Several Gandakha villages inundated

QUETTA: A fresh torrent of 80,000 cusecs entered Jaffarabad on Thursday after breaches were made in a dyke while floodwaters from Saifullah Magsi canal inundated several villages in Gandakha tehsil.

Sources said that the floodwater started moving towards Gandakha town as Saifullah Magsi canal developed breaches at three places. The town was evacuated after reports about breaches in the canal.

Six villages in Gandakha were completely submerged, Hayat Jamali, a resident of the area, told Dawn. The affected villages are: Goth Ghulam Mohammad, Goth Doda Kahn Sayal, Choki Jamali, Goth Gul Mohammad Jamali, Faizal Faqir and Goth Sattar Shah.

The fresh flooding in Jaffarabad aggravated the misery of thousands of displaced people from Sindh and Balochistan who could not reach safe places and had taken refuge near Pat feeder canal and other high places.

ANP leader shot dead; violence grips Karachi

KARACHI: Karachi descended into a fresh spate of violence on Thursday after at least eight people were killed, 20 others injured and 12 vehicles set ablaze by unknown people in different parts of the city after the killing of an Awami National Party leader and his co-worker at the Quaid-i-Azam International Airport.

The provincial security-in-charge of the Awami National Party (ANP), Obaidullah Yousafzai, 52, and his colleague Saleem Akhtar were shot dead by unknown assailants near PIA cargo terminal at Quaid-i-Azam International Airport on Thursday.

Police said that both the victims were employees of the national flag carrier and were heading home when the incident took place.

A senior police officer said that as Obaidullah came out of the cargo terminal along with co-worker Saleem Akhtar who had asked for a lift in the car, a silver Cultus car intercepted them on the Cargo Terminal Road. The car was carrying four men.

One of the armed men came out of the Cultus and moved towards the car of Obaidullah, who, sensing danger, also came out of his car and tried to run back to his office, but the attacker sprayed him with gunfire, killing him on the spot.

Saleem Akhtar, a Christian, kept sitting in the car, but he too was not spared. The assailant shot a single bullet into his chest, SSP Investigation East 1 Niaz Khosa told Dawn.

After carrying out the shooting, the culprits managed to flee from the scene. Quoting hospital sources, police said the slain ANP leader suffered four gunshot wounds in the head and back. Police have collected one spent bullet casing and a 9mm magazine containing nine bullets from the scene, SSP Khosa said.

Police, quoting friends and family of the deceased, said that in view of security concerns, the ANP leader had recently moved to Malir Cantonment which was considered to be a relatively safe area.

The slain office-bearer of ANP had recently held the marriage ceremony of his son.

After the two bodies were taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for postmortem, a large number of ANP workers and supporters gathered outside the mortuary.

The agitated workers and supporters raised slogans against the government.

Police said that they also resorted to firing, creating panic in the area. Witnesses said that armed men also fired at passing cars, but fortunately no-one was hurt.

As the news of the killing spread, panic gripped the city as unknown people resorted to firing in different parts, forcing shopkeepers to down shutters. Body of Mr Yousafzai was flown to Peshawar on Thursday night.

MQM CONDEMNATION

The Rabita Committee of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement condemned the killing of the ANP leader.

The committee called for an early arrest of the culprits. It also offered condolence to the bereaved family.

ANP MOURNING

The Awami National Party has called for a three-day mourning in the city and warned that if culprits were not arrested within 72 hours, it would turn its mourning into a strike call and would consider leaving the provincial government.

Asfandyar Wali, the ANP chief, had been informed about decisions taken by the party’s Sindh chapter, a statement said.

VIOLENCE

Arson attacks and killings were mostly reported in Landhi, Banaras Chowk, Sohrab Goth, Abul Hasan Ispahani Road, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Korangi, Sultanabad and Merewether Tower.

City police chief Waseem Ahmed said that eight persons were killed in the city following the assassination of the ANP leader.

Quoting hospital figures, he said seven bodies were shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre and another was taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

At the Civil Hospital Karachi, eight wounded persons were brought for treatment, he added.

As the news of Yousafzai’s assassination spread to city areas, residents took to the streets and hurled stones at passing vehicles. Protesters also burnt tyres and placed barricades to block the National Highway.

Gunfire was also heard crackling through various localities, forcing the closure of markets.

The first casualty of the violence was reported in Gulistan-i-Jauhar, where a government officer was shot at and wounded.

Police said that Syed Fayaz Husain Shah stopped his official car (GP-1203) near Rado Apartments in Block 12 of Gulistan-i-Jauhar and went to a shop to buy something, leaving his wife in the car.

As he walked towards the shop, armed men riding a motorcycle opened fire on him and sped away. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, the police said, adding that the motorcyclists had perhaps come to force closure of shops in the commercial area.

Rangers reportedly arrested some suspects from Abul Hasan Ishapani Road after a motorcycle was set on fire there.

In Landhi, the driver and loader of a pick-up truck, later identified as Chenzeb and Ajmal Khan, were killed and three others wounded when armed men intercepted them and sprayed them with bullets.

Police said that the truck was coming out of a factory after loading some merchandise when the firing took place. The incident occurred within the remit of the Awami Colony police station.

An unidentified man was targeted near Dawood Chowrangi in Landhi.

Another man was shot at and wounded within the jurisdiction of the PIB police station. Azhar Ali was shot at by unidentified armed men. The victim was rushed to the JPMC, where he was pronounced dead on arrival, the police said.

Armed men opened fire on a car near Banaras Chowrangi, leaving one dead and two others wounded. The deceased victim was identified as Obaid.

Additional police surgeon of the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital Dr Liaquat Memon said that Obaid was brought dead to the hospital. Besides, six people with gunshot wounds were treated at the hospital.

A man was shot dead near Al Asif Square by unknown attackers. Two persons were killed within the remit of the Korangi and Zaman Town police stations where unidentified assailants opened fire on them.

At least 12 vehicles, including buses, cars and motorcycles, were damaged in arson attacks in different part of the city.

A coach was set on fire within the remit of the Jackson police station. It was destroyed before the fire brigade could reach the scene.

Three buses were set on fire in Landhi No 1. Similarly, unidentified persons set fire to a bus near Merewether Tower.

A car was set ablaze on the M.T. Khan Road near Sultanabad.

PM sets up NDMC to oversee aid distribution

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday announced setting up of the National Oversight Disaster Management Council, comprising people of “impeccable character” to ensure transparency and distribution of aid for flood affected people.

Addressing a meeting of National Disaster Management Commission, Gilani said the council will immediately come into effect.

The details of the council will be announced later.

“I will myself supervise the relief and rehabilitation process for the flood victims to get it done in a transparent manner,” he said.

Blast kills seven, wounds 14 in China’s Xinjiang area

URUMQI: A suspected bomb attack killed seven people and wounded 14 Thursday in China’s far west Xinjiang, a region beset by ethnic conflict and separatist violence.

The explosion occurred on a three-wheeled vehicle Thursday morning at a bridge in Aksu city in southwestern Xinjiang, said Hou Hanmin, a spokeswoman for the Xinjiang government. She said the blast is being treated as a criminal case.

‘‘It’s still unclear what material on that tricycle caused the explosion.... The police apprehended one suspect. They’re still investigating the case,’’ Hou said.

Aksu is about 650 kilometers from the regional capital of Urumqi.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported that 12 people were hurt. No reason was given for the discrepancy, and that report did not give further details.

Xinjiang has been the site of ethnic conflict in recent years, including riots last summer when long-standing tensions between the Uighurs, a largely Muslim ethnic group, and the majority Han Chinese flared into open violence in Urumqi. The government said 197 people were killed. Hundreds of people were arrested, about two dozen were sentenced to death and many Uighurs remain unaccounted for and are believed to be in custody.

Xinjiang Governor Nur Bekri, speaking at a news conference Thursday before the explosion was reported, said the government was battling separatist forces in Xinjiang.

‘‘I believe we face a long and fierce and very complicated struggle. Separatism in Xinjiang has a very long history, it was there in the past, it is still here now and it will continue in the future,’’ Nur said.

‘‘What happened on July 5 (2009) was not ethnic conflict or a religious issue. It was a serious violent incident led by the ‘three forces’,’’ he said, the term Chinese officials use to refer to terrorism, religious extremism and separatism. —AP

US to increase flood aid to $150 million: Kerry

GHAZI AIR BASE, Pakistan: The United States will increase its aid to flood-ravaged Pakistan to $150 million, US Senator John Kerry said Thursday, stressing that Washington did not want extremism to increase on the back of the crisis.

The floods have affected 20 million people and 1/5 of the country.

Aid groups and the United Nations have complained foreign donors have not been quick or generous enough given the scale of the disaster.

The United States has deployed army helicopters to hard hit areas as part of a package worth $90 million.

John Kerry, who is visiting Pakistan to see the flood damage, said that aid would increase to $150 million. The figure is expected to be announced at a UN general assembly meeting in New York on Thursday.

Pakistan is vital for America's strategic goals in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Washington has already committed to spending $7.5 billion over the next five years in the country.

Recovering from the floods is likely to dominate the agenda of Pakistan's government in coming months.

The state has been criticised for failing to respond quick enough, and religious charities — at least one of which has alleged links to terrorism — have been active in the flood-hit areas. There are also concerns the extent of the suffering could stoke social unrest and lead to political instability.

Kerry told reporters ''we don't want to additional jihadists, extremists coming out of a crisis.''

He was speaking after meeting US military personnel taking part in helicopter relief missions.

Nuclear and defence sites safe after flooding

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's nuclear sites and military installations remained safe and free from danger during the worst of the flooding to hit the country, the military said Thursday.

“There is no danger to our defence and nuclear installations from flooding,” military spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas told AFP.

“All our nuclear and military installations have remained safe and there is no further danger from flooding,” Abbas added.

Pakistan has a 325-megawatt Chinese-built nuclear power plant at Chashma, in south of Punjab province, and another being built on the left of the Indus river, which burst its banks.

Weather forecasters signalled that the monsoon systems may ease off after three weeks of torrential rains triggered the devastating floods that have left nearly 1,500 people dead in Pakistan's worst natural disaster.

The floods wiped out villages, farmland and infrastructure, and the UN aid coordination body OCHA said that more than 650,000 homeless families were still without basic shelter.

Pakistan's nuclear sites also remained safe after 7.6 magnitude earthquake in 2005 which killed more than 73,000 people.

Pakistan tested its nuclear device in May 1998, after South Asian rival India conducted its nuclear tests.

There have been concerns in the west about the safety of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal from militants.

The United States is reported to have set up an elite squad that would attempt to secure its weapons if the government ever disintegrated.

ADB offers Pakistan $2 bln assistance package

MANILA: The Asian Development Bank said on Thursday it will extend a $2 billion assistance package to Pakistan to help repair the damage to infrastructure from the worst ever floods to hit the country.

The Manila-based ADB said the amount will be for emergency rehabilitation and reconstruction work.

It was not clear whether the entire amount would be given via loans or a combination of loans and grants. The terms of the assistance package were also not clear.

“The extent of human suffering caused by the floods cannot be easily quantified, nor can the damage wrought upon the country's physical and social infrastructure,” Juan Miranda, ADB Director General for its Central and West Asia department, said in a statement.

“But what is clear is that this disaster is like no other in living memory — and that our response must also be unprecedented, equal to the need, and fast.”

The development lender initially approved a $3 million grant from its Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund for urgent relief and rehabilitation measures for Pakistan. The amount will be on top of the $2 billion package.

The ADB said in another statement on its website that the bank's contribution to Pakistan's recovery was expected to be given over two years, based on the findings of a damage and needs assessment report to be prepared by a team of more than 100 experts led by the ADB and the World Bank.

The experts will be examining damages in areas that include transport and communication, energy, irrigation, water and sanitation, health, and social protection and public administration services.

The ADB also said it would create and oversee a special flood reconstruction fund and raise money from donors interested to help in Pakistan's rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts.

“We will ensure that money from donors is used in the right way, at the right time, and in a totally transparent manner,” Miranda said in a statement. Miranda arrived in Islamabad on Thursday to discuss the ADB's plan with senior government officials and other donors.

The United Nations said earlier that nearly half the $459 million needed to fund initial relief efforts had been secured after days of lobbying donors and warnings that the country faces a spiralling humanitarian catastrophe.

But only a small minority of the six million Pakistanis desperate for food and clean water have received help after floods that have killed up to 1,600 people and made four million homeless.

Pakistan's High Commissioner to Britain, Wajid Shamsul Hasan, said the cost of rebuilding could reach $15 billion.