Karachi News


DAWN/The News International, KARACHI	24 April 2005, Sunday, 13 Rabi Awwal 1426

www.karachipage.com (click on underlined key-words/dates to get more details)
Muttahida activist shot dead
Teacher butchers wife, four sons
JI Amir Dr Merajul Huda Siddiqui arrested, police deny
Journalist Khawar Mehdi acquitted in Taliban training film case
2 shot dead near Gilgit
Pak-US joint military exercise in NWFP
11 shot dead in Kashmir
Macedonia lets off accused in Pak immigrant killings
40 Pakistani Christians held in S. Arabia
9/11 accused pleads guilty
Muttahida activist shot dead
KARACHI: A Muttahida activist was shot dead on Saturday, police said. According to details, Tariq Bandhani alias Tariq Commando, 42, a former joint-sector in-charge of Muttahida Qaumi Movement, and resident of Bandhani Colony Ghareebabad was shot at and injured by unknown gunmen opened fire on him in F B Area while he was going on his motorbike. The injured was rushed to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH), where he died. Police have registered a case against the unknown killers on complaint of Faizan, nephew of the deceased. Meanwhile, in a condolence message Altaf Hussain, leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement has expressed his deep sorrow over the assassination of Tariq.
Teacher butchers wife, four sons
KARACHI: A man slaughtered his wife and four sons while they were asleep at their house in the KMC Quarters, Civil Lines, in the wee hours of Friday, police said.

The horrific incident came to notice after some neighbours spotted blood oozing out from the house early on Friday morning. They informed the police who found four boys and their mother butchered. The ruthless killer had dumped the bodies in the washroom of the house, which looked like a slaughterhouse with blood splattered everywhere, the police said. The killer, Nadeem Ahmed, has been arrested.

The police shifted the bodies to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), where the deceased were identified as Shahjahan, 36, the wife, and sons Haseeb Ahmed, 13, Faseeh Ahmed, 11, Hamza Ahmed, 8 and Fahad Ahmed, 1-1/2. Later the bodies were handed over to their relatives. The police have registered a case against Nadeem on the complaint of Ziauddin, the brother-in-law of the killer.

After knowing about the gory incident, a large number of people rushed to the house, where moving scenes were witnessed, as most of the people could not hold back tears.

This correspondent found the killer fast asleep in the lock-up of the Artillery Maidan police station.

Sub-Inspector Liaquat Ali, the Investigation Officer (IO) of the case, told The News that the killer has confessed that he had slain his family. "He also pointed out a second knife he had hidden in a cupboard," Liaquat added.

The killer, who is a secondary school teacher in Bhutta village, lived in an official house along with his two brothers and parents. "He was in his senses after killing his spouse and sons," Liaquat said.

The killer had feasted his family with fruit and roasted chicken on the night of April 21 before slitting their throats, Liaquat quoted Nadeem as confessing to the interrogators.

During initial interrogation, the killer also admitted that he loved his wife throughout the 16 years of their conjugal life. "I presented the lives of my wife and four sons as a gift to the Holy Prophet (SAW) on his birthday," he said in a tone devoid of remorse or repentance.

Ziauddin, the brother of deceased Shahjahan, told newsmen that the behaviour of his brother-in-law to his family had been abnormal for the last few months. He had sold his motorcycle and started visiting different shrines in the metropolis.

JI Amir Dr Merajul Huda Siddiqui arrested, police deny

KARACHI: Personnel of a law enforcement agency in plain clothes, who were being escorted by police mobiles, on Saturday arrested Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi Amir, Dr Merajul Huda Siddiqui and took him to some unknown destination, witness and JI spokesman claimed.

According to eyewitnesses, Dr Meraj, when emerged from JI office, Idara Noor-e-Haq, to offer Asr prayer at nearby mosque, some unidentified persons asked him to get in a private car, which was being escorted by two police mobiles.

JI spokesman confirmed the report, saying they were still unaware where Dr Meraj had been taken.

"Yes he has been arrested which is evident from presence of two police mobiles that were escorting the vehicle in which he was taken," he said, adding that the JI and MMA will strongly protest on this act of the provincial govt.

"We had warned that if Dr Meraj, who is not wanted in any case, is arrested again, we will besiege Governor House," he added. DIG Operations Karachi, Mushtaq Shah and TPO Jamshad Town, Capt (retd) Tahir Naveed, said they were not aware of any such arrest.

Journalist Khawar Mehdi acquitted in Taliban training film case

QUETTA, April 23: An Anti-Terrorism Court here has acquitted three persons, including journalist Khawar Mehdi Rizvi, who were arrested along with two French journalists allegedly involved in making fake Taliban training video film in the Pakistani territory near Afghanistan border.

Judge Mohammad Shaukat Rakshani on Saturday acquitted the three persons when the prosecution failed to prove the case. Mr Rizvi, Abdullah Shakir and Allah Noor were arrested along with two French journalists on Dec 16, 2003 from Qila Abdullah district.

They were accused of making a video film to distort the image of Pakistan at international level and prove that the government had facilitated the Taliban to train their activists in its territory.

2 shot dead near Gilgit
GILGIT, April 23: Two bus passengers were shot dead by masked men in the limits of the Bhasha police station in Kohistan district, some 160km east of Gilgit, on Saturday. A police official, who requested on remaining anonymous, said that at least between five and six masked men had blocked the Karakoram Highway by putting obstacles on it. The Rawalpindi-bound bus (DMR-2195) had to stop there. The miscreants asked the passengers to disembark. After checking their identity cards they allowed all passengers to embark on the bus except two.

He said the masked men shot dead both of them, identified as Shabbir Hussain and Raza Shah, which could not be confirmed through officials quarters. He added that the miscreants took away their NICs and belongings.

Northern Areas Chief Secretary Nadeem Manzoor hurriedly called a meeting to discuss the situation which was going on till the filing of this report late Saturday night.

Pak-US joint military exercise in NWFP

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani and US troops participated in a joint military exercise on Saturday at a facility in northwestern Pakistan, an Army official said. The exercise was held at Cherat in NWFP, bordering Afghanistan, and was witnessed by senior Pakistani military officials and US Ambassador to Pakistan Ryan Crocker, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity. He said that the exercise was mainly aimed at "improving air-assault techniques in counter-terrorism environment".

11 shot dead in Kashmir

SRINAGAR, April 23: Indian troops shot dead 11 suspected militants, four of them near the Line of Control (LoC) while rebels killed two civilians, the army and police said. The latest violence came a day after a second successful bus run between the Indian and Pakistani zones of the disputed region, despite threats by hardline groups to attack it.

“Four of the militants were killed in the Rampur area of ... the Uri sector,” as they entered Indian Kashmir from the Pakistani zone, army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel V.K. Batra said.

Five more militants were killed in a fierce clash near the northern town of Handwara.

Police said two more militants were shot dead during two separate clashes in the southern districts of Rajouri and Doda on Friday.—AFP

Macedonia lets off accused in Pak immigrant killings

KOPJE, Macedonia: Macedonian court on Friday found three former police officials and a businessman not guilty of orchestrating the slayings of seven illegal immigrants. At the time of the March 2002 killings, police claimed the victims - six of them from Pakistan - had been planning to attack Western countries’ embassies in Skopje. But a new government elected in 2004 said the attack had been staged to show Macedonia was fighting terrorism. The four suspects tried for the killings - among them police general Goran Stojkov and intelligence officer Aleksandar Cvetkov - were accused of luring the illegal immigrants to Macedonia and having them killed by special forces near Skopje.

40 Pakistani Christians held in S. Arabia

RIYADH, April 23: Saudi Arabia has detained 40 Pakistani Christians for holding prayers at a house in the kingdom, where practicising any religion other than Islam is illegal, newspapers said on Saturday. A group of men, women and children were attending the service in the capital Riyadh when police raided the house, Al Jazirah newspaper said.

It said authorities also found Christian tapes and books.

Another Saudi daily, Al Yaum, said the raid took place on Friday while a Pakistani preacher was delivering a sermon. It was not clear what measures might be taken against the group.

Saudi authorities were not immediately available to comment.

There are around six million foreigners in the kingdom, which has a population of 23 million, including many Christians from Europe, North America, Asia and other Arab states.

In a rare official rebuke of a close ally last year, Washington accused Saudi Arabia of severe violations of religious freedom.

Following the Sept 11, 2001 attacks, which were carried out by mainly Saudis, the Gulf Arab state’s religious establishment came under sharp criticism by the West for fostering militancy and intolerance of other religions.—Reuters

9/11 accused pleads guilty

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia: Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person charged in connection to the September 11, 2001, attacks, pleaded guilty Friday to six charges, four of which carry the possibility of the death penalty.

Despite last-minute moves by his lawyers suggesting he was not mentally competent to enter the plea, Moussaoui was allowed to admit guilt, marking the beginning of the end of his three-year tortured legal battle.

The judge could now set a date for a penalty phase at which a jury will decide if Moussaoui should be executed.

"I don’t expect any leniency from the Americans," the 36-year-old Moussaoui said in court.

US District Judge Leonie Brinkema said she had found Moussaoui was "completely competent" to make the guilty pleas after meeting with him Wednesday. Brinkema said she found Moussaoui to be "an extremely intelligent man." Until now, Moussaoui has said that though he is a member of al-Qaeda, he was meant to participate in plots other than the September 11 hijackings. His claim is partially supported by the official US commission which looked into the September 11 attacks. It said captured al-Qaeda leader Khalid Sheikh Mohammed told interrogators that Moussaoui was not part of the plot but was instead to be used in a loosely planned "second wave" of attacks on the West Coast.

Moussaoui is the only person to face US charges connected to the attacks, which killed some 3,000 people.

Court observers had been surprised by the plea.

"I can conceive of no reason why someone in his circumstance would rationally plead guilty to these charges, ... unless you consider a desire for martyrdom rational," said Robert Litt, a former senior Justice Department official.

Nineteen men hijacked four jets and crashed them into the twin World Trade Centre towers in New York, the Pentagon outside Washington and a field in Pennsylvania.

As part of his defence strategy, Moussaoui and his lawyers sought access to three top al-Qaeda operatives in US custody: Mohammed, Ramzi bin al-Shaiba and Moustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi - all accused al-Qaeda organizers and financiers. Mohammed is considered the number-three in al-Qaeda.

The move repeatedly delayed Moussaoui’s trial as both sides wrangled over access to the detainees, which the US Justice Department claimed would threaten US security and classified information.