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Monday, August 9, 2010

Pakistan hit by deadly landslips

Landslides have inundated two villages in northern Pakistan, as heavy rain continues to hamper efforts to help millions affected by flooding. Officials said 28 bodies had been recovered and 25 more people were missing after the landslides. Pakistani media reported dozens more flood-related deaths as officials admitted they were struggling to cope. At least 1,600 people have died in the nation's worst deluge in 80 years. Some 14 million people have been affected. The landslides hit two villages in Gilgit-Baltistan province on Saturday, and officials are still trying to recover bodies from under the mud. In another flood-related incident, at least 14 people were killed when a lorry carrying people across a river in Lower Dir province was swept away, according to local media.

Pakistani media targeted over Zardari 'shoe attack'


A TV channel's broadcast was blocked and copies of at least two newspapers were burnt in different parts of Pakistan after they reported a "shoe attack" on President Asif Ali Zardari during an address in Birmingham, the channel said Sunday. Offices of many cable operators in Karachi have been set ablaze by activists of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) for transmitting Geo News, the channel said. PPP leaders and government officials issued warnings to cable operators against the continuation of the Geo News transmission. Newspaper vendors have been robbed of copies of Jang and The News dailies on the directions of Zardari and Information minister Qamar Zaman Kaira from London, Geo TV said.  A man reportedly hurled shoes at Zardari during a PPP address in Birmingham after he refused to cancel his visit to Britain in the wake of devastating floods in Pakistan that have claimed over 1,500 lives and rendered thousands homeless. People have protested against the PPP violence across the country, Geo News said.

Ready for talks if troops removed from Pak northwest: Taliban

Days after President Asif Ali Zardari said the doors had never been closed for talks with militants, the Taliban have announced that their leadership would hold negotiations only if troops are "completely" withdrawn from Pakistan's northwest and adjoining tribal belt. The Taliban's condition for talks was conveyed by unnamed militant leaders to 'The News' daily. The militants said their leadership would hold negotiations on one point – "complete withdrawal" of troops from all parts of the northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province and the tribal areas. "Taliban do not want to see Pakistan weak but the government's steps always negate our stance because of which the leadership of the Taliban is left with no option but to take steps for their defence," said one of the Taliban leaders who was contacted by the newspaper for comments on Zardari's statement. This Taliban leader did not "advance any explicit argument in support of suicide attacks in Pakistan," the report said. The daily quoted another source among the militants as saying that all militant groups in Pakistan, which are "almost united at the moment," are considering Zardari's comments as their victory. He said the militant leadership in the tribal areas, where security forces are currently conducting operations, feels that perhaps security forces are "finding a safe exit for themselves" because of which Zardari made such a statement. Zardari, who is currently on a visit to Britain, told the media that his government had never closed the door for talks with the Taliban. "We never closed the dialogue," Zardari said, skirting the question as to when talks could actually resume. "We had an agreement, which they (the Taliban) broke. (Talks will resume) whenever they feel we're strong enough and they can't win, because they won't win. It will be a painful difficult task, but defeat is not an option for us," Zardari said.