is doing or has done, but who has the right to drop bombs on him each morning?"

Chavez also announced that Kadhafi was sending a delegation to Venezuela in a bid to try to negotiate a peaceful solution to the fighting which has raged
in Libya since mid-February, causing scores of deaths and thousands of casualties.

In northwestern Misrata, several Grad rockets hit the port and an International Organisation for Migration (IOM) ship that had come to rescue refugees remained offshore as a precaution, a journalist said.

At least three African refugees were killed in the attack, a medic and a Western journalist said. The medical source also spoke of "around 20 wounded."

The IOM ship had been due to take on board 550 African refugees, of whom some 2,000 are reported to be still stranded in Misrata.

NATO warplanes overflew the rebel-held city where explosions were also heard after 24 hours of relative calm. At least one air strike was reported.

"NATO asked that the IOM boat leave the port," said a rebel source, adding that "around 20 vehicles" containing Kadhafi loyalists were approaching.

Elsewhere, witnesses in the northwestern town of Kabao reported insurgents fought heavy battles against Kadhafi's forces, leaving dozens of regime troops dead and many captured.

Witnesses said 45 loyalists were killed and 17 captured around the town of 15,000 people 50 kilometres (31 miles) east of Nalut. Two rebels had also been killed and three wounded on Monday.

Misrata's port has been a strategic conduit for international humanitarian aid, as well as rebel fighter reinforcements and guns and ammunition from their Benghazi stronghold.

Rebels there had said they pushed Kadhafi's troops out after a siege lasting more than seven weeks, but opposition officials in Benghazi downplayed the reports.

"The situation in Misrata remains grave. The revolutionaries are in control but they remain surrounded and bombed," opposition Transitional National Council spokesman Jalal al-Gallal told AFP.

TNC military spokesman Colonel Ahmed Omar Bani also dismissed reports of significant progress in Misrata.

"It is a disaster there," he said. "Kadhafi is not going anywhere. Misrata is the key to Tripoli. If he lets go of Misrata, he will let go of Tripoli. He is not crazy enough to do that."

Tripoli said it asked the African Union to convene an extraordinary summit to find ways for the continent to fight "external forces."

And, a day after Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Italy's air force would take part in "targeted action" in Libya, Rome announced it would host a meeting on May 5 of the international contact group on Libya.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, meanwhile, praised the UN Security Council's action on Libya for allowing military action to patrol a no-fly zone and taking sanctions against Kadhafi's regime.

"Clearly, the Security Council's decisive and unified action has saved many lives," the UN chief said.

"It is also clear that the Libyan regime has lost both legitimacy and credibility, particularly in terms of protecting its people and addressing their legitimate aspirations for change," he said.

Russia, however, has stressed it will not back a new UN Security Council resolution on further intervention in Libya.

Moscow could back new UN action if it "calls for an immediate end to all violence, bloodshed, the use of force, military action, and calls on all sides to immediately sit down at the negotiating table," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

Meanwhile, the former chief of the CIA praised Kadhafi's past cooperation with the United States and said his downfall could complicate US interests in the short term.

"Whatever you think of Kadhafi and Mussa Kussa... they were good and they were good counter-terrorism partners," said retired general Michael Hayden, referring to the former Libyan foreign minister who has defected.

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Petrol import from India proposed

A Pakistani policeman stands guard in front of a petrol station in Lahore on April 26, 2011. India plans to export petrol and diesel to Pakistan to help its neighbour meet its energy needs and to open up a new market for Indian refiners such as giant Reliance Industries, a report said.

ISLAMABAD: The petroleum ministry has proposed that the ‘most favoured nation’ (MFN) status be granted to India to facilitate import of petroleum products and export of cement and chemicals which would be a cost-effective proposition for both countries.

A commerce ministry official said a summary prepared by the petroleum ministry on the matter would become the basis of the two-day talks between the commerce secretaries of the two countries beginning here on Wednesday.

According to sources, the oil imports would be conditional to India facilitating export of Pakistani cement and chemicals without any barriers.

The official said the ministry had proposed the MFN status for India about two years ago and it reiterated its position this week as part of preparations for the talks.

According to the petroleum ministry, the country’s consumption of petroleum products currently stood at about 21 million tons, of which about 85 per cent was met through imports. Indigenous crude production meets only 15 per cent of the consumption, while 30 per cent crude and 55 per cent refined products are imported. The country’s total refining capacity is about 13 million tons.

The transportation of about two million tons of POL products takes place through the railway, 4.5 million tons through pipelines and about 14.5 million tons by road.

The ministry believes that Pakistan’s total diesel consumption of about 4.4 million tons can be met through imports from India where its prices are lower than in Pakistan. The price of diesel in Pakistan is Rs92.90 per litre against Rs75.56 in India (40 Indian rupees). The price of petrol in India is equivalent to Rs61.50 per litre and Rs83.55 in Pakistan.

According to the ministry, Bhatinda and Panipat have a refining capacity of about 15 million tons and two refineries of the Reliance Industries have a capacity of 40 million tons.

It has proposed that import be allowed through Wagah border by rail and road to meet diesel requirements in northern parts of the country and through sea for Karachi and adjoining areas.

The official said that since furnace oil and high speed diesel were deregulated items in Pakistan, oil marketing companies should be allowed to import the two products through open bidding.

Both diesel and furnace oil are on the positive list of importable items from India but imports do not take place because of political reasons.

The petroleum ministry has also proposed to put petrol and jet fuel, which are deficit products in Pakistan, on the positive list.

To achieve this objective, Indian companies may be allowed to participate in tenders floated by oil marketing companies.

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Kal Tak 25th April 2011 (Chairman HEC, Ishaq Dar)

Watch Kal tak videos

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HEC devolution decision taken back

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‘PPP offers 6 ministries to PML-Q’

Co-Chairman PPP President Asif Ali along with Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani chairing a meeting of the senior leadership of the Party in the Presidency on Thursday. – Photo by APP

ISLAMABAD: The core committee of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) which met in the presidency on Thursday for a second time in four days discussed pros and cons of the possible PPP-Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) alliance.

“There is no timeframe set for forming the alliance but it has been agreed that it should take place soon,” Presidential Spokesman Farhatullah Babar said after the late night meeting.

Sources in the PPP said that six federal ministries had been offered to the Q-League.

The meeting presided over by President Asif Ali Zardari, who is also co-chairman of the PPP, was attended by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, provincial heads of the party besides members of the committee.

The meeting was part of the consultative process initiated by the president to seek support of the party leaders on making alliance with the PML-Q to ensure comprehensive majority in parliament, especially after PPP’s two coalition partners – Muttahida Qaumi Movement and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F – parted ways with the government.

“The core committee gave go-ahead to the president and co-chairman of the party to have new alignment with political parties, including the Q-League,” said the spokesman.

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Women, rights bodies shocked by SC verdict

ISLAMABAD: Rights activists protesting against the Supreme Court’s decision in the Mukhtar Mai case here on Thursday.—Dawn

NEW YORK/ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: The New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Pakistan`s National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW), Insani Huqooq Ittehad (IHI) comprising 10 NGOs and other women and human rights organisation have expressed “deep shock” and “disappointment” at the Supreme Court verdict acquitting the accused who had raped Mukhtar Mai about nine years ago.

“This is a setback for Mukhtar Mai, the broader struggle to end violence against women and the cause of an independent rights-respecting judiciary in Pakistan,” the HRW said in a statement and urged the government to ensure her safety.

It said that any argument that the court was constrained by the “evidence on record” would not cut any ice as the court had repeatedly shown itself quite capable of demanding more evidence and reinvestigation in instances where it served a political purpose.

The verdict “reflects poorly on the Supreme Court and underscores the reality that while Pakistan`s judiciary is now independent, it retains a deeply embedded bias against women in particular and on rights issues in general”.

The HRW said: “The Supreme Court does not hesitate to summon police officials and other state functionaries of its own volition in its ongoing turf-wars with the government. Yet it did not see fit to ensure that justice was delivered in a case where the crime took place in full public view and the perpetrators were publicly identified.”

A statement issued after an emergency meeting of the NCSW and members of the IHI, including Potohar Organisation for Development Advocacy, Mehergargh, Aurat Foundation, Rozan, Sungi, Bedari, Ethno Media, Pattan and Strengthening Participatory Organisation, said the SC judgment had shaken the confidence and sense of security of women to stand up for their rights.

“It reflects a faulty investigation by police and the loopholes that are left intentionally to side with the powerbrokers,” they said.

“We are surprised to see why only one accused was punished and the others were acquitted when it was a case of `gang-rape`,” the statement said, adding: “This is the reflection of a biased and inefficient criminal justice system. This (Mukhtar Mai) case has been a classic example of how facts were distorted and documentation of the evidence was tampered with at all levels.”

They expressed concern over the long delay in dispensation of justice. “The victim was raped in 2002 on the orders of a local panchayat. The Chief Justice of Pakistan took a suo motu notice of the case in 2005. And despite the intervention it took more than six years to come up with this decision, which is a source of concern for the women of Pakistan.”

They feared that the decision might further strengthen anti-women parallel legal and judicial systems and mechanisms in the country. “The criminal justice system too is not pro-women and is patriarchal in nature. Impunity is the order of the day.”

They said that in cases of complaints women victims were burdened to provide series of evidences which was not possible for them. It was the responsibility of police to investigate and come up with the requisite evidence. Currently, methods of recording evidence by police were biased against women; and that was one of the reasons that they did not get justice from courts.

The statement said that women`s lack of proportionate representation in lower and upper judiciary was paving the way for verdicts against women victims. There was dire need to start a rational discourse on the lack of women`s representation within the courts.

They were of the opinion that the outcome of Mukhtar Mai case would discourage survivors of rape and gang-rape to report. “She has given a message of courage and hope to all women victims of our country.”

They also condemned the insensitive and pathetic attitude of a section of the media which is grinning at the verdict and clapped after they recorded the responses on the judgment. “The owners and editors of these media houses are advised to inculcate responsible and sensitive attitude in the practices of such chauvinistic reporters.”

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Bishoo spins Windies to T20 win over Pakistan

Sammy celebrates after bowling to dismiss Hafeez as Shehzad looks on.—AFP

GROS ISLET, St.Lucia: Leg spinner Devendra Bishoo claimed four wickets as the new-look West Indies beat Pakistan by seven runs in their Twenty20 international on Thursday.

The Guyanese spinner ran through the Pakistan middle order as they fell short in their chase of West Indies’ total of 150 for seven.

West Indies picked a youthful team for the one-off game and the upcoming ODI series, having dropped experienced batsmen Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

One of the young faces, opening batsman Lendl Simmons got West Indies off to a great start with a lively 65 off 44 balls and left-hander Darren Bravo struck 42 off 33 as the Caribbean side brought up their 100 in the 13th over.

But, as so often, Darren Sammy’s side failed to build on their good foundation and ended up falling short of a really strong total, with just two other players making double figures.

Pakistan lost both their openers, Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez, early but Umar Akmal’s 41 from 60 balls put them in with a chance.

Bishoo, who caught the eye of West Indies selectors with his performances in regional Twenty20 cricket, then showed his value in the shortest form of the game with some astute bowling.

The vital breakthrough came when Sammmy made a fine catch at extra-cover off Bishoo, to dismiss skipper Shahid Afridi (12) and break up what was a potentially match winning partnership.

Sammy then ran out Mohammand Salman and when Marlon Samuels caught Umar at deep midwicket off Ravi Rampaul, Pakistan were in trouble at 109-7.

But some loose bowling and some spirited resistance from Saeed Ajmal (21 not out) at the end gave the tourists a glimmer of hope and the last pair needed 14 from the final over.

Jamaican all-rounder Andre Russell kept his composure, after a no-ball with his first delivery of the over, and the West Indies had cause for celebration at the start of their home campaigns which also includes two tests with Pakistan in May and three against India in June.

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Blast at a gambling den in Karachi; 15 killed

Police survey the site of an explosion in Karachi.—Reuters

KARACHI: At least 15 people were killed and more than 30 injured in a bomb blast in a gambling den in a densely-populated area of the city on Thursday, officials and witnesses said.

The blast, which took place between 9:15 and 9:30pm, targeted people at the entrance of the multi-storey Brich Club (popularly known as rummy club) in Ghaas Mandi, near the city’s oldest neighbourhoods of Lyari and Kharadar.

There were stains of blood and human flesh on the main road along the club. Windscreens of vehicles parked outside the building were shattered.

The blast caused panic in the area, which also housed residential buildings and several commercial facilities, including wholesale markets. As ambulances got stuck up in narrow lanes, residents of the locality and passers-took part in the rescue operation.

“A total of 15 people were brought dead to the Civil Hospital, majority of whom remained unidentified,” said police surgeon Hamid Parihaar.

“Of the 35 injured, a few have been shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre and Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. Nearly a dozen injured are in a critical condition.”

The investigators said the bomb, weighing nearly two kilograms, was planted at the entrance of the building where people were waiting for their turn to enter the club.

“The blast caused a two-foot deep crater,” said SP Raja Umer Khattab of the Special Investigation Unit (SIU).

“It will be premature to reach any conclusion,” said city police chief Saud Mirza. “But the way the blast has been carried out with ball-bearings used in the bomb it shows the expertise of militants seen in the past.”

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US to deploy drones against Qadhafi in Libya: Gates

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates (L) speaks with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs James Cartwright (R) during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, April 21, 2011. – Photo by AFP

WASHINGTON: The US military will use armed drones over Libya, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday, calling them a “modest contribution” to international coalition efforts there.

Gates said the decision to use unmanned drones armed with missiles was made “because of the humanitarian situation” in Libya, where strongman Muammer Qadhafi’s forces are battling a Western-backed insurgency.

General James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the unmanned aircraft will be useful because of “their ability to get down lower, therefore to be able to get better visibility on (targets), particularly targets now that have started to dig themselves into defensive positions.” Cartwright said the drones “are uniquely suited” for the mission in Libya for use on a 24-hour basis in urban areas, and to limit collateral damage.

Gates added: “They give you a capability that even the A10 (anti-tank aircraft) and AC130 (ground attack aircraft) couldn’t provide” in the conflict in the North African nation.

Two drones were to be over Libya starting Thursday but that deployment was delayed due to poor weather, Cartwright said.

Gates said that the deployment represents “a very limited additional role on our part,” in Libya but argued that it did not mean “mission creep” for the United States.

The US military uses drones in Pakistan to kill Taliban fighters and members of Al-Qaeda. – AFP

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US drone strike kills five in North Waziristan

The strike came two days after a visit by Admiral Mike Mullen, the top US military official, to Islamabad. –File Photo

ISLAMABAD: Four missiles fired by two suspected US pilotless aircraft hit a house in Pakistan’s tribal region of North Waziristan on the Afghan border on Friday, killing five militants, Pakistani intelligence officials said. 

The drone strike happened in Mir Ali, a town about 35 kilometres east of the region’s main town of Miranshah. 

“We are trying to gather information but according to initial reports, five militants were killed,” an intelligence official in the region, who requested not to be identified, told Reuters. 

Another official also confirmed the attack and said the toll could be higher. 

The strike came two days after a visit by Admiral Mike Mullen, the top US military official, to Islamabad in which he expressed concern over continuing links between Pakistan’s main intelligence agency, the ISI, and militants attacking US-led forces across the border in Afghanistan. 

North Waziristan is a known sanctuary for al Qaeda and Taliban militants near the Afghan border. 

The United States has been using drone attacks to target al Qaeda-linked militants over the past few years in Pakistan’s lawless tribal areas, a source of concern for the Pakistan government, which says civilian casualties stoke public anger and bolster support for militancy.

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US Admiral Mullen to visit Pakistan this week

ISLAMABAD: The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff will visit Islamabad this week for talks with Pakistani leaders as relations between the allies flounder amid a series of diplomatic rows.

Admiral Mike Mullen’s visit is the latest shuttle diplomacy mission after a fatal shooting by a CIA contractor in January enflamed a row over intelligence sharing and heightened tensions over the controversial US drone war.

Mullen, the top US military official, is to visit for “discussions with leadership here”, a military official in Pakistan said Tuesday, without giving further details.

The military official pointed out that Mullen had visited Pakistan at least 25 times, with his last visit for two days in December.

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Gilani seeks UN help in flood forecasting, weather warning system

Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani talks to Rauf Engin Soysal, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General for Assistance to Pakistan at the PM House. – APP

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday sought United Nations’ assistance in developing flood forecasting and early weather warning system for Pakistan before the monsoon season.

Talking to Rauf Engin Soysal, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General for Assistance to Pakistan here at the PM House, Gilani appreciated UN’s support and the Special Envoy’s dedicated work for the flood affected people of the country.

The prime minister lauded the personal commitment of Ambassador Soysal, who extensively visited the flood affected areas to oversee work of all UN agencies during the relief and recovery phases after the unprecedented floods.

He commended Ambassador Soysal for his proactive efforts with Friends of Democratic Pakistan (FoDP) partners for implementation of energy sector plan of action, which had been approved by the third FoDP Ministerial meeting in Brussels last year.

The prime minister called for building on the progress achieved in various areas of FoDP process and fast tracking of implementation of Malakand Development Strategy.

Gilani hoped that as Pakistan moves from early recovery to medium and long term construction and development phase, the UN will undertake an impact assessment of the international assistance routed through the UN agencies.

Ambassador Soysal apprised the prime minister that his office was working with the UNDP representative in Pakistan in the flood affected areas to help resume economic activities.

Muhammad Haroon Shaukat, Special Secretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other senior officials were also present in the meeting.

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