Islamabad incident: Senate seeks report from govt on court attack

Senate Chairman Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari. PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD: 

The upper house of parliament on Monday directed government to submit today (Tuesday) a detailed report identifying lapses on part of the authorities that enabled terrorists to carry out the attack in a district court complex in the capital city.

During the session, Senate Chairman Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari quizzed the government over failing to present the national security policy in Senate and sought an explanation from the leader of the house.

The uproar in Senate comes after Monday’s blatant terrorist attack inside a court compound that left dozens dead, including a judge.

Questioning the security lapse that led to the attack, Bokhari sought names of those who failed in providing security within court premises.

The lawmakers from opposition benches criticised the government for pursuing talks with militant groups, saying the ruling PML-N is hell-bent on holding talks at the cost of bloodshed in the country.

Enraged by attacks in recent weeks, senators stressed the need to identify the third force behind the attacks and launch a full-scale military assault to end the mayhem as the country could not afford any more turmoil.

“When the government fails, it is bound to call the army in aid of civil administration…the attack on Islamabad is an attack on the whole nation. You have the best army in the world; seek and destroy these enemies of liberal, tolerant and progressive Pakistan of Quaid-i-Azam”, said Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Senator Col (retd) Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi.

Similarly, Hafiz Hamdullah of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) blamed the government for breeding terrorists.

Wading into the debate, Senator Saeed Ghani of PPP claimed that Taliban agreed to the ceasefire after the government agreed to release their prisoners besides withdrawing the armed forces from some areas of North Waziristan Agency. Ghani also demanded that the interior minister must inform the house about the conditions put forth by Taliban before the ceasefire.

Singapore named world’s costliest city, Karachi the second least expensive

AGENCIES-

The soaring cost of cars and utilities as well as a strong currency have made Singapore the world’s most expensive city, toppling Tokyo from the top spot, according to a survey Tuesday.

Tokyo’s weakening yen saw it slide to sixth place, the position previously occupied by Singapore, in the 2014 Worldwide Cost of Living survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

“Singapore’s rising price prominence has been steady rather than spectacular,” said a report accompanying the survey by the research firm.

It said a 40 percent rise in the Singapore dollar along with “solid price inflation” pushed the country to the top of the twice-yearly survey from 18th a decade ago.

The survey, which examines prices across 160 products and services in 140 cities, is aimed at helping companies calculate allowances for executives being sent overseas.

The report said Singapore’s curbs on car ownership, which include a quota system and high taxes, made it “significantly more expensive than any other location when it comes to running a car”.

A new Toyota Corolla Altis costs $110,000 in Singapore compared to around $35,000 in neighbouring Malaysia.

Overall transport costs in Singapore are almost three times higher than those in New York, it said.

“In addition, as a city-state with very few natural resources to speak of, Singapore is reliant on other countries for energy and water supplies, making it the third most expensive destination for utility costs,” the report said.

It also noted that Singapore is the priciest place in the world to buy clothes, as malls and boutiques in its popular Orchard Road retail hub import luxury European brands to “satisfy a wealthy and fashion-conscious consumer base”.

Singapore has one of the world’s highest concentrations of millionaires relative to its 5.4 million population. Its per capita income of more than $51,000 in 2012 masks a widening income gap between the richest and poorest.

In Europe, Paris rose six places to become the world’s second most expensive city, a trend the EIU said was indicative of recovering European prices and currencies.

“Improving sentiment in structurally expensive European cities combined with the continued rise of Asian hubs means that these two regions continue to supply most of the world’s most expensive cities,” Jon Copestake, the editor of the report, said in a statement.

The report said European cities were among the priciest in the recreation and entertainment categories, reflecting “a greater premium on discretionary income”.

New York, which serves as the base city for the survey, was ranked 26th, while Sydney and Melbourne came in at fifth and sixth respectively owing to a strong Australian dollar.

Caracas was tied at sixth with Melbourne, Geneva and Tokyo, but the EIU said the Venezuelan capital’s position was largely due to the imposition of an artificially high official exchange rate.

“If alternative black market rates were applied Caracas would comfortably become the world’s cheapest city in which to live,” it said.

India’s financial centre Mumbai was ranked the world’s least expensive city, joining other South Asian cities including Karachi, New Delhi and Kathmandu in the bottom of the pile.

The five most expensive cities were judged to be Singapore, Paris, Oslo, Zurich and Sydney in descending order. Caracas, Geneva, Melbourne and Tokyo were tied at sixth place while Copenhagen was tenth.

Sahara boss gets ink on his face, assailant calls him thief

A man threw ink at Sahara chief Subrata Roy on Tuesday as he was brought to the Supreme Court days after he was arrested for failing to appear in connection with a case in which his company was directed to return Rs. 20,000 crore to investors.

Ink was thrown on Sahara chairman Subrata Roy by a protestor when he arrived at the Supreme Court in New Delhi. (Photo by Arun Sharma/Hindustan Times)

Reports said that the protester was detained and taken away by the police. Roy's face with ink was visible as he was being taken inside the court.

"Yeh gareebon ka chor hai," said the man outside the Supreme Court.

He said his name is Manoj Sharma and claimed that he is a lawyer from Gwalior, reports said.

Roy was arrested on Friday after failing to appear at a Supreme Court hearing which he says he missed to attend to his ailing mother.

Roy and unlisted Sahara have long been subjects of mystery. Roy is prone to public shows of patriotism and full-page newspaper ads defending Sahara against the authorities, and is often photographed with Bollywood stars and cricketers.

Sahara itself is best known as the former main sponsor of the national cricket team, as well as owner of New York's Plaza Hotel and London's Grosvenor House. It has a net worth of $11 billion and more than 36,000 acres of real estate, according to its website.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) says Sahara failed to comply with a 2012 court order to repay billions of dollars to investors. Sahara says it repaid most investors and that its remaining liability was less than the Rs. 51.2 billion it deposited with Sebi.

"The question is money. Where is the money and when will it be paid," said Dushyant Dave, a Supreme Court lawyer who has represented Sahara in the past.

The Supreme Court, which has expressed frustration at Sahara's conduct, had ordered Sahara to disclose the details and source of funds from which it said it repaid investors, but a lawyer for the regulator told the court in late January that Sahara had not given the details.

Sahara had offered to give Sebi title deeds of properties it said were worth Rs. 200 billion as security, but the regulator said the properties were far over-valued. The court also ordered that Sahara not sell any of its property.

Read: Sahara likely to suffer if Roy remains out of action for long

Sebi declined to comment on the case on Monday and a Sahara spokesman did not reply to calls and emails seeking comment.

Sahara's core business includes selling financial products, largely to small investors in towns and rural areas. It was two such products, later ruled illegal, that drew SEBI's attention.

Critics, including activist groups, argue Sahara's investment products are designed to evade regulatory oversight and that the company lacks transparency on the source and use of funds.

Police went looking for Roy on Thursday at his sprawling Sahara Shaher estate in Lucknow.

Roy turned himself in on Friday and denied he had been "absconding," saying he was meeting doctors over the condition of his 92-year-old mother, as well as a lawyer, and was taken to a government guest house in a forested area on the outskirts of Lucknow.

Man of Mystery

Roy started out from Gorakhpur in the hardscrabble east of Uttar Pradesh and styles himself a man of the people, though he also makes a show of opulent living and is often photographed with celebrities.

Like many Indian business leaders, he is perceived to be close to politicians.

He is often described in the media as a billionaire, but last year said his assets were less than $1 million.

Read: Sahara chief taken by road for SC appearance

His titles at Sahara are chairman and managing worker, and he refers to himself as "guardian of the world's largest family" of more than one million employees and agents.

In interview with Reuters last May, he seemed relaxed, asking a visitor about his family and whether he's had lunch.

"I'm a very happy person. I am never in tension," he said.

Roy, who often wears a white shirt, black waistcoat and black tie bearing a Sahara logo, last May dismissed the suggestion that he was relishing his headline-making dispute with Sebi.

"Nobody relishes battle," he said in May.

"But I have learned one thing from my father right from childhood: that if somebody's good this much to you, be good double to him. If somebody's bad this much, be bad to them double. And he has very clearly taught us, don't accept injustice."

Ukraine is on red alert

After the Russian parliament approved sending more soldiers to the Crimean peninsula, Andriy Parubiy, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, announced Sunday that the Ukrainian Defense Ministry had orders to assemble all soldiers. The new Ukrainian government in Kyiv had already alerted the army on Friday. Since then, Russian forces have effectively occupied the Crimean peninsula.

According to Kyryl Savin, director of the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Kyiv, Ukraine's military mobilization is an attempt to show Russia and the world that Ukraine will not stand by and do nothing while Russia violates its sovereignty. 'But I think it's more of a symbolic gesture,' Savin said. If, however, Russian troops were also to invade south-east Ukraine, that could change quickly: 'I'm pretty sure that this would result in military as well as civil resistance.'

Ukraine's interim head of government, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, said his country was on 'red alert.' He called the Russian parliament's approval of Vladimir Putin's request to send troops to Crimea 'a declaration of war on my country.'

'If Putin wants to be the president who started a war between neighboring and friendly countries, between Ukraine and Russia, then he is only centimeters away from his goal,' Yatsenyuk said. 'We're on the brink of disaster.'

Ukraine's chances against Russia are slim

Experts agree that Ukraine's military doesn't stand much of a chance against Russia. It's also unclear whether the political leaders in Kyiv still have full authority over the Ukrainian army all over the country. According to Russian media reports, many Ukrainian soldiers have defected to the Russian army.

Furthermore, the new Ukrainian leadership has the problem that some important positions in the administration are still held by people who support the pro-Russian position of the deposed president, Viktor Yanukovych. 'These people aren't openly opposing the new leaders in Kyiv, but they're sabotaging their decisions,' Kyryl Savin explains.

The Ukrainian government's influence on the Crimean peninsula seems to be dwindling, not least as a result of the Russian soldiers' deployment. In addition, Sergey Aksyonov, head of the largest pro-Russian party in Crimea, has taken over power on the peninsula. Ukrainian Interior Minister Pavel Petrenko declared the new leadership on the Crimean peninsula illegitimate.

Russian media agitate against Kyiv

The new Crimean government wants to give people there the chance to decide on the peninsula's autonomous status in a referendum on March 30. In the most extreme case, this could lead to secession from Ukraine.

The majority of the Crimean population are ethnically Russian, and many people living there are getting their information from Russian media. 'Russian media outlets are agitating against the current government in Kyiv and are whipping up panic,' Felix Schimansky-Geier, a German political scientist at the National University of Kyiv's Mohyla Academy told DW. 'The people are being influenced by this.'

A controversial language law, which had aimed to abolish Russian as the second official language in Ukraine, has now been scrapped. The Russian-speaking population would have seen it as a provocation, which is why the EU was in favor of keeping the current language laws.

Pakistan’s fragile ceasefire with the Taliban

At least 11 people, including a session court judge, were killed in bomb attacks in the capital Islamabad on March 3 (main picture). It was the first such incident after the Pakistani Taliban - also known as the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) - announced a month-long ceasefire on Saturday, March 1, to facilitate peace talks with the Pakistani government.

The negotiations between Islamabad and the Islamist insurgents formally began last month. But they came to an abrupt halt after the Taliban continued to attack civilians and security forces. The government responded by striking the militants' hideouts in the restive North Waziristan region, which borders Afghanistan, killing scores of insurgents.

On March 1, TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid told the media that he had called on all 'comrades to respect the decision and refrain from any activity during the ceasefire period.' Pakistani authorities hailed Shahid's statement and said they would reciprocate the gesture by immediately stopping the 'surgical strikes' against the extremists, thus raising hopes that the seven-year-long violent Islamist insurgency in Pakistan would finally come to an end.

Rahimullah Yusufzai, a member of the government's negotiation team, told AFP that the possibility of resuming peace talks had increased. 'A ceasefire was the demand of the government ... But it should be effective, and there should be no attacks.'

Can the Taliban be trusted?

But Monday's attack on an Islamabad court has once again raised doubts about the outlawed TTP's intentions. Many in Pakistan believe the Taliban are not serious about peace and that the truce announcement is only a tactic to avoid the military strikes and win more time to regroup after suffering heavy losses in the Pakistani Air Force's recent bombings in their northwestern strongholds.

Nasir Tufail, a journalist working for a private TV channel in Karachi, says he has no faith in Shahid or the TTP. 'The militants will not cease the attacks. They are deceiving everyone. The only way to deal with them is through power,' Tufail told DW.

The journalist criticized Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's government for lacking a 'proper policy' to tackle the issue of terrorism in the country. The government's approach towards the Taliban is reactionary, he said, as Islamabad simply limits itself to respond to the insurgents' attacks. 'This shows how clueless the government is,' Tufail said.

The journalist believes the ceasefire won't last for long and that Islamabad will eventually have to go after the Taliban. 'The Pakistani people gave Sharif a mandate for peace and not for truce with the Taliban in the May 2013 election. There won't be any peace if the PM keeps giving concessions to the Islamists,' Tufail said, adding that he had no doubt that most Pakistanis would support an all-out military offensive against the Islamists.

Rallying support

Last week, hundreds of thousands of Karachi residents participated in an anti-Taliban rally demanding that the central government launch a decisive military action to uproot the fundamentalists. The so-called 'solidarity rally' was organized by the liberal Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) party, which has a big support in the Islamic Republic's southern urban cities.

Saman Jafri, one of the rally organizers and a member of parliament, says that Pakistan's progressive parties must unite against the religious fanatics if they want their country to survive. 'We are pro-Pakistan and anti-Taliban, and we stand behind the security forces who are fighting the militants and sacrificing their lives. It is now or never, and the people have said 'no' to extremism,' Jafri told DW.

'The Taliban threat should be taken seriously,' Abdul Hai, a veteran human rights activist in Karachi, told DW. 'We see that the Taliban influence is growing, and it means that a huge disaster is in the making.' This view is shared by Nizamuddin Nizamani, a political analyst and researcher, who argues that the government shouldn't negotiate with 'terrorists.'

'No harm in negotiating'

In last year's parliamentary elections, the liberal Pakistan People's Party - which preferred military action against the Taliban over peace talks - was voted out of power. The parties that supported a dialogue with Islamists won the elections by a big margin.

Sharif, who returned to power for the third time as PM, made clear his government would not follow the anti-terrorism policy of former president Asif Ali Zaradari and would instead try to make peace with militants. Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, whose party rules the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, is also a big supporter of the talks.

Lahore-based political commentator Aamir Khakwani points out that there is no harm in negotiating with the pro-peace members of a militant group. 'The talks are aimed at ending violence and forcing the Taliban to lay down their weapons, not to legitimize them,' Khakwani told DW.

At least 11 people, including a session court judge, were killed in bomb attacks in the capital Islamabad on March 3 (main picture). It was the first such incident after the Pakistani Taliban - also known as the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) - announced a month-long ceasefire on Saturday, March 1, to facilitate peace talks with the Pakistani government.

The negotiations between Islamabad and the Islamist insurgents formally began last month. But they came to an abrupt halt after the Taliban continued to attack civilians and security forces. The government responded by striking the militants' hideouts in the restive North Waziristan region, which borders Afghanistan, killing scores of insurgents.

On March 1, TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid told the media that he had called on all 'comrades to respect the decision and refrain from any activity during the ceasefire period.' Pakistani authorities hailed Shahid's statement and said they would reciprocate the gesture by immediately stopping the 'surgical strikes' against the extremists, thus raising hopes that the seven-year-long violent Islamist insurgency in Pakistan would finally come to an end.

Rahimullah Yusufzai, a member of the government's negotiation team, told AFP that the possibility of resuming peace talks had increased. 'A ceasefire was the demand of the government ... But it should be effective, and there should be no attacks.'

Can the Taliban be trusted?

But Monday's attack on an Islamabad court has once again raised doubts about the outlawed TTP's intentions. Many in Pakistan believe the Taliban are not serious about peace and that the truce announcement is only a tactic to avoid the military strikes and win more time to regroup after suffering heavy losses in the Pakistani Air Force's recent bombings in their northwestern strongholds.

Nasir Tufail, a journalist working for a private TV channel in Karachi, says he has no faith in Shahid or the TTP. 'The militants will not cease the attacks. They are deceiving everyone. The only way to deal with them is through power,' Tufail told DW.

The journalist criticized Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's government for lacking a 'proper policy' to tackle the issue of terrorism in the country. The government's approach towards the Taliban is reactionary, he said, as Islamabad simply limits itself to respond to the insurgents' attacks. 'This shows how clueless the government is,' Tufail said.

The journalist believes the ceasefire won't last for long and that Islamabad will eventually have to go after the Taliban. 'The Pakistani people gave Sharif a mandate for peace and not for truce with the Taliban in the May 2013 election. There won't be any peace if the PM keeps giving concessions to the Islamists,' Tufail said, adding that he had no doubt that most Pakistanis would support an all-out military offensive against the Islamists.

Rallying support

Last week, hundreds of thousands of Karachi residents participated in an anti-Taliban rally demanding that the central government launch a decisive military action to uproot the fundamentalists. The so-called 'solidarity rally' was organized by the liberal Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) party, which has a big support in the Islamic Republic's southern urban cities.

Saman Jafri, one of the rally organizers and a member of parliament, says that Pakistan's progressive parties must unite against the religious fanatics if they want their country to survive. 'We are pro-Pakistan and anti-Taliban, and we stand behind the security forces who are fighting the militants and sacrificing their lives. It is now or never, and the people have said 'no' to extremism,' Jafri told DW.

'The Taliban threat should be taken seriously,' Abdul Hai, a veteran human rights activist in Karachi, told DW. 'We see that the Taliban influence is growing, and it means that a huge disaster is in the making.' This view is shared by Nizamuddin Nizamani, a political analyst and researcher, who argues that the government shouldn't negotiate with 'terrorists.'

'No harm in negotiating'

In last year's parliamentary elections, the liberal Pakistan People's Party - which preferred military action against the Taliban over peace talks - was voted out of power. The parties that supported a dialogue with Islamists won the elections by a big margin.

Sharif, who returned to power for the third time as PM, made clear his government would not follow the anti-terrorism policy of former president Asif Ali Zaradari and would instead try to make peace with militants. Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, whose party rules the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, is also a big supporter of the talks.

Lahore-based political commentator Aamir Khakwani points out that there is no harm in negotiating with the pro-peace members of a militant group. 'The talks are aimed at ending violence and forcing the Taliban to lay down their weapons, not to legitimize them,' Khakwani told DW.

China to overtake US as main recipient of German electric exports

A ten-year market survey by the German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers\' Association (ZVEI) revealed Monday China had become more and more important as an importer of German goods in the sector over the past decade.

The study said German electrical companies posted an overall export volume of 158.3 billion euros ($218.1 billion) in 2013, compared with 128.6 billion euros back in 2004.

Last year, exports to China surged to 13.1 billion euros, just below the 11.2 billion euros worth of electrical and electronic goods shipped to the United States, with ZVEI expecting the Asian nation to overtake the US in the course of this year for the first time.

Reshuffle at the top

Back in 2004, the top export market for German firms in the sector was France, followed by Britain and the US, the study said.

But while France had continued importing an almost unchanged volume of 11.5 billion euros annually, it had dropped to third place by 2013 because of German companies' far bigger overall exports.

ZVEI noted the current three importers accounted for over a quarter of German exports, with another 30 percent going to the UK, Austria, the Netherlands and seven other mainly European nations.

Fear and anger as China reflects on attack

Defiant residents of the Chinese city where 29 people died in a mass stabbing queued to donate blood Monday, while others vented anger at what authorities say was a terrorist attack by separatists from Xinjiang.

Chinese Internet users accused the US of double standards after Washington condemned the bloody rampage in Kunming by knife-wielding attackers but refrained from calling it a terrorist incident. More than 130 were injured.

Officials have blamed separatists from Xinjiang, the far western Chinese region home to the mostly Muslim Uighur ethnic minority.

Foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters: "Some East Turkestan flags were found on the scene," referring to a group Beijing regards as a separatist terrorist movement.

Hong Kong broadcaster Phoenix TV showed images of a dark blue flag embroidered with the Islamic declaration of faith, said to have been found by police.

In Kunming, a taxi driver said she would stay away from the train station where the violence occurred, underscoring the tense sense of fear in the southwestern city.

She then launched into an anti-Uighur tirade.

"I won't let them into my taxi. They are all drug addicts and everyone outside Xinjiang distrusts them," she said, refusing to give her name.

"They are trouble. Most people thought like this before, so you can imagine what people think now," she added, pounding her steering wheel for emphasis.

Xinjiang is periodically hit by violent clashes between members of the Uighur minority and security forces, which China blames on terrorist groups seeking independence for the region.

But attacks targeting civilians are rarer and almost unheard of in Yunnan province, which is more than 1,600 kilometres (1,000 miles) from Xinjiang and a popular tourist destination.

The attack, which prompted shock and outrage nationwide, has been dubbed "China's 9/11" by state media and security has been tightened at transport terminals across the country.

It came just days before the annual meeting of China's parliament. An associated debating chamber session opened Monday with a period of silence for the victims.

Police maintained a prominent presence on the streets of Kunming, two days after attackers slashed indiscriminately at people queueing to buy tickets at the busy railway terminal.

Armed guards remained on duty at the station, although the temporary waiting area that was sealed off Sunday had reopened.

- 'Too much pain' -

Outside the large open shelter where witnesses said the carnage began, people laid flowers and wreaths around a few dozen burnt-out candles left over from a vigil the previous night. Plainclothes security patrolled the area.

Three kilometres (two miles) away in Kunming's eastern suburbs, around 50 people queued to give blood at a temporary donation centre.

"I came here to donate blood... because these terrorists are too cruel as they inflicted too much pain on the common people," said Hu Jiaquan, 35, as he waited to give his first ever donation.

"All citizens should use (our) own strength to defeat these extremists," he added.

Another donor, Yin Jiang, told AFP: "They are so cruel that they took action against elderly, women and children."

The US embassy in China said on social media that it condemned the "terrible and senseless act of violence in Kunming" and expressed condolences to those affected by what it called a "tragedy".

But thousands of Chinese Internet users slammed the US for refusing to follow China in defining the attack as terrorism, comparing the knifings to last year's bombing of the Boston Marathon as well as to 9/11.

"Would Americans say the same thing about similar attacks on their own territory?" Ma Xiaolin, a website administrator, asked in a typical comment on Sina Weibo, a Chinese equivalent of Twitter.

Xinjiang already has a heavy police presence. Analysts say any crackdown by authorities, coupled with public anger at Uighurs, could lead to increased repression of the minority, potentially locking China into a vicious cycle of increasing violence.

Dilshat Raxit, a spokesman for the World Uyghur Congress, an exile group that Beijing says supports terrorism, expressed fears Monday that the attack would be used as "a new political excuse to suppress Uighurs".