Pakistani Electors Strike A Blow Against Musharraf and U.S.

photo credit: Wally Santana

Pakistanis dealt a crushing defeat to President Pervez Musharraf in parliamentary elections on Monday, in what government and opposition politicians said was a firm rejection of his policies since 2001 and those of his close ally, the United States.

Almost all the leading figures in the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, the party that has governed for the last five years under Mr. Musharraf, lost their seats, including the leader of the party, the former speaker of Parliament and six ministers.

Official results are expected Tuesday, but early returns indicated that the vote would usher in a prime minister from one of the opposition parties, and opened the prospect of a Parliament that would move to undo many of Mr. Musharraf’s policies and that may even try to remove him.

Blast in Pakistan Kills 37

Abu Laith al-Libi Killed by Missile Stike of Terrorist Safehouse

ROBERT REID AND PAMELA HESS write:

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A missile from a U.S. Predator drone struck a suspected terrorist safehouse in Pakistan and killed a top al-Qaida commander believed responsible for a brazen bomb attack during a visit last year by Vice President Dick Cheney to Afghanistan, a U.S. official said Thursday.

The strike that killed Abu Laith al-Libi was conducted Monday night or early Tuesday, said the official, who would neither confirm nor deny that the U.S. carried it out. The attack was against a facility in Pakistan's north Waziristan region, the lawless tribal area bordering Afghanistan. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to discuss the strike publicly.

Teenager Arrested in Pakistan for Part in Murder of Bhutto

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan - A teenager who said he was part of a team of assassins sent to kill former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was arrested near the Afghan border, Pakistani officials said Saturday.

The teen also confessed to taking part in a plot to attack Shiites during Ashoura, even as police in Pakistan's far south said they had foiled suicide attacks planned for the Shiite Muslim festival.

In Karachi, police chief Azhar Farouqi said officers detained five men who were in the possession of explosives, detonators and a small quantity of cyanide intended for attacks on this week's Ashoura processions.

"With these arrests we have foiled major attacks," Farouqi said.

The intelligence official said the 15-year-old told investigators that the five-person squad was dispatched to Rawalpindi, where Bhutto was killed, by Baitullah Mehsud, a militant leader with strong ties to al-Qaida and an alliance with the Taliban in nearby Afghanistan, on Afghanistan's northwest border.

Bhutto's Children Travel to Dubai

Today, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who at 19 is the oldest son of slain Bhutto, left for Dubai along with his sisters: Bakhtawar and Aseefa, 17 and 14 respectively.

Their mother was buried in Larkana district in the southern province of Sindh on Friday, having been assassinated in Rawalpindi on Thursday when shock waves from a suicide bomb caused her to fall and sustain a skull fracture.

Bilawal presently studies at Oxford University, his mother's alma mater. He was named chairman of her party after her assassination, but must be 25 years old before he is allowed to join the Parliament.

Her son says he plans to finish his education prior to taking control of his country.

Holiday Shoppers Murdered in Pakistan by Suicide Bomber

by Riaz Khan, AP

SHERPAO, Pakistan - A suicide attacker detonated a bomb packed with ball bearings and nails amid hundreds of holiday worshippers Friday at the residential compound of Pakistan's former interior minister, killing at least 50 people, authorities said.

It was the second suicide attack in eight months apparently targeting Aftab Khan Sherpao, who escaped injury. One of his sons was wounded.

Suspicion will likely focus on the pro-Taliban or al-Qaida militants active in the northwestern region of the country where the attack occurred.

The Karachi Express Derailment: Update

CNN reports: A Pakistani express train derailed early Wednesday morning, killing at least 41 people and injuring at least 135 others, police said.

The Karachi Express was traveling from Karachi to Lahore, carrying more than 1,000 people when it derailed at about 2:25 a.m. (4:25 p.m. ET Tuesday) near the town of Sialabad, about 250 miles (400 km) north of Karachi, railway officials said.

Journalist Aftab Borka reported from the scene that about 12 of the 17 cars in the train were off the tracks and overturned.

Elaborate and Secret Detentions in Pakistan

International / Asia Pacific
Picture of Secret Detentions Emerges in Pakistan
By CARLOTTA GALL
Published: December 19, 2007
Pakistani intelligence agencies have released nearly 100 suspected terrorists in an apparent effort to avoid acknowledging an elaborate secret detention system.

Express Train Derails in Pakistan, Killing Fifty

Pakistan - An express train crowded with holiday travelers derailed in southern Pakistan early Wednesday, killing at least 50 people and injuring many more, officials said.

The passenger express was going from Karachi to Lahore when about 12 of its 16 carriages came off the rails near Mehrabpur, about 250 miles north of Karachi, the officials said.

On Tuesday, December 18th:

ISLAMABAD: A 5.1-magnitude earthquake jolted central Pakistan on Tuesday but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, officials said.

The epicentre of the quake was around 300 kilometres (200 miles) southwest of the city of Peshawar, a seismological department official said.

"The quake originated at 10:56am (0556 GMT) from the border area between Punjab and Baluchistan provinces," he said.