US man charged for supporting Al-Shabaab

WASHINGTON: A 20-year-old Virginia man was arrested on Wednesday on charges of providing material support to Al-Shabaab, an extremist group based in Somalia with ties to Al-Qaeda, the US Justice Department said.

The defendant, Zachary Adam Chesser, a US citizen living in Fairfax County in Virginia, told federal agents that he attempted twice to travel to Somalia to join Al-Shabaab as a foreign fighter, the department said.

After he was prevented from boarding a flight from New York to Uganda on July 10, Chesser admitted to the agents that he intended to travel from Uganda to Somalia, according to an FBI affidavit filed in federal court in Virginia.

Chesser said he had planned to join Al-Shabaab, but that he had a change of heart after learning about the deadly bombings in Uganda earlier this month for which the group has claimed responsibility. One American was among the 73 that were killed in the attack.

In 2008, the US State Department designated Al-Shabaab as a foreign terrorist organization, describing it as a violent extremist group. US officials have said many of the group's senior leaders are believed to have trained and fought with Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.

In interviews with law enforcement agents dating back to last year, Chesser said he maintained several online profiles and that he posted pro-jihad messages and videos online, according to the affidavit.

Chesser also told the agents he had been in e-mail contact with the US-born Muslim cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki, who has been linked to Al-Qaeda and is believed to be hiding in the south of Yemen.

Asked by one agent why he continued to post lectures and other materials related to Awlaki after he was known to be an enemy of the United States, Chesser replied he did not necessarily disagree with Awlaki, according to the affidavit.

Chesser told agents that he was no longer on speaking terms with his parents and that his mother had received death threats after postings he made on the Internet about the “South Park” satirical animated television show.

The irreverent show on the cable channel Comedy Central in April showed the Prophet Muhammad in a bear outfit, which offended a US Muslim group. Most Muslims consider any depiction of the founder of Islam as offensive.

Chesser told agents he became interested in Islam in July of 2008. Chesser said he did not support acts of terrorism or violence, but that he wanted the United States to fail in its overseas military efforts.

“This case exposes the disturbing reality that extreme radicalization can happen anywhere, including northern Virginia,” US Attorney Neil MacBride said. —Reuters

Krishna slams official over ISI remarks

NEW DELHI: India’s Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna criticised on Wednesday Home Secretary G.K. Pillai’s remarks about an alleged link between the ISI and Mumbai attacks made on the eve of his recent talks with his Pakistani counterpart.

“Mr Pillai could have waited till I came back to issue a statement. Perhaps it would have been wiser if that statement had not been made just on the eve of my visit,” Mr Krishna said in a television interview, making public his displeasure with Mr Pillai for the first time.

Mr Krishna also said that contrary to media reports his recent visit to Pakistan had helped bridge some of the trust deficit between the two countries.

Mr Pillai’s comment was based on an alleged confession of David Coleman Headley, an American mastermind in the Mumbai terror plot. The comments just ahead of Mr Krishna’s visit to Islamabad nearly wrecked the high-profile talks arranged by the prime ministers of the two countries.

Mr Krishna spoke to the media a day after a home ministry notice tersely named a new spokesperson for itself thus signalling to Mr Pillai that his remarks had not found favour with the prime minister’s office and that he should not be speaking to the press.

Immediately after returning from Islamabad Mr Krishna met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and briefed him about the Pillai episode.

“If I was the home secretary in the government, I would not have spoken about the Headley report,” PTI quoted Mr. Krishna as saying.

“India and Pakistan have to remain engaged to resolve the issues between them as there is no alternative,” Mr. Krishna said. He also said he was “quite satisfied” with his recent Pakistan trip because it had been able to partly bridge the trust deficit, according to PTI.

He said Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi would visit India by this year-end.

Mr Krishna’s differences with Mr Pillai did not appear to reflect any disagreement over the alleged role of ISI in the Mumbai incident, but over the timing of the revelations.

In fact, India’s National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon made a somewhat similar observation on Tuesday though he said it more diplomatically.

“Mr Pillai could have waited till I came back to issue a statement. Perhaps it would have been wiser if that statement had not been made just on the eve of my visit,” Mr Krishna said in a separate interview.

Mr Krishna had to face Pakistan’s ire at Mr Pillai’s indiscretion.

“When two foreign ministers are meeting after the Mumbai attack, there was a special significance for this meeting,” he said on Wednesday.

“Everyone who was privy to whatever was happening in government of India ought to have known that the right kind of atmosphere from India’s side should have been created for the talks to go on in a very normal manner, but unfortunately this episode happened,” he added.

“Well, I have had some discussions with the prime minister,” Mr Krishna replied when asked if he had conveyed his dissatisfaction over Mr Pillai’s remarks to Dr Singh.

Mr Krishna, however, also appeared to be critical of Mr Qureshi’s abrasive style in his interaction with the media.

“We should understand the spirit of Thimphu and spirit of Thimphu was to make earnest effort to bring about reconciliation between two countries and I do not want that spirit to be eroded even by a remotest possible way,” he said.

“I think we can put forward any contention that a country can face in a most forceful way but there has to be dignity, there has to be civility and civility is certainly no weakness,” he added.

Agencies add: According to some analysts, Mr Krishna’s remarks showed the barely concealed fissures within the government, exposing a strong division of opinion and perception within the regime on the issue of Pakistan and how to deal with it.

They noted that Mr Krishna’s criticism of Mr Pillai came a day after Mr Menon, in a deliberate move, had endorsed the home secretary’s remarks.

FIA trying to shield tycoon in PSM probe, SC told

ISLAMABAD: The monotony of the technical and sleep-inducing Supreme Court proceedings on the decline of the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) was broken by some startling remarks made by defence lawyer Khalid Anwar on Wednesday.

Criticising what he called the discriminatory attitude of the state towards the defending parties in the suo motu case, he charged that the Federal Investigating Agency (FIA) had spared tycoon Riaz Laljee, a friend of President Asif Ali Zardari, and instead pointed its guns at his employees for Rs22 billion corruption in the PSM.

And before everyone present in the court could digest Mr Anwar’s remarks, Deputy Attorney-General Abid Saqi threw a bombshell by telling the bench that FIA’s hands were tied. “Our hands are tied. We have registered a case against Laljee’s daughter. However, she is abroad,” he said.

But as soon as he realised that his defence of the FIA could be seen as an indictment, he immediately called his statement a “slip of the tongue”.

The case is being heard by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice Ghulam Rabbani and Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday.

It relates to the firing of former PSM chairman Moeen Aftab Sheikh by the establishment division on the advice of the Prime Minister’s Secretariat on Aug 18 last year because of heavy losses the industry was incurring.

The suo motu notice was taken on an article by Dr Ayesha Siddiqa that appeared in Dawn on Sept 11 in which she had mentioned five concerns as the main beneficiaries of a new sales policy adopted by the PSM — Metropolitan, Amreli Steels, Abbas Engineering, Al Abbas Steel and Abbas Steel.

Mr Sheikh had taken over as the chairman on May 26, 2008.

Mr Laljee’s name had earlier surfaced in the court when it was alleged he was the main culprit behind the scam and was acting as a frontman of an important personality.

After hearing allegations and counter-allegations from both sides the court ordered the FIA to conduct its inquiry justly and fairly without causing harassment to anyone and getting influenced by the court proceedings.

The agency was asked to deal with the issue strictly in accordance with rules.

“Our objective is simple,” the chief justice said, “which is to save this mother industry because the loss the mills has incurred belongs to the public exchequer. This industry is the backbone of this nation.”

Justice Ramday regretted that the court’s orders about action to be taken by the government faced resistance, forcing the judges to step back to save their honour.

The court did not accept a request by Advocate Anwar, representing the Amreli Steels, the largest bar rolling mills with an installed capacity of 180,000 tons per annum, to appoint two accounting firms to determine the factual position.

Mr Anwar severely criticised FIA’s investigations and alleged that the way the agency was proceeding would terrorise the market and paralyse the steel business, while the guilty would go scot-free.

“They (FIA) want to destroy everything,” the counsel alleged, adding that corruption was not the only reason behind the PSM losses but bureaucratic incompetence in taking timely decisions and long-term contracts made during the recession period which should have been renegotiated were also important factors.

He expressed the fear that at least 40 steel companies were going to shut down because of harassment by the FIA, causing huge joblessness.

He said five people who had been on pre-arrest bail for five months were not being involved in the FIA inquiry.

Mr Anwar said the PSM with a 1.1 million tons capacity based on an outmoded and inefficient Russian system, with 17,000 employees leading to continuing financial drain, was only fit to be thrown away. A similar plant in Iran with a capacity of 3.5 million tons, he said, employed only 7,800 people.

He said the mills had been on the verge of shutting down for the past seven months. He said institutions like railways, steel mills and PIA were causing a huge loss to the nation.

The liquidity crunch due to severe economic recession the world over had affected almost all business enterprises everywhere, but incorrect decision making, bureaucratic delays and gross inefficiency accentuated the loss of the PSM, he said.

PSM sales fell from Rs5 billion in July 2008 to Rs1.131 billion in October 2008 because surplus and cheap steel from the world market flooded the local market.

Low demand of PSM products caused the piling up of a huge inventory of finished goods which ultimately resulted in serious liquidity problems, he said.

DAG Saqi informed the court that 14 arrests had been made and the accounts of several companies frozen.

In 10 cases, he said, Rs8 billion corruption through clandestine benefits to different dealers had been unearthed.

He assured the court that a comprehensive report on the quantum of corruption in the steel mills would be presented soon.

Austerity plan to cover all expenditures, except salary

ISLAMABAD: As part of the government’s austerity drive, the finance ministry has decided to freeze all current expenditures of ministries, divisions and projects that do not pertain to employees. The move is aimed at saving Rs3.8 billion.

In a circular issued to all federal secretaries and principal account officers, the ministry said on Wednesday the revised budget indicative ceilings for all ministries and divisions had been compiled and savings as worked out on account of “freezing of non-employee-related current expenditures” be surrendered as per rules to the budget wing of the ministry.

The circular noted that while approving the budget proposals for the fiscal year 2010-11, the parliament had resolved that all the ministries in the federal government would ensure that their non-salary expenditures, necessary for running the daily affairs, did not exceed the limits for 2009-10.

The Cabinet Secretariat has been asked to surrender Rs1 billion which is the highest among all ministries and divisions.

The Cabinet Division’s expenditures cover Prime Minister’s Secretariat, National Accountability Bureau (NAB), National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB), Establishment Division, Federal Public Service Commission, Emergency Relief and Repatriation, Board of Investment, Prime Minister’s Inspection Commission and the Atomic Energy Commission.

The Ministry of Information Technology has been asked to surrender Rs468 million, followed by Education Rs401.5 million; Commerce Rs309 million; Finance and Planning Rs236 million; and Communication Rs207.9 million.

The Ministry of Culture will surrender Rs36.8 million; Defence Rs259 million; Economic Affairs Division Rs52.9 million; Environment Rs24.2 million; Agriculture Rs1.48 million; Foreign Affairs Rs768,000; Health Rs91.9 million; Housing and Works Rs79.9 million; Human Rights Rs38 million; Industries and Production Rs36 million; Information and Broadcasting Rs95 million; Inter-provincial Coordination Rs1.96 million; Interior Rs168.9 million; Law and Justice Rs219 million; Narcotics Division Rs137.6 million; Parliament Rs104.1 million; Science and Technology Rs194.8 million and Auditor-General Pakistan Rs123.7 million.

In view of a difficult financial situation, the government has decided at the federal cabinet level to take austerity measures and minimise its expenditure, and officials said that freezing the non-employees related current expenditure is the first step in this direction.

Nato to set up fund for training of security forces

ISLAMABAD: The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) has decided to establish a trust fund in order to train Pakistan’s security forces in counter-terrorism techniques.

Nato Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen informed President Asif Zardari about the decision during a meeting on Wednesday, according to spokesman Farhatullah Babar.

The president welcomed the initiative and at the same time urged the alliance to provide equipment for capacity-building of the country’s counter-terrorism units.

Capacity building and training of our military as well as civilian officers are essential for combating the challenges posed by militancy and terrorism, he added.

Mr Zardari, stressing the need for strengthening of ties between Pakistan and Nato, said the two shared objectives of enhancing regional and global peace and were partners in the international coalition against terrorism.

Those who attended the meeting, among others, were Babur Hizlan, the Turkish Ambassador, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir and Defence Secretary Syed Athar Ali.

The president said at the meeting the war against terror had not only affected Pakistan but the entire international community.

Pakistan, however, is paying the greatest price in terms of human and material losses. We have been trying to convince our partners about the urgency to augment our capacity to fight militancy, the president said.

We have proved to the world that we have the determination and the capability to effectively take on the challenge, but we need resources and capacity-building with necessary tools and equipment, Mr Zardari added.

The president said Islamabad had been urging the international community to help it in creating opportunity zones in the conflict-ridden areas in order to change militant mindset.

Dwelling on the regional situation, Mr Zardari assured the Nato chief that Pakistan had a stake in Afghanistans peace and stability. A strong and stable Afghanistan will help in eliminating the sources of funding and weapons to terrorists.

A participant alleged during the meeting that drug money was being used for not only offering attractive packages to militants but also for attracting frustrated and unemployed youth.

SU seeks speaker’s help for degree scrutiny

ISLAMABAD: University of Sindh has asked speaker of Sindh Assembly Nisar Khuhro to assist it in properly scrutinising the educational qualifications of lawmakers.

Dawn has learnt that the university has failed to find even a single fake degree because it has not been following the criteria set by Higher Education Commission for verifying the academic qualifications of lawmakers.

Sources said that after the HEC rejected the university’s initial report that gave a clean chit to its 105 graduate legislators, the university has started the exercise all over again and decided to follow the prescribed rules.

Now instead of only relying on details which the Election Commission has provided to it through the HEC, the Sindh University has asked Mr Khuhro’s office to provide educational particulars of assembly members.

According to the special form which the HEC has formulated for the purpose, the universities need to check the graduate-level degrees as well as verify the lawmakers’ matriculation and intermediate certificates and their computerised national identity cards.

Moreover, the verification of signatures of vice-chancellors concerned has also been declared mandatory for the process.

Surprisingly, the university had initially sent an “all OK” report about the educational claims of 105 lawmakers who largely belonged to the Sindh Assembly.

The Balochistan University which has 56 graduate legislators had sent a similar report to the HEC which was rejected by the commission. According to the sources, Sindh and Balochistan assemblies will be more affected as result of ongoing verification process.

Sindh plans to move CCI on water accord

HYDERABAD: Sindh Irrigation Minister Murad Ali Shah has said that the provincial government plans to move the Council of Common Interests (CCI) to address shortcomings of Water Apportionment Accord 1991.

He called for doing away with lacunas of the accord like operation principles of two dams — Tarbela and Mangla — link canals, sharing of shortages and surplus of water flows.

“That’s why we are in process to move to CCI, Mr Shah told Dawn on telephone.

The minister said that he is perturbed over the fact that non-availability of criteria how to fill and empty dams creates problems and said that procedure how to open link canals is not documented.

“Differing opinions over sharing of shortages and surplus create a big difference because Punjab has a different reading of the situation when there is shortage as it always talks of sharing them as per historic usages, he said.

Punjab invokes para-2 of the accord which refers to usages of water between 1972 and 82 but Sindh insists that after criteria of three 10 dailies (allocation for first, second and third 10 days of a month under 14-A and B clauses to reflect seasonal allocations, the historic usage formula gets redundant”, he said.

Punjab always insists on protecting historic usages but Sindh says that shortages are to be shared on prorata basis, said the minister.

“We are ready to overcome shortcomings of the accord and that’s why we will be moving the CCI to discuss operational principles of two dams and link canals as well as sharing of shortages of water.

NEW WATER PARADIGM

Dr Kaiser Bengali, adviser to Sindh chief minister on planning and development, has called for establishing new water paradigm in the country that is centred around water conservation in the wake of climate change.

He said that legal issue could be resolved by sharing shortages but real question pertains to economic losses due to water scarcity in terms of agricultural output which is irreversible.

Talking to this correspondent at a briefing about development works here on Tuesday, he said that Water Apportionment Accord 1991 accord doesn’t properly address the issue of shortages because when it was signed, no one had thought that water crisis of such magnitude would hit the country where, say, 25 per cent of the required quantity of water would be available.

Dr Bengali said: “We need to put ourselves under entirely a new water paradigm to have an efficient use of available water with our focus on conservation and new methods of irrigation”.

According to his evaluation of water situation, recycling of water is not taking place which is otherwise a common phenomenon all over the world but in Pakistan used water is lost. Growers need to adopt drip and sprinkler systems instead of flood irrigation.

He did not oppose Water Accord 1991 nor did he say that it should be replaced altogether but suggested that the magnitude of the crisis involves India and the accord doesn’t address this aspect.

“The next two decades will demand us to establish a new water paradigm with focus on conservations”, he said.

He said it would not be important how water is distributed because it would not be available then. “I am talking of 2050 when no water will be available”, he said.

The aspect of shortages was not taken up (in the accord) in proper perspective because it was not expected in 90s that only 25 per cent of water would be available today. “Shortages are worked when there is 15 to 20 per cent drop in water flows”, he said.

He said that no super floods are seen today which used to be there in every 10 years. Mangla and Tarbela are not completely filled in last decade, he said.

“It is water crisis of a different dimension which was not before us in 90s but now it has to be dealt with accordingly. Today the glaciers are melting and they need to be rehabilitated as per scientific methods. “Water shortage always leads to acrimony but its economic loss is completely lost sight of”, he said.

The real issue is not how to resolve legal riddle but to overcome losses. If we have low agricultural output it can’t be reversed and this should be basic point”, he said.

He said that the accord should be part of a broader water policy as looking at the water distribution alone is a narrow way to look at the water issue. “It can be a continuation of Water Accord 1991 seen in the context of broader water policy”, he said.