Gunmen kill UN employee, attacks in southwest Pakistan

Quetta: Police say gunmen have killed six people in a pair of attacks in southwest Pakistan, one of which targeted local UN employees.

Police officer Rustam Khan says gunmen attacked a car carrying local staff of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation in Baluchistan province's Mastung district on Thursday, killing two people.

A UN official said the two killed were a driver and a member of the group's project staff. Another member was wounded.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to the media.

Police officer Shaukat Khan says gunmen on motorcycles opened fire on a passenger van in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, killing four Shi’ite Muslims in an apparent sectarian attack.

Pakistan PM Gilani to quit if SC rules against him

Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is believed to have made up his mind to step down if the Supreme Court comes up with an "unfavourable decision" in the contempt case against him.

Gilani is under immense pressure to reopen graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari, and his failure to do so till now has led to contempt proceedings against him in the country’s top court.

The PM reportedly made the decision after consulting the leadership of the Pakistan People's Party and its allies in the ruling coalition.

The PPP leadership decided that Gilani would tender his resignation before the Supreme Court in person if he faced any "situation" in the contempt case.

The PM will tell the court about the government's constitutional stance on the issue of presidential immunity.

The Supreme Court resumes hearing on the case today. On Monday, the contempt proceedings against PM Gilani were adjourned as his counsel Aitzaz Ahsan was unwell.

A seven-judge bench headed by Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk is hearing the contempt of court case against Gilani for failing to act on the apex court's earlier orders to reopen graft cases against President Zardari in Switzerland.

The apex court has been pushing the PPP-led government to revive the cases against Zardari since December 2009, when it annulled the National Reconciliation Ordinance, a graft amnesty issued by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf.

The government has refused to act, saying the Constitution gives the President immunity in Pakistan and abroad. Gilani has said he would prefer to be jailed in a contempt case launched against him by the apex court for not reopening the graft cases.

'US won’t punish soldiers over NATO strike in Pak'

 The US military has decided that none of its soldiers involved in a NATO airstrike in November last year that had killed 24 Pakistani soldiers will face disciplinary charges, an incident that had plunged the bilateral ties to a new low.

A second inquiry to determine whether any American military personnel should be held accountable for the incident concluded that the Americans fired in self-defence and should not be punished, reported quoting three senior military officials.

"We found nothing criminally negligent on the part of any individual in our investigations of the incident," a senior American military official was quoted as saying.

The other mistake that contributed to the fatal cross-border strike was the regrettable result of battlefield confusion.

Ties between the US and Pakistan plunged to a new low after the November incident, which had also complicated the allied mission in Afghanistan.

An American investigation in December had found that both US and Pakistani troops were to be blamed for the deadly exchange of fire, but had noted that the Pakistanis fired the first shots from two border posts.

The investigation had found that the Pakistani soldiers had kept firing even after the Americans tried to warn them that they were shooting at allied troops in Afghanistan.

Pakistan has rejected these conclusions and blamed the American forces for the deadly incident. After the December investigation, the American chain of command in Afghanistan and at the Central Command set out to determine culpability of its soldiers involved.

"The military's decision is expected to anger Pakistani officials at a time when the two countries are gingerly trying to patch up a security relationship left in tatters over the past year from a series of episodes," including the shooting of two Pakistanis in Lahore by a CIA contractor and the Navy SEALs raid in Abbottabad that killed bin Laden, the NYT said.

Head of the US military's Central Command Gen James Mattis is scheduled to hold long-delayed meetings this week in Islamabad with Pakistani Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani to discuss the airstrike probe, as well as new border coordination procedures to prevent the episode's recurrence.

Mattis is also expected to discuss opportunities for training, arms sales and improving border coordination centres, military officials said.

The November attack had set in motion two inquiries with the first investigation concluding that Pakistani troops fired first on a joint Afghan-American patrol, prompting the Americans to respond with fire.

The investigation had determined that it took about 45 minutes for a NATO operations officer in Afghanistan to notify a senior allied commander about Pakistan's calls that its outposts were under attack, one of several breakdowns in communication that contributed to the airstrike.

American military legal experts said that the episode illustrated the difficulties of assigning blame when an unintended chain of events results in tragedy.

US troops have taken several steps in the wake of the airstrike to ensure such an accident does not happen again. These include reviewing and harmonising all directives related to border operations, increased training and coordination, improved surveillance before missions and more current information on the location of border installations on both sides.

"Cross-border communications have been improved, command levels at border coordination centres have increased, and command relationships have been redefined where needed," NATO spokesman Jimmie Cummings said.

Pakistan's Parliament is scheduled to resume debate this week on its review of relations with the United States. Obama is also expected to meet Pakistan Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani in Seoul, where the two will take part in the nuclear security conference.

Asia Cup-2012: Bangla Tigers aim for a final roar against Pakistan on Thursday

History beckons Bangladesh as they aim to rise above the minnows tag and notch up their biggest title since arriving on the international scene when they take on an unpredictable Pakistan in the final of the Asia Cup here on Thursday.

With former champions India and Sri Lanka shockingly thrown out of the competition, it is the most surprising summit line-up for the event which is struggling for relevance in a crowded international calender.

Defending champions India paid the price for a stunning loss to Bangladesh in the league stage while four-time winners Sri Lanka failed to register a single triumph this time.

The debacles of the two teams, who have dominated the tournament since its inception way back in 1984, paved the way for an unlikely finalist in Bangladesh, a side which is known to upstage biggies but not for going the whole hog.

The giant-killers thrashed India, chasing down a mammoth 290, but that was seen merely as one of the rare stunners that the Tigers are so well known to throw up in multi-national events.

However, the determined side proved the critics wrong by beating an already demoralised Sri Lanka as well, a result that knocked India out of the final.

"It`s a great achievement for the country, so far the biggest. We realise it`s still not over, we have another very important game. We`ll enjoy, we`ll party, but tomorrow we`ll be back to business. I hope we will fire on the 22nd," said opener Tamim Iqbal, the hero of the win over Sri Lanka with a half century.

The triumph on Tuesday night triggered wild celebrations through the country and the team itself was in a delirious huddle much after the presentations were done with.

"I think when we talk in the dressing room its like, 100 runs in 20 overs is no problem. This is the sort of confidence that we have now," said in-form all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan.

"Cricket is a mental game so this confidence is very important. If a player goes down the wicket and thinks he`ll get stumped, he will. If he thinks he will hit a six, he`ll be successful at most times," he said.

If the hosts manage to carry this confidence and clinch the big prize tomorrow, the country is set for one big party that might last quite a few days. And both Tamim and Shakib hold the key to this, at least on the batting front.

But Pakistan would look to play the party poopers. Misbah-ul-Haq`s men have not won the title since 2000 edition, which was interestingly held in Bangladesh.

Pakistan were given a mighty scare in the league encounter that they played against the spirited hosts but would still be overwhelming favourites to win the title for only the second time.

They certainly have the arsenal to complete the job. Their batting looks solid with in form openers Mohammed Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed providing fine starts in the league stage.

Younis Khan and Umar Akmal have made decent contributions in the middle order. Overall, Pakistan have the line-up to post a huge total on board.

What probably might be slightly worrying is the way their bowlers have leaked runs. Pace spearhead Umar Gul has picked up wickets but it is the flow of runs that he has to check.

Aijaz Cheema was ineffective, at least against India, who managed to chase down a huge target of 330 due to the pedestrian effort of Pakistani bowlers.

Pakistan`s fielding too needs to improve. The reflexes haven`t been sharp enough and it could cost them dearly if Bangladesh manage to continue their superb run.

To sum it up, Pakistan certainly start favourites when the two captains walk out for toss tomorrow but given the high Bangladesh is on right now, it could well be the night of the underdog.

‘Agent Vinod’ banned in Pakistan

The year 2012 has become a nightmare of sorts for Saif Ali Khan, who is all set to release his ambitious flick ‘Agent Vinod’.

Bad-luck is following him like plague and there seems to be no escaping. First it was the midnight brawl with South African NRI businessman Iqbal Sharma that cast negative light on Saif, followed by the showing of black flags in Bhopal in protest against the appointment of a Saudi National by the actor as the caretaker of the property of the Nawab of Bhopal.

And now, the latest has it that ‘Agent Vinod’ might not be screened in Pakistan. According to a leading daily, a post by a multiplex chain in Karachi has stated that the Pakistani censor board has banned the film.

Buzz has it that the film has some references about the neighbouring country. It also shows Saif traveling across the border to solve a case, hence the ban.

Raza Gilani contempt case: Pak SC to resume hearing today

Pakistan’s Supreme Court will on today resume contempt of the court proceedings against Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani for his refusal to write to the Swiss authorities in connection with the graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardadri.

The apex court had earlier set the deadline for Gilani to approach the Swiss authorities till today.

The matter comes up for hearing two days after Prime Minister Gilani said that he was prepared to resign if the issue of approaching Swiss authorities for reopening graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari was resolved by his departure.

"I will be happy if my quitting the post helps solve this issue," Gilani said while interacting with a group of reporters at his residence in Lahore.

Gilani referred to a "third option" resigning from the post of premier when he was asked about the Supreme Court's ultimatum to reopen the cases against the President or facing imprisonment for committing contempt of court.

"I am ready for the third option if the matter is resolved. But after my going, a new Prime Minister will have to face the same dilemma," he said.

Over the past few days, Gilani has said he will not write a letter to the Swiss authorities to revive the cases against Zardari as the President enjoys immunity from prosecution under the Constitution.

Gilani had been maintaining that all the cases abroad against the President had been conclusively closed by the competent authority of the concerned country and time for filing appeal had also lapsed.

He said the recommendations for not writing letters to the Swiss authorities were based on legal opinions including those of the former Law Secretary and a former Attorney General of Pakistan as well as other material and documents from Switzerland.

In his submissions to the highest court of Pakistan, he said that he acted on the advice expressed in the Summary put up by the Law Ministry. All other directions of the court had been complied with and implemented.

The Prime Minister said he has neither committed nor intended to commit contempt and acted strictly in accordance with the rules of Business. He said the prosecution has failed to link him to any willful and contumacious disregard. There is no question of any willful contumacy on his party.

Prime Minister in his statement maintained that the Head of State has absolute immunity in both criminal as well as civil jurisdiction of all other states under all international laws. He said he thinks it would be wrong to subject the constitutionally elected incumbent President of Pakistan to the authority of a magistrate of a foreign country and it should be avoided.

Pakistan Parliament set to take up ties with US

Pakistan's Parliament is set to finally reveal new terms of engagement with the United States next week, almost five months after a cross-border skirmish with NATO forces that left 24 Pakistani soldiers dead and ties at their lowest in years.

The new terms will likely include the re-opening of supply lines to US-led NATO troops in Afghanistan, closed since November 26, but with many new qualifications and restrictions, a prominent opposition lawmaker said on Saturday.

"Broadly, all the parties agree on this," said Ayaz Amir, an opposition member of the National Assembly who sits on its foreign affairs and defence committees. "I don't think anyone is in favour of permanently blocking off NATO routes. There will be riders, qualifications, and the military will have a heavy input in this."

Pakistan has been directly ruled by its military for more than half of its 64-year history and indirectly for much of the rest. It largely controls foreign and security policies, and has taken the lead in relations with the United States.

"All of this, the break in relations, the army viewpoint is colouring Pakistan's response," said Amir, a member of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) faction headed by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Relations with the United States reached a crisis point after the November incident in which NATO aircraft killed 24 Pakistani troops. Pakistan shut down NATO supply routes into Afghanistan and demanded an apology.

The United States expressed regret for the loss of life and accepted the bulk of the blame, but has not apologised.

Amir spoke a news agency just before Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari was scheduled to address the opening of a joint session of parliament, the fifth time he has done so. That is more than any previous civilian president of the unstable, nuclear-armed South Asian nation.

Zardari could be the first civilian president to serve a full five-year term, having so far weathered numerous political crises and showdowns with both the military and the Supreme Court.

Still, if he addresses US-Pakistan ties at all, he is likely to issue only already widely-accepted recommendations to parliament, given that the national security committee has been working on the new terms for months with heavy input from the military.

The recommendations are almost certain to be accepted by the Parliament when they are finally issued later this week.

"Regardless of the opposition these recommendations face when they are presented before parliament, the government has a majority and will not face difficulties affirming them," Amir said.

"I think it should be done within a week, that's my expectation."

But Zardari is hugely unpopular in Pakistan, accused of corruption and mismanagement, and opposition politicians have pledged a rowdy welcome to Zardari, a Pakistani daily newspaper reported. A symbolic walkout near the end of the speech is expected.

AL-Qaeda leader Bin Laden 'wanted to attack Obama directly'

AL-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had ordered his followers in Afghanistan and Pakistan to attack the aircraft of President Barack Obama in the lead up to his death.

The report, which cited documents seized at the Pakistan compound where bin Laden was killed by US forces, said the Al-Qaeda leader also sought to kill General David Petraeus, who then headed international forces in Afghanistan, the Washington Post reported.

Bin Laden wanted to kill the US president because "Obama is the head of infidelity and killing him automatically will make (Vice President Joe) Biden take over the presidency," according to a document purported to come from the compound.

"Biden is totally unprepared for that post, which will lead the US into a crisis. As for Petraeus, he is the man of the hour, and killing him would alter the war's path in Afghanistan."

The scheme was described in one of the documents taken from bin Laden's compound by US forces on May 2, 2011, the night he was killed, and made available to Washington Post opinion writer David Ignatius.

"They have been declassified and will be available soon to the public in their original Arabic texts and translations," Ignatius wrote.

The documents said bin Laden hoped the attacks on Obama and Petraeus would be carried out Pakistani militant Ilyas Kashmiri, who is believed to have been killed in a US drone attack last June.

The report said US analysts see little possibility that the plots could have been carried out.

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan : Asia Cup league match on Today

The ever-so-unpredictable Pakistan face their first big test of the tournament when they take on an injury-hit Sri Lankan team, which was outclassed by India in its lung-opener, in an Asia Cup league match on Today.

Pakistan started their campaign on a winning note by beating Bangladesh even though it was a close shave for them given the home team`s fighting performance in a steep chase.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, failed in the chasing job against India.

Faced with a mammoth 304, the islanders fell short by 50 runs despite the fact that they have a batting order that runs deep and was expected to click in the familiar sub-continental environs.

But for the sheer unpredictability of Pakistan, both the teams seem quite a match for each other on paper. Even Pakistan has a long batting order to boast off and they have the destructive Shahid Afridi, who can snatch a game but, like his team, is not consistent enough.

He can be the game-changer one day but can also be a complete letdown the next. But Pakistan can bank on his leg-break bowling which comes in handy almost always.

Their openers notched up good scores against Bangladesh but the experienced middle-order comprising the likes of Younis Khan and Misbah-ul Haq failed to fire.

The bowling too was unimpressive against a side which is considered a minnow at the international level. Pace spearhead Umar Gul was expensive and would have to get his act together quickly as his form is crucial to the team`s chances.

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, also have major bowling issues to deal with. Their bowling attack, sans Lasith Malinga, came a cropper on a placid track and allowed the Indians to plunder runs in the lung-opener.

Malinga is expected to be back for tomorrow`s match after being ironically left out yesterday due to his tendency to concede runs against India.

On the batting front too, there are concerns as the chase went haywire after skipper Mahela Jayawardene`s dismissal. The explosive Tillakaratne Dilshan would hold the key to a big score and the four-time champions would hope he fires after a rather disappointing start to the tournament.

For a batting order that runs till number nine, the effort against India was not good enough.

"Three-hundred, I thought, was gettable on this wicket," Jayawardene said after the defeat last night.

"We batted really well but we made quite a few mistakes, and that has probably cost us the game."

What also hurt Sri Lanka was the absence of their two attacking all-rounders -- Angelo Mathews and Thisara Perera -- both of whom are out injured.

Match starts at 1.30 pm. Live on Neo Sports

WikiLeaks Stratfor Emails, ‘Osama’s body wasn’t buried at sea, taken to US’

In a sensational disclosure, Stratfor emails published by WikiLeaks have revealed that al Qaeda terrorist Osama bin Laden’s body was not buried at sea, as claimed by the US.

The emails quote Stratfor vice president for intelligence, Fred Burton as saying that Osama’s body, after he was killed in a NAVY SEALS raid at Abbottabad in Pakistan last May, wasn't buried at sea but was taken to US for analysis.

Burton believes the body was “bound for Dover, [Delaware] on [a] CIA plane” and then “onward to the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Bethesda [Maryland],” says an email.

In another email Burton wrote: "If body dumped at sea, which I doubt, the touch is very Adolph Eichman like. The Tribe did the same thing with the Nazi's ashes. We would want to photograph, DNA, fingerprint, etc.

"His body is a crime scene and I don't see the FBI not DOJ letting that happen."

Eichman, a Nazi mastermind of the Holocaust, was captured, tried in Israel and then executed in 1962. His body was cremated and the ashes scattered at sea.

The US government has so far maintained that Osama’s body was buried at an undisclosed location in Arabian Sea and proper Islamic rituals were followed.

WikiLeaks has been publishing millions of emails from Stratfor - a private US think-tank which monitors intelligence information from around the world.

Osama Bin Laden hid future terror attack codes in Bible?

Two copies of the Bible found at Osama bin Laden's hideout in Pakistan may contain coded clues to future terror attacks by al Qaeda, British media on Wednesday quoted Pakistani ISI officials as saying.

The books had been concealed at the house of the slain al Qaeda chief in Abbottabad, where he was shot by US Navy Seals last May.

They may contain coded clues to future terror attacks, the Sun tabloid reported.

The concealed Christian holy books were unearthed by demolition crews sent in to bring down the three-storeyed mansion to the ground.

Several pages of the English-print editions had been folded over and particular texts marked, it said.

Also members of Pakistan's ISI security service were examining the volumes in a bid to find out more.

Now Pakistani intelligence officials suspect a coded pattern for past and future al Qaeda attacks may be hidden within the Bibles' pages.

Another theory is that the terror chief may have been seeking out Christian texts to justify his actions.

Two cunningly-concealed working radio sets were also uncovered at the building, yards from a Pakistani army barracks.

"We had already cleared the compound before demolition but found two copies of the Bible and two radio sets. The Bibles were in English and we cannot be sure why they were there.

These copies were found as we checked the rooms for the final time before demolishing the building," an ISI commanding officer among those who oversaw the demolition of the Bin Laden compound was quoted by the tabloid as saying.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik when asked about the items discovered from Osama's hideout, said, "The belongings of Osama Bin Laden will not be handed to anyone. We will keep them and maybe burn them later when they are of no use."

"If there is a Bible there, it will be sent to a library or a church," he added.

A Major terror plot foiled; 2 LeT agents held

A major terror attack was foiled on Tuesday in the capital with security agencies arresting two Pakistan-based Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives who had planned to trigger explosions in crowded localities in the next few days.

Police said the attacks were "very imminent" and both the arrested, whose identity was withheld, were Indian citizens, one of whom was trained in Pakistan in bomb-making and using weapons.

"It is a very important breakthrough," Home Minister P Chidambaram told reporters today while complimenting security agencies.

Giving only brief details about the case as operation was still continuing to nab more terrorists of the module, Delhi Police Commissioner B K Gupta said the duo were apprehended from Tughlaqabad Extension in south Delhi yesterday following inputs from central intelligence agencies and cooperation of police in Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir.

"The arrest of LeT terrorists is a good catch," Gupta said adding the police has got "valuable evidence" from the memory card seized from the duo.

The two LeT militants have been identified as Ethisham and Shafaqat.

Investigators have seized a memory card, a matrix (code language used for communication), mobiles and explosives, including sulphuric acide, used for making bombs, P N Aggarwal, Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell), said.

Sources said five mobile phones were seized from the accused apart from the memory card which had footages of terror training camps and fabrication of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) besides how to fire AK-47s.

However, both Gupta and Aggarwal refused to provide the names of the arrested saying it could affect the ongoing operations to arrest "one or two more terrorists in the module".

They were produced in chambers before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Smita Garg who sent them to ten day police custody. Police ensured that the two did not attract any media attention and used the back door to enter and exit the court.

Aggarwal said one of the arrested persons has gone to Pakistan in December 2011 on valid travel documents and returned last month with a mission to carry out a terror strike in Delhi in the very near future.

Asked whether the arrested persons were involved in the recent attack on Israeli embassy car, he said, he did not think so.

Earlier, Chidambaram said, "there was no VVIP on their target."

"They were planning to detonate a bomb or more than one bomb in crowded localities," he said, adding more details would come after their detailed questioning.

Some more people have been detained in this connection, he said.

Delhi Police arrested Lashkar terrorist mission to target VVIPs

In a major victory in the fight against terror, the Special Cell of the Delhi Police arrested two terrorist belonging to the Lashkar-e-Toiba from New Delhi railway station early today.

Sources told that intelligence agencies were trailing them for a while and that they had entered Delhi via Jharkhand. One of the two arrested is said to be a native of Jammu and Kashmir.

Although the Special Cell is tight-lipped about the arrests, but sources said that highly sensitive government documents was recovered from their possession. Also, they were said to be carrying arms and ammunition.

As per some other media reports, the two arrested Lashkar men were part of the north India module of the dreaded terrorist group which operates out of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

They were said to be on a mission to target VVIPs and crowded markets of the metropolis.

More details are awaited

Pak dismisses Kabul’s Mullah Omar demand as ‘unrealistic’

Pakistan's foreign minister said Friday it would be “preposterous’’ for Afghanistan to expect Islamabad to deliver the Taliban’s leader to the negotiating table, as peace talks between the two countries ended with little progress.

Pakistan is seen as key to the peace process because Taliban chief Mullah Omar is believed to be based in the country.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai raised the issue in a face-to-face meeting with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, at delegation-level talks Thursday in Islamabad, on the sidelines of a trilateral summit meeting of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran, reported.

Karzai’s language and tone flared to such an extent that Gilani halted a meeting of the full delegations of the two countries, the paper said quoting officials from both sides. Later, a smaller meeting took place with just top officials of the two countries.

At one point, apparently directing his remarks to Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, Karzai asked: “Would you be willing to stop girls studying in schools and university in Pakistan?” The Taliban, when it ruled Afghanistan in the 1990s, stopped the education of girls.

At the trilateral summit Friday, Khar cautioned Kabul against expecting too much in terms of Pakistan providing access to the Taliban’s leaders.

“If you have unrealistic, almost ridiculous expectations, then you don’t have common ground,’’ said Khar. Khar said any expectation that Pakistan can deliver the Taliban’s chief for talks is “not only unrealistic, but preposterous.’’

Pak cricketer Danish Kaneria involved in English spot-fixing case

Pakistan international spinner Danish Kaneria was named in court today as being involved in a spot-fixing scam that led to the trial of a former English county cricketer.

Prosecutors in the case of former Essex bowler Mervyn Westfield, who has pleaded guilty to spot-fixing and faces sentencing on Friday, said the player had been lured into the fix after an approach by Kaneria.

The Old Bailey heard that Kaneria told Westfield he would be paid to concede a certain number of runs in a particular over.

Prosecutor Nigel Peters QC said the deal emerged after another Essex player, Tony Palladino, showed Westfield "the most money he had ever seen".

Kaneria was arrested in connection with the case in 2010 but later released without charge.

Westfield admitted to receiving, 6,000 ($9,200) to bowl so that 12 runs would be scored in the first over of a 40-over match between Durham and Essex in September 2009, although in fact only 10 were scored.

This case took place against the backdrop of Pakistan players Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer being jailed in Britain last year for their role in a separate spot-fixing scandal in a Test match against England.

Suicide bomb attack in Pakistan, 26 dead, 40 injured

A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a Shia mosque in Pakistan's restive northwestern Kurram tribal region on Friday, killing 26 people and injuring over 40 others.

The attacker, who was on a motorcycle, detonated his explosive vest outside the mosque in the crowded Kurmi Bazar at Parachinar, the main town of Kurram tribal region, which has been rocked by sectarian violence over the past few years.

Officials told the media that 26 people were killed and over 40 injured. They described the condition of some of the injured as critical.

An emergency was declared at the hospital. A faction of the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack, with a commander telling reporters in the region that the Shia community was targeted because it was allegedly involved in activities against the militants.

The officials said they feared the casualties could rise as the bomber had struck at a time when the market was full of people.

The bomber blew himself up shortly before the weekly Friday prayers.

Earlier reports had said that a car bomb had gone off at the market.

Witnesses said several shops and vehicles were destroyed by the blast.

Most of the casualties were civilians, they said. The injured were taken to hospital by local residents in private vehicles.

Security forces cordoned off the site of the attack and launched a search operation.

Authorities imposed a curfew in Parachinar after an irate mob protested against the attack.

Several persons were hurt when police carried out a baton charge to disperse the protestors.

Hundreds of people have died in clashes between rival Shia and Sunni tribesmen in Kurram Agency over the past four years.

The situation in the region was exacerbated after Taliban fighters began backing the Sunni tribesmen.

Kurram Agency is the only part of the restive tribal belt bordering Afghanistan that has a sizeable Shia population.

Allama Nawaz Irfani, the cleric of the Jamia Masjid in Parachinar, called for three days of mourning to protest the attack.

Markets in the town will remain closed tomorrow as part of the protest.

Former Pakistan Test pacer Shoaib Akhtar found himself in a new controversy

Former Pakistan Test pacer Shoaib Akhtar has once again found himself in a new controversy after actor Meera claimed that she had a year long affair with the speedster, who never appreciated her commitment.

Pakistan`s popular and well known actor said that the affair took place two years back while Shoaib was still playing for the national team.

"It was an intense affair and I wasted one precious year of my life waiting for him. I was committed and sincere to him. But he didn`t appreciate me," she told. "It happened two years back. I was sincere to him. But I ended the affair when on the same day he proposed to me and my cousin. It was a joke for me," Meera, who is known for her publicity stunts, said.

Meera, who has even worked in Indian movies and had a spat with Indian filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, also claimed that Shoaib had once slapped her in front of some staffers at a television station but she did not say a word for his sake.

However, Shoaib, who retired during the 2011 World Cup abruptly and is currently working as an expert with a channel for the Pakistan-England series, denied the allegations.

"I don`t know what she is talking about," he said. Shoaib also said that he was never romantically involved with Meera.

"I never had any affair with Meera. The problem is that if a well known cricketer even smiles at a girl she thinks he is in love with her. I had no relationship with her at all," he claimed.

This is a second Pakistani cricketer in recent years to be romantically linked with a actor.

Banned pacer Mohammad Asif was also linked to Veena Malik and the two ended their affair in acrimonious circumstances with the latter filing a police complaint about Asif for not paying her back a loan in millions.

Obama proposes $2.2bn aid to Pakistan in 2013

Unveiling its annual budget of USD 3.8 trillion that calls for tax hikes on the rich, the Obama administration on Monday proposed USD 2.4 billion in financial aid to Pakistan for the fiscal year 2013.

Of this, USD 2.2 billion is in assistance to strengthen democratic and civil institutions that provide a bulwark against extremism and support joint security and counter- terrorism efforts, including USD 800 million for the Pakistan Counter-insurgency Capability Fund, the State Department said soon after the White House sent the budgetary proposals to the Congress.

In addition to this, the budget also proposes USD 197 million support to the US government's civilian presence, as well as programs for engagement with civil society, it said.

In all, the budgetary proposals of President Barack Obama provides USD 8.2 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations to support the extraordinary and temporary costs of civilian- led programs and missions in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The budgetary proposals are for the fiscal year 2013 beginning October 1, 2012 and this needs to be approved by both the chambers of the US Congress - the House of Representatives and the Senate - before it is implemented.

Obama's budgetary proposals also include USD 4.6 billion for Afghanistan. This includes USD 2.5 billion in assistance for counter terrorism-related programs, economic growth, reconciliation and reintegration, and capacity building, as well as to support progress in governance, rule of law, counternarcotic, agriculture, health and education.

USD 2.1 billion is proposed for supporting the expansion of the diplomatic and interagency presence, the extraordinary costs of security in a conflict zone, and public diplomacy programs to build long-lasting bridges with civil society.

Relative says bin Laden wanted his kids to avoid terrorism

Osama Bin Laden wanted his children to be educated in Western universities and live peacefully rather than embrace terrorism, a close relative has claimed.

According to Zakaria al-Sadah, whose sister Amal was the fifth wife of the slain al Qaeda leader, "Bin Laden told his own children and grandchildren, 'Go to Europe and America and get a good education."

Sadah told, bin Laden was adamant that his children "should not follow him down the road to jihad".

Sadah has recently been reunited with his sister for the first time since she was shot in the knee when US Navy Seals killed Bin Laden at his compound in the Pakistan garrison city of Abbottabad last May.

Sadah said the three wives and nine children who were in the compound have been held for months in a three-room flat in Islamabad guarded by Pakistan's ISI intelligence service.

Amal had told him that bin Laden had regrets about the impact on his family of the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington in 2001, which killed about 3,000 people and made him the world's most wanted terrorist.

He had advised his children to consider European and US universities, saying: "You have to study, live in peace and don't do what I am doing or what I have done.

" Bin Laden, who went to King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, had brothers at Harvard Law School, the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and Tufts University, Boston.

Sadah, who fears his sister may be charged with crimes against Pakistan and never released, has given the newspaper the first photograph to be published of the children from the compound.

Pakistan SC to indict PM Gilani with contempt of court

Pakistan's embattled Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was on today indicated by the Supreme Court for contempt of court over his refusal to reopen graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.

A seven-member bench of the Supreme Court said that Gilani was given two years to act on its repeated orders to revive cases of alleged money laundering against Zardari in Switzerland but he failed to comply.

All the judges on the bench concurred with the charges and signed the chargesheet. 59-year-old Gilani, who was personally present in the court, was asked whether he understands the charge against him, to which Gilani said, “I have done no wrong.”

Gilani refused to accept the charges and maintained that President Zardari enjoy immunity. Importantly, the Prime Minister was asked to stand on the rostrum as the charges were read out against him.

Meanwhile, the hearing on the contempt case has been adjourned till February 27. PM Gilani has been exempted from appearing in person during the next hearing.

Also, the Attorney General has been asked by the court to submit relevant documents by February 16.

On February 22 and 27, the prosecution and defence would put up evidence.

With Gilani refusing to bow down, the stage is set for a protracted battle in the court. Gilani is the first Prime Minister of Pakistan to have been indicted for contempt of court.

The Prime Minister had, earlier too, appeared in the court when it took up the contempt case on January 19 and said the government could not reopen the cases against the President because he enjoys complete immunity in Pakistan and abroad.

Refusing to buy his arguments, the SC told Gilani that he had no option but to write to Swiss authorities to revive graft cases against Zardari as no one was above the law.

If Gilani is convicted, he could be imprisoned for six months and face possible removal from office after being disqualified from holding public office for five years.

Pakistan's I&B Minister Firdaus Ashiq today backed PM Gilani, saying the Constitution provides immunity to President Zardari.

However, legal experts pointed out that the President had the power to pardon him after his conviction. SM Zafar, a noted lawyer and parliamentarian, said such a presidential pardon would apply only to the punishment handed down by the court while the conviction would remain on record.

Therefore, the premier could be disqualified despite the pardon, he remarked.

The apex court has been pressuring the government to reopen the cases since December 2009, when it struck down the National Reconciliation Ordinance, a graft amnesty issued by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf that benefited Zardari and over 8,000 others.