Voices from 'danger zone' Jun 25, 2009
Saiqa Khan, a teacher from Lahore, says that the escalation of violence has spread fear in her city. Life in Lahore is more tense and frightening now as we don't know what might happen at any given moment ... But this is not just Lahore - the whole of Pakistan is a danger zone today. (BBC News -- South Asia)
India seeks arrests of Mumbai suspects Jun 24, 2009
However, a court in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore earlier this month freed Saeed, a hard-line Islamic cleric, saying there was no evidence against him. Indian officials heatedly condemned the move. (Boston Globe)
File: Sarabjit shifted from death row cell in Pakistan Jun 24, 2009
ISLAMABAD: Indian national Sarabjit Singh, awarded capital punishment in Pakistan, has been shifted from death row to a normal cell in a Lahore jail, raising hopes that he might not be executed ... Pakistan Law Minister Farooq Naek, who met Sarabjit in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail earlier this month, said he had sought the Indian's file from the prison superintendent so that he could study his case ... The Indian national, on death row in Pakistan, has been shifted to a normal cell in a Lahore... (India Times, India)
Pakistan targets its most wanted man Jun 24, 2009
Apart from the killing of Bhutto, he is credited with masterminding the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore in March, as well as the assassination of anti-Taliban scholar Sarfaraz Naeemi in the same city a few months later, in addition to numerous other acts of terror. Given Baitullah's stature, it would be difficult to replace him should he indeed fall victim to the military's bullets - in many ways he is the essential glue that holds his network together. (Asia Times Online)
President says Taliban an international threat, can spread if not defeated Jun 24, 2009
LAHORE: India is no longer a military threat to Pakistan, while the Taliban threaten not only the world, but also our way of life, President Asif Ali Zardari has said. I do not consider India a military threat; the question is that India has the capability. (Daily Times, Pakistan)
Infotainment Jun 24, 2009
LAHORE: Most people have heard of the air guitar a form of dance and movement in which the performer mimes the act of playing guitar solos. The sport even has a world championship, something the creators of the Air Sex World Championship hope to cash in on. (Daily Times, Pakistan)
Indiaseeks 22in Mumbai attacks Jun 24, 2009
However, a court in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore earlier this month freed Saeed, a hard-line Islamic cleric, saying there was no evidence against him ... Abdur Rehman Makki, a close Saeed aide, rejected the Indian warrant, saying the Lahore High Court had already decided there was no evidence to prove Saeed was involved in the Mumbai attack. (MSNBC -- International)
Fight fire with fire Jun 24, 2009
So for weeks, Nawaz criss-crossed Pakistan from Quetta to Karachi, from Lahore to Mirpur, giving speeches at universities ... When we joined him in Lahore one man in the audience said succinctly: "If America wants us to do something, then we won't do it.". (BBC News -- South Asia)
Pakistan cricketers return home Jun 24, 2009
But the remaining members of the team arrived in Lahore and were driven away in a bus before waiting fans had had a chance to show their appreciation ... Fans who had gathered at the Lahore airport early on Tuesday beat drums and chanted slogans before realising the cricketers had departed from another terminal. (BBC News -- South Asia)
Hanging of Indian 'spy' upheld Jun 24, 2009
Singh, lodged in Lahore jail, was due to have been executed last May ... He was found guilty of spying and carrying out four bombings which killed 14 people in the Pakistani cities of Lahore and Faisalabad in 1990. (BBC News -- South Asia)
New fight stirs concern in Pakistan Jun 24, 2009
Children wait for their daily food rationat the Chota Lahore refugee campinSwabi, northwest Pakistan, onJune 3. . (Huntington WSAZ-TV, WV)
* Pakistan win first major title for 17 years at Lords Jun 23, 2009
The International Cricket Council has already ruled out holding World Cup matches in Pakistan in 2011 following the militant attack on the Sri Lanka team in Lahore on March 3. Afridi paid tribute to skipper Younus. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Sports)
Twenty20 World Cup triumph vital for Pakistans recovery Jun 23, 2009
In March, militants ambushed the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore, leaving six Pakistani policemen and a driver dead and six players wounded. The attack led to the ICC s decision to effectively strip Pakistan of its co-hosting rights for the 2011 one-day World Cup although the country s board are still locked in talks with the sport s governing body over the issue. (The Star Online, Malaysia -- Sports)
Pakistan puts Taliban leader in crosshairs Jun 23, 2009
Lahore, Pakistan - As Pakistan's military wraps up its offensive against the Taliban in Swat Valley, it's turning attention to the tribal area of South Waziristan and homing in on Baitullah Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, who is based there. Several Pakistani security analysts say that killing or capturing the young, secretive man who is becoming an iconic figure for his role in major terror attacks in Pakistan since 2004 could deal a severe blow to the aspirations of... (Christian Science Monitor)
Tribal leader killed in Pakistan Jun 23, 2009
Earlier this month a prominent Muslim cleric who was outspoken in his opposition to the Taliban was killed in a suicide blast at his seminary in Lahore. Correspondents say Mehsud is thought to head the most powerful group of militants in the country, with a network of alliances with other militants. (BBC News -- South Asia)
Pakistan celebrates cricket win Jun 23, 2009
Pakistan's isolation as a cricket host was only compounded when in March militants attacked the Sri Lankan team as they travelled to a match in Lahore, killing six policemen and a bus driver and injuring some of the Sri Lankan team. Going 'ballistic. (BBC News -- South Asia)
Shining night Jun 23, 2009
For a cricketing outfit that was deprived of top level international cricket for more than 15 months and were reeling under the most harrowing incident of the game's history which saw the visiting Sri Lankan cricketers escaping death in Lahore during March, Younis Khan's men defied the laws of equilibrium to become champions. In Younis' own admission, the Pakistani cricketers are invariably the poor starters and that's exactly how they began this campaign too, sinking without a whimper to an... (BBC News -- South Asia)
Rival to Pakistan Taliban commander Mehsud killed Jun 23, 2009
Suspicion for his murder has fallen on Mehsud, who was accused of being behind the killing of a prominent anti-Taliban cleric in a suicide bomb attack in the city of Lahore this month. Government and military spokesmen were not available for comment. (AlertNet)
Please come to Pakistan, pleads Younis Jun 23, 2009
The terrorist attack on Sri Lanka's cricketers outside Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore is still fresh in the minds of all in the cricket community, even though Kumar Sangakkara's players in their dignified way overcame the trauma to make the final of the tournament, with their alluring mix of bowlers ... "Even if Lahore had never happened I think this is a brilliant achievement. Lahore was the furthest thing from our mind coming here preparing for the game today and playing in the final. The team has... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Sport)
EDIT: A Fitting Finale Jun 23, 2009
A Pakistan-Sri Lanka final will not wipe out the events of Lahore, neither will the former's victory resolve all the problems it currently faces ... Part of it, hopefully, includes laying the ghosts of Lahore to rest. (India Times, India)
COMMENT: Trivial Pursuit Jun 22, 2009
Further evidence of the trivialisation of 26/11 in Pakistan was provided by the Lahore high court's orders to release Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, head of the LeT/JuD. Islamabad promises to contest the court's order, but this is just part of an old charade. The man will be 'arrested' again, to be held in honourable custody, an entirely unconvincing case will be presented by the prosecution and the court will, again, order his release. (India Times, India)
Pakistan tops Sri Lanka in World Cup cricket Jun 22, 2009
Giant screens were put in place in the main markets of Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad and Multan where thousands of men, women and children gathered to watch the final live from Lord's in London. The victory provided many back home with a welcome lift, given the Pakistan army's fight against militant Taliban fighters. (SportsIllustrated.CNN -- More)
Pakistanis were calling and sending text messages to their loved ones in the country and abroad Jun 22, 2009
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan. Monday, June 22, 2009. (Daily Times, Pakistan)
Pakistan storm to World Twenty20 triumph Jun 22, 2009
Match came three months after terrorist attack in Lahore during second Test. (CNN) -- Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets to win the World Twenty20 title in convincing fashion at Lord's on Sunday. (CNN -- International)
Cricket captain pleads with world to come to Pakistan Jun 22, 2009
Sunday's eight-wicket success at Lord's came just months after armed militants attacked the Sri Lanka team bus on the way to a Test in Lahore. That March 3 incident, which saw six policemen and two civilians killed, plus seven Sri Lankan squad members injured, led to the suspension of international cricket in Pakistan. (Yahoo! Asia News)
Pakistan`s historic win in the final of the T20 World Cup against Sri Lanka at Lord`s sparked jubilation across the country. Jun 22, 2009
LAHORE: Pakistans historic win in the final of the T20 World Cup against Sri Lanka at Lords sparked jubilation across the country. According to a private TV channel, people took to the streets after the match in all the major cities of the country including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Multan, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta and expressed their joy in their own peculiar manner. (Daily Times, Pakistan)
Pakistan wins Twenty20 world championship Jun 22, 2009
The Sydney Morning Herald: national, world, business, entertainment, sport and technology news from Australia's leading newspaper. Pakistan's Younis Khan (C) and teammates hold the trophy as they celebrate winning the ICC World Twenty20 cricket final against Sri Lanka at Lord's. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Sport)
Pakistan and Sri Lanka overcome tragedy and fear to reach Twenty20final Jun 21, 2009
Six policemen and two civilians were killed and seven Sri Lankan squad members were injured when militants launched a gun-and-grenade assault on their team bus as they travelled to a Test match in Lahore on March 3 ... Despite the events in Lahore, Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara said relations between the two sides had remained friendly ... "What Lahore really brought home to us was we are just the same as anyone else," he said. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Sport)
* Pakistans war with itself Jun 21, 2009
Ayesha Haroon is editor of the News International in Lahore and an associate fellow at the Asia Society. COPYRIGHT: PROJECT SYNDICATE. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
* From Lahore horror to Cup final Jun 21, 2009
From Lahore horror to Cup final. FROM SHOOTING TO SHOWPIECE:: Sri Lanka and Pakistan have emerged triumphant from the terror attack in Lahore in March to reach the Twenty20 World Cup final today REUTERS, LONDON Sunday, Jun 21, 2009, Page 18 ... Sri Lanka and Pakistan have emerged triumphant from the horror of Lahore last March when gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan team bus to stake a place in todays Twenty20 World Cup final at Lords. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
US president says Pak military aid must be used against extremism Jun 21, 2009
LAHORE: US President Barack Obama has told a private Pakistani TV channel in an interview that his administration does not intend to send American troops into Pakistan, the Indian media reported on Saturday. Obama said any American military aid to Pakistan needed to be used against extremism. (Daily Times, Pakistan)
Indian fans feel left out Jun 20, 2009
On November 4, 1987, Australia posted 267 for 8 and bowled out Pakistan for 249 at Lahore ... It was a feeling many in Pakistan would have empathised with on March 17, 1996, when the finals of the World Cup was played at Lahores Gaddafi Stadium between Australia and Sri Lanka in the presence of the host countrys PM Benazir Bhutto. (India Times)
Pakistani cleric's murder stokes sectarian tension Jun 20, 2009
LAHORE, Pakistan, June 19 (Reuters) - The son of one of Pakistan's most prominent anti-Taliban Muslim clerics, murdered by a suicide bomber a week ago, fears his father's killing could be part of a conspiracy to foment more sectarian violence. Sitting by his father's rose-covered mud grave, Raghib Naeemi is still receiving a stream of mourners a week after his father, Sarfraz Naeemi, was blown up in his office at his mosque complex in the eastern city of Lahore ... "I was shocked to learn of the... (AlertNet)
JPMorgan Chase & Co indexes have called Pakistan `the best bond investment in the current year`, despite the war against Taliban and a record current account deficit Jun 19, 2009
LAHORE: JPMorgan Chase dexes have called Pakistan the best bond investment in the current year, despite the war against Taliban and a record current account deficit, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. Money managers said the stock market, the cheapest in the region, might be the next best bet. (Daily Times, Pakistan)
First arrest in Sri Lanka cricket attack Jun 18, 2009
Pakistani police escort a detained man to showcase before media at a police compound in Lahore, on Wednesday. Police say the manwas involved in an attack on Sri Lanka's cricket team in Lahore in March ... LAHORE, Pakistan - Pakistani police have made their first arrest in the attack on Sri Lanka's cricket team, and allege the assailants planned to take the athletes hostage to demand the release of jailed comrades, a senior official said Wednesday. (MSNBC -- International)
'Cricket attacker' held in Lahore Jun 18, 2009
Cricket attacker' held in Lahore ... Police in Pakistan have arrested one of seven men suspected of being behind the attack on Sri Lanka's cricket team in Lahore in March, officials say ... "We have broken up a Punjabi Taliban network and we have arrested an attacker who shot dead a policeman," Lahore police chief Pervez Rathor said. (BBC News -- South Asia)
Militants bombarded as Pakistan battle looms Jun 18, 2009
Gunmen sprayed the Sri Lankan cricket team's bus with bullets and fired a rocket and a grenade as it traveled to a match against Pakistan in Lahore ... Pervez Rathore, Lahore's police chief, said the arrested suspect, Mohammad Zubair, was a member of the Punjabi Taliban, an offshoot of the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi group that is accused of having al-Qaida ties. (MSNBC -- International)
Sri Lanka and South Africa favourites for Twenty20 final Jun 18, 2009
A Sri Lanka-Pakistan final would provide an emotional climax to the tournament following the armed attack on the Sri Lanka team in Lahore in March. Captain Kumar Sangakkara was one of six Sri Lanka players wounded by a small group of heavily armed men who killed six Pakistani policemen and the driver of the bus carrying the match officials. (The Star Online, Malaysia -- Sports)
Pakistan cricket attack suspect arrested Jun 18, 2009
A bulletriddled police van that had been guarding the Sri Lanka cricket team in the Pakistani city of Lahore on March 3 ... LAHORE, Pakistan (AFP) - Pakistani police said Wednesday they had arrested one of seven men accused of plotting the deadly attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in the eastern city of Lahore in March ... "We have identified seven men accused of planning the attack and one of them has been arrested," Lahore police chief Pervez Rathor told reporters. (Yahoo! Asia News)
Manmohan Singh meets Zardari Jun 17, 2009
He even added that Pakistan was open to seeking a judicial review of the Lahore High Court order releasing LeT chief Hafiz Saeed and the interior ministry will seriously pursue cases against the accused in the Mumbai terror attack. Mr Qureshi also said Pakistan was keen to start the composite dialogue process which had got suspended after the Mumbai terror attacks last November. (India Times)
Pakistan Takes On Taliban Leader Mehsud Jun 17, 2009
In late March, Washington announced a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture, describing Mehsud as a "key al-Qaeda facilitator." And over the past week alone, he claimed responsibility for five separate terrorist attacks, including the bombing of a luxury hotel in Peshawar and the killing of a vocal anti-Taliban cleric in Lahore ... The day before the drone strike, Pakistani air-force jets were pounding the same area in retaliation for the recent terrorist attacks in the... (Time.com)
US drone attacks cloaked in secrecy Jun 17, 2009
In April, Lahore newspaper The News published figures provided by Pakistani officials indicating that 687 civilians have been killed along with 14 al-Qaeda leaders in some 60 drone strikes since January 2008 - just over 50 civilians killed for every al-Qaeda leader. A paper published last week by the influential pro-military Center for a New American Security (CNAS) criticizing the Obama administration's use of drone attacks in Pakistan said US officials "vehemently dispute" the Pakistani... (Asia Times Online)
In pictures: Pakistan's displaced Jun 16, 2009
The management of Chota Lahore camp in Swabi complains that most IDPs take more servings than there are members in their respective families. Food distribution is often a haphazard affair. (BBC News -- South Asia)
Pakistan Struggles as Taliban Escalates Refugee Crisis Jun 16, 2009
On May 27, a few days before Peshawar's hotel attack, car bombers armed with AK-47s and hand grenades killed 30 and wounded 250 at police and intelligence headquarters in Lahore, the capital of Punjab Province. Army units including 80,000 troops previously stationed on the Indian frontier pressed on to Bannu, a tribal area just outside the Taliban strongholds of North and South Waziristan, where hundreds of tribesmen unexpectedly began battling the Taliban fighters they had long appeased. (Newsmax)
Pakistan commander warns against collateral damage Jun 16, 2009
A Pakistani police officer searches visitors at the main entrance of famous saint "Data Darbar" to ensure security, Monday, June 15, 2009 in Lahore, Pakistan. Authorities have beefed up nation-wide security after a recent wave of terrorism, which killed many people in different parts of the country. (North County Times)
Pakistan Public Opinion Turning Against Taliban Jun 16, 2009
Zahid Omar, 37, a local trader in the eastern city of Lahore, said people had been forced to see the Taliban's "ugly faces." ... Associated Press writers Nahal Toosi, Kathy Gannon and Rohan Sullivan in Islamabad, Babar Dogar in Lahore, Abdul Sattar in Quetta, Khalid Tanveer in Multan, Riaz Khan in Mardan and Pamela Hess in Washington contributed to this report. (CBS News -- World)
MJ Akbar: US advice on J&K is lunacy Jun 16, 2009
Those who have inflicted havoc already in India, and those who intend to do so in future, are safe in their havens in Lahore and Multan and Karachi ... The Lahore High Court, which ordered his release, discovered that Pakistan had not even placed al-Qaeda on its list of terrorist organizations. (India Times, India)
Chetek man helps light up the world Jun 16, 2009
In fact, West met his wife Linda-then a Peace Corps volunteer from Neillsville-at the American Club, the only bar in Lahore, Pakistan. They were married one year later. (Chetek Alert, WI)
Pakistan to launch offensive on Taliban chief Jun 16, 2009
Hamza Ahmed / APSupporters of the slain religious leader Dr. Sarfraz Naeemi struggle to touch his casket as it arrives for burial in the compound of his seminary, on Saturday, in Lahore, Pakistan. . (MSNBC -- International)
Lahore buries anti-Taliban cleric Jun 16, 2009
Thousands attended the funeral in Lahore. The funeral has taken place in the Pakistani city of Lahore of a prominent Muslim cleric killed in a suicide attack on Friday ... Protests against the killing have taken place in a number of Pakistani cities, including Lahore. (BBC News -- South Asia)
Taliban head 'must be eliminated' Jun 16, 2009
Last week a prominent Muslim cleric who was outspoken in his opposition to the Taliban was killed in a suicide blast at his seminary in Lahore. Gen Kayani said that militants targeted children, the elderly and clerics - and as such they were Pakistan's enemies. (BBC News -- South Asia)
Hedgehogs and flamingos Jun 16, 2009
On June 12, the day before Iran's election, a Taliban suicide bomber killed Mufti Sarfraz Naeemi in Lahore, the leader of the pro-government Barelvi Muslim current in Pakistan. As Pakistan's Daily Times wrote June 14, "The reason for this murder was not far too seek. Mufti Naeemi, arguably the most influential of the Ahle Sunnat-Barelvi school of thought in Pakistan, had recently presided over an all-Barelvi conference in Islamabad condemning the Taliban practice of suicide-bombing, and... (Asia Times Online)
Military, villagers battle Taliban militants Jun 16, 2009
The Taliban claimed responsibility for a suicide attack that killed 27 people in Lahore on May 27. The militants threatened to continue attacking cities in until the military ends its operations against Taliban militants. (CNN -- World)
Leading by achievable example Jun 16, 2009
Haroon Samson, Lahore, Pakistan ... Hasan, Lahore, Pakistan. (BBC News -- Science)
* Bomb blast kills 40 worshippers in northwest Pakistan Jun 6, 2009
The military says more than 1,200 militants and 90 soldiers have been killed since the army swung into action in late April, while the militants have carried out bomb attacks in Lahore, and the northwestern cities of Peshawar and Dera Ismail Khan. The people of Swat have realized that the entire misery which we are facing today, it is because of the Taliban, because of the terrorists, who are not only enemies of the country but enemies of Islam, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Sports)
Suspected suicide blast kills 40 in Pakistan Jun 6, 2009
However, Pakistan's Taliban said it carried out a suicide attack in Lahore, Pakistan, on May 27 that killed 27 people. The militants threatened to continue attacking cities in Pakistan until the military ends its operations against Taliban militants. (CNN -- World)
Suicide bomber kills 30 at Pakistan mosque Jun 6, 2009
There already have been attacks in major cities such as Peshawar and Lahore that officials suspect were revenge by the militants for Swat. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack on the Sunni Muslim mosque in the Haya Gai area of Upper Dir, a rough and tumble district next to Swat. (MSNBC -- International)
Pakistan's war in Swat: After the exodus Jun 6, 2009
Over the six weeks of the campaign, militants have carried out a dozen bomb attacks across Pakistan, including three on May 24th in the north-west, a day after 24 people were killed by gunfire and a suicide-bomb in Lahore ... On June 2nd, to the fury of Indian officials, Lahore s high court freed from house arrest Hafiz Mohammad Saeed. (The Economist)
Pakistan is serious about crushing Taliban, Holbrooke says Jun 6, 2009
A camp worker sewed tarps for tents to keep displaced people shaded at the Chota Lahore refugee camp in Swabi in war-ravaged Pakistan. The refugees have fled from Swat, Buner, and Lower Dir. (Boston Globe)
The government tore up the peace deal with the Taliban and launched a military offensive against extremists largely because of a shift in public opinion Jun 6, 2009
Analysts fear that it is only a matter of time before there is another big attack in Karachi, Lahore or Islamabad. Finally, it is far from clear whether the military can replicate its decisive action in Swat elsewhere. (Daily Times, Pakistan)
Former Extremist Now Fights Militancy In Pakistan Jun 6, 2009
One hard-liner, whom Nawaz accuses of being a member of Hizb ut-Tahrir, punched him in the face after a talk in the eastern city of Lahore. Nawaz said he hopes to start a network of moderate Pakistani Muslims to speak out against extremism. (CBS News -- World)
Pakistan court frees JuD chief Hafiz Saeed Jun 5, 2009
LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, chief of banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa, and several top JuD leaders were put under house arrest on December 11 after the UN Security Council blacklisted the organization as a terror group following the Mumbai terror attacks ... Addressing a news conference in Lahore, Saeed claimed that the lone surviving Pakistani terrorist in 26/11 Mumbai attack, Ajmal Amir Kasab, had no connection with his outfit. (India Times, India)
Punjab govt in Pak to appeal against Saeed's release Jun 5, 2009
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday said the government of its Punjab province will file an appeal against the Lahore High Court order releasing banned JuD chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, who was placed under house arrest in December last year in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks. "The Lahore High Court ordered the release of Saeed and the Punjab government is filing an appeal," Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit told a weekly news briefing here ... Official sources said the appeal... (India Times, India)
India and Pakistan put on a show - but ICC say they won't beseduced Jun 5, 2009
The ICC called the warm-up fixture a "Catch the Spirit" match, with donations going to the families of those killed in the attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore. Rarely has a charity game held such significance. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Sport)
Lord's welcomes T20 Jun 4, 2009
Pakistan, starved of international cricket at home after a terror attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in March made the country a 'no-go zone', will fancy their chances of going one better this time around. However, their confidence took a battering on Wednesday when they slumped to a demoralising nine-wicket defeat to India in a warm-up game at The Oval. (iAfrica.com)
