OSAMA, ZAWAHRI AND I HAD SAME TEACHER: SAYS HAFIZ SAEED CHIEF OF JAMAAT UD DAWA

ISLAMABAD: Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, the chief of Jamaat ud Dawa (JuD) a charity organisation accused by West and India for exporting terror from Pakistan, has confessed for the first time about his meeting with al Qaida founding father Osama Bin Laden and said that he studied from the same scholar who taught bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri.

“Yes once I had met Osama Bin Laden but that is an old story I met him probably in 1982 in Saudi Arabia and in that meeting we just waived at each other,” said Saeed in an interview with news. Saeed’s organisation was banned by the United Nations Security Council days after the Mumbai attacks in November 2008 for its alleged involvement in the attacks and extremists activities. However local courts have allowed the organisation to work in Pakistan.

Saeed, the most wanted man by India, is a holder of double master’s degree in Islamic Studies and also is a former teacher at Engineering University, Punjab. He said he was a proud student of Sheikh Bin Baz. Bin Baz was the grand mufti (scholar) of Saudi Arabia from 1993 to until his death in May 1999.

AfPak head and a retired CIA officer, Bruce Riedel in his book titled “The Search for Al Qaeda” has described Bin Baz as one who “preached a very reactionary brand of Islam, proclaiming earth is flat, banning high heels for women as too sexually provocative, barring men from wearing Western suits and imposing other restrictions on behavior.” When asked is it not a coincidence that he studied under the same cleric who taught Osama Bin Laden and Aiman al al-Zawahiri? Saeed said it was the honour for both the students and the teacher.

When asked about the reports regarding the financial help by Osama Bin Laden for establishing Lashkar-i-Taiba back in 1989-90, Saeed denied by calling it “baseless allegation.” Asked how it was possible that he could not have met Bin Laden in neighboring Afghanistan while he was waging Jihad next door in Indian administered Kashmir, Saeed brushed aside the question saying, “put this matter aside.”

Saeed declared the killing of Osama Bin Laden as extra judicial act and in the same breath he said that it was yet to be verified if the al Qaeda chief was in the Abbotabad compound or not. He said that US was the biggest terrorist who did not prove anything against bin Laden in any court of law. When asked if his men or he himself were helping the jihad in Afghanistan, Saeed said that the Afghanis were doing well themselves and they did not need anybody’s help. “We are doing what we can do for them,” he added.

Saeed who used to hide from cameras has started appearing on television screen these days, when asked about the reason behind this change of mind he said that he has taken this decision to counter the propaganda against himself and his organization.

NATO INVESTIGATES DEADLY AFGHAN HELICOPTER CRASH

Rocket-propelled grenade, although the militant group often exaggerates incidents involving foreign troops or Afghan government targets. In Washington, a US official said the helicopter was believed to have been shot down. The Pentagon and the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan said overnight the cause of the crash was being investigated.

The crash and its high death toll occurred two weeks after foreign forces started a security handover to Afghan troops and police – to be completed by the end of 2014 – and at a time of growing unease about the increasingly unpopular and costly war. The Chinook crashed in central Maidan Wardak province, just west of the country’s capital Kabul, on Friday night.

“No words describe the sorrow we feel in the wake of this tragic loss,” General John Allen, who took over from General David Petraeus three weeks ago as ISAF commander, said in a statement released overnight. “All of those killed in this operation were true heroes who had already given so much in the defense of freedom.”

A US official said some of the dead Americans were members of the Navy’s special forces SEAL Team 6 – the unit that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in May in Pakistan, but that none of the dead had been part of the bin Laden raid. The crash was the deadliest single incident for US troops in Afghanistan, ISAF said.

US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said in a statement on Saturday that the United States would “stay the course” to complete the mission in Afghanistan, a sentiment echoed by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. The crash will likely raise more questions about the security transition and how much longer troops should stay. All foreign combat troops are due to leave by the end of 2014, but some US lawmakers question whether that is fast enough.

US and other Nato commanders have claimed success in reversing a growing insurgency in the Taliban’s southern heartland, although insurgents have demonstrated an ability to adapt their tactics and mount attacks in other areas. But violence is at its worst in Afghanistan since US-backed Afghan forces toppled the Taliban government in late 2001, with high levels of foreign troop deaths, and record civilian casualties during the first six months of 2011.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai “shared his deep sorrow and sadness” with his US counterpart, Barack Obama, and the families of the victims, his palace said on Saturday. Last year was the deadliest of the war for foreign troops in Afghanistan with 711 killed.

The crash in Maidan Wardak means at least 375 foreign troops have been killed so far in 2011. More than two-thirds were American, according to independent monitor www.icasualties.com and figures kept by Reuters.

COMMISSION STOPS OSAMA FAMILY’S REPATRIATION

ISLAMABAD, July 5: The commission investigating the May 2 covert US raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad ordered the Ministry of Interior and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) on Tuesday not to repatriate members of the family of the slain Al Qaeda leader without its consent.

Two wives and six children aged between two and 12 are reported to be in the custody of security agencies. According to a press release, the decision was taken at the first meeting of the four-member commission, headed by Supreme Court’s senior judge Justice Javed Iqbal, at the cabinet division.

Other members of the commission who attended the in-camera meeting were former chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority Lt-Gen (retd) Nadeem Ahmed, former IG of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Abbas Khan and former diplomat Ashraf Jehangir Qazi. Initially, it was a five-member commission, but Justice (retd) Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim refused to be part of it. The next meeting of the commission will be held on July 11. According to the press release, the commission also decided that if needed it would request senior civil, military and political leaders to attend its proceedings.

It decided that individuals interested in appearing before the commission with information pertaining to the Abbottabad operation would be invited through the media by July 31. They will be notified about the date, time and venue for appearance. Their identity will be kept confidential and, if required, they will be provided legal protection. The commission said it could co-opt experts from specified fields for assistance. The members of the commission have been asked not to speak to the media about its proceedings.

According to information collected from various sources, the members unanimously agreed not to set a deadline for report of the inquiry. They wanted to keep the proceedings free of any timeframe, allowing them to take as much time as they felt was necessary to complete the investigation. Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan of the PML-N has demanded a deadline for the commission to complete its task. The PML-N has rejected the commission on the grounds that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani did not consult the opposition leader on its formation as required under a resolution adopted by a joint sitting of the two houses of parliament on May 14.

According to the press release, the commission’s task is “to ascertain full facts regarding the presence of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan; investigate circumstances and facts regarding the US operation in Abbottabad; determine the nature, background and causes of lapses, if any, of the authorities concerned; and to make consequential recommendations”.

PAKISTANI SUPPORT FOR MILITARY ACTION AGAINST MILITANTS DROPS.

ISLAMABAD: Domestic support for the Pakistani military’s campaign against militant groups has waned in recent years, a poll by a US group has found, showing deep-rooted opposition among the Pakistani public to the United States.

The findings of two Pew Research Center surveys will be disappointing for the United States, which wants its ally to deal forcefully with militants, particularly those fighting US-led foreign forces across the border in Afghanistan and take refuge in northwestern Pakistani border enclaves.

The survey of 3,221 Pakistanis found that just 37 per cent of them supported using the army to fight militants, which was 16 per cent lower than two years ago, according to Pew. The surveys also showed that most Pakistanis 63 per cent disapproved of the secret US raid in May that killed Osama bin Laden, with 55 per cent describing it as a “bad thing”. It was not clear if the respondents disapproved of the killing of the al Qaeda leader, who has not been popular in the country in recent years, or the secret US raid which many people saw as a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty.Only 12 per cent of respondents had a positive view of the United States and only eight per cent had confidence in President Barack Obama “to do the right thing in world affairs”, Pew said.

“Most Pakistanis see the United States as an enemy, consider it a potential military threat and oppose American-led anti-terrorism efforts,” Pew said.The overwhelming rejection of US goals in the region puts Pakistan’s US-allied government and military in a difficult position in trying to please its people while working with the United States.

Although Pakistan said the death of bin Laden was a positive step in the battle against militancy, his killing by US Navy SEALs in his Pakistani hideout seriously damaged already strained ties between the uneasy allies. After the raid, the Pakistan army cut back the number of US troops stationed in the country and ended their role in training Pakistani soldiers involved in fighting militants. The Pakistan military also faced rare criticism at home for its failure to discover that the al Qaeda chief had been living in the country, apparently undetected, for years.

“Overwhelmingly popular”

But Pew said despite criticism after the bin Laden raid, the military remained “overwhelmingly popular”, with 79 per cent of respondents saying it had a good influence on the country. The ratings for military chief General Ashfaq Kayani saw a slight decrease after the bin Laden raid with 52 per cent of people favorable and 21 per cent unfavorable. Previously, Kayani was viewed positively by 57 per cent, with 18 per cent seeing him in a negative light. Militants have stepped up attacks in recent weeks to avenge bin Laden’s killing.

Pew said 55 per cent of people surveyed were “very or somewhat worried” that the militants might take over Pakistan, though that fear was down from 69 per cent two years ago.Still, 63 per cent considered Islamic extremism a problem although that was a decline from two years ago, when 79 per cent said they were worried. Views of al Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban as threats have fluctuated over the years. In 2009, 61 per cent of Pakistanis viewed al Qaeda as a threat, dropping to 38 per cent in 2010 and rising to 49 per cent after bin Laden’s death.

The Taliban were seen as a very serious threat by 73 per cent in 2009, but that had dropped to 54 per cent. Worryingly for the United States, 26 per cent of respondents saw the Taliban regaining control in Afghanistan as good for Pakistan while 21 per cent said it would be bad. In 2010, 18 per cent believed it would be good for Pakistan.

ABBOTTABAD RAID AND SALEEM SHAHZAD COMMISSIONS SET UP

ISLAMABAD, June 21: Acting rather swiftly after the Supreme Court had named the heads of inquiry commissions on the killings of Osama bin Laden and journalist Saleem Shahzad, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani announced on Tuesday the names of their members.

According to a handout, Prime Minister Gilani approved summaries sent by the ministry of law, justice and parliamentary affairs proposing the constitution of inquiry commissions. The complexion of the Abbottabad commission would remain the same as earlier announced by the government, except Justice (retd) Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim who had refused to be its member. Justice Javed Iqbal, senior puisne judge of the Supreme Court, will lead the probe into circumstances under which OBL was killed in a covert US military operation.

Other members of the commission are Lt-Gen (retd) Nadeem Ahmed, former inspector general of police Abbas Khan and former ambassador Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, with Cabinet Division Secretary Nargis Sethi as its secretary. The ministry of interior will provide secretarial support.

The terms of reference of the commission are: (a) to ascertain full facts regarding the presence of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan; (b) investigate circumstances and facts regarding the US operation in Abbottabad on 2nd May, 2011; (c) determine the nature, background and causes of lapses of authorities concerned, if any; and (d) make consequential recommendations. A couple of changes have been made in the commission proposed earlier on the killing of Saleem Shahzad. Instead of the additional inspector general (investigation) of Punjab and deputy inspector general of Islamabad police, the inspectors general have been made part of the new commission.

It will be headed by Justice Mian Saqib Nisar and include Federal Shariat Court Chief Justice Agha Rafiq Ahmed Khan and the president of the Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ). This commission has been asked: (i) to inquire into the background and circumstances of abduction and subsequent murder of Saleem Shahzad; (ii) to identify culprits involved in the abduction and subsequent murder; (iii) recommend measures to prevent recurrence of such gruesome incidents against journalists in future and (iv) to probe the matters of conduct which are in derogation of Articles 4,9,17, 19 and 19A of the Constitution and investigate in-depth such background facts. The secretary for information and broadcasting will act as secretary of the commission.

Unlike the Abbottabad commission whose terms of reference don’t include any timeframe, the tribunal on the killing of the journalist will submit its report within six weeks. The information ministry will provide secretarial support to the commission. The PML-N, the main opposition party, has once again rejected the constitution of the Abbottabad tribunal, terming it an insult to the May 14 resolution of a joint sitting of both houses of parliament that had called for consultation with the leader of opposition before its announcement.

The party’s spokesman Ahsan Iqbal said an inquiry through national consensus was needed, but the government appeared to have decided to condemn the parliamentary resolution to dustbin. Meanwhile, talking to reporters at a function held by the Benazir Income Support Programme the prime minister said the Supreme Court had given its ruling on the constitution of the commissions and no one should question their credibility.

He said the government had earlier made Justice (retd) Ebrahim a member of the Abbottabad commission on the recommendation of the leader of opposition in the National Assembly, but he had withdrawn his name, saying he had not been consulted by Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. The prime minister said the government had been consulting all political parties on important national issues. “Since the Abbottabad commission has been put in place, nobody should jump to conclusions,” he said. He said state institutions, including intelligence agencies, should be supported.