Blast outside POF

[dr.umer]

Update: Box has been recovered from a bathroom in Mosque adjacent the gate of POF. Still unclear if its has the explosives. DAWN TV

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Were there no reinforced barriers fixed around Wah's parameter?
and whats the status of the suicide detection equipment pakistan was meant to purchase from china?
May Allah bless the shaheeds

I believe this was done outside the gates, not inside the complex, so there was probably no damage to production capacity. But because it was in the open, there was probably no way to stop this either, since it would have been hard to spot the bombers with all the people milling about.

If you set up check points with detection equipment, you will create a bottleneck, and you will have large crowds outside your security perimeter because of that security which now become vulnerable to attack.

The key here is smashing the terrorist redoubts in FATA, capacity building of local law enforcement and hope that NATO can quit waffling over controlling the narcotics and weapons trade that finances so many of these bastards.

R.I.P.

Jana Ji, do you think the fractious coalition is able to end terrorist attacks any time soon?

Neo,

By continuing the operations in Bajaur and Swat, the coalition is doing just that I would argue, though even more could be done.

The problem is that the military cannot do everything - they can crush the Taliban in FATA, but beyond that you need effective law enforcement institutions that are able to deal with the threats in their communities pro-actively. To do that you need well trained and equipped law enforcement that has the trust of the populace on this count for identifying and investigating terrorist suspects before events occur.

We lack in the above, and the terrorists have a huge head start in terms of the 'peace deals' having allowed them to train more recruits and enhance their resources.

 

[batmannow]

Death toll rises to 40.


Warning dont sell arms to Sri Lanka for fighting against LTTE terrorists,( my personal) opinion

Dear Jana, Mam...
Mam , why are you giving warning about, selling arms to Sri Lanka to fight against LTTE. because it gives pakistan good market for, its brand of weapons. why cant, we sell our weapons to a nation which is facing terrorism same as what! pakistan is going through?

also, do you like to see indian influence on Sri Lanka, or is it will be a good decicion to, let Sri Lanka OVER RUN by LTTE.

By , the way the death toll actully is about 60 + it, can go further up, once again the target was a key militry instalation , by CIA backed terrorist( the talibans). Wellcome to CIA , backed democrcy, Goodbye MUSHARAF.

Step by step, inch by inch USA systemticly is working for the acceptence of its agenda, through CIA ! which is working with our politicians and our new COAS?

Pakistan Ka Khuda Hafiz!!! (Prisednt , PERWAIZ MUSHARAF).

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Hoti refuses to give amnesty to militants​

Updated at: 1300 PST, Thursday, August 21, 2008
PESHAWAR: NWFP Chief Minister Amir Haider Hoti says government will not behave like a silent spectator on terrorists’ attacks at state buildings and security forces.

He said terrorists would not be given amnesty even if they agreed to lay down their arms.

Talking to Geo News, Hoti said NWFP government should not be blamed for failure of talks in Swat and put the responsibility on Taliban for scrapping of peace agreement.

“If extremists will carry out attacks on security forces, schools and state buildings, how, government can sit silent on this situation, he questioned. Army has been called to stop such attacks, said Hoti.

Answering a question, he said extremists would not be given general amnesty even if they lay down their arms. However, he said people involved in small crimes could be spared.

The chief minister further said his government was still committed to its philosophy of non-violence but whole province can not be handed over to Taliban. “There is presence of foreign Taliban in tribal areas, he said, adding they were responsible for poor law and order situation.

About NWFP governor, Hoti said Owais Ghani is the best person as governor and his government wants to retain him.

He further suggested that all parties should unanimously name the next president.

Hoti refuses to give amnesty to militants

--------------------------------------

Good to hear strong words in support of maintaining the writ of the government from the ANP - unlike the MMA whose leaders would only cry about 'killing fellow Muslims' and even evoke 'ethnic card'.

 

[Neo]

Neo,

By continuing the operations in Bajaur and Swat, the coalition is doing just that I would argue, though even more could be done.

The problem is that the military cannot do everything - they can crush the Taliban in FATA, but beyond that you need effective law enforcement institutions who are able to deal with the threats in their communities pro-actively. To do that you need well trained and equipped law enforcement that has the trust of the populace on this count for identifying and investigating terrorist suspects before events occur.

We lack in the above, and the terrorists have a huge head start in terms of the 'peace deals' having allowed them to train more recruits and enhance their resources.

Terrorist attacks were blamed on Musharraf by the ruling coalition. Now Musharraf out of the picture they must deliver their promis that militancy will end as soon as Mush resigns or else they've again misled people with their half baked promises...

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

And in terms of where the US could 'do more' - greater intel sharing and provision of the electronic intercept equipment that Pakistan has been demanding for a long time now.

 

[Neo]

Deadcount 57 and rising...

Suicide blasts kill 57 at Pakistan arms factory​

WAH, Pakistan, Aug 21, 2008 (AFP) - Two suicide bombers blew themselves up outside Pakistan's main military arms factory Thursday, killing 57 people and piling new pressure on the shaky coalition government to tackle militancy.

The attackers struck almost simultaneously as a crowd of workers was streaming out of the huge factory complex in the northern town of Wah, near Islamabad. It is one of the country's most sensitive installations.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, the second to rock Pakistan since Pervez Musharraf resigned as president on Monday, and warned of further blasts if army operations near the Afghan border are not stopped.

"It's a massive attack," local police chief Nasir Durrani told AFP. "Two men apparently blew themselves up outside the factory during a shift change. The bombers were on foot and they exploded themselves less than a minute apart."

He said that 57 people were confirmed dead and around 70 wounded.

The charred body of a bearded man, believed to be one of the bombers, lay on the road outside one of the gates, an AFP journalist saw. A severed leg, abandoned shoes and several mangled bicycles were scattered nearby.

Dozens of troops, police and military rescue workers in orange jackets milled around the scene.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani strongly condemned the attack and "directed the authorities to make efforts to expose the hidden hands behind the incident," the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan news agency said.

A spokesman for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, the umbrella group for the country's Taliban militants, said they were responsible.

"Our bombers carried out today's attack. It is in reaction to military operations in Swat and Bajaur," spokesman Maulvi Omar told AFP by telephone, referring to two northwestern regions where troops are fighting militants.

"Similar attacks will be carried out in other cities of Pakistan including Lahore, Islamabad and Rawalpindi," he said.

The Pakistani Ordnance Factories at Wah is a cluster of about 20 industrial units producing artillery, tank and anti-aircraft ammunition for the Pakistani armed forces. It employs around 25,000 to 30,000 workers.

It adjoins the historic city of Taxila where thousands of tourists come every year to visit ancient Buddhist ruins.

Factory worker Riaz Hussain said most of the victims were labourers who were joining the afternoon shift.

"I was working in the factory when I heard one blast and then another. They were huge," he told AFP. "Security people then immediately surrounded the place and we were not allowed to go outside."

A rescue service official said a fleet of around 25 ambulances was needed to ferry the wounded to hospital.

"The blast took place as staff were leaving after finishing their day's duty and it was very crowded," Zaheer Shah, of Edhi Rescue, Pakistan's largest private charity, told AFP.

The blasts came two days after a suicide bomber attacked a hospital in the northwestern town of Dera Ismail Khan on Tuesday, killing 30 people.

Pakistani forces have been fighting fierce battles for nearly two weeks with Taliban militants in Bajaur, a tribal region bordering Afghanistan. The government says more than 500 militants and 30 soldiers have been killed.

Gilani's government is under massive international pressure to crack down on militants using safe havens in the rugged tribal belt to launch attacks on US and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

But bombings like Thursday's attack here have added to public anger and accusations that Pakistan itself is suffering for its role in what many regard as "America's war".

Around 1,000 people have died in a wave of militant suicide bombings since the siege and storming of the radical Red Mosque in Islamabad in July 2007, in which at least 100 people died.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Terrorist attacks were blamed on Musharraf by the ruling coalition. Now Musharraf out of the picture they must deliver their promis that militancy will end as soon as Mush resigns or else they've again misled people with their half baked promised...

No question the political parties indulged in misleading rhetoric and outright lies to serve their political interests. They knew public opinion was shifting against Musharraf, and they exploited the rifts by blaming him and his policies for terrorism as well.

Now they have to face the reality that the terrorists cannot be reasoned with, that their own 'peace deals' failed, that dialog only allowed the militants to regroup.

However, another 'spoiler' (nawaz) is waiting in the wings to probably do to the PPP exactly what they did to Musharraf (has Nawaz condemned any of these blasts yet?). Of course after coming to power the 'amir-ul-momineen' would be just fine imposing 'Shariah' in Pakistan anyway.

Don't you also find it interesting that people like Martial Law have nothing to say on these threads, preferring to bash the military rather than face up to the monster that they try and defend elsewhere with misleading rhetoric and lies.

 

[martialLAW]

I hear you AM!!!!

Ofcourse acts of terrorism are to be condemned on all sides . . . and I condemn them, wholeheartedly.

At the same time, I cannot ignore the policies of the Pakistani government [under Musharraf] and continued under the civilian government, which, by adopting the US War On Terror has provoked militancy inside the country. Things took a turn for the worse in last years Lal Mosque massacre and they've continued to "snowball" from there.

This chaos is [EXACTLY] what Washington wants . . . its a perfect pretext to move NATO across the border into Pakistan. Is that what posters on this forum want!?

I can tell you that its not what the people of Pakistan want . . . but, they've been ignored by the military and their own politicians. So sad that Pakistan no longer belongs to its people and is the 'plaything' of imperialist nations like America and their lackeys . . . whether they're dressed in civilian or military clothes.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

I hear you AM!!!!

Ofcourse acts of terrorism are to be condemned on all sides . . . and I condemn them, wholeheartedly.

At the same time, I cannot ignore the policies of the Pakistani government [under Musharraf] and continued under the civilian government, which, by adopting the US War On Terror has provoked militancy inside the country. Things took a turn for the worse in last years Lal Mosque massacre and they've continued to "snowball" from there.

This chaos is [EXACTLY] what Washington wants . . . its a perfect pretext to move NATO across the border into Pakistan. Is that what posters on this forum want!?

I can tell you that its not what the people of Pakistan want . . . but, they've been ignored by the military and their own politicians. So sad that Pakistan no longer belongs to its people and is the 'plaything' of imperialist nations like America and their lackeys . . . whether they're dressed in civilian or military clothes.

I am sorry, but disagreement with government policies does not justify terrorism, which is exactly what the militants actions boil down to.

It was terrorism by the Lal Masjid Mullah's, because they disagreed with 'immoral' policies of the government, that necessitated the use of violence against them - which is the right of the State, to deal with threats as it bests ascertains. If one disagrees, then the way to do so is through the ballot box, not as was done by the militants in FATA, who then unilaterally broke the peace deals and started attacking the SF's (over something that wasn't even in the agreements with them nor in their particular areas).

The two issues are not connected - one can disagree with Pakistan's support for the US WoT, and at the same time demand that this TTP ***** killing innocent Pakistanis be brought to task and destroyed. Dialog has been attempted, several times, and the militants have shown that they will continue their activities regardless of any 'peace deals'.

Instead of talking about the US wanting to spread chaos in Pakistan in order to justify intervention (which may or may not be true) I would rather take care of the elements within Pakistan that are fulfilling this goal - the Taliban. Like any other criminal element, if they cannot integrate into mainstream society and 'behave', then they need to be arrested or killed. That is where the military ops. come in.

As I said in the other thread, a majority of the people in the US supported slavery and segregation at one point, despite the immorality of the position - I find the sentiment amongst Pakistanis in favor of 'dialog' with the militants to be similar,in the sense that it is 'appeasement', by following flawed policies, in the selfish hope that we will be left alone if we give terrorists and criminals what they want.

 

[martialLAW]

I think we both want an end to this cycle of militancy and killing . . . its what the people of Pakistan want. I'm sure the militants don't want to be attacking their own side and the Pakistani military [the rank and file, at least] don't want to be doing Washington's "dirty work".

It requires an immediate halt to all operations by the Pakistani military in the tribal belt. This is the only way of stopping the escalation in the violence. At the same time, Islamabad should close down the US embassy and all CIA operations and satellites in the country . . . its an accpted fact amongst Pakistani intelligence services that the United States is actively promoting militancy and chaos on the country to justify extending its War On Terror across the border from Afghanistan.

If these conditions are not acceptable, there is no point shedding crocodile tears at the loss of life and the expanding volume of chaos gripping Pakistan. All of these issues are related.

 

[araz]

sorry to hear of such acowardly act and the sad loss of innocent lives. I think this should do nothing but satrengthen the resolve of the Armed forces towards the operation in FATA. We should not stop at anyhting short of complete control and establishment of the writ of law.
Araz

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

I think we both want an end to this cycle of militancy and killing . . . its what the people of Pakistan want. I'm sure the militants don't want to be attacking their own side and the Pakistani military [the rank and file, at least] don't want to be doing Washington's "dirty work".

I find that plausible.

It requires an immediate halt to all operations by the Pakistani military in the tribal belt. This is the only way of stopping the escalation in the violence. At the same time, Islamabad should close down the US embassy and all CIA operations and satellites in the country . . . its an accpted fact amongst Pakistani intelligence services that the United States is actively promoting militancy and chaos on the country to justify extending its War On Terror across the border from Afghanistan.

If these conditions are not acceptable, there is no point shedding crocodile tears at the loss of life and the expanding volume of chaos gripping Pakistan. All of these issues are related.

I find the demand that the government back down unacceptable. It is the Pakistani government operating in Pakistani territory. No militia has the right to tell the Government of Pakistan what to do and what not to do. To cave in to that pressure opens a Pandora's box whereby any other group in the future could attempt to get its demands implemented by violence and chaos, and then demand the Government do this and that first.

The militants should disarm and surrender to the state, those willing to to do so should have amnesty considerations. Once disarmed, there will be no fighters going into Afghanistan hence no need to listen to the US, and we will be in far better position to counter the activities of the GoA and Indians in Pakistan.

 

[Dynamic_Dynasty]

The stupid backward Molvi Umer

 

[Niazi9]

Cowards. Don't care what the "Govt" does or says, I just hope the PA intensifies its campaign and we eliminate with extreme prejudice the planners. This is just too brazen and callous to forgive.