13,700 Afghan security personnel killed in 10 years

KABUL: At least 13,700 members of the Afghan security forces have died in fighting over the last 10 years – nearly four every day – according to new figures on government compensation paid to victims’ families.
The grim death toll in the fight against Taliban-led insurgents was revealed by the Office of Administrative Affairs (OAA), the secretarial department that collates information for President Hamid Karzai and the cabinet.
The OAA said that 13,729 families of security force personnel had been awarded financial support after suffering a fatality, while another 16,511 families were compensated after a relative was wounded.
“Every family that has received assistance represents a martyr,” Sayed Jawad Jawed, director of public affairs at the OAA, told AFP on Monday.
“We can’t say that this is the total number of casualties as we don’t have those figures,” he added.
“These figures represent the number of families of the martyrs assisted by the government, and the same with those wounded.”
The death toll among Afghan security forces has rapidly increased in recent years as they take over responsibility for fighting insurgents from US-led NATO troops, but exact casualty rates have been hotly disputed.
US officials said that at the height of last year’s “fighting season” more than 400 army and police were being killed in action every month.
The Afghan government does not normally release figures to avoid damaging public morale.
The OAA said that 12,336 families had also received compensation for losing a civilian relative in the war over the last 10 years, but the total number of civilian casualties is likely to be much higher.
According to a UN report released last month, the conflict has claimed the lives of 14,064 civilians in the last five years alone.
The UN attributes the vast majority of civilian deaths and injuries to “anti-government elements” led by the Taliban.
All 55,000 US-led combat troops still in Afghanistan will leave by December, but a small force may be deployed from 2015 on a training and counter-terrorism operation.
In the latest major attack on Afghan forces, 21 soldiers died in an assault in the eastern province of Kunar one week ago.
“Afghanistan supports the families of the martyrs and wounded, military and civilians, as a religious, national and official duty of the government,” the OAA said in a statement.
Posted By :: Muhammd Usman
Source:: Express tribune

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Imran to take up arms if Taliban try to impose their system

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Sunday said he would take up a gun, stand by the army and fight the Taliban if they wanted to impose their system on the country.He said his party was the first to push for dialogue with the Taliban and the fact that they had announced a ceasefire vindicated its stance that talksshould be the first option.
Addressing the first meeting of the PTI provincial council at the Aiwan-e-Iqbal, the party chairman said the PTI never proposed that those who wanted to rule the country on the basis of the gun should be allowed to do so as it had called for separating the violent forces and the peace lovers.

Imran also congratulated the party’s provincial leadership and said that a new political culture in Pakistan was being introduced by the Punjab PTI in which democracy within parties would become possible. He said that the provincial council would act as a supreme body to decide the future of the largest province in Pakistan.

Appreciating the PTI’s performance in Punjab, Imran said the fact that the PTI had won by-elections on the seats vacated by the PML-N, especially those by Shahbaz Sharif and Zulfiqar Khosa, meant that it was proving to be the real opposition to the PML-N. He said that despite the ‘35 punctures in the general elections’, the PP-81 by-poll in Jhang would be a very good contest for PTI if the government did not go for more punctures there through rigging.

Earlier, PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that the Punjab PTI performance in the general elections and fight for the case of local bodies on a party basis was amazing.PTI Provincial President Ejaz Chaudhry said that the party was a common man’s party as its chairman was not a landlord or a trader but a sportsman who had given up his comfortable life to serve humanity by social work and through his political agenda of change.

Punjab PTI Secretary Information Andleeb Abbass unveiled the plan for turning the PTI into an institution by carrying out an ISO-9001 audit and bringing it up to international standards of systems and procedures.

Later, the provincial council presented four resolutions which promised raising the issue of water scarcity, pressing the case for labour rights and protesting against unfair privatisation, raising its voice for protecting women and children from violence and ensuring equal treatment to minorities in every aspect of life.

During the gathering, Imran Khan also took oath from nearly 600 members from 36 districts of Punjab.INP adds: Terming the announcement by the TTP as the foundation of peace in the country, Imran asked the government to start a dialogue with the Taliban without any fear and reservations.

Talking to Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Mian Mahmoodur Rashid and other MPAs, he added that the hostile forces wanted the armed forces to fight with their people.Earlier, Imran took serious notice of some MPAs’ absence from the meeting and directed that the absentees be informed about the meeting’s decisions.

He said the country was filled with ‘Mir Jaafars and Mir Saadiqs’. Khan said the MQM, ANP, PMLN and PPP are all afraid of his party. He said those who sabotaged the negotiations process needed to be monitored closely.

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Govt reciprocates Taliban's ceasefire

Interior minister Ch Nisar said all aerial military activities will be suspended.

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Following Taliban’s ceasefire move, government of Pakistan has decided to reciprocate by halting aerial military activities against Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Dunya News reported.
According to a statement issued by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar, government has suspended all military activities against the outlawed outfit after announcing the ceasefire.
Formally announcing the ceasefire, Ch Nisar said government regards Taliban’s ceasefire as a positive development.
It is pertinent to mention here that TTP announced a ceasefire on Saturday for a month.
According to reports, Taliban commanded all subgroups to ‘respect’ the ceasefire.
Shahidullah Shahid claimed that government has responded positively to TTP’s recommendations and have assured implementation.
Talking to Dunya News, Taliban committee member Yousaf Shah confirmed the reports saying breaking of the ice is a positive development.
Reportedly, Interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has telephoned Taliban committee patron Samiul Haq who is in Madina to perform religious rituals. According to the reports, Taliban and government committees will meet in next two days.
Government’s committee member Irfan Siddiqui while speaking to Dunya News said they have not received official reports of the development yet and that their source for now is the media. Commending the move, Siddiqui said that government committee welcomes the move and that this is a positive development. He termed the move as step in the right direction.
Government committee and other political figures have been urging Taliban to announce unconditional ceasefire to farther the peace talks.
Talks with Taliban were halted last month following their claiming responsibility of killing 23 rangers.

Posted By::: Muhammad usman

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Terrorists cornered in NWA: official

WASHINGTON: Maj Gen Asim Bajwa, who heads the Inter-Services Public Relations, told the NBC News that security forces had already cornered terrorist elements in North Waziristan and were now ready to mop them up.
Talking to the US channel, the ISPR chief said that the Pakistan Army had already committed over 150,000 troops to fighting the insurgency in tribal areas, compared to less than 100,000 on the Indian border.
This “reflects our resolve about how seriously we are taking this new, internal threat,” he said. “Over the years, we have cornered the terror elements...in North Waziristan. Now, all we have to do is mop them up.”
An officer of Pakistan’s 7th Infantry Division told NBC News that the Pakistani Taliban had an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 hardened fighters in North Waziristan.
Last week, senior Pakistani defence officials held a briefing in Washington for the US media and after the briefing several US media outlets reported that a military offensive in Fata was imminent.
The reports pointed out that Pakistan had already softened the targets by launching a series of air strikes at Taliban hideouts, particularly in North Waziristan.

Posted By ::: Muhammad Usman

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Taliban announce ceasefire for a month

ISLAMABAD/SHABQADAR: The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) announced a ceasefire asking all its affiliates to put a halt to all sorts of ‘Jihadi’ activities for a period of one month.
This was conveyed in a short statement by the group’s spokesperson Shahidullah Shahid, sent to the media.
Shahid, citing the positive developments in peace talks, said that the government has given a nod to the demands put forward by the mediation committee representing the Taliban and it was ensured that the demands will be met.
“The TTP is a responsible organisation which works through the consensus of a higher council and an Amir for decision making,” says the statement, adding that “the decision has been taken in view of the appeal made by the ulema, in honour of the representative committee and for the betterment of Islam and the country.”
Shahid announced this while asking all groups affiliated with the TTP to halt activities for a month’s time.
However, the concluding paragraph of the statement stresses that the government should take the negotiations process seriously and keep the talks away from mundane politics.
Rustam Shah Mohmand, one of the members of the TTP mediation committee, told The Express Tribune that he hoped that the period of a month’s ceasefire will be extended as well.
He warned that there might be some groups who are not in favour of peace talks, adding that “we must ignore them and continue with the peace process.”

                 Posted By :::Muhammad Usman

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Pakistan Army air strikes in Waziristan 'effective and successful': Sartaj Aziz

ISLAMABAD: National Security Adviser Sartaj Aziz on Thursday described the air strikes in militant-infested Waziristan as “effective and successful” and said that all such groups which are involved in terror related activities will be targeted.

When asked if the government plans a major offensive in North Waziristan, he did not comment. He added that the Prime Minister will consult with all political parties for a future strategy.

To questions about the peace talks in Afghanistan that were initiated by a former Afghan Taliban minister, Agha Jan Motasim, Aziz said that it was a good start.

About the ongoing controversy between the US and President Karzai about the Bilateral Security Agreement, he said it was a matter between Afghanistan and the US.

“Afghanistan is a sovereign country and they will have to decide what to do. We do not have any specific opinion on it,” he said.

He added that Pakistan has not proposed an extension in the presence of US forces in Afghanistan.

“Our concern is that if insurgency increases in Afghanistan it would affect us. That is why we are in favour of reconciliation in Afghanistan,” he added.

He denied that there was a change in Pakistan’s policy on Syria.

Posted by: MuhammadUsman

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