US drone strike kills 14 militants in North Waziristan

MIRAMSHAH: US drones fired off a volley of missiles targeting militants in a tribal area of northwest Pakistan Wednesday, killing 14 of them, security officials said.

The pre-dawn attack —the third in less than 24 hours —was directed at the Haqqani network.

Twelve missiles were fired in the attack which took place in Dargah Mandi village on the outskirts of Miramshah, the main town in the North Waziristan tribal district where US missiles killed 15 militants in two separate attacks Tuesday.

Residents said there was panic in the village as the noise of drones was heard just before dawn.

“As the US drones came over the village people started shouting and running here and there shouting 'run, drones have come,' a local tribesman told AFP, requesting anonymity for fear militants might harm him.

Residents said the targeted houses were owned by a local tribesman Bacha Khan, who had rented them out to militants, and were destroyed in the attacks.

A fresh surge in US missile strikes has killed 75 militants since September 3 in Pakistan's northwestern tribal belt.

Over 1,070 people have been killed in more than 125 drone strikes in Pakistan since August 2008, including a number of senior militants.—AFP

Australian FM Rudd visiting Pakistan, urging aid

CANBERRA: Australia's new foreign minister flew to Pakistan on Wednesday to see the flood disaster there firsthand before urging UN countries to give more emergency relief.

Kevin Rudd, the former prime minister, left Canberra a day after he was sworn in as foreign minister in the government of his replacement, the recently re-elected Julia Gillard.

Before leaving, Rudd said he feared a massive outbreak of waterborne diseases would create a humanitarian disaster in Pakistan, where 20 million people are affected by flooding.

''It's quite plain that we're in the process of seeing a slow burn humanitarian disaster in that country — a humanitarian disaster potentially of horrendous proportions,'' Rudd told reporters at Parliament House.

Rudd said he plans to ask a meeting in New York of UN-member countries supporting Pakistan to give more.

''The international community needs to do more,'' Rudd said. ''We do not want to turn around in three and six months time and ask ourselves this question: What more could we have done or should we have done to avert a humanitarian disaster?''

Rudd said Australia was the fifth most generous donor to the Pakistan flood relief effort, having already contributed 35 million Australian dollars.

After Pakistan, Rudd will visit Washington on Friday where he will discuss the Afghan war with US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and National Security Adviser Gen. James Jones. Australia has 1,550 troops in Afghanistan supporting the US-led international alliance.

While in New York, Rudd will stand in for Gillard to deliver an annual speech to the UN General Assembly. He will also attend UN forums on reducing global poverty and promoting sustainable development.

Wahab Riaz quizzed by police in spot-fixing probe

LONDON: Fast bowler Wahab Riaz has become the latest Pakistan cricketer to be questioned by police as a result of the 'spot-fixing' row engulfing the team's tour of England.

A brief statement issued by Scotland Yard here on Tuesday said: “We can confirm that today, Tuesday, September 14, one further Pakistani cricketer was interviewed by appointment under caution.” Although the statement did not name Riaz, his interview with detectives was trailed last week by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt, who said: “We have arranged for his interview as we will continue to cooperate and we want to get to the bottom of the matter.” Pakistan's tour has been overshadowed by newspaper allegations of a betting scam that saw no-balls deliberately bowled in the fourth Test against England at Lord's last month.

The claims, published in the News of the World, led to the suspension of Pakistan Test captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif by the International Cricket Council (ICC) Riaz, a 25-year-old left-arm seamer, remains with the squad but has not so far been selected for the ongoing one-day series against England.

Before the series started and before the ICC suspended Butt, Aamer and Asif, Englandmade clear their unease about playing against any of the trio.

However, Pakistan coach Waqar Younis said of Riaz last week: “He's in the (squad of) 15. All 15 are available.”And that means Riaz could play at The Oval on Friday where Englandwill look for a victory that would see them go an unbeatable 3-0 up in the five-match one-day series.

Earlier on Tuesday, Ehsan Mani, the Pakistani former president of the ICC, accused the PCB of failing to educate its players about the dangers of corruption.

“The Pakistan board is clearly not getting the message through to its players,” said Mani in an interview in October's Wisden Cricketer magazine.

“The onus is on the PCB to explain how players under its control could behave like this.”Mani, who led the ICC, cricket's global governing body, from 2003-06, dismissed claims Pakistan players were among the most vulnerable to 'spot-fixing' approaches because they weren't as well-paid as rival international cricketers.

“All cricketers round the world get paid well,” Mani said. “Even Pakistani players are exceedingly well paid relative to the standard of living in their country. There is no excuse (for corruption) apart from sheer greed.

“If a player comes from a very under-privileged background and makes the big time, he needs a lot of mentoring, a lot of support and education.

“We have to be honest -- there has been a failure in the system in Pakistan here and certainly Pakistan should be accountable to the ICC to explain how it's gone so wrong.”Mani added the ICC should now approach the government in India, the global centre of illegal betting on cricket, to legalise gambling.

“This is the time for the ICC to say to the Indian government that you have to bring this into the loop...This is hurting the credibility not only of the game but of India andPakistan.” Mani's comments were published on the same day as Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, speaking after a meeting of the ICC chief executives' committee in Cape Town, said Tuesday: “I am especially keen to engage with governments to consider the regulation of betting.”

Bomb blast at Afghan concert injures 13 fans

HERAT: A bomb blast at a concert by Afghanistan's top singer wounded at least 13 people on Tuesday, an official and witness said.

The explosion happened at the end of Farhad Darya's concert in a sports stadium in the western city of Herat, as thousands of fans began to leave, an AFP reporter at the scene said.

“It seems the blast was from a bomb fixed to a motorcycle and parked near the stadium,” he said.

The provincial public health hospital said they received 13 wounded from the blast.

“Among the wounded are a child, a woman, one policeman and ten other male fans,” Ghulam Sayeed Rashid, the head of public health in the province, said.

The award-winning singer, composer and peace and rights activist survived the attack unhurt, said the AFP reporter who witnessed the incident.

Darya has been the most influential figures in Afghan music in recent decades, and also runs a charity project for street children in Afghanistan.

Darya was on his way to hospital to visit his fans wounded in the blast, said the reporter.

Security concerns mean concerts and public events are limited in Afghanistan, which is due to hold parliamentary elections on Saturday.

Three found dead in Karachi under construction building

KARACHI: Three bullet-riddled bodies were found in an under construction building near Karachi’s Power House Chowrangi on Wednesday.

Police told DawnNews that the dead looked like labourers. Several buildings were being built in the area and the labourers used to live in those buildings. The dead were still unidentified, added police officials.

Moreover, eight people have been gunned down in the city in the last 48 hours.

Meanwhile, police in a raid near the Super Market area in Nazimabad seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition.

Security convoy attacked in Khyber; five injured

PESHAWAR: Five troops were injured when a remote control bomb hit a security forces convoy in Bara tehsil of the Khyber tribal region on Wednesday morning.

According to sources, the convoy was heading to an FC camp when it came under attack. The injured troops had been shifted to the CMH Hospital Peshawar.

Security forces had cordoned off the area and started a search operation after the attack.

Musharraf to launch political party on October 1

HONG KONG: Former president Pervez Musharraf said Wednesday he would launch a new party on October 1, as the retired general plots a return to the frontlines of the country's turbulent politics.

Musharraf also accused Afghan President Hamid Karzai of lacking “legitimacy” but urged the West to stay the course against the Taliban and not to abandon the restive region.

“I'm going to declare a party on October 1... We have to bring about a new political culture in Pakistan,” he told reporters in Hong Kong after addressing an annual investors' forum organised by the CLSA brokerage.

The 67-year-old Musharraf, who lives in self-imposed exile in London, shrugged off the threat of possible legal action arising from his years of military rule of Pakistan.

“There are elements opposed to me, political elements, and they are the ones who engineer these cases. One has to face that. I'm very confident nothing can happen (on his eventual return home),” he said.

Musharraf, who plans to stand for parliament at the next general election in 2013, did not say where he would launch his new party —called the All Pakistan Muslim League.

But reports in Pakistan have said the October 1 event will take place in London.

“I'm totally against the system where it becomes a family domain in all political parties. The essence of democracy is not there in Pakistan,” he said in Hong Kong.

He had a dismal relationship with Karzai, who regained power last year in an election that was widely decried as fraudulent.

“There must be a legitimate government in Afghanistan... He does not have that legitimacy,” Musharraf told the CLSA forum.

In contrast, the former military leader heaped praise on US General David Petraeus, the commander of some 150,000 foreign soldiers deployed in Afghanistan.

“I have faith in General Petraeus —he is a great commander and he can do well in Afghanistan,” Musharraf told the conference.

But with US President Barack Obama planning a troop drawdown from mid-2011, Musharraf warned that abandoning Afghanistan would “be playing into the hands of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda”, and said “quitting is not an option”.

“The whole world is against the Taliban. So why can't we win? We can win and will win. But we will suffer casualties... No one is analysing the effect of abandoning the region on Afghanistan, Pakistan and the world.”

Musharraf also criticised US drone strikes early Wednesday. Such strikes were a “violation” of Pakistan's sovereignty, he said.

“The sensitivity of the people of Pakistan is that no outside force should cross (its) border.”