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  • UN urges Pakistan to protect religious minorities after attack

    The attack in Karachi was officially claimed by the Islamic State group.

    Ban condemned “in the strongest possible terms the terrorist attack” and called on Pakistan to bring those responsible to justice.

    He urged the government to “take swift measures aimed at effective protection of religious minorities in the country.”

    Pakistan has experienced a rising tide of sectarian violence in recent years, particularly against Shiites, who make up around 20 percent of the country’s predominantly Muslim population of 200 million. – AFP

  • Karachi bus attack death toll rises to 47

    According to eyewitness accounts six gunmen stopped a bus carrying the members of Ismaili community and  sprayed it with bullets from both sides, injuring many passengers on the spot. After the attack had taken place, Rangers personnel and police reached the scene, as well as ambulances to shift the injured to hospitals.

    The pamphlets of the Islamic State (IS) militant group — Daesh in Urdu — were also found at the crime scene.

     

    — LIVE UPDATES —

    Draft of adjournment motion submitted in the NA over Karachi incident

      RAW hand found behind Karachi attack

    The investigation authorities have found clues hinting at involvement of Indian spy agency Research Analysis Wing (RAW) in the Karachi bus attack that claimed 47 lives.

    Read details: Proofs of RAW hand in Karachi bus attack found: sources

    In the current development, the security forces have discovered clues of RAW hand in Karachi attack. Military Sources told that the security institutions were also investigating the source of funding for terrorists.

    Pakistan suffers another blow

    The country suffered another major blow in the wake of Karachi bus attack. Zimbabwe cricket team has refused to tour Pakistan for security reasons. The Zimbabwean Foreign Ministry did not provide clearance to its national cricket team to tour Pakistan, saying such a visit at this juncture could jeopardize players’ lives.

    Reward announced for information leading to attackers

    The provincial and federal governments have announced Rs 20 million reward for any a person providing an information leading to clues of attackers of Ismaili community bus that claimed over 45 lives.

    Candle light vigil in Gilgit for solidarity with Ismailis

    ‘No Islamic State exists in Pakistan’

    The Foreign Office on Thursday denied existence of global terror outfit Daeesh, also known as Islamic State, in Pakistan The FO Spokesperson Qazi Khalil Ullah said security forces of Pakistan were ready to meet any threat regarding the terror outfit.

    Al-Azhar Garden details and background

    The beautifully built housing complex located the outskirts of Karachi, that houses Ismaili community members, has won an architectural award and has the capacity to house an estimated 5,000 people. Also read: Al-Azhar Garden won prestigious architecture award in 2011-2012

    Pictures of some of the victims who perished in yesterday’s bus attack Karachi Bus Attack death toll rises to 47

    The death toll in bus attack at Safoora Chowk soared to 47 today as two more injured of the terrorist attack succumbed to their injuries in hospital. Nine injured of the bus attack have been admitted at Aga Khan and Memon Hospitals of the city.

    PTI chief Imran Khan postpones visit to Karachi

    Imran Khan was scheduled to reach Karachi today but he cancelled his visit, due to bad weather conditions. The PTI chief was to condole with the victims of yesterday’s bus attack. However, his plane could not fly on account of bad weather and he had to return from the Benazir International Airport.

    Foreign Secretary blames RAW for terroist activities in Pakistan

    Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry said that Indian Intelligence RAW was behind terrorist activities in Pakistan. Also read: RAW behind terrorist activities in Pakistan: Foreign Secretary Funeral prayers offered for the victims

    Funeral prayers for the deceased were offered at 09:30 am whilst the burial is currently taking place. Also read: Karachi bus attack victims being laid to rest

    Another terror victim dies in hospital

    Another victim of Safoora Chowrangi bus attack succumbed to her injuries in hospital today. Nafeesa, who had suffered critical injuries in the terrorist attack in Karachi on Wednesday, died in hospital today. The death toll in Karachi bus attack has now reached to 46.

    Strike in Hyderabad, other areas of Sindh

    The victims of Karachi bus attack also being mourned in Hyderabad, Mirpur Khas, Sukkur, Badin, Sanghar, Daur, Naushehro Feroz and other cities and towns of Sindh. The markets have been closed on the day of mourning and scarce vehicular traffic seen at roads in Hyderabad and other towns of Sindh. Funeral prayers of bus attack victims offered

    The funeral prayers of 43 persons left dead in a terrorist attack in Karachi, observed at Al-Azhar Garden here at 9:30am today.

    The terrorists in a deadly attack on a bus of Ismaili community near Safoora Chowk of Karachi on Wednesday killed 43 persons. The funeral prayers were offered at Al-Azhar Garden under stringent security measures. The relatives of the deceased and notables of Ismaili community attended the funeral prayers. The members of Ismaili community were advised at various Jamaatkhana’s to avoid attending the funeral prayers due to security concerns. The deceased of the terrorist attack will be laid to rest at Sakhi Hassan’s Al-Noor Society Ismaili Graveyard.

    Country to mourn the tragic Karachi Bus attack on Thursday

    The National flag will be flown at half-mast as Pakistan plunges into deep mourning over the brazen daylight attack which killed 43 innocent citizens. Chairman Karachi Traders Association and Business Action Committee have separately announced the closure of shops in Karachi to mourn the tragic bus accident. University of Karachi (UoK) and Federal Urdu University of Arts Science and Technology (FUUAST) have announced to delay all the practical/non-practical examination scheduled for Thursday (today). The practical exams for Secondary School Certificate (SSC) scheduled for today have also been postponed, the new schedule will be announced later. Bishop Sadiq Daniel has announced that all missionary schools and institutions in Karachi will remain closed.

    Rangers action in Karachi

    Rangers personnel have conducted raids in different areas of the city and apprehended 70 suspects. The targeted raids were carried out in several areas including Sohrab Goth, settlements near Memon Hospital, Macharr, Colony, Janjaal Goth and Kunwari Colony. The suspects have been shifted to undisclosed location for interrogation.

    PM visits residence of Aga Khan foundation’s president

    PM Sharif visited the residence of Sultan Allana, President of Aga Khan Foundation, during his visit to Karachi and expressed condolence over loss of lives in the bus attack today. He also offered dua for the departed souls. Mr. Sharif vowed that culprits of the attack will be brought to book soon.

    New terror method employed in Karachi?

    Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said he was told that terrorists were employing new methods and picking place to attack their targets where CCTV cameras are not installed. He directed law enforcement agencies to enhance coordination with each other to maintain peace. “I expect my next Karachi visit to take place without in the wake of any untoward incident,” he added. He said terrorists used new weapons in killing of Sabeen Mahmud and Prof. Waheedur Rehman in Karachi.

    PM annoyed over police performance

    Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed annoyance dissatisfaction over police performance in Karachi following attack on Ismaili community bus. The prime minister directed to apprehend the culprits involved the killing of bus passengers at the earliest. Details here: PM orders arrest of Karachi bus attackers

    Amnesty International denounces terrorist strike

    “The killing of more than 40 Ismaili Shi’a Muslims in Karachi marks a new low in a campaign of sectarian violence that has left Pakistan’s religious minorities fearing for their lives while extremists in the country operate with impunity”, said Amnesty International. In a statement, AI said the attack on a bus carrying the Ismailis, claimed by the Jundullah group, highlights both the ever-present threat of violence and the authorities’ persistent failure to prosecute the perpetrators and to protect religious minorities.

    “We deplore this unprovoked assault and the tragic loss of life,” said David Griffiths, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Asia Pacific. “While attacks on the Ismailis are rare, attacks by the Jundullah group are not.

    The extremists have claimed responsibility for many killings, including a 2013 attack on a church in Peshawar in which more than 80 Christians were killed. None of these attacks have been investigated or prosecuted in a thorough and transparent manner,” added the statement.

    Islamic State claims deadly attack

    The Islamic State group on Wednesday claimed responsibility for an attack by gunmen on a bus that killed at least 43 Ismaili community members in Karachi. Read details here: IS claims Karachi attack “Thanks be to Allah, 43 apostates were killed and around 30 were wounded in an attack carried out by Islamic State soldiers on a bus transporting Shiite Ismaili infidels in the city of Karachi,” the extremist group said in a statement posted on jihadist Twitter accounts.

    PM arrives in Karachi

    Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has landed in Karachi to preside over law and order meeting at Governor House.

    Countrywide day of mourning announced

    Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has announced day of mourning in the country tomorrow over Karachi bus attack. The national flag would fly at half mast.

    Two suspects arrested

    Intelligence agencies, following the attack on Ismaili community bus, nabbed two persons from a house located closed to the site of incident on suspicion of their possible link with the brutal attack. The suspects were residing in a house closed to site of attack. During the investigation, the suspects are discovered to be non-residents of Sindh. Senate resolution The Senate today passed a unanimous resolution strongly condemning the Karachi bus attack.  The resolution moved by Karim Ahmad Khawaja demanded the government to take stern action against the culprits and bring them to justice at the earliest.

    HRCP demands action against terrorists

    The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said on Wednesday that the barbaric killing of members of the Ismaili community in a bus attack in Karachi is highly condemnable, but it deserves more than mere words of censure and sympathy from the authorities, the political parties and the civil society.

    “It should be clear to everyone today that not only will the country not know peace until the extremists, whichever group of killers they belong to, are taken on and brought to justice, but also that Pakistan and extremism simply cannot co-exist.” The HRCP said Taliban and other band of terrorists continue to cause mayhem and bloodletting across Pakistan. It is imperative that those tasked with securing peoples’ lives pursue their task as single-mindedly. Businesses to remain closed in Karachi tomorrow Karachi Tajir Ittehad announced that all business activities will remain closed in Karachi on Thursday to mourn the loss of lives in terrorists ambush on Ismaili community bus, claiming at least 43 lives. Zardari contacts Prince Karim Aga Khan Co-chairperson PPP Asif Ali Zardari today phoned up the Prince Karim Aga Khan and expressed his grief over Karachi bus attack wherein over three dozen Ismaili community members lost their lives. He said Sindh Government will go after the criminals and not spare them at any cost. Army Chief condolence Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif has expressed condolence with Prince Karim Aga Khan- the Spiritual Leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims – over loss of precious lives in the terrorists’ attack in Karachi. He vowed that the culprits of the attack will be brought to book. Read more: COAS Sharif calls Prince Agha Khan; extends condolences Meeting on Karachi law and order postponed A meeting which was scheduled to take place at Chief Minister House on Karachi security situation has been postponed. The meeting will now be held on Governor House with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the chair. Rangers helpline The spokesperson of Sindh Rangers issued a statement, urging citizens to contact their helpline 1101 if they have any information regarding perpetrators of Karachi bus attack. The identity of the informer will be kept secret, added the spokesperson. Investigation team reaches crime spot The probe body constituted by the provincial government has reached the spot at Safoora Chowrangi, where terrorists’ ambushed the Ismaili community bus, to collect evidences. CM denies reports of IG Sindh removal Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah has denied media reports of removal of Inspector General Sindh Ghulam Haider Jamali from his position over terrorist attack on Ismaili community bus that claimed at least 43 lives. According to ARY News correspondent, the clarification in this regard has also been issued by the spokesperson of the CM House.  Read more: PM taken to task on social media for lunch gathering amid Karachi terror attack Prince Aga Karim Khan condemns Karachi attack His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan- the Spiritual Leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims has condemned the attack on community bus carrying members for work place in Karachi, that left 43 people dead. According to Aga Khan development Network website akdn.org , Prince Aga Khan has expressed shock and sadness at attack of bus carrying members of the Ismaili community in Safoora Chowrangi Karachi. “This attack represents a senseless act of violence against a peaceful community. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and the families of those killed and wounded in the attack,” the Aga Khan said. Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah has condemned the barbaric terrorists’ attack. He said a committee has been formed which will furnish its report within three days. Army Chief reaches Karachi Army Chief General Raheel Sharif accompanied by Director General ISI Lt. Gen. Rizwan Akhtar have reached in Karachi after terrorist attack on a bus of Ismaili community in the city which claimed the lives of 43 people. The Army Chief during his stay in the port city will be briefed by the Corps Commander Karachi and DG Rangers about the situation in the city. General Raheel Sharif is also expected to visit the injured of the terrorist attack at Aga Khan Hospital of the city. The Army Chief will also attend a briefing on the law and order in Karachi which will be chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Altaf demands resignation of Sindh Chief Minister Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Altaf Hussain has demanded the resignation of the chief minister of Sindh while talking to ARY News on Wednesday. MQM chief while responding a question said that Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah if feels pity for the province he should tender his resignation. Sindh government announces day of mourning The government of Sindh has announced a day of mourning on Thursday following an attack on a bus of Ismaili community in Karachi today. Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has also announced mourning tomorrow. MQM Chief Altaf Hussain has appealed all businesses and public transportation be suspended on the day. Jundullah claims responsibility Ahmed Marwat, a spokesman for outlawed Jundullah, which is a splinter group of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), talking to Reuters claimed responsibility for the attack. However, the pamphlets found at the crime scene tell a complete different story. Islamic State also known as Daesh has stated that the attack was carried out against the “Rawafidh”, (‘deviant’ in English), by the group in retaliation to the operations in Iraq, Yemen, Syria Lal Masjid and “fake encounters” in the country by law enforcement . They have also vowed to carry out more such attacks in the country. Daesh pamphlets recovered from crime scene The armed assailants had thrown pamphlets addressed by an organization going by the name of ‘Daesh Khurasan’. Daesh is the Arabic acronym for Islamic State, the worldwide outlawed and banned outfit that has butchered scores of Muslims and non-Muslims in Iraq and Syria. Modi expresses grief on shooting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi denounced the shooting incident at Karachi’s Safoor Chowrangi. In his message on social media website Twitter, Modi tweeted that the incident is saddening and condemnable. He added that their thoughts are with the victims’ families. He also wished speedy recovery to the injured persons.

    PM and other leaders denounce Karachi bus attack Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and leaders of different political parties have condemned the Karachi shooting in which at least 43 people were killed. Condemning the ghastly incident, the Prime Minister said,” The Ismaili community is extremely patriotic and has contributed a lot to Pakistan. They have played a very strong role in strengthening the country.” PM Nawaz Sharif condemned the attack and has sought a report from Inspector General of Sindh Ghulam Haider Jamali regarding the incident.

    Armed assailants open fire at bus at Safoora… by arynews

    Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan denounced the attack and stated that the incident reflects the ineligibility of Sindh Government.

    Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Chairman Siraj-ul-Haq said that the government has failed to protect the lives and property of Karachiites.

    Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) leader Dr. Tahir-ul-Qadri stated that the attackers are not human beings.

    Chief Minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif said that the terrorists who target innocent people do not deserve any leniency.

    CM Sindh speaks exclusively to ARY News

    Speaking exclusively to ARY News, Sindh CM Qaim Ali Shah expressed sorrow over the incident and expressed his condolences. He stated that he was in Islamabad but would return to Karachi in 2 hours and visit the site. He also said that the attack could be preplanned but categorically denied that any IS pamphlets were recovered. The Chief Minister had also stated that the injured would receive the best possible treatment available and be compensated by rs.200,000.

    Earlier in the day, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah had taken notice of the action and contacted IG Sindh. Expressing anger over the lack of security measures in the city, he had suspended DSP and the SHO of the area.

    Attackers used 9mm guns: IG Police Sindh

    Sindh Police chief Ghulam Hyder Jamali while talking to ARY News said that six gunmen riding on three motorcycles were involved in the attack. They stopped the bus entered in the vehicle and opened indiscriminate fire over the people sitting in the bus, the Inspector General Police Sindh said.

    He said that it was a terrorist attack, “We are fighting the war against terrorism.”

    Citing hospital sources, the IG Sindh Jamali said that 43 people were killed and 13 injured in the terrorist attack. He further said that the attackers used 9mm guns in the attack.  

    Among the dead, as many as 16 women are also said to be included in the figure of the dead. A total of 60 people were on board the bus. The injured have been shifted to various hospitals whereas 43 victims succumbed to their injuries. 9mm pistol and SMG shells were recovered from the crime scene. After the attack had taken place, emergency was imposed in private and government hospitals. Reportedly, the attack was carried out on a particular community.

    According to eyewitness accounts six gunmen stopped the bus and  sprayed it with bullets from both sides, injuring many passengers on the spot. After the attack had taken place, Rangers personnel and police reached the scene, as well as ambulances to shift the injured to hospitals.

    The bus that was targeted is operated by Al-Azhar garden-a residential complex of the Ismaili community.

    The men had used more than three motorcycles as their means of transport and after carrying out the attack, had managed to escape from the crime scene successfully. Passengers included women as well as children. The number plate of the targeted bus was JB-0333.

  • Gunmen storm Kabul guesthouse popular with foreigners: officials

    No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack on the Park Place guesthouse in downtown Kabul, but the assault comes as the Taliban — who have attacked such guesthouses in the past — press their annual spring offensive.

    “There was a concert planned to take place inside the Park Place tonight, with foreigners, mainly Indian and Turkish guests, invited,” an Afghan intelligence official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

    “The attack started before the concert. We believe three to five gunmen have managed to sneak into the guesthouse, but they first faced resistance from the guards.”

    A Park Palace employee, who barricaded himself in a room in the guesthouse, told AFP he heard several people screaming in the corridors as gunshots rang out.

    “A party with live Afghan music was playing upstairs — with several VIPs attending — when the gunfire started,” he told AFP by telephone.

    The employee, who did not wish to be named, later managed to flee the guesthouse and said he saw at least five blood-covered bodies lying near the entrance.

    Roads leading up to the guesthouse were blocked by a large number of security personnel who arrived after the attack, according to an AFP photographer at the scene.

    Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi, who was at the scene of the ongoing attack, said security forces were trying to get inside the guesthouse, but were facing heavy gun fire from the assailants.

    Previous attacks

    The Taliban has been behind previous attacks on compounds and guesthouses occupied or frequented by foreigners, including at least two separate assaults in Kabul in November.

    Militants also launched a major attack on a compound of the International Organization for Migration in 2013.

    Along with guesthouses and compounds, the range of targets hit last year in Kabul included the Afghan capital’s most prestigious hotel and a restaurant popular with Western diplomats.

    Taliban insurgents, who have waged a 13-year war to topple the US-backed Afghan government, launched their spring offensive across Afghanistan late last month, stepping up attacks on government and foreign targets.

    This year marks the first fighting season in which Afghan forces are battling the insurgents without the full support of US-led foreign combat troops.

    NATO’s combat mission formally ended in December but a small follow-up force has stayed on to train and support local security personnel.

    Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday assured Kabul of full support in its battle against the Taliban, saying “the enemies of Afghanistan cannot be the friends of Pakistan”.

    His comments are the latest sign of a thaw in the once-frosty relationship between the two countries.

    Afghan officials have frequently accused longtime nemesis Pakistan of harbouring and nurturing Taliban insurgents.

    But Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has actively courted Pakistan since coming to power in what observers say is a calculated gambit to pressure the insurgents to the negotiating table. -AFP

  • Potato diplomacy: Lavrov gives Kerry ice-breaking gift

    Kerry was in the Black Sea resort of Sochi for high-stakes talks with Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin, on his first visit to Russia in two years.

    Lavrov surprised his guest by presenting Kerry with a basket of ripe red tomatoes and another one full of potatoes, the Russian foreign ministry said.

    “It’s sunny in Sochi today,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Facebook, an apparent reference not only to the blue skies over the city but also the upbeat mood at the talks.

    Potatoes as presents have become a running joke between Kerry and Lavrov, with Kerry presenting his Russian counterpart with two large Idaho potatoes when the two met for talks on Syria in Paris in January, 2014.

    The food baskets carry added resonance given that Moscow has slapped an embargo on US and European produce in response to Western sanctions over the Ukraine crisis.

    In Sochi, the Russian delegation also presented Washington’s top diplomat with a T-shirt commemorating Victory Day, which Russia celebrated on Saturday.

    Kerry for his part gave his hosts a list of Russian newspaper clips which “in his view do not reflect the real potential of wide-ranging Russian-US relations which, in his view, need to be improved,” the Russian foreign ministry said.

    Kerry also gave Lavrov a “dark brown leather writing portfolio similar to what the US Secretary of State carries on all his trips and uses in many of his meetings,” a State of Department spokeswoman told AFP.

    Earlier in the day Kerry and Lavrov laid wreaths at a World War II memorial to mark 70 years since Soviet victory over Nazi Germany.

    Many see the high-profile meeting as a sign that the two Cold-War foes are ready for an improvement in ties after relations collapsed over Russia’s annexation of Crimea last year.

    “A new season is beginning in relations between the United States and Russia,” Russia’s broadsheet Kommersant said. -AFP

  • Iran denies visa to Maulana Fazlur Rahman

    The JUI-F was to tour Iran on a five-day visit, however the Iranian foreign ministry denied him visa on Wednesday.

    Maulana Fazlur Rahman was to attend the Dastarbandi ceremony at a seminary in Zahidan – headquarters of Iran-ruled part of Baluchistan.

    The Iranian authorities did not reveal the reason for not allowing the JUI-F chief to visit the country.

  • Three-decade quest backs physics’ ‘Standard Model’

    Researchers at the world’s biggest particle collider said they had observed an extremely rare event — the decay of the neutral B meson into a pair of muons, the heavy cousins of electrons.

    The results provide further support for the so-called Standard Model, the conceptual framework for the particles and forces that constitute the cosmos, they said in the journal Nature.

    Neutral B mesons are unstable composites of two kinds of particles called quarks, bound by the “strong” force.

    Their decay into muons is predicted under the Standard Model. But getting evidence to confirm the prediction has been a puzzler since the mid-1980s.

    For one thing, neutral B mesons themselves are produced in extreme conditions — in particle colliders or in cosmic-ray interactions, for instance — which makes them hard or very costly to study.

    And the transition into muons only occurs about four times in every billion “decays.”

    Rival teams at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) — the massive underground lab near Geneva that straddles the Franco-Swiss border — worked separately on detecting the elusive event.

    They released individual results in July 2013, but, separately, the data batches fell just short of the demanding threshold of accuracy for claiming a discovery.

    Their combined analysis, now published in the benchmark peer-reviewed science journal, “easily exceeds this requirement,” the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) said in a statement.

    The paper said the experiments showed that Standard Model, which dates to the 1970s, had cleared another hurdle but others lay ahead.

    “In the course of the past few decades, the Standard Model has passed critical tests derived from experiment, but it does not address some profound questions about the nature of the Universe,” the authors said.

    The framework does not, for instance, explain dark matter, the stuff that composes nearly 85 percent of the mass in the cosmos and is currently only detectable through its gravitational effect on visible matter.

    The quest to understand dark matter is one of the priorities of the current work programme at the LHC, which began last month after a two-year upgrade.

    The collider comprises a ring-shaped tunnel where proton beams are whizzed around in opposite directions at speeds approaching that of light.

    At four locations in the tunnel, powerful magnets bend the beams, bringing them together so that some of the protons smash together — a brief, intense collision.

    The sub-atomic rubble that results is then analysed to look for novel particles or clues about known ones.

    In 2012, the LHC confirmed the Higgs Boson, the long-sought Standard Model particle that confers mass.

    It earned the 2013 Nobel physics prize for two of the scientists who back in 1964 had theorised the boson’s existence. -AFP

  • Rangers round up 70 suspects in Karachi raids

    The paramilitary force carried out targeted raids in several areas including Sohrab Goth, settlements near Memon Hospital, Macharr, Colony, Janjaal Goth and Kunwari Colony.

    The suspects have been shifted to undisclosed location for interrogation.

    Read here: Karachi bus attack death toll rises to 43, IS pamphlets found

    Pistol-wielding gunmen in Karachi today stormed a bus carrying members of the Ismaili minority, killing at least 43 in the first attack in the country officially claimed by the Islamic State group.

    The IS claims, posted on Twitter, are set to raise fears over the Middle East-based jihadists’ growing influence after they announced in January the creation of a branch in what they called “Khorasan province”, encompassing Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of surrounding countries.

  • Rao Anwar reinstated as SSP Malir: sources

    Rao Anwar was transferred after he held a press conference alleging Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) for having connections with the Indian intelligence agency RAW.

    In the press briefing, SSP Rao Anwar had claimed that MQM’s Muhammad Anwar, Nadeem Nusrat and MQM chief Altaf Hussain are in contact with Indian intelligence agency Research Analysis Wing. He further said that MQM leaders Farooq Saleem and Hammad Siddiqui issue direction to activists for different criminal activities in Karachi.

    Later, CM Sindh Qaim Ali Shah had taken the notice of his media talks and IG Sindh after investigating the matter transferred Rao Anwar and directed him to report CPO Office.

    According to sources, the decision to reinstate Rao Anwar as SSP Malir is taken in the wake of rising terrorism in Karachi.

  • Yemen truce broadly holds, but reports of violations

    Witnesses in the southwestern city of Abyan said warplanes had hit positions there after the Houthi seized the area following the start late on Tuesday of the ceasefire, which is intended to ward off a humanitarian catastrophe.

    Residents of the southern provinces of Shabwa and Lahj, which have witnessed heavy ground clashes between local militiamen and the Houthis, also reported air strikes overnight.

    At least 35 civilians were killed by the Saudi-led attacks on the cities of Abs and Zabeed in western Yemen on Tuesday, residents said, before the beginning of the ceasefire.

    Seeking to restore exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, an alliance of Gulf Arab nations has since March 26 been bombing Houthi militia and allied army units that control much of Yemen.

    In the bulwark of opposition to the Houthis in the southern city of Aden, the scale of over six weeks of clashes emerged.

    Over 600 people had been killed and 3,000 had been wounded, while 22,000 residents had been displaced since the Houthis first pushed into the city on March 25, local watchdog group, the Aden Centre for Monitoring, said on Wednesday.

    Residents expressed doubts that the break in fighting, which paused round-the-clock gunfire that had defined Aden life in recent weeks, would last.

    “Aden needs a humanitarian truce so badly, given the lack of food, fuel and everything else. But we question the intentions of the Houthis and believe they will take advantage of the truce to take more areas,” resident Hassan al-Jamal said.

    Saudi Arabia and its Sunni Muslim allies believe the Houthis are a proxy for the influence of their arch-rival, Shi’ite Iran, in a regional power struggle that has helped exacerbate sectarian tensions across the Middle East.

    AID AND MEDICINE

    Saudi state television quoted an official source at the Defence Ministry as saying projectiles had fallen on the Najran and Jizan areas on Wednesday morning and that some sniper fire by the Houthis had been detected. There were no casualties.

    “The position adopted by the armed forces was to exercise restraint, abiding by the humanitarian truce approved by the coalition forces,” the television quoted the official as saying.

    There was no immediate confirmation of the accusations by Saudi media.

    The truce is meant to allow in aid and medicine to Yemen, where the United Nations believes 828 civilians, including 182 children, have been killed since March 26. There was no word of any new aid arriving by Wednesday afternoon.

    The scattered reports of incidents would suggest violence at a far lower level than before the truce formally began.

    The Houthi TV channel al-Masira said Saudi ground forces shelled their northern stronghold province of Saada and called the bombings a violation of the ceasefire.

    The Saudi state news agency SPA said King Salman, at a royal court ceremony attended by President Hadi and Yemeni Prime Minister Khaled Bahah, authorized the laying of the foundation stone for a humanitarian relief center.

    The Saudi-owned al-Arabiya channel said the monarch had allocated one billion riyals ($265 million) to the Yemen relief work, in additional to a similar amount he had pledged earlier.

  • Iraq defense ministry says Islamic State’s second in command killed

    “Based on accurate intelligence, an air strike by the coalition forces targeted the second in command of IS, Abu Alaa al-Afari,” the ministry said in a statement on its website.

    Abu Alaa al-Afari, whose real name is Abdul Rahman Mustafa Mohammed, is an ethnic Turkmen from the town of Tel Afar in northwestern Iraq, and is thought to be second in command of Islamic State after self-proclaimed caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

    The Pentagon said it was aware of the reports but could not confirm them.

    Baghdadi was recently reported to have been incapacitated by a coalition airstrike in the same part of Iraq, and Afari was tipped to assume leadership of the organization. The Pentagon in Washington has denied those reports, saying Baghdadi remains capable of directing operations and was not wounded in any strike.

    A coalition of more than 60 countries led by the United States launched a campaign last summer to “degrade and destroy” Islamic State, a militant islamist group that had seized large areas of Iraq and Syria.

    The coalition has been conducting airstrikes against the group in both Iraq and neighboring Syria.

    On its website, the Iraqi defense ministry posted footage of the air strike on the “Martrys Mosque” in the village of al-Iyadhiya near Tel Afar, where Afari was a teacher and well-known preacher, according to a local official who asked to remain anonymous.

    There was no way to independently confirm the defense ministry statement, and the Iraqi government has previously announced the death of Islamic State militants only for them to resurface alive.