Ukrainian tanks take up positions

KIEV:Pro-Russian insurgents dug in across eastern Ukraine, fortifying their positions around seized buildings and erecting fresh barricades even as Ukrainian tanks took up positions outside one eastern city now controlled by armed men.

In Kiev, Ukraine's acting president, Oleksandr Turchynov, announced an "anti-terrorist operation" to root out the separatists, but it was unclear how that measure differed from the one announced yesterday, which resulted in no visible action.

Much of the focus was on the eastern city of Slovyansk, 160 kilometres from the Russian border, which has come under ever more secure control of the gunmen since it was taken over on Saturday.

An Associated Press reporter saw at least 14 armoured personnel carriers with Ukrainian flags, one helicopter and military trucks parked 40 kilometres (24 miles) north of the city. Other heavy military equipment appeared to be parked in a nearby area off limits to journalists.

Government troops at a checkpoint at the spot, located outside the town of Izyum, searched vehicles driving in and out for weapons.

Roads into Slovyansk were dotted with militia's checkpoints, at least one with a Russian flag. Another bore a sign reading: "If we don't do it, nobody will."

Despite mounting fears of a possible imminent assault by Ukrainian troops, the city appeared calm. That may be because the threat the Ukrainian military posed to the highly organised pro-Russian insurgents was unclear.

One video posted online late yesterday showed a hapless Ukrainian tank stuck in the mud in a field reportedly outside Slovyansk. Local residents chased it on foot, trying to stop it, shouting: "Who are you going to fire at?"

The insurgents, many of them armed, continued to occupy government, police and other administrative buildings in at least nine cities in the country's Russian-speaking east of the country, demanding broader autonomy and closer ties with Russia. The central government has so far been unable to rein in the insurgents, and many of the local security forces have switched to their side.

The unrest comes a month after Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula following the removal of Ukraine's pro-Russian president in Kiev after months of protests.

The city of Horlivka, also not far from the Russian border where the local police station was seized yesterday by unidentified gunmen, has been turned into the latest of a wave of sit-ins across eastern Ukraine.

Outside the police station, a sign pinned to the wall of tyres listed items required by protesters, including blankets, drinking water and tape to cover up windows smashed during the storming of the building.

Anatoly Zhurov, a 53-year-old Horlivka resident at the site, said the insurgents' goal was to resist the government in Kiev.

Elsewhere the interior ministry in the Donetsk region said the police station in Kramatorsk that had been seized by pro-Russian gunmen was "liberated" today, but a nearby small airport was still controlled by the militia.

Mr Turchynov, speaking to parliament in Kiev, gave few details of the "anti-terrorist operation", saying only that it would be conducted in a "responsible and balanced" manner. He blamed Russia for sponsoring the camouflage-wearing insurgents, who are often armed and move with a precision unlikely for local militia.

"The plans of the Russian Federation were and remain brutal. They want not only for Donbass (Donetsk region), but for the whole south and east of Ukraine to be engulfed by fire," Mr Turchynov said. The aim of the government operation is to "defend the citizens of Ukraine, to stop terror, stop crime and stop attempts to tear our country into pieces".

Ukraine's security services said they have identified a Russian foreign intelligence agent who is running pro-Russian operations in Slovyansk. It named him as Igor Strelkov, a man they said also co-ordinated Russian troops in Crimea during the seizure of military facilities on the peninsula that used to belong to Ukraine.

Russia strongly warned Kiev against using force against the pro-Russian protesters, saying Moscow could walk out of the international conference in Geneva on Thursday that is devoted to the Ukrainian crisis.

"You can't send in tanks and at the same time hold talks. The use of force would sabotage the opportunity offered by the four-party negotiations in Geneva," Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference.

In a sign that Ukraine's economic situation is becoming ever more dire, its central bank increased its benchmark interest rate by a whopping 7% to 14.5%. The move aims to contain the risk of inflation by supporting the currency, which has been falling to record lows in recent days. A dropping currency fuels inflation by boosting the cost of imports.

However, hiking interest rates can cause collateral damage to the economy by making loans and mortgages more expensive to residents and businesses.

Ukraine has relied on cheap gas supplies from Russia for years. Moscow raised gas prices for Kiev in the past weeks, leaving Ukraine scrambling to pay the mounting gas bills as well as past bills that Russian president Vladimir Putin now says adds up to over 35 billion dollars.

In the wake of Moscow's threats to cut off energy supplies to Ukraine, the German utility company RWE AG said it has started supplying gas to Ukraine via Poland and could sell it up to 10 billion cubic metres of natural gas a year. Ukraine consumes between 52 and 55 billion cubic metres of gas a year.

In Kiev, two pro-Russian politicians were attacked by pro-Western activists as tensions mounted over unrest in the east.

Oleh Tsaryov, a pro-Russian politician and a candidate in the May 25 presidential elections, was beaten by dozens of enraged activists early today as he was leaving a television studio. The activists pelted him with eggs, shouted insults and then assaulted him.

Another Russian-leaning politician and presidential hopeful, Mikhaylo Dobkin, was sprayed with a green disinfectant and had flour thrown at him late yesterday.

Moscow has accused Kiev authorities of condoning such radicalism and says attacks against pro-Russian candidates shows that the presidential election will not be fair or democratic.

New Pakistani envoy Syed Hasan Javed arrives in Germany

BERLIN (PR):Senior Pakistani diplomat ,Syed Hasan Javed, set to take over as his country's new Ambassador in Germany arrived here today.Syed Hasan Javed,who has held various assignments in Pakistani missions and at the Foreign Office in Islamabad, was received at the airport  by  Dr. Mazhar Javed, Deputy Chief of Protocol, representative of German's external affairs ministry and other officials of the Pakistan Embassy.
On arrival, Mr.Javed said that he would make endeavor to further strengthen and expand already existing cordial relations between Pakistan and Germany in all fields with special focus on trade & investment, culture, and education sectors. He is likely to present his credentials to the President of the Federal Republic of Germany on April 25, 2014.
He served in Pakistan Missions abroad in various capacities during his diplomatic career spanning over 30 years.. He held diplomatic assignments in Pakistan Missions abroad including Beijing (twice), Harare, Dushanbe,Brussels and High Commissioner for Pakistan to Mauritius with concurrent accreditation to Madagascar,Comoros and Seychelles. He was serving as Additional Secretary(Asia-Pacific) at the Ministry of Foreign affairs before moving to Singapore as High Commissioner for Pakistan.

Delegation of Air War College, Karachi visited Pak Embassy Berlin

BERLIN:A 19-member delegation of Air War College, Karachi led by Air Vice Martial Mr.Farooq Habib visited the Embassy today. On arrival they were received by the Charge d' affairs, Dr. Mazhar Javed and other officials of the Embassy. They were updated about the status of Pakistan Germany relations.

34 hashish-selling tribesmen released

KHYBER AGENCY:34 tribesmen were released on Sunday by militants who abducted them from Khyber Agency’s Tirah Valley, DawnNews reported.
Sources said that 40 tribesmen were kidnapped from the opium and hashish selling “grand fair” Saturday from the Haider Kando area of Tirah Valley.
The militants also took away hundreds of kilograms of cannabis and hashish from the area, said the sources.
They added that Sheikmal Khel sub tribesmen of the Qamberkhel tribe were segregated from the others and were taken away by the militants.
At least six tribesmen are still held captive by militants.
According to unofficial sources, the number of kidnapped tribesmen is close to 100 and they had been picked up for their involvement in the drug trade.
Security forces also conducted a search operation in the area to rescue the men, according to the sources.
Other sources claimed that the release of the abductees was made possible through the efforts of tribal elders.
A lush green forested, snow-bound valley, Tirah has long served as one of the smuggling routes between Pakistan and Afghanistan and is approximately an hour's drive away from Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Manmohan didn't put wife's name in RS affidavit: BJP

DELHI:BJP on Saturday claimed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had not mentioned his wife's name in the affidavit submitted along with nomination he filed as a Rajya Sabha candidate, as the party sought to blunt Congress' attack on Narendra Modi over his marital status.
"This is Manmohan Singh's affidavit that was put before the Rajya Sabha.He has not put his wife's name in that affidavit. Why should we talk about such issues?" BJP spokesman Ravishankar Prasad told a press meet in Ahmedabad while waving a copy of what he claimed was the PM's affidavit.
Prasad did not say the affidavit was from which year, but Gujarat BJP leaders claimed it was filed in 2013 when Singh was re-elected to the Upper House of Parliament.
"This country has been following a tradition that personal issues are not raised in public. His (Modi's) elder brother made a statement that he had left his home and family life to serve the country," he said.
Prasad was answering a volley of questions related to Modi's affidavit, submitted along with nomination paper filed from Vadodara Lok Sabha constituency, where for the first time he revealed he is married.

35th death anniversary of Z.A.Bhutto observed by PYO UK

LONDON:The PYO UK paid rich tribute to the Late Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in recognition of his life-long struggle for the stability, integrity and democracy in Pakistan and for ‘Kashmir cause’.

PYO UK organised a function in East London to mark the 35th anniversary of the death of  Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, founder of the PPP and father of the late Benazir Bhutto.Chairman PYO UK,Malik Meharban presided over the function,while it was hosted by Chief Organizer PYO Murtaza Gujjar.

Speaking on the occasion ,PakistanPeoples Party’s senior leader,Pir Mazhar ul Haq recalled the struggles and sacrifices of the party’s leaders and talked of how they laid down their lives for their cause. He also pointed out that the party is still being targeted. “Even our present leaders, Bilawal and Zardari, are receiving life threats,” he said.

Bhutto visualised the institution of democracy and wanted the adoption of a political system that helped the masses. “The Quaid-e-Awam was the only leader who encouraged the poor and the downtrodden to raise their voice for their rights,” he added.

“He was great political leader and thinker who was murdered for his support for democracy,” said, Pir Mazhar ul Haq. He said that Bhutto gave common man the right to speak against the feudal system.

Pakistani Film Superstar and Leader of PPP, Mustafa Qureshi, elucidated Bhutto’s vision of a united Muslim world. He was a top notch politician and an intellectual. Mr. Bhutto rendered many sacrifices time and again to ensure Pakistan became democratically strong, said Mr.Qureshi adding it is because of this that the anti-democratic forces in Pakistan engineered his murder. But his voice lives in our hearts and will keep guiding us through and through.

He  said, “I urge the youth of Pakistan to come forward and strengthen the People’s Political Party (PPP) and bring about a visible change. I am confident they can. They will.” “On this occasion I urge the party workers to rededicate themselves to the ideals of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.” Qaid –e-Awam was a friend of the poor and oppressed and a great and fearless thinker, he refused to bow before superpowers. “In a span of thirty years both Benazir Bhutto and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto laid down their lives fighting for the cause.

Their sacrifices have made me, my party and the people of Kashmir proud,he added.

Deputy General Secretary PPP  UK, Abrar Mir,on the occasion elucidated Bhutto’s vision of a United Muslim World and demanded Bhutto murder case be reopened and the culprits punished.

Chairman PYO Britain Malik Meharban said youth is united and ready to play its role at any level. The PYO Britain is reposing its confidence on leadership of Asif Ali Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto and PPP and it is firm to stand always on back of the leadership.  “We will carry forward the mission of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto”. He said that the federation of Pakistan owed a lot to Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto who gave unanimous constitution of 1973 to the Pakistan nation, adding, that federation of Pakistan was intact today only because of the Constitution.He further said that Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was the founding father of Pakistan’s Nuclear Programme who made the defence of the country impregnable by making it 7th atomic power of the world.
Ashraf Chugtaie, Aslam chugtaie, Farrukh Sultan Abbasi General Secretary PSF Islamabad, Councilor Munawar Hussain, Chaudhry Tanveer Chief Organizer PYO Mirpur, Dr Khalid Saeed acting president Greater London, Masood Bokhari, Asghar Khan, Ijaz Hussain Shah Chief Organizer PPP Luton, Raja Azam Khan President PPP Luton, Chaudhry Shafqaat President PPP Slough, Chaudhry Nisar, Naheed Hayat General Secretary PPP Women wing, Mian Muhammad Saleem President PPP South Zone, Shamim Bhutto Coordinator Women Wing, Khadim Hussain Nasir and Akram Chechi also addressed in the function.

A resolution was presented by PYO Coordinator, to condemn the threats to Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto and assured Bilawal  that every party worker would  sacrifice their  lives to protact the Chairman.

The speakers  also appreciated the PYO UK team and prasied the Suhail Iqbal and Murtaza Gujjar efforts to organise the programme. The function was attended by a large number of  PYO  and PPP worker.

(pictures by Miss.S.Rana)

A conference "Kashmir Through Women's Eyes" held at EU Parliament

Brussels: A conference titled as "Kashmir Through Women's Eyes" was organised by International Council for Human Development (ICHD) and Kashmir Council EU on Tuesday at European Parliament.

The conference was hosted by member of European Parliament Dr.Sajjad Haider Karim.

A number of the prominent personalities including Farzana Yaqoob, the minister of Social Welfare of AJK, Khaula Siddiqi, co-founder of SILK from Canada, Member of Brussels Parliament Daniel Caron, Sadia Mir, a lecturer at a University in UK, Saddiqe Kayani from Germany and Shamaila Mehmood from Pakistan, HR activist from Holland Marjan Locas, MEPs and a large number of women from Kashmir and Europe participated in the event.

Addressing the conference as main guest, the AJK Minister Farzana Yaqoob said, people in Indian Held Kashmir are being deprived of basic rights. Their rights have been violated by the state machinery. The government in the Held Kashmir  is involved in the statement terrorism through black laws. Unfortunately, big powers of the world take action only when they have interests. By oppressing the people, India avoided the rights of self-determination of Kashmiris but nobody is ready to prevent it. International community should come forward and help the Kashmiris in order to provide them right of self-determination.

Sajjad Karim as host of the conference said, we have talked about the rights of the Kashmiri people and would continue to raise our voices in support of Kashmir cause.

Khaula Saddiqi from Canada informed the participants of the conference about her personal story and said, she was just four years old when her parents brought out her from the Held Kashmir.

She said, she is still in contact with her friends and relatives as they are suffering from hardships and severe miseries.

Life of the people of Kashmir has been difficult specially Kashmiri women are suffering more than others.

Shamaila Mehmmod also described her story and said International community should provide justice to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. She also highlighted the issue of water in the region.

Member of Brussels Parliament Daniel Caron said, we always support the human rights and Europe should not ignore the issue of human rights in Kashmir. Member EU parliament Philip Bennion also talked during the conference.

Speakers of the conference emphasized that international community particularly human rights organizations should come forward to prevent human rights violation against the oppressed Kashmiri people especially innocent women of Kashmir.

Speaking on the occasion, ICHD Chairman Ali Raza Syed said, Kashmir is one of the longest outstanding conflicts that remain to this day. The conference was designed to highlight the plight of the Kashmiri women as the major victim of the conflict facing myriad problems including torture, rape, humiliation, murders, displacements and repressions.

He said, many leading voices struggling for the rights and freedoms of the women in general and Kashmiri women in particular attended the conference. We are proud to tell that most of the individuals, forums and organizations constituting women rights activists and lobbyists have acknowledged our initiative by participating in the event.

The ICHD is a representative forum of volunteer activists working for the human rights in Kashmir including right to self determination. We believe in peaceful promotion of the rights and freedoms of the people of Kashmir who are forced the live under the tyranny of the state repression, Ali Raza Syed said.

We believe that the conference would contribute towards the richness of the debate and strength of the demands by the women of Kashmir, he said. Questions and answers session was also held at the conclusion of the conference.