Source Dawn
A CD shop was slightly damaged in a bomb blast in Pat Bazaar area of Hangu on Friday.
Police said that an unidentified man put a computer packed with 5kg explosives inside the CD shop and left. The owner of the shop got suspicious and threw the CPU outside the shop where it exploded with a big bang.
No loss of life was reported in the incident. The Hangu city police have registered a case and started investigation.
Meanwhile, rumours about the entry of a suicide bomber resulted in closure of business centres and schools in Kohat on Friday. Fear gripped the area following news of entrance of a suicide bomber in the city. Later it was learnt that the police found an unattended vehicle at the old bus stand. The bomb disposal squad was called, but nothing suspicious was recovered.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
Gambling den busted in Kohat
Source Dawn
The Jungle Khel police arrested a former councillor and nine others in a raid on a gambling den on Wednesday.
The station house officer, Syed Aqeeq Hussain, while acting on a tip-off raided the house of the former councillor, Noor Shad, in Jungle Khel and arrested the gamblers along with Rs26,000 stake money.
The police also recovered arms and ammunition from the house, which was being used by the councillor as a gambling den. The accused were presented before a judge who sent them to the district prison.
The Jungle Khel police arrested a former councillor and nine others in a raid on a gambling den on Wednesday.
The station house officer, Syed Aqeeq Hussain, while acting on a tip-off raided the house of the former councillor, Noor Shad, in Jungle Khel and arrested the gamblers along with Rs26,000 stake money.
The police also recovered arms and ammunition from the house, which was being used by the councillor as a gambling den. The accused were presented before a judge who sent them to the district prison.
Strange hearts that care and kill children
Source Dawn
Before blasting the Police Colony that killed 20 people here last week, the three terrorists behind the attack had told children to keep away from their explosives-laden vehicle, according to eyewitnesses.
Shafiur Rehman, a technician at the control room of Police Lines whose quarter was destroyed in the blast, told Dawn that people had seen three persons talking to each other outside the colony where the vehicle had been parked.
“I have been residing in the colony for 16 years where mostly Grade IV employees live for whom free accommodation was not less than a blessing. Now hopes and happiness of some of us lie buried under rubble. One of the residents lost his wife and four children. Others lost all their children and have no desire to live here any more,” he said.
Residents of the colony going to mosque, after breaking the fast, saw a double cabin pick-up parked outside the colony and two suspicious-looking motorcyclists talking to each other nearby. “We took them to be non-locals and thought of inviting them to dinner after returning from the mosque,” recalled Mr Rehman.
Some children who survived the blast told their parents that the vehicle stuck in a drain near the main entrance while being driven into the colony. Three bearded men came out of it and asked the children playing very close to their vehicle to scamper as it is going to blow up.
After delivering the warning they themselves ran towards the motorcyclists waiting for them.
“There were two motorcyclists waiting outside the colony. One was waiting at Police Lines side i.e. north and the other in the south at Hangu bypass side to take out the driver safely in case one of them was stuck in the traffic jam or police cordon after the blast,” eyewitnesses said.
They said that as there was no security at the time of Iftar the bomber easily left towards the bypass on the motorcycle.
The investigators say had the residents of the colony informed police about the presence of suspicious vehicle and persons the disaster could have been avoided.
After lapse of nine days none of the planners and the executors of the bomb blast has been traced.
Inspector General of Police Fiaz Khan Toru had claimed that they would arrest the culprits behind the gory incident within 48 hours during visit of the site along with the corps commander, Peshawar.
Before blasting the Police Colony that killed 20 people here last week, the three terrorists behind the attack had told children to keep away from their explosives-laden vehicle, according to eyewitnesses.
Shafiur Rehman, a technician at the control room of Police Lines whose quarter was destroyed in the blast, told Dawn that people had seen three persons talking to each other outside the colony where the vehicle had been parked.
“I have been residing in the colony for 16 years where mostly Grade IV employees live for whom free accommodation was not less than a blessing. Now hopes and happiness of some of us lie buried under rubble. One of the residents lost his wife and four children. Others lost all their children and have no desire to live here any more,” he said.
Residents of the colony going to mosque, after breaking the fast, saw a double cabin pick-up parked outside the colony and two suspicious-looking motorcyclists talking to each other nearby. “We took them to be non-locals and thought of inviting them to dinner after returning from the mosque,” recalled Mr Rehman.
Some children who survived the blast told their parents that the vehicle stuck in a drain near the main entrance while being driven into the colony. Three bearded men came out of it and asked the children playing very close to their vehicle to scamper as it is going to blow up.
After delivering the warning they themselves ran towards the motorcyclists waiting for them.
“There were two motorcyclists waiting outside the colony. One was waiting at Police Lines side i.e. north and the other in the south at Hangu bypass side to take out the driver safely in case one of them was stuck in the traffic jam or police cordon after the blast,” eyewitnesses said.
They said that as there was no security at the time of Iftar the bomber easily left towards the bypass on the motorcycle.
The investigators say had the residents of the colony informed police about the presence of suspicious vehicle and persons the disaster could have been avoided.
After lapse of nine days none of the planners and the executors of the bomb blast has been traced.
Inspector General of Police Fiaz Khan Toru had claimed that they would arrest the culprits behind the gory incident within 48 hours during visit of the site along with the corps commander, Peshawar.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Kohat and more
Source Daily Times
Merciless and vengeful, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has struck once again, this time in a police colony in Kohat. Detonating an explosives-laden pickup inside the compound, just behind the guarded police lines, the blast ripped through almost 300 buildings, including schools, markets and residential homes. The scenes were truly horrific as the majority of the 20 killed were women and children who were inside their homes during iftaar time. It is expected that the death toll will rise as there were still some people trapped under the rubble of the TTP’s latest attack.
Vowing to take revenge for the drone strikes in the tribal areas, the TTP has promised more attacks on security and government officials. Such grim announcements and brutal massacres should not come as a surprise as the past week has demonstrated just how determined the militants are to step up their game now that the military’s attention has been diverted towards flood relief. Anyone who thought that the softest targets in society — women, children and residential areas — would be safe, has not understood the reality of the shadowy enemy we are up against. The militants aim to cause maximum damage, widespread fear and loss of lives to prove their point; what better way than to target the most vulnerable? That is why Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain has urged the security forces to implement well-coordinated and effective action against the terrorists. He has stated that it is vital that military attention be diverted from the floods to the insurgency once again.
After such an attack and chilling warning, it is vital that all efforts be taken to protect such areas. When it has been proclaimed that government, security and police officials are under the most threat, nothing should be left to chance; check-posts, apart from being an irritant, have done nothing to secure the urban and settled areas. We need better intelligence to prevent the militants from moving ahead with their dastardly mission. An insecure security force translates into one that is incapable of securing the citizenry.
As further evidence of the virulent spread of terrorism in all its manifestations, the Vice Chancellor (VC) of Islamia College University, Dr Ajmal Khan, was kidnapped on Tuesday by suspected militants. Dr Ajmal is the cousin of Awami National Party’s Chief Asfandyar Wali Khan. It is suspected that the VC has been taken to the Khyber Agency in an eerily similar fashion to the November 2009 kidnapping of the VC of Kohat University of Science and Technology, Dr Lutfullah Kakakhel, who was also spirited off and kept in captivity by the militants for six months. Targeting senior academics is in line with the Taliban view of obliterating education. Another girls school has been blown up in Kalam. This is sadly a routine activity for the militants.
The terrorists are spreading and setting off their attacks like literal hand grenades in almost all regions of the country — tribal and urban. From Kohat to Hangu, where a blast targeting two police mobile vans killed one constable, and Karachi, where an activist of the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat was gunned down, no place seems safe from the grip of terrorism. It is time that a full throttle plan is enforced against this scourge that is making its malignant presence felt every single day.
It is time that the flood relief transitioned into rehabilitation. It is time that the government and civil administration of the country take over managing the flood efforts from the army so that an organised military offensive once again strikes at the heart of the Taliban insurgency. Without the army fully engaging in eliminating the terrorists, such attacks are likely to be witnessed with increasing frequency. *
Merciless and vengeful, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has struck once again, this time in a police colony in Kohat. Detonating an explosives-laden pickup inside the compound, just behind the guarded police lines, the blast ripped through almost 300 buildings, including schools, markets and residential homes. The scenes were truly horrific as the majority of the 20 killed were women and children who were inside their homes during iftaar time. It is expected that the death toll will rise as there were still some people trapped under the rubble of the TTP’s latest attack.
Vowing to take revenge for the drone strikes in the tribal areas, the TTP has promised more attacks on security and government officials. Such grim announcements and brutal massacres should not come as a surprise as the past week has demonstrated just how determined the militants are to step up their game now that the military’s attention has been diverted towards flood relief. Anyone who thought that the softest targets in society — women, children and residential areas — would be safe, has not understood the reality of the shadowy enemy we are up against. The militants aim to cause maximum damage, widespread fear and loss of lives to prove their point; what better way than to target the most vulnerable? That is why Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain has urged the security forces to implement well-coordinated and effective action against the terrorists. He has stated that it is vital that military attention be diverted from the floods to the insurgency once again.
After such an attack and chilling warning, it is vital that all efforts be taken to protect such areas. When it has been proclaimed that government, security and police officials are under the most threat, nothing should be left to chance; check-posts, apart from being an irritant, have done nothing to secure the urban and settled areas. We need better intelligence to prevent the militants from moving ahead with their dastardly mission. An insecure security force translates into one that is incapable of securing the citizenry.
As further evidence of the virulent spread of terrorism in all its manifestations, the Vice Chancellor (VC) of Islamia College University, Dr Ajmal Khan, was kidnapped on Tuesday by suspected militants. Dr Ajmal is the cousin of Awami National Party’s Chief Asfandyar Wali Khan. It is suspected that the VC has been taken to the Khyber Agency in an eerily similar fashion to the November 2009 kidnapping of the VC of Kohat University of Science and Technology, Dr Lutfullah Kakakhel, who was also spirited off and kept in captivity by the militants for six months. Targeting senior academics is in line with the Taliban view of obliterating education. Another girls school has been blown up in Kalam. This is sadly a routine activity for the militants.
The terrorists are spreading and setting off their attacks like literal hand grenades in almost all regions of the country — tribal and urban. From Kohat to Hangu, where a blast targeting two police mobile vans killed one constable, and Karachi, where an activist of the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat was gunned down, no place seems safe from the grip of terrorism. It is time that a full throttle plan is enforced against this scourge that is making its malignant presence felt every single day.
It is time that the flood relief transitioned into rehabilitation. It is time that the government and civil administration of the country take over managing the flood efforts from the army so that an organised military offensive once again strikes at the heart of the Taliban insurgency. Without the army fully engaging in eliminating the terrorists, such attacks are likely to be witnessed with increasing frequency. *
Intelligence failure Kohat blast
Source Dawn
Two bomb blasts in two days targeting policemen and their families expose the weaknesses of our intelligence apparatus. First it was Lakki Marwat, where a suicide attacker rammed his vehicle into a police station. Then, on Tuesday, a bomb was detonated in a police residential colony in Kohat with deadly consequences. Add to this the deadly attacks on processions in Lahore and Quetta.
The intent of the militants is clear: they wish to demoralise the security forces of a country that is struggling for survival. This latest upsurge in violence is no coincidence — the enemies of Pakistan are attempting to inflict maximum damage at a time when resistance levels are low. As the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa information minister pointed out, terrorists are hitting the police when the country’s attention is diverted from militancy because of the ravages of floods. Such attacks should have been foreseen and the intelligence failures involved are simply unacceptable.
True, the country’s military is stretched to the limit as we speak. It is in the forefront of rescue and relief operations that were beyond the capacity, and perhaps will, of the civil administration. Still, not for a moment can the fight against militancy be forgotten and nor can terrorists be allowed to regroup. The reports trickling in from the tribal areas are troubling. On the run last year following the armed forces’ fierce offensive, groups operating under the umbrella of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan are now said to be making a comeback and making the most of the nation’s misery. They cannot be allowed to succeed in their mission.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik’s remarks about Balochistan do not help at this critical juncture, because the problems plaguing that province are dissimilar from the wider fight against terrorism. Playing to the gallery, he said in Quetta on Tuesday that “use of force” was the only option available for restoring law and order in Balochistan. Missing the point entirely, the interior minister appears to be in favour of a Malakand-kind military operation in Balochistan which is only bound to fuel tensions, not quell them. Instead, he should be looking into tracking down those who fund militancy in this country and seem to have easy access to explosives. The minister needs to set his priorities right and gather better intelligence on terrorist networks and the routes they use, apparently with abandon. What is needed here is prevention. The ‘Balochistan issue’ is entirely different in its complexity from the insurgency raging in the tribal belt. Balochistan’s woes have been decades in the making and can only be resolved through dialogue.
Two bomb blasts in two days targeting policemen and their families expose the weaknesses of our intelligence apparatus. First it was Lakki Marwat, where a suicide attacker rammed his vehicle into a police station. Then, on Tuesday, a bomb was detonated in a police residential colony in Kohat with deadly consequences. Add to this the deadly attacks on processions in Lahore and Quetta.
The intent of the militants is clear: they wish to demoralise the security forces of a country that is struggling for survival. This latest upsurge in violence is no coincidence — the enemies of Pakistan are attempting to inflict maximum damage at a time when resistance levels are low. As the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa information minister pointed out, terrorists are hitting the police when the country’s attention is diverted from militancy because of the ravages of floods. Such attacks should have been foreseen and the intelligence failures involved are simply unacceptable.
True, the country’s military is stretched to the limit as we speak. It is in the forefront of rescue and relief operations that were beyond the capacity, and perhaps will, of the civil administration. Still, not for a moment can the fight against militancy be forgotten and nor can terrorists be allowed to regroup. The reports trickling in from the tribal areas are troubling. On the run last year following the armed forces’ fierce offensive, groups operating under the umbrella of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan are now said to be making a comeback and making the most of the nation’s misery. They cannot be allowed to succeed in their mission.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik’s remarks about Balochistan do not help at this critical juncture, because the problems plaguing that province are dissimilar from the wider fight against terrorism. Playing to the gallery, he said in Quetta on Tuesday that “use of force” was the only option available for restoring law and order in Balochistan. Missing the point entirely, the interior minister appears to be in favour of a Malakand-kind military operation in Balochistan which is only bound to fuel tensions, not quell them. Instead, he should be looking into tracking down those who fund militancy in this country and seem to have easy access to explosives. The minister needs to set his priorities right and gather better intelligence on terrorist networks and the routes they use, apparently with abandon. What is needed here is prevention. The ‘Balochistan issue’ is entirely different in its complexity from the insurgency raging in the tribal belt. Balochistan’s woes have been decades in the making and can only be resolved through dialogue.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Car bomb kills 16 near police complex in Kohat
Source Dawn
Sixteen people including women and children were killed and more than 50 wounded in a car bomb attack targeting a police headquarters in Kohat on Tuesday.
Six policemen were among the dead in the latest attack and police said the other victims were women and children who were breaking their fast in the garrison city, close to the lawless tribal areas of Khyber and Orakzai.
“It was a car bomb blast, we are investigating whether the car was parked or was exploded by a suicide bomber,” Khalid Khan, a top administrative official in Kohat, told AFP.
“Six children, four women and six policemen died.” The toll was confirmed by a senior police official in Kohat, Dilawar Bangash, who said that 54 people were wounded.
A police residential complex was severely damaged and houses nearby had also collapsed, trapping people in the rubble.
Rescue workers were facing difficulties as electricity was suspended after the blast.
There was no claim of responsibility, but the Pakistani Taliban has been blamed for similar bombings.
Sixteen people including women and children were killed and more than 50 wounded in a car bomb attack targeting a police headquarters in Kohat on Tuesday.
Six policemen were among the dead in the latest attack and police said the other victims were women and children who were breaking their fast in the garrison city, close to the lawless tribal areas of Khyber and Orakzai.
“It was a car bomb blast, we are investigating whether the car was parked or was exploded by a suicide bomber,” Khalid Khan, a top administrative official in Kohat, told AFP.
“Six children, four women and six policemen died.” The toll was confirmed by a senior police official in Kohat, Dilawar Bangash, who said that 54 people were wounded.
A police residential complex was severely damaged and houses nearby had also collapsed, trapping people in the rubble.
Rescue workers were facing difficulties as electricity was suspended after the blast.
There was no claim of responsibility, but the Pakistani Taliban has been blamed for similar bombings.
Kohat University of Science students asked to vacate hostels
Source Dawn
The administration of Kohat University of Science and Technology (Kust) has asked the students to vacate two hostels before Sept 6 otherwise it will not be responsible for any loss of luggage.
University sources told Dawn that the administration had decided to give two hostels -- B-1 and B-2 -- to a private contractor, who had been authorised to fix the monthly rent.
The students of several unions contacted Dawn and said that they would not vacate the hostels at any cost because the administration was already charging exorbitant annual tuition fee and now wanted to put more financial burden on the students.
Earlier, the university provost in a press release had informed the students to voluntarily vacate these hostels for necessary repair and whitewash.He said that after Eid holidays the hostels would be handed over to a private contractor who would make fresh allotments. He also warned that if the hostels were not vacated before the deadline, the university administration would remove the belongings of the students by force and it would not be responsible for any kind of damage to the luggage.
On the other hand, the students alleged that the private contractor was not being brought to improve the living conditions and solve their problem, but in fact the administration wanted to generate handsome profit from its hostels by privatising them, which was not in the interest of poor students.
They expressed the fear that many students would not be able to bear extra burden of the revised rent and might be forced to discontinue their studies.
It had been learnt that the increase in annual fee of the Kohat Medical College and Kust had been made following the announcement of 60 per cent cut by the Higher Education Commission in varsity allocations. The universities had been asked to immediately halt new constructions and projects and delay the running projects by three years.
Kust, established in an old building of the commerce college, bore the major brunt as it had to stop construction of hostels and classrooms. As a result more than 50 per cent students of the medical college and Kust had to hire rooms in private guest houses and hotels at their own expense.
The students belonging to well-to-do families were living in furnished guest houses while the poor lot had to hire accommodation in dirty business centres of Kohat like chicken market and live as neighbours with the eunuch community in Teerah Bazaar.Dawn
The administration of Kohat University of Science and Technology (Kust) has asked the students to vacate two hostels before Sept 6 otherwise it will not be responsible for any loss of luggage.
University sources told Dawn that the administration had decided to give two hostels -- B-1 and B-2 -- to a private contractor, who had been authorised to fix the monthly rent.
The students of several unions contacted Dawn and said that they would not vacate the hostels at any cost because the administration was already charging exorbitant annual tuition fee and now wanted to put more financial burden on the students.
Earlier, the university provost in a press release had informed the students to voluntarily vacate these hostels for necessary repair and whitewash.He said that after Eid holidays the hostels would be handed over to a private contractor who would make fresh allotments. He also warned that if the hostels were not vacated before the deadline, the university administration would remove the belongings of the students by force and it would not be responsible for any kind of damage to the luggage.
On the other hand, the students alleged that the private contractor was not being brought to improve the living conditions and solve their problem, but in fact the administration wanted to generate handsome profit from its hostels by privatising them, which was not in the interest of poor students.
They expressed the fear that many students would not be able to bear extra burden of the revised rent and might be forced to discontinue their studies.
It had been learnt that the increase in annual fee of the Kohat Medical College and Kust had been made following the announcement of 60 per cent cut by the Higher Education Commission in varsity allocations. The universities had been asked to immediately halt new constructions and projects and delay the running projects by three years.
Kust, established in an old building of the commerce college, bore the major brunt as it had to stop construction of hostels and classrooms. As a result more than 50 per cent students of the medical college and Kust had to hire rooms in private guest houses and hotels at their own expense.
The students belonging to well-to-do families were living in furnished guest houses while the poor lot had to hire accommodation in dirty business centres of Kohat like chicken market and live as neighbours with the eunuch community in Teerah Bazaar.Dawn
Gas deposit found in heart of Kohat town
Source Dawn
A bit of good news for the energy-starved nation — the state-run Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) has discovered significant natural gas reserves in the heart of Kohat city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to a statement issued by the company on Friday, the discovery was made during exploration of Shekhan well-1 which produced 15 million cubic feet of gas (MMCFD) through 32/64 inch choke size at wellhead flowing at a remarkable pressure of 2,500psi.
Drilling on the premises of Kohat Development Authority is reported to have produced high quality natural gas with 96 per cent methane and 1,041 British thermal unit (BTU) per cubic feet of heating value.
A company spokesman said the discovery was made in the third week of June at Lumshiwal, one of three formations identified by technical experts for drilling.
Two more formations to be explored over the next few months are expected to produce more gas and may yield even better results.
Operated by OGDCL, Kohat Exploration Licence is a joint venture of Tullow Pakistan, Mari Gas Company and SAIF Energy Limited.
A bit of good news for the energy-starved nation — the state-run Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) has discovered significant natural gas reserves in the heart of Kohat city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to a statement issued by the company on Friday, the discovery was made during exploration of Shekhan well-1 which produced 15 million cubic feet of gas (MMCFD) through 32/64 inch choke size at wellhead flowing at a remarkable pressure of 2,500psi.
Drilling on the premises of Kohat Development Authority is reported to have produced high quality natural gas with 96 per cent methane and 1,041 British thermal unit (BTU) per cubic feet of heating value.
A company spokesman said the discovery was made in the third week of June at Lumshiwal, one of three formations identified by technical experts for drilling.
Two more formations to be explored over the next few months are expected to produce more gas and may yield even better results.
Operated by OGDCL, Kohat Exploration Licence is a joint venture of Tullow Pakistan, Mari Gas Company and SAIF Energy Limited.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Three injured in Kohat jungle khel bomb attack
Source Daily Mashriq
Three children were injured in Kohat Jungle Khel when some unidentified people through Hand grenede on the house. According to details some unknown people through a hand grenade in the house of Mukammal Shah due to which he three grand childrens were injured whom were rushed to KDA hospital. Police and Law enforcement agencies reached at the spot and start collecting the parts of bombs particles.The police registered the case against unknown people.
Three children were injured in Kohat Jungle Khel when some unidentified people through Hand grenede on the house. According to details some unknown people through a hand grenade in the house of Mukammal Shah due to which he three grand childrens were injured whom were rushed to KDA hospital. Police and Law enforcement agencies reached at the spot and start collecting the parts of bombs particles.The police registered the case against unknown people.
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