Pakistanis ‘less wary’ of Taliban: Survey 

Nawaz tops popularity list with 71pc

Monitoring Report

PESHAWAR: Fewer Pakistanis are concerned about armed groups like the Taliban and al-Qaeda, according to a new survey from the US-based Pew research centre.

Such groups remain deeply unpopular in Pakistan, and a majority of the Pakistani public views them as a threat, but they are viewed slightly more favourably than last year, Pew's results indicated.

Pew also found widespread dissatisfication with the state of domestic affairs in Pakistan: 84 per cent of respondents said they were dissatisfied with the state of the country.

One main reason was pessimism about the economy, which has posted its worst-ever growth rates over the last two years.

Blackouts leave much of the country without power for hours each day; the official unemployment rate stands at more than 14 per cent; and the government recently raised the price of sugar by 25 per cent to cope with shortages, raising fears of another "sugar crisis" like the one that sparked widespread public anger last year.

Only 19 per cent of respondents expect the economy to improve over the next year, while fully half expect it will deteriorate further.

The harshest reviews were reserved for President Asif Ali Zardari.

Just 20 per cent of respondents said they approved him because of his alleged corruption.

Seventy-one per cent of respondents had a positive view of PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif, giving him a better favourability rating than Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and General Ashfaq Kayani.

Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani received a 59 per cent favourability rating, while Imran Khan, the ex-cricketer-turned-politician, received 52 per cent.

The survey also found that US drone strikes remain deeply unpopular; that most Pakistanis want the US to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan; and that few expect their country's struggling economy to improve over the next 12 months.

Pew polled 2,000 people in Pakistan's four provinces, but it did not poll residents of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, which have borne the brunt of the fighting between the government and armed groups. Parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces were not polled because of security concerns.

Just 15 per cent of Pew's respondents approved of the Taliban; 18 per cent expressed favourable views of al-Qaeda.

Those numbers are up slightly from 2009, though, when 10 per cent of respondents endorsed the Taliban and nine per cent approved of al-Qaeda.

The number of Pakistanis calling the Taliban and al-Qaeda a "serious threat" declined by 19 points and 23 points, respectively.

Fifty-one per cent of respondents said they were "very worried" or "somewhat worried" about "extremist groups" taking control of the country, down from 69 per cent last year.

More than half of respondents called India their greatest threat, although a vast majority also supported increased trade and better relations with their neighbour to the east.

The survey also found little enthusiasm for the US drone attacks carried out in Pakistan's tribal areas. Just 32 per cent of Pakistanis said the raids were necessary; 90 per cent said they kill too many civilians.

The exact number of civilians killed by drone strikes is the subject of much debate, with most credible estimates running between 300 and 400 people - roughly one-third of all reported fatalities.

66 bodies of crash victims handed over to families

Statesman Report

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Thursday said "total of 66 bodies have been identified and handed over to the families of the victims so far."

While addressing the media in Islamabad, Malik said he had directed chairman NADRA to take fingerprints of all the victims.

He also informed that DNA samples of the victims will be tested as soon as possible. "Fourty DNA samples have been taken today," he said.

A DNA-test Desk has been set up at Aabpara Community Centre for the identification of the victims.

Bodies that were kept at PIMS hospital have been shifted to a morgue in Sector I-10/3 due to lack of space in the hospital.

Commenting on the investigation, Malik said the Civil Aviation Authority is currently on it. "The investigation will be transparent and a report will be released in a week or two," he said.

The interior minister said that the rescue work is expected to be completed by last night if the weather condition improved. He said "the terrain is very slippery at the moment and I assure you rescue work will resume as soon as weather conditions improve."

Malik said the whole operation was closely supervised by high officials and the prime minister himself.

Executive Director Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Dr. Mehmood. Jamal said at least one week was required for conducting DNA tests on the dead bodies.

Cameron defends comments about Pakistan and terrorism

NEW DELHI: British Premier David Cameron Thursday launched a strong defence of his attack on Islamabad in which he claimed that elements of the Pakistani state are responsible for exporting terrorism abroad.

Amid deep anger in Pakistan, the prime minister said he would always talk "frankly" to Britain's friends as he insisted he had caused no offence and had not blamed the Islamabad government for promoting terrorism.

Speaking in Delhi Thursday morning on the second and final day of his visit to India, the prime minister said: "I don't think the British taxpayer wants me to go around the world saying what people want to hear."

Cameron dismissed fears that his comments risked overshadowing a visit next week to Chequers by the Pakistan president, Asif Ali Zardari.

"I don't think it's overshadowed anything," he said. "I think it's important to speak frankly and clearly about these issues. I have always done that in the past and will do so in the future."

The prime minister insisted that he had been talking about "people within Pakistan" who launch terrorist attacks abroad rather than its government.

A furious diplomatic row erupted between London and Islamabad Wednesday night after Cameron's comments, when he warned that Pakistan could no longer "look both ways" by tolerating terrorism while demanding respect as a democracy.

Angry responses followed from Pakistani officials in the UK and the foreign ministry in Islamabad. Writing for the Guardian's Comment is free site, Pakistan's high commissioner to Britain accused Cameron of damaging the prospects for regional peace and criticised him for believing allegations in the secret military logs of the Afghanistan conflict published earlier this week.

The leaked documents suggest that the ISI was encouraging the Taliban as recently as last year.

Wajid Shamsul Hasan, Pakistan's high commissioner, wrote: "One would have wished that the prime minister would have considered Pakistan's enormous role in the war on terror and the sacrifices it has rendered since 9/11.

"There seems to be more reliance on information based on intelligence leaks which lack credibility of proof. A bilateral visit aimed at earning business could have been done without damaging the prospects of regional peace."

The prime minister initiated the row Wednesday morning in a speech to Indian business leaders in Bangalore, when he spoke of his horror at the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai for which Delhi directly blamed the Pakistani authorities.

Cameron came close to endorsing that view when he said: "We cannot tolerate in any sense the idea that this country is allowed to look both ways and is able to promote the export of terror, whether to India or Afghanistan or anywhere else in the world.

"That is why this relationship is important. But it should be a relationship based on a very clear message: that it is not right to have any relationship with groups that are promoting terror. Democratic states that want to be part of the developed world cannot do that. The message to Pakistan from the US and from the UK is very clear on that point." - Agencies

Zardari disappointed with UK PM over terror remarks

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has expressed disappointment over the statement of British Prime Minister David Cameron that Islamabad should not "promote the export of terror".

He expressed these views while talking to Adam Thomson, British High Commissioner to Pakistan who called on President Asif Ali Zardari at Aiwan-e-Sadr.

A host of issues came under discussion like Pak-UK relations, recent remarks by David Cameron and others in depth.

Sources said that President said "we want to continue strong and stable relations with UK" adding such statements are not pleasing adding undoubtedly Pakistan has paid more than gaining in war against terrorism. - Online

Gillani phones Hoti over loss of life President grieved

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani on Monday telephoned chief minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and expressed his grief over the loss of life and property. 

Gillani instructed the chairman NDMA to provide relief to the affected population in coordination with provincial government.

Meanwhile President Asif Ali Zardari has expressed profound grief over the loss of lives and property due to floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as in some other parts of the country.

"The President grieved to learn about the loss of lives and damage to properties due to floods particularly in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province," Spokesperson Farhatullah Babar said.

The President has been in touch with relevant authorities monitoring the floods.

Presidency also took serious note of the reports that some people were stranded in flood waters and had been complaining about inadequacy relief measures by the government.

The president has asked the provincial government and other relevant agencies to immediately look into these reports and redress grievances of the people.

He also directed the party organisations to be vigilant and organise rescue and relief missions and set up emergency medical and relief centres to help alleviate the sufferings of the flood affected people. - APP/Online

Sardar Attique takes oath       

MUZAFFARABAD: All Jammu Kashmir Muslim Conference's head Sardar Attique Ahmad Khan was sworn in as fourth prime minister of AJK during the current tenure of the Legislative Assembly (LA) on Thursday. AJK President Raja Zulqarnain Khan administered the oath to him in a ceremony held at President House Muzaffarabad, which was attended by politicians, high officials and a number of party workers.

Earlier, AJK LA had elected Sardar Attique as ninth PM of AJK after the resignation of Raja Farooq Haider Khan.

Sardar Attique Ahmad Khan secured 39 votes out of 49 members house including Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Peoples Muslim League of former PM Sultan Mehmood Chaudhary and a group of independently elected legislators known as 'friends group'.

Outgoing PM Raja Farooq Haider and nine other legislators of his group including speaker did not participate in the voting process.

After election, Sardar Attique said rehabilitation and reconstruction of the earthquake area would be his first priority besides establishing good governance in the territory and highlighting the Indian atrocities in occupied Kashmir on diplomatic front. Talking to journalists on the occasion, he said he would continue the job from where he left a year ago when he was ousted from the premiership through a no-trust motion. - Agencies

Singh blames Qureshi for talks breakdown

NEW DELHI: Breaking his silence on the recent talks between India and Pakistan, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday blamed Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi for mishandling the press conference and hoped that the two countries will be able to restore dialogue sooner than later.

With British Prime Minister David Cameron backing his stance on terrorism, Manmohan Singh asked Pakistan to tackle terrorism on the Indian border with the same seriousness as it has done on its western border (to eliminate anti-West Taliban).

"I think the way the press conference was handled at the end of the visit by the foreign minister of Pakistan could, I think, have been avoided, because it detracts from a large element of agreements reached between the two foreign ministers," Manmohan Singh said at a joint press conference with Cameron.

"We are too close to the events to pass a judgement on the recent meeting," he said.

Against the widely held view that the talks failed to achieve much, Manmohan Singh stressed that there "was an agreement on a large number of issues that have a bearing on the relationship".

"I sincerely hope that the invitation extended to Pakistan's foreign minister will be taken and we will be able to restore dialogue sooner rather than later and give it a sense of purpose," he said.

He was responding to a question on his assessment of the July 15 talks between External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and Qureshi in Islamabad on July 15 that ended in mutual recriminations over issues like terrorism and Jammu and Kashmir.

When asked a question on Hafiz Saeed, the suspected mastermind of 26/11, Qureshi singled out India's Home Secretary G.K. Pillai for his comments about the role of Pakistani spy agency ISI in the Mumbai terror, and attempted to equate the Indian bureaucrat with known anti-India ideologue Hafiz Saeed.

Manmohan reminded Pakistan to honour its oft-reiterated pledge not to allow its territory to be used for terror activities against India.

"Pakistan should be as serious about tackling terror on the eastern border as it is on its western border," he said.

"No case is good enough to justify resort to terrorism. I sincerely believe the world community should use its good offices to promote this cause," he said with the British prime minister sitting by his side.

Stressing that he has no option but to speak frankly, Cameron asked Pakistan to eliminate terrorism from the region and underlined it needed to do more to crackdown and eliminate terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operating from its territory.

"It is not acceptable that there should be within Pakistan existence of terror groups that cause terrorism not just within Pakistan, but also in other places in the world," Cameron said at the press conference. - PTI

Karzai asks why allies won’t hit Pakistan

KABUL: President Hamid Karzai on Thursday urged his Western allies to destroy militant sanctuaries in neighbouring Pakistan after thousands of secret US files were leaked.

"The time has come for our international allies to know that the war against terrorism is not in Afghanistan's homes and villages," Karzai told a news conference in the Afghan capital Kabul.

"But rather this war is in the sanctuaries, funding centres and training places of terrorism which are outside Afghanistan.

"Whether we are able to destroy these sanctuaries or not is another question. We will try what we can... our international allies have this ability, but the question is why they are not doing it?"

His remarks came just two days after Afghanistan's national security adviser, Rangeen Dadfar Spanta, called on the West to review policy towards Pakistan after leaked Pentagon documents pointed to Pakistani double-dealing.

Kabul has consistently accused Pakistan's intelligence agency of supporting Taliban insurgents - including masterminding attacks against Afghan and US-led targets in the country. Islamabad denies the claims.

Kabul said information contained in documents released on whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks on Sunday backed its long-held position.

Karzai condemned the release of information he said could endanger the lives of Afghan informants contained in files published by whistleblower WikiLeaks.

"I heard this yesterday... that names of certain Afghans who cooperate with the coalition NATO have been also revealed in these documents. This indeed is extremely irresponsible and shocking," he told a news conference.

"Because whether those individuals acted legitimately or illegitimately, by providing information to NATO forces, they are lives. And the lives are in danger now," he said. - AFP

Biden: ISI ‘changing’ on Afghanistan

‘Pakistan has taken aggressive action against

extremists during Gen Kayani’s tenure as army chief’

WASHINGTON: US Vice President Joe Biden said in an interview aired Thursday that Pakistan's intelligence agency was "changing" in its behaviour towards Afghanistan, following leaked claims it aided extremists.

Biden downplayed documents which suggested that between 2004 and 2009, elements of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), armed, trained and financed the Taliban despite Islamabad's anti-terror alliance with Washington.

"I'm getting very close to what I shouldn't be talking about in terms of classification," said Biden on NBC's "Today" show.

"But what was talked about in those leaks were the intelligence community within the ISI. That is the sort of the CIA of Pakistan. That has been a problem in the past. It is a problem we're dealing with and is changing."

Biden argued that documents leaked by the web whistleblower Wikileaks, published by three news organisations on Sunday, predate the new US Afghan policy announced by President Barack Obama in December.

"There are not monies being diverted from the public works and economic projects that are needed to sustain a democracy in Pakistan to the bad guys that exist within Pakistan," he said.

"There's not money being diverted from the military purposes that are designed to deal with counter-terrorism to those areas."

On Wednesday spokesman Philip Crowley, told reporters at the regular State Department briefing that Islamabad in the last one year has made a strategic shift in the war against terrorism.

Responding to questions raised mainly by Indian correspondents alleging ISI's ties to militant groups, a State Department spokesman expressed satisfaction over the "aggressive steps" Pakistan had taken in recent months at considerable expense to itself.

"Pakistan has, in our view, made a strategic shift in the last year or more. It has taken aggressive action at considerable expense to Pakistan," he said.

"The Pakistani people are suffering as much if not more than any other people in the world from terrorism. But there is clearly more to be done," he said.

"Our joint concern here is to eliminate the safe havens that exist in the region and to prevent the emergence of new safe havens from which there can be the export of terrorism that can threaten US, Europe, or other parts of the world," Crowley said.

Responding to a question about Gen. Kayani's role, Crowley said Pakistan has taken the most aggressive and strongest ever action against terrorists in the country under his command. - APP/ AFP

Zardari to visit France next week

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari is to visit France next week for a second time since taking office nearly two years ago, Islamabad announced Thursday.

Zardari will be in France from Sunday to Wednesday for talks with French leaders on regional and global issues; trade and investment, and science and technology, foreign ministry spokesman, Abdul Basit told reporters.

Zardari visited France in May last year when both countries agreed to cooperate in the nuclear field, with Islamabad claiming an important breakthrough in its bid to be seen as a responsible nuclear power.

Basit said trade between France and Pakistan reached 1.1 billion dollars in 2009 and that approximately 70,000 Pakistanis live in France.

France is a major exporter of nuclear technology, and last year agreed to supply Pakistan's rival India with between two and six modern reactors. - AFP

US provides $75m for BISP

Islamabad: The United States announced Thursday that it has transferred $75 million to Pakistan for the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) to help meet the immediate needs of 600,000 impoverished families across Pakistan. 

BISP provides basic income and access to opportunities for some of Pakistan's poorest people.  Participants in the programme receive employment, skill development training, and medical insurance and food subsidies.

"The Benazir Income Support Programme helps some of Pakistan's poorest people meet their everyday needs," said Ambassador Anne W. Patterson.  "The United States is committed to helping support people in great need."

Initiated in 2008, the BISP offsets the impact of inflation in the poorer sections of Pakistani society.  The programme aims at cushioning the effects of rising costs of food and fuel and to provide a minimum income support package.  BISP will help approximately 15 percent of the Pakistani population, including 40 percent of those living below the poverty line. - Online