Leaked NATO report 'frivolous', says Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday hit out angrily at a leaked NATO report accusing its security services of secretly aiding the Afghan Taliban, calling it “frivolous” and “not worth commenting on”.

“This is frivolous, to put it mildly. We are committed to non-interference in Afghanistan and expect all other states to strictly adhere to this principle,” foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Basit told AFP.

A senior security official condemned the leak, as reported by the BBC, which also broadcast a documentary “Secret Pakistan” last year accusing parts of Pakistan’s intelligence service of complicity with Taliban militants.

“The report is not available, leaks not worth commenting,” he told AFP.

“We are also committed to an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned reconciliation process,” Basit said.

“Pakistan has suffered enormously because of the long conflict in Afghanistan. A stable and peaceful Afghanistan is in our own interest and we are very much cognisant of this”.

Report not analysis of progress: ISAF

A spokesman for NATO forces in Kabul has said that the leaked report is not an analysis of the progress of the military campaign.

The document “may provide some level of representative sampling of Taliban opinions and ideals but clearly should not be used as any interpretation of campaign progress,” said Lieutenant Colonel Jimmie Cummings.

Cummings told AFP: “The classified document is a compilation of Taliban detainees’ opinions and ideals based on their comments while in detention.

“It’s important that this context be understood and extremely important not to draw conclusions based on the Taliban comments.”

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Malik Ishaq banned from entering Muzaffargarh district for 3 months

LAHORE: The administration of Muzaffargarh district has issued orders to ban the entry of former Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) leader Malik Muhammad Ishaq for a period of three months in order to maintain peace and avoid any untoward incident, FTNews has learnt. The action has been taken under Section 5 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance 1960.

The orders were issued by District Coordination Officer (DCO) Tahir Khursheed on a letter sent by District Police Officer (DPO) Rao Munir Zia on January 31. Source in the DCO and DPO offices confirmed these facts while talking to FTNews.

Ishaq, accused in 44 cases involving 70 killings, has been acquitted in 34 cases and granted bail in 10. He was released from Kot Lakhpat on January 21 after a Lahore High Court (LHC) review board denied an extension to his detention.

Sources said that the Special and Security branches in their reports had said Ishaq’s entry in the district may cause disruption of peace and cause sectarian tensions. Both departments had suggested banning Ishaq’s entry into the district’s jurisdiction for a period of three months.

The former leader of LeJ had recently made an appearance at the Difa-e-Pakistan conference on the special invitation from the Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat (ASWJ) leadership.

MPO ordinance

According to the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance 1960, the Home Department can detain a person for three months if they could create a law and order situation if released. According to Section 5 of the ordinance, no person can be detained for a period exceeding three months unless a judicial board has reviewed the case and concluded that there is sufficient cause for such detention to continue.

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11 soldiers killed in Balochistan: Officials

QUETTA: Baloch rebels attacked security forces overnight, killing at least 11 soldiers and wounding another 12 in clashes that raged for five hours, officials said Wednesday.

About two dozen gunmen attacked two posts in Margut, about 60 kilometres east of Quetta, capital of the insurgency-torn southwestern province of Balochistan. The soldiers were responsible for guarding coal mines, they said.

“About two dozen gunmen armed with light and heavy weapons attacked the Frontier Corps (paramilitary) posts and killed 11 soldiers,” a senior military official said.

He said another 12 soldiers were wounded in the assault.

Other security officials confirmed the casualties.

The assailants belonged to a Baloch militant group led by Harbiar Marri who is living in self exile in London, the official said.

Baloch rebels have been fighting since 2004 for political autonomy and a greater share of profits from Balochistan’s wealth of natural oil, gas and mineral resources.

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Posted in: NATIONAL