a view on swat by international professor

Swat massacre by Pak army is based on ethnic and religious hatred

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International Professor Thu, May 28, 2009 at 9:01 PM

Swat Massacre by Pak Army is based on ethnic and religious hatred.
A case for International Courts of Justice and UNO Human Rights
By: Earthman, International Professor
Many years have passed Anglo- American backed Pakistan army is busy in heinous crimes against humanity. Genocide, democide, massacre, kidnapping, extra judicial imprisonment, target killing, sale of citizens and all such curse for which Hitler, Serbians, Rwandan and Polpat have a notoriety for deliberate massacres and fascism is practically in practice since Musharraf era to now Zardari rule. In almost nine years Government of Pakistan has broken records of violation of fundamental liberties, basic rights, constitutional rights and parliamentary sovereignty.
It is a failed state ruled by futile government, where there is no name of rule of law, might is right, corrupt politicians are playing with the justice system. After a great struggle and peoples sacrifices Chief Justice and judges were back on their seats, but influential mafia’s, war lords, corrupt politicians and crooked army generals whipped peoples constitutional, human, civil and legal rights.
There is no constitution, neither any rule of law, shameless amendments have made constitution a toy in the hands of fascist dictators. ISI has superior power then Chief Justice and Generals have more powers then chief executive. Nobody knows who is operating country and under which system. It is remote control government run by American CIA and British MI 6, rating of President of Pakistan is measured with the help of yard stick’s liking and disliking of CIA.
Current satanic cycle of massacre and genocide is based on entire pleasure of Barak Obama, who is as fascist as his predecessor. Status of President of Pakistan is so cheap that on official tour of USA, Mr. Obama did not bother to shake hand with Zardari and even Hillary Clinton did not allow her to stand shoulder to shoulder at many occasions. Load full of three planes with politicians and generals was sent back by announcements of charity of a few dollars.
Major weak point of Pakistani politicians and generals is free money, those are evil genius in making fool to westerners, last week Zardari and generals again made damn fool to entire Obama administration in broad day light and cleverly sucked billions of dollars. Evil minded Zardari and dollar hungry mafia around him inhumanly invaded on innocent peoples, as a result of whom 2.5 million peoples have been displaced, ho are wandering door to door for shelter but provinces have closed their doors. Barbaric and merciless army has utilized its maximum strength to kill peoples with the help of artillery, gunship helicopters, laser and chemical bombs dropped on civilians with American supplied supersonic jets, indiscriminate killings of civilians including senior citizens, women and children is yet under progress. At least 5000-6000 peoples have been killed within one month. One million peoples were already wandering who were pushed out of their homes since last year, some sought shelter in neighboring countries.
Following data has been collected which can give a tiny glimpse of barbarity and criminality of army generals, in the absence of any independent source of information, following data was published as part of reports concealed and hidden under press reports. During the period hundred percent reporters have been thrown out of civil war zone and ISI has established its own misinformation media centre, whereas DG ISPR who is responsible for supplying information to media is known sectarian fanatic, liar and mole of foreign intelligence agencies, who never tells truth. So anyone can easily assume difficulties in finding truth and number of civilian causalities could easily be numbered hundred times more than mentioned in following chronological reports.
Some other reports already published and sent to human rights, anti-war movements, international media, leading journalists, embassies and politicians may please be clicked on given links, which also have a preliminary list of all major war criminals.
It is a clear cut case of ethnic cleansing and Iraqi style sectarian genocide. It is worst then Rwanda and Serbia. In case Human Rights body of United Nations is helpless in front of Anglo-American imperialists then it is morale duty of honest members and employees of UNO that names of criminals and events of genocide may please be recorded for future reference with the hope that whenever any independent Secretary General of UNO would be appointed, current case of genocide and massacre could be pursued.
Chronological evidence of genocide based on ethnic and religious hatred:
Part 1: (For verification please click the referral web links)
26-10-2008: Mohammad Jan, standing outside his family's tent at Kacha Garhi, ran from Bajaur when nine people from his village were killed by the army. 'There were no Taliban in our area,' Jan insisted. 'It is ordinary people who are dying. This is some kind of game, a double game that I don't understand.' Up to 300,000 people have had to flee fighting in Bajaur http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/oct/26/pakistan-afghanistan

April 28, 2009: confirmed from independent sources.
The residents leaving the area said the operation had caused great losses to life and property. The internally displaced persons (IDPs) said they saw bodies lying in fields and pathways which could not be removed due to curfew in the area. security forces were backed by armoured personnel carriers (APCs), artillery and gunship helicopters. The forces shelled suspected locations of militants in Shakar Tangay, Odigram, Galgot, Dabona, Dekarai, Markhanai, Barghundu and Bagh. A woman offering prayer at home in Shakar Tangay was reportedly killed when a mortar shell hit her home. Besides, members of the Qaumi Jirga Lower Muhammad Rasool, Sultanat Yar, Humayun Khan, Maulana Gul Rahim, Sahib Zada, Maulana Ahmad Ghafoor and Muhammad Iqbal convened an urgent meeting here and contradicted ISPR’s statement in which it had said that the operation was started on the request of the Jirga and the people. They demanded an immediate halt to the FC operation.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=21775

April 29, 2009: DAGGAR: Security forces, backed by artillery, gunship choppers and jet fighters, launched a full-fledged operation against the militants in Buner on Tuesday, targeting their suspected hideouts in different areas, besides placing the whole district under curfew. Fighter planes bombed Kalil, Sherataraf, Kandao areas located on the mountainous boundary of Swat and Buner districts, The house of Ayaz Badshah was completely destroyed when a shell hit the structure. No casualty was reported. AP/Reuters add: Witness Mohammad Shahid Khan said he saw tanks, heavy artillery and hundreds of troops heading over the Ambaila pass leading to Buner. TV footage has shown hundreds of refugees fleeing the area, but officials have not released figures on any exodus. http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=21793

April 28, 2009: PESHAWAR: The Army is gearing up for launching a full-scale military operation in the strategically located Buner district to defeat the militants and secure control of the area to block their possible advances to other areas, particularly Hazara, official sources told The News on Monday.
“Preparations have been completed for the operation in which air attacks will also be carried out,� sources said. “Air squadron is ready, two brigade army troops are arriving while the Frontier Constabulary is already in Buner,� the sources having knowledge of the changing security situation in the Malakand region, said. In Dir, they have also been using gunship helicopters to pound the suspected positions of the militants. Swat militants, after having a pause in fighting in the valley in the wake of a peace deal, advanced towards Buner and Shangla districts. They also provided support to the militants in Lower Dir and Upper Dir to make them able to entrench positions in their respective areas. The inspector general of FC was on Monday reported to have said that militants were holding sway on 10 to 15 per cent areas of Buner. http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=21782

Girl killed in firing: MARDAN: A girl was killed and eight persons injured seriously when security forces reportedly opened fire on some families coming to Mardan from Buner in Qadir Nagar area. Zinat died on the spot while Hidayat Bibi, 10, Shah Zahoor, Ahmed, Fahim, Nasir, Muhammad Arif and a woman sustained injuries.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=22271

April 28, 2009: 56% in FATA see Afghan Taliban as ‘heroes’: surveyPESHAWAR: Exactly 56 percent respondents described Afghanistan’s Taliban as “Islamic heroes fighting western occupation� in a survey conducted by Community Appraisal and Motivation Programme (CAMP) with the help of the British High Commission in Islamabad. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=20094\28\story_28-4-2009_pg1_5


April 29, 2009: 57% in FATA think jihad is learning Quran and sciences: survey http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=20094\29\story_29-4-2009_pg1_4


April 29, 2009: Director General Maj-Gen Athar Abbas told a news conference here on Tuesday. He said the there was no proof of involvement of a foreign hand in militancy. http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=21794

April 30, 2009: Reports said two persons were killed in Ambela when a mortar shell landed on a house. Several persons have reported to have sustained injuries in shelling in Ambela and Krapa. Six injured including four children were shifted to district headquarters hospital Mardan. A doctor at Sultan hospital, Daggar, said the injured could not be shifted to hospitals due to lack of transportation and curfew in certain areas. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=21817

April 30, 2009: WANA: Six people were killed and two others sustained serious injuries in a US drone attack in Kani Garam area of the South Waziristan Agency on Wednesday. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=21822

April 30, 2009: PESHAWAR: After his refusal to divulge the source of his story, a security agency on Wednesday released a local journalist after 14-hour detention. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=21830

April 30, 2009: MINGORA: US drones flew over parts of the troubled Swat Valley on Wednesday, creating panic in the war weary population. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=21834

April 30, 2009: MARDAN: Six persons, including four women and two children, injured in the ongoing military operation in Ambela area of the Buner district were brought to the District Headquarters Hospital here on Wednesday. Sources said that the injured identified as Khadina, Kishwara, Sawaira, Sima, Jalal and Reema sustained injuries in the operation in Buner. Hospital authorities said that arrangements had been made at the District Headquarters Hospital in the wake of the operation in Buner and Dir districts. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=174952

May 01, 2009: The jet fighters of the Pakistan Air Force and predators planes continued flying over various parts of the Swat valley. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=21847

May 01, 2009: ISLAMABAD: A key component of the PPP-led ruling coalition, the Awami National Party (ANP) provincial president Afrasiab Khattak rejected the accusations that foreign countries were involved in Pakistan as suggested by Interior Minister Rehman Malik. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=21853

May02, 2009: TIMERGARA: The representatives of the NWFP government and the Tehrik Nifaz Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) failed to reach agreement on the appointment of Qazis in the Malakand Division as talks resumed between the two sides on Friday. Also, the provincial government turned down the plea of TNSM chief Sufi Muhammad to halt the military operation in Lower Dir and Buner districts. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=21864

May 02, 2009: Washington was staunchly opposed to the peace deal and promulgation of the NAR in the Malakand Division and also pressed for the use of force to crush the militancy. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=21865

May 02, 2009: DG ISPR said the militants had been using arms and ammunition of various types, including 87 MM recoilless rifle, 12.7 anti-aircraft machine-guns, 14.5 machine-guns mounted on vehicles and 82 mm mortars. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=21868

May 02, 2009: DAGGAR: Scores of people were feared dead in the ongoing military operation in Darra Ambela and other areas of the troubled Buner district while thousands of people were fleeing the fighting and migrating to adjoining Mardan and Swabi districts. In incidents that happened on Friday, sources said security forces opened fire on a van owned by Muhibullah in Kalpani area for violating the curfew, leaving three persons dead. They were identified as Nepur, his brother and a minor. The dead were residents of Bachkatta village. Three more persons were injured in the incident. One of them was identified as Baldip Kumar while the identity of the other two could not be ascertained. It was reported that two persons were injured in a firing incident in Daggar area, but nobody was ready to pick up the injured due to curfew. The situation in the Ambela area, the scene of heavy fighting, was stated to be grim. Eyewitnesses said bodies of unidentified people were lying scattered in the area. They said nobody was allowed to shift the bodies due to the curfew imposed by the authorities. According to the latest reports, security forces entered Chamla and Nawagai areas and people vacated the villages, including Nawagai, Sura, Koga, Ambela, Kandkoway and Agarai. About 20,000 displaced people left for Swabi on foot, carts, and vehicles to take shelter in the camp set up there. Some people were stranded in Dagai and Khadukhel area between Buner and Swabi districts.Three children were reportedly killed in shelling by security forces in Ambela area. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=21872

May 02, 2009: KALAYA: Orakzai: Thousands of people in various areas of the Orakzai Agency were faced with starvation after heavy shelling and aerial bombardment during the military operation against the militants.
Sources said the people in Gheljo, Khadezai, Ghundai Killay and Mazidghari faced immense hardships as the area suffered large-scale destruction and displacement of the residents. The grid station, telephone exchange, college and school buildings were destroyed, sources said, while electricity supply was permanently disrupted to these areas. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=175304

May 03, 2009: PESHAWAR: The NWFP government finally announced on Saturday the establishment of Darul Qaza in Malakand, a key demand of Tanzim Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) chief Maulana Sufi Muhammad.
The announcement was made by NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain at a hurriedly-called news conference after his return from the Malakand Division here on Saturday night. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=21883

May 03, 2009: The TNSM chief said Qazi Hussain Ahmad and Maulana Fazlur Rehman were searching for Shariah in democracy. “Even I do not offer prayer under pro-democracy people,� he said in an exclusive interview with Salim Safi, to be telecast on Geo TV at 10:05pm today (Sunday). http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=21884

May 03, 2009: Daggar: The humanitarian crisis was deepening in the Buner district in the wake of the military operation as prolonged curfew hours multiplied the problems of the residents. Sources said human bodies were lying around in certain areas of the district headquarters. There was no one to bury the dead due to intense fighting between security forces and the militants, the sources added. They said that dozens of bodies were lying in Nawagai, Elai, Ambela, Koga, Chinar, Swarai, China and Babaje Kandao areas. Food crisis also worsened throughout the district and the people were on the verge of starvation as roads had been blocked for the last six days. More than 50,000 people have migrated to the adjoining districts of Swabi, Mardan and Shangla in the last two days.
The people of the area have appealed to security forces for respite in the artillery and helicopters' shelling besides relaxation in the curfew hours.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=21887

May 03, 2009: Zardari, ISI chief Shuja Pasha and the director-general Military Operations will represent the military side in the inter-agency talks in Washington. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=21888

May 03, 2009: MIRAMSHAH/WANA: Chief of the Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Saturday visited North and South Waziristan. Unprecedented security measures were made and gunship choppers were seen hovering over the area since Saturday morning. Major-General Noor Zaman, General Officer Commanding (GOC), 7th Division of the Pakistan Army, received Gen Kayani. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=21901

May 03, 2009: Panja Sahab: D. Suran Singh said: “What is this propaganda that we have been forced to flee Swat and Buner because of the Taliban’s oppression? Please, the media has to distinguish between what happened to the Sikhs in the Orakzai agency, and why we have come here�, he pleads. On April 28-29, the Pakistan army started a military operation, and these Sikh families along with Muslim ones and the Afghan refugees got caught in the crossfire.
“It was not only the Sikhs but others too in the villages that decided that it was not safe for us to remain as the fierce fighting would have blown us to smithereens. We Sikhs are very peaceful people and have traditionally lived in the most peaceful areas of Pakistan. We are not armed. Our ancestors have lived in Buner for thousands of years and it was the fear of the “uncertainty� ahead that made us flee�, Singh tells us. “God only knows whether the ones in Orakzai who are victimizing the Sikhs, are even Taliban or not. They could be someone else in the guise of the Taliban. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=175449

May 03, 2009: MARDAN: The villagers arriving here complained that majority of the people had been trapped in various villages and restricted to their homes as a result of continuous curfew and artillery shelling by the security forces on suspected locations of Taliban fighters. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=175458

May 04, 2009: BATKHELA: The Tehrik Nifaz Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) has rejected the NWFP government’s unilateral decision of setting up the Darul Qaza and appointing two high court judges as Qazis. He said the TNSM had nothing to do with the unilateral establishment of the Darul Qaza and appointment of Qazis. “We had pinned high hopes on the final round of talks and, subsequently, the establishment of the Darul Qaza and the judges’ appointment, but the government disappointed us by doing all this without taking TNSM chief Maulana Sufi Muhammad into confidence,� the spokesman regretted. He alleged that the provincial government had violated the agreed formula. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=21905

May 04, 2009: ISLAMABAD: The Swat peace pact stands dissolved and the militants present in Swat, Matta, Kabal and Sangla as well as their commanders have asked for permission to fight everywhere, sources told The News on Sunday. “Our peace agreement with the NWFP government practically stands dissolved,� confirmed Muslim Khan, a spokesman for the Swat chapter of the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), while talking to The News via telephone. ìForces are attacking us and our fighters are also retaliating,î he said.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=21906

May 04, 2009: ISLAMABAD: Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM) chief Maulana Sufi Muhammad has said there is no need for a Constitution in the presence of the Quran and Sunnah.
In an interview with the Geo News, Sufi said taking photographs is prohibited in Islam and the same is true for video footage and photographs in the light of Hadith. The system of the Quran and Shariah is known as Shariat-e-Mohammadi and “we will continue our struggle for its implementation,� he added. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=21909

May 04, 2009: WASHINGTON: US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on Sunday the failure of the agreement in Swat valley and the movement of the Taliban into Buner was a “real wake up call� for the Pakistanis. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=21911




May 04, 2009: Brig Fayyaz said the local militants were very few in strength while Uzbek insurgents were present in large numbers, putting up stiff resistance. Elders and notables from Buner, including Jamil Khan, Laiq Khan, Naseeb Khan, Sarbiland Khan, Maulana Misbahuddin, Maulana Tajur Rehman, Sher Akbar Khan and Sardar Ali Khan, demanded of the government to immediately stop the military operation and lift the curfew from the area. http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=21908

May 05, 2009: However, 20 people were reported to have been killed by the firing of the security forces in Gagra tehsil and 36 injured in Kalpanai area.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=21930

May 05, 2009: BATKHELA: The Tehrik Nifaz Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) on Monday absolved itself of responsibility to maintain peace in the Malakand division and urged the government to halt the military operation and take practical steps for true implementation of the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=21931

May 05, 2009: Mike Mullen said I’m encouraged by recent military operations in Buner, “Americans would like to see this move much more quickly,� http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=21933

May 06, 2009: WASHINGTON: The United States on Tuesday ratcheted up pressure on Pakistan to take on Taliban militants whose influence is spreading in the nuclear-armed country. “Pakistan must demonstrate its commitment to rooting out al-Qaeda and the violent extremists within its borders,� Richard Holbrooke, the US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, said in prepared congressional testimony. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=21950

May 06, 2009: WASHINGTON: President Asif Ali Zardari said on Tuesday that a violent Islamic insurgency did not pose a threat to his government and insisted his country’s nuclear arsenal was safe. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=21958

May 07, 2009: One Ali Jan and his wife were also killed in Shahdarra. Habibullah, his wife, Sahida and their children Zainab, Iqbal Hussain, Almas, and another local were killed in Watkai when security forces targeted militants’ positions. The bodies were lying in the open and the relatives were unable to retrieve them due to the curfew and continuing clashes between the militants and security forces.
Meanwhile, locals took out a procession from Barikot Tehsil and marched towards the Mingora city. Security forces opened fire to disperse the protesters when they reached Balogram. Three persons were reportedly killed in the firing of secuirty forces. They were identified as Muhammad Jan, watchman of Hira College, and son of Ghani. It was reported that Ghulam Muhammad and his two friends were sitting in the Hujra at Bacha Sahib when a mortar shell landed at the Hujra, killing all the three.
In another incident, 13-year-old boy, Fawad Hussain of Head Works area, was killed and three others wounded when security forces opened fire on them for violating the curfew in Batkhela Bazar. The injured were identified as Fazal Karim, Muhammad Ghafar and Shehzad. The sources added that the wife of Sher Afzal and another unknown woman were also injured in firing during the curfew in Thana Bazar. Separately, gunship helicopters also targeted suspected hideouts of the militants in Amandara, Jalawanan and adjoining areas, killing a man, whose identity could not be ascertained.
It may be mentioned that local administration all of sudden clamped down the curfew and closed down bazars and markets in Batkhela and Thana bazars ahead of security forces’ movement to restive Swat district.
The people of Thana staged a protest against the ongoing violence in their area and demanded of the government to stop the bloodshed. Migration of people to safer places continued on Wednesday, but it slowed down because of the curfew and movement of security forces. http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=21976

May 08, 2009: The Buner-Mardan main road was closed after clashes between the troops and militants. Eyewitnesses said that Yousaf Filling Station and the market at Ambela were razed to the ground in the shelling by security forces and scores of vehicles were also damaged.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=22002

May 09, 2009: Gunship helicopters pounded the Government Degree College, Gulabad. A flour mill was also hit by the gunship helicopters but there was no word on casualties.
Eyewitnesses said the flour mill and the college were damaged in the air strikes. People displaced by the conflict were staying on roadsides under the open sky with no proper arrangements for shelter and food. Meanwhile, Timergara Peace Jirga President Muhammad Rasool announced to stage a protest against the operation in the Maidan area on May 10. Rasool Khan appealed to the people to join the protest by hoisting black flags atop their houses, and wearing black armbands. Due to the curfew, the educational institutions were closed. The main roads, linking Timergara with Malakand, Shergarh, Batkhela, Mingora and Bajaur, were closed by security forces due to which a great logjam was witnessed on roads. Patients, children and women were among the IDPs who suffered more. Daily use commodities were also not supplied to the district due to the curfew and closure of markets. According to the ISPR, curfew would remain in force in Lower Dir, including Timergara from 8 pm on Friday to 6 am on Saturday. Curfew for an indefinite period was imposed in Swat and the Malakand Agency. http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=22030

May 10, 2009: PESHAWAR: Two incidents involving security forces in Malakand Agency and South Waziristan on Saturday in which a number of civilians lost their lives. A stray mortar shell hit the house of a villager, Qadar Gul, in the Thana area in the Malakand Agency, which is adjacent to the restive Swat and Dir Lower districts. It killed four people, including his daughter-in-law and grandson, along with one Qayyum, son of Habibur Rehman, and Hazrat Nawab, son of Abdul Malik. Six other civilians were injured by the shell. The people of Thana blamed security forces for firing the shell and staged a protest at the post of the Malakand Levies in the town. The post was apparently the only government building. Thus, the protest was staged there. The protesters chanted slogans against the Army for killing innocent people.
Tthe incident on Saturday in which four Thana residents were killed, gave the people a scare and forced them to start migrating to relatively safer places. The exodus started and would add to the gravity of the situation, caused by the huge influx of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Swat, Buner and Dir Lower. In South Waziristan five schoolteachers were killed, The slain teachers were identified as Baitullah Burki, Javed, Ziauddin, Muhammad Hashim and Saifur Rehman. Though the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) claimed that 18 people were killed in retaliatory firing by the troops after they were attacked by the militants, tribal sources insisted that a number of civilians were among the dead. The sources said the schoolteachers were among the slain civilians. The ISPR conceded the death of one soldier. But both the incidents risk draining support for security forces, which need public backing, if they are to defeat the militants. http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=22055

May 10, 2009: A stray mortar shell hit the house of a villager, Qadar Gul, in the Thana area in the Malakand Agency, which is adjacent to the restive Swat and Dir Lower districts. It killed four people, including his daughter-in-law and grandson, along with one Qayyum, son of Habibur Rehman, and Hazrat Nawab, son of Abdul Malik. Six other civilians were injured by the shell. The people of Thana blamed security forces for firing the shell and staged a protest at the post of the Malakand Levies in the town. The post was apparently the only government building. Thus, the protest was staged there.
The protesters chanted slogans against the Army for killing innocent people.
In South Waziristan, there were reports that five schoolteachers were killed in firing following an attack by the Taliban militants on a military convoy in the Tanai area, located about 20 kilometres from Wana town.
The slain teachers were identified as Baitullah Burki, Javed, Ziauddin, Muhammad Hashim and Saifur Rehman. Though the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) claimed that 18 people were killed in retaliatory firing by the troops after they were attacked by the militants, tribal sources insisted that a number of civilians were among the dead. The sources said the schoolteachers were among the slain civilians.In the past, there have been reports that the troops start firing whenever they were ambushed or hit by improvised explosives devices (IEDs) by the militants.
The soldiers are human and it is sometimes understandable that they wanted to avenge the attacks on them. But targeting the people who might not be responsible for the attacks and who happened to be present at the site of the assault at the time could quickly turn the people against security forces.
These two incidents took place in different parts of the NWFP. The incident in Thana was a mistake as the shell seems to have strayed and hit a civilian home.
But both the incidents risk draining support for security forces, which need public backing, if they are to defeat the militants. http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=22055

May 10, 2009: Our Batkhela correspondent adds: A mortar shell landed on a house in Thana area, killing four people, including a woman, and injuring six others. The shell hit the house of a civilian in the area identified as Qadar Gul. Qadar Gulís daughter-in-law, grandson, Qayyum and Hazrat Nawab were killed in the incident, while the injured included Ghulam Rabi, Ihsanullah, Muhammad Raza and three others whose identities could not be established.
Reacting to the incident, the locals staged a protest demonstration in front of the Levies Post in Thana. They chanted slogans against the security forces for shelling the houses of civilians.
After the incident, scare and panic spread among the people and thousands started migrating from Thana to safer places.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=22048



Part 2: Chronological evidence of massacre and genocide -

From May 11, 2009 and onward

May 11, 2009: PESHAWAR/MINGORA: Three civilians were killed in strafing by gunship helicopters and a paramilitary soldier was shot dead by militants in the Malakand Agency. A large number of bodies were found near Ramotai Loisar. It was reported that a mortar shell hit a house in Shagai area in which a minor, son of Rahim was killed while his wife sustained injuries. Houses of Union Council Nazim Haroonur Rasheed, Shamzai, Said Nabi and Hazrat Nabi were partially damaged when security forces targeted the suspected hideouts of the militants in Rosakai village. To express resentment over Maidan military operation, ‘Black Day’ was observed in Balambat by Timergara Grand Qaumi Jirga. The protest was led by Haji Muhammad Rasool Khan. The protesters chanted slogans against the operation and hoisted black flags. Our Dargai correspondent adds: Three civilians were killed in strafing by gunship helicopters while a paramilitary soldier was shot dead in the first attack of its kind by the militants in the Malakand Agency.
For the second successive day, civilian deaths occurred in action by security forces. Sources said shells, reportedly fired by the Army’s gunship helicopters; hit a house in Thana area, killing three members of a family, including women and children, while eight others sustained injuries. On Saturday, four civilians were killed and six injured when mortar shells hit a house in Thana area. Those injured in the incident at Thana were taken to the Civil Hospital Batkhela and later shifted to Mardan for treatment. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=22058

May 11, 2009: WASHINGTON: General David Petraeus, chief of the US Central Command, on Sunday reaffirmed Pentagon’s confidence in the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear assets as he also acknowledged a much broader backing for Islamabad’s ongoing anti-Taliban operation in Swat. “So there is a degree of unanimity that there must be swift and effective action taken against the Taliban in Pakistan,� http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=22063

May 11, 2009: WASHINGTON: Zardari stayed in the $5,000 per night (approximately Rs 410,000) presidential suite, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was given a separate suite, which cost $2,600 per night. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=176853

May 11, 2009: MARDAN: Eleven-year-old Shaista from Mingora town in Swat valley tells a heartrending tale of the catastrophe that struck her house on a fateful Thursday night when she lost her mother, sisters and a brother.
Lying on a bed in an ill-equipped health centre in Mardan, Shaista told your correspondent on Saturday that she was lucky to have survived after a mortar shell, reportedly fired by the security forces, exploded in the courtyard of her small house. She sustained severe injuries to her legs.
Her father is perhaps still unaware of the doom that fell upon his family as Shaista is still looked after by the people she never met before. The traumatised Shaista said the mortar shell struck a room she was asleep in. Short of breath, Shaista said her mother, two sisters and a brother were killed in the incident - plunging her into a lifelong trauma.
According to her doctor, Shaista seems to lose her memory occasionally and she sometimes starts crying, apparently because of the shock she has suffered.Children seem to be the worst sufferers among the estimated one million people displaced by the ongoing fighting between the armed forces and Taliban militants in the northern districts of Buner and Swat. In the same hospital, more than a dozen people had been admitted from Buner district with multiple injuries that they had suffered in artillery shelling by the security forces. “We don’t know what’s our crime that prompted our own armed forces to target us. On the one hand, the government is asking us to vacate our houses, while on the other they imposed curfew and blocked all roads in Buner,� complained Sher Badshah from Suwarai village. He said thousands of people were still trapped in Buner and could not come out due to curfew and blockade of roads. Badshah complained that he was taking his family to Mardan when an artillery shell hit one of the trucks, killing five members of his family and injuring three others, including his aged father. “Now, tell me what crime did we commit?� his son questioned.
He alleged the troops had been targeting innocent people fleeing to safer places, instead of eliminating the militants.He claimed that several people travelling to safer places via mountainous routes had been killed by indiscriminate shelling and their bodies were still lying there. A noted psychiatrist, Prof Dr Syed Mohammad Sultan, said majority of the children from the militancy-plagued zone were suffering from severe psychological disorders like acute trauma reaction (ATR) and post-traumatic stress and disorder (PTSD). He said the violence badly affected children and developed in them serious pathological grief and acute phobic anxiety, and might cause them behavioural problems in future. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=176945

May 11, 2009: Mardan: Khalil Ahmed, from Rahimabad area of Swat, said his village was the focus of bombardment and rocket attacks. Narrating his ordeal, he said the shelling destroyed their houses and other property. He said he had seen bodies lying on the streets in Rahimabad. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=176948

May 12, 2009: The sources said that three civilians were killed and eight others injured in Chakdara area of the district. Two persons were killed when a vegetable-laden vehicle was targeted. Another person identified as Sohail was killed when a mortar shell landed on his house in the same area. Eight persons were wounded when a shell hit a vehicle of Al-Khidmat Foundation in Chakdara.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=22080

May 12, 2009: ISLAMABAD: The Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam (JUI-F), while denying having endorsed the cabinet decision to go ahead with a military action in Swat, has criticised the use of force in parts of the Malakand Division.
“Neither are we part of the cabinet decision nor do we accept Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s announcement to go ahead with the operation in the Malakand Division,� a key JUI-F leader told The News here on Monday. http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=22083

May 13, 2009: ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Army on Tuesday dropped heliborne troops, including commandos. 751 militants had been killed in the ongoing operation while 29 personnel of security forces were martyred and another 77 received injuries. Gen Abbas said 402 militants were killed only during the operation, which began on May 8. Since the start of the operation in Swat, 18 security personnel were killed and 47 others injured. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=22100

May 13, 2009: Mardan: It does not take long before tears start to stream down the faces of the displaced people gathered at the Shahzad Town camp, now a tented village located on the outskirts of Mardan. Parwez Khan, 26, recalls how his family started their journey in three trucks from Babaji Kandau, a village near Ambela in Buner District. “On the first day, two of the trucks were targeted and all the men, women and children died,� says the young man holding back his tears, adding, “Today, I have only half of the family.� But the tears are not only of sorrow, they are of frustration too. It takes two days to have a card made that entitles one to such basic necessities such as a tent and food. Now they are stranded in an alien place with no one to share their sorrows. Politicians and government officials come and go. There is a stall set up by the ANP but it has nothing to offer except promises of help. On Saturday, PML-N leader Zafar Iqbal Jhagra visited the camp. But he spent an hour talking to reporters and 20 minutes talking to the refugees. Jhagra and other leaders come and go. Of animals and properties abandoned in the desperate rush to get out. “I am sure much of what we have left will be looted,� says another displaced man, who says he saw lines of cars and trucks burnt out on the road out of the valley. “There were corpses rotting on the road. No one stopped to bury them.� In all this, there is a feeling amongst the people here of being abandoned by the people and the government of Pakistan. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=22103

May 13, 2009: WANA: Twelve people were killed in yet another US drone attack in South Waziristan Agency (SWA) near the Pak-Afghan border on Tuesday morning. It was the second US drone attack in three days. Many people were killed in a similar attack in the SWA on Saturday. AFP: No high-value targets were killed in the strike. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=22104

May 13, 2009: DAGGAR: Despite the fact that the security forces now control about 70 per cent of the area in Buner, villages in the once busy and thriving district are virtually ghost towns and those still remaining are considering to leave due to the feeling of insecurity and lack of basic services.
During a visit to Ambela, Chinarh, Swarai, Daggar and other villages on Monday, one was struck by the emptiness of towns and villages that normally were crowded places bustling with life. It was sad to observe the unpeopled bazaars and streets, closed shops, absence of traffic and desolate mosques. The sight of families abandoning lush green and picturesque Buner and heading into the dusty and hot plains of Peshawar valley was heart-breaking. Fear of military action, lack of electricity and absence of basic civic services were cited as reasons by those shifting their households out of Buner. Some complained that educational institutions were closed, hospitals weren’t functioning properly, telephones didn’t work, banks were out of business, and gas and petrol stations were shut. Others thought it would be long before normal life could be restored in Buner. people, though, complained of excessive checking at the checkposts near Daggar, which is Buner’s principal town closest to the Taliban-controlled areas of Sultanwas, Pir Baba, Jiwar, Khalabat, etc. “We were made to disembark from vehicles, remove our shirts, raise our hands and walk a long distance on foot before being allowed to ride the vehicle again for the onward journey,� complained a bearded young man while requesting anonymity. Desertions from service by policemen and personnel of the Frontier Constabulary and absence from duty of civil administration officials was said to be hampering efforts to bring normalcy to Buner district. Mohammad Yahya Akhubdzada, the district coordination officer (DCO) of Buner who took charge about 10 days ago, pointed out that only 58 policemen were reporting for duty out of the 700 cops who were in service in Buner in early April 2009 when Taliban fighters intruded into the district from neighbouring Swat. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=22106

May 13, 2009: ISLAMABAD: The government came under attack in the National Assembly Tuesday for signing in Washington a memorandum of understanding (MoU) regarding Afghan transit trade that will allow India to use the Pakistani land route for trade with Afghanistan. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=177338

May 13, 2009: JALALA CAMP, Mardan: Mian Sikandar Shah and his 13-year-old son, both exhausted after a three-day non-stop travel on foot from Qambar village (Swat), had just arrived at the camp but his struggle would not end here, rather it is a beginning of an upheaval task for the elderly man and his poor family to get themselves registered and receive relief goods.
Also, almost all the people accommodated at the Jalala camp criticised the government and its countless departments for their failure to ensure availability of basic amenities like shelter, food and healthcare. Sikandar said he lost his family members, including his wife, elder son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren on their way to Mardan. “They were given a lift by people travelling in a truck from Kabal area in Swat while I and my younger son decided to take the cattle. They told us we would meet at the refugee camp here in Jalala but I could not locate them so far,� the elderly man complained. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=177346

May 14, 2005: India confirms Pakistani troop reduction at border LAHORE: New Delhi has confirmed that Pakistan has shifted troops from its border with India to its border with Afghanistan, Hindustan Times (HT) has reported. The paper quoted a top government official as saying, “There has been a 'thinning' of troops but they have 'many more' which can be moved out.� It said it was “the first official confirmation from India of Islamabad moving out troops from its border with India�. “This is a unilateral decision (by Pakistan) and has nothing to do with a similar reduction by India. We are under no pressure from the US,� the official said.daily times. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=20095\14\story_14-5-2009_pg7_8


May 14, 2009: WASHINGTON: In a significant move, Pakistan has reportedly allowed armed US Predator drones to fly inside its geographical territory for the first time to carry out air strikes against the Taliban and other extremist groups. Under the new partnership, the US drones will be allowed to venture beyond the borders of Afghanistan into Pakistan’s territory under the direction of Pakistani military officials, the Los Angeles Times reported on Wednesday. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=22126

May 14, 2009: ISLAMABAD: The PML-N on Wednesday came down hard on the government over the military action against extremists and militants in Swat and Malakand and questioned the reason for the operation while fearing that if it failed, it would put Pakistan’s stability at risk. http://www.thenews.com.pk/arc_news.asp?id=2

May 14, 2009: Asif Ali Zardari’s ongoing foreign visits a nearly 21-day stay abroad. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=177449

May 14, 2009: PESHAWAR: Despite throwing all its weight behind the ongoing military operation in Swat, Buner and Dir Lower, the Awami National Party-led NWFP government is being kept in dark about the latest situation, particularly the human casualties. The military has launched operation in three districts of the Frontier province but the NWFP government has so far no exact data on human casualties or material losses. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=177522

May 14, 2009: Misplaced Swat Families: (Entire report is worth crying) http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=177524

May 14, 2009: Miseries of IDP’s at Lalala Camp: ( “ “ ) http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=177528

May 15, 2009: PESHAWAR: The NWFP government has said that it is hosting over two million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the province. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=177562

May 15, 2009: HASAN ABDAL: The Gurdwara Panja Sahib, located in Hasan Abdal, has so far received 340 displaced families from places as far away as Swat and Malakand. Many of those who turned up at the Gurdwara fled their homes with only their clothes on their back. When asked about the Jiziya tax that the Taliban were believed to have imposed on the Sikhs living in areas controlled by the militants, Dr Singh said these reports were untrue. “I have not been approached. In fact, the Taliban came to my area on April 4 and for almost a month, we lived under their control. We only fled when the fighting intensified.� http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=177565

May 15, 2009: PESHAWAR: While a human tragedy of unfathomable magnitude is unfolding in militancy-hit NWFP, the Awami National Party’s top leaders — Asfandyar Wali Khan and Afrasiyab Khattak — are absent from the scene to console the internally displaced persons (IDPs). Similarly, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) provincial leadership has been conspicuous by its absence, and the PPP leaders are seen only when the party’s central leaders visit the camp. NWFP Health Minister Syed Zahir Shah, who is also PPP provincial president, has so far not bothered to pay a visit to any IDP camp individually. Being a health minister and the party’s provincial chief, Zahir Shah had, in fact, an increased responsibility on his shoulders, which he altogether failed to perform. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=177695

May 16, 2009: PESHAWAR: It remains to be seen as to how many policemen from Buner join their duty following a warning by NWFP Inspector General of Police Malik Naveed Khan to report for duty within 24 hours or face action under Article 185 of the Police Order 2002. Official sources said only 58 cops in Buner out of more than 600 are presently on duty in the violence-hit district. There were reports that the others deserted their duty after the Taliban takeover of Buner in early April. Members of the elite police force were also sent to Buner but some of them too left the place.


http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=177877

May 16, 2009: NOWSHERA: The internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Bajaur and Mohmand Agencies hurled stones at the vehicle of MNA Syed Akhunzada Chattan at the Jalozai Camp when the lawmaker reached there to visit the newly arrived displaced people from Malakand Division. Some of them hurled stones at the vehicle of the MNA. The IDPs’ protest forced the federal ministers, including Mian Manzoor Wattoo, Syed Samsaam Bukhari and MNAs Rubeena Qaimkhani and Akhunzada Chattan to cut their visit short and leave the camp. The protesters also chanted slogans against Chattan and the federal government.


http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=177878

May 17, 2009: PESHAWAR/MIRAMSHAH: Forty people, were killed and several others critically injured in two successive attacks by US spy planes at Khaisur village of Mirali subdivision of North Waziristan Agency on Saturday morning. Tribal sources said two US spy planes were seen flying over Khaisur village, 20 kilometres south of the Mirali subdivision, the second major town of militancy-wrecked North Waziristan tribal region. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=22177

May 17, 2009: Asif Ali Zardari said on Saturday In an interview with veteran British journalist David Frost on Al-Jazeera TV, the president said that the Swat deal was not a Sharia law and that Sufi Muhammad was selling it as such to his followers for his vested interests. He said the deal was for the enforcement of Nizam-e-Adl, aimed for the provision of speedy justice. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=22181

May 17, 2009: ISLAMABAD: The Army operation in Swat would be concluded in six to eight weeks after achievement of the set goals, the national leadership was told in Fridayís in-camera briefing. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=178041

May 17, 2009: Victims of military action compensated: MIRAMSHAH: The political administration Saturday paid Rs19.35 million in compensation to 80 pe sons affected by the military operation in North Waziristan. Those who suffered the loss of family members were handed cheques of Rs0.5 million each while the seriously injured were given Rs300,000 each. Those with minor injuries received Rs50,000 each. Assistant Political Agent Asghar Khan distributed the cheques at a ceremony. Asghar Khan said some of the affected persons had already been paid the compensation, while the rest would be compensated in the coming days. http://www.thenews.com.pk/arc_news.asp?id=7

May 18, 2009: WASHINGTON/NEW YORK: US President Barack Obama has voiced confidence in the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear assets. But at the same time, he made it clear that he could consider all options to secure the nuclear weapons, if the country got less stable. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=22184

May 18, 2009: PESHAWAR: Security forces launched an operation against militants in Dir Upper on Sunday as warplanes dropped bombs in five villages of the remote Doog Darra area to target suspected hideouts of the militants, Sources said the strikes killed a child and a woman and injured several people but there was no word about the militants’ casualties. The jetfighters carried out two more strikes in Doog Bala, Panaghar, Maluk Khuar, Miana and Shatkas, the five villages of Doog Darra. As the attacks were launched in the evening and the area was a remote one, sketchy information was coming out about the human and material losses. It is learnt that two mosques, one of them also serving as a seminary, two houses and a health facility came under attack from the warplanes. There were also reports that the bazaar was also pounded where some shops were damaged. People said that smoke was seen billowing from the area after the aerial attacks. A woman and child were reported killed in the strikes while six others were wounded. The injured were rushed to hospitals. However, residents of the area said that the district headquarters hospital was poorly-equipped to cope with the emergency situation. There were also shortage of doctors due to which the critically injured were referred to Timergara and Peshawar. After the aerial strikes, thousands of people of the area moved out to safer places. They were not able to take along with them their belongings due to fear of bombardment. Locals said that they were moving towards Sheringal, a main town on the Kohistan strip. There was no word from the military sources on the casualties in these strikes. The security forces were checking all vehicles going in and coming out from the area at Khwago Oba entrance to Kohistan region where Doog Darra is situated. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=22191

May 18, 2009: BISHAM: Two persons were killed when security forces allegedly opened fire on the house of a local lawyer in Lelonai area of Shangla district on Sunday. This was the first action by security forces in the area. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=22194

May 18, 2009: LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said the PTI doesn’t favour Taliban or operation against them but only values the aspirations of the people of Pakistan. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=178143

May 19, 2009: Two shot dead in Chakdara; Timergara situation alarming

SAKHAKOT, Malakand Agency: Imposition of curfew in the Malakand Agency is adding to the miseries of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) and hundreds of passengers coming and going to Swat, Dir, Chitral, Shangla and other parts of the Malakand Division.
Hundreds of vehicles have been stranded for the last three to four days due to curfew in the Malakand Agency and the hapless passengers are waiting for the administration decision to relax the curfew. Long queues of vehicles, including coaches, buses, trucks and cars, could be seen on road from Sakhakot to Chakdarra, while the passengers are sitting helplessly on roadsides and in nearby fields waiting for hearing the news of curfew relaxation.
The passengers include women, children, patients and those travelling abroad or returning homes from other cities of the country after a long time. But they are not sure whether or not curfew would be relaxed and they would proceed to their destinations.
Sher Nawaz of Talash in Dir Lower, Shah Hussain of Sharingal and Ibrahim of Wari, Dir Upper, returned home from Lahore, Azad Kashmir and Rawalpindi, respectively, but the almost 40-kilometre strip under curfew had kept them away from their near and dear ones for the last three days.
“We were working as labourers. The uncertain situation forced us to return home and shift our families to safer places, but the curfew trapped us in a deserted place where water and meals are not available,� complained Shah Hussain. The road blockade is also causing shortage of food and other necessary items in the affected areas, as loaded trucks were parked miles away from their destinations. Noorul Amin and Younus, both truck drivers, said passengers, drivers and cleaners were facing difficulties due to the unavailability of food and water. The local restaurants were exploiting the situation by selling food on exorbitant prices, he said.
Our Timergara correspondent adds: Curfew in Malakand and Adenzai brought routine life to a standstill and created an acute shortage of food, medicines and other items in both the Lower and Upper Dir districts.
Our Chakdara correspondent adds: Law-enforcement agencies shot dead two people on the violation of curfew, while a woman died of snake-bite here.


http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=22220

May 19, 2009: PESHAWAR: Several persons, including women and children, were killed and a number of others sustained injuries when families fleeing the military operation in Swat’s Matta town were shelled while crossing a mountainous path to reach Karo Darra in Dir Upper on Monday, eyewitnesses and official sources said.
Eyewitnesses, who escaped the attack or were able to reach Wari town of Dir Upper in injured condition, said they were targeted by gunship helicopters. However, police officials said they might have been hit by a stray shell. Local people said they saw some 12 to 14 bodies on a mountain on the Swat side but could not go near to retrieve them or help the injured for fear of another aerial attack.
Talking to local journalists, an eyewitness Bacha Zada claimed that a number of families were going to Dir Upper from Matta and Kabal areas of Swat when they were attacked by a helicopter. He said as they rushed to the help of the victims, the gunship helicopter re-appeared and again fired at them. He said at this stage all of them ran away and abandoned the dead and the injured.
It was learnt that some of them with minor injuries were being treated in Wari while seriously wounded persons were rushed to Timergara. A woman Sardara, whose son Rahmat Sher was killed in the incident, said she left the body of her child on the mountain and fled to save her life. The woman, who managed to cross into Wari while injured, said her son breathed his last in her lap.
Though information from the area was sketchy, villagers put the number of those killed by in shelling by helicopter at 12 to 14. Some of the dead were identified as Rahmat Sher, Amanul Mulk, Irfanullah and Hasina.
Among the injured included Sardara, Ajab Khan, Azam, Lakhtay, Ismail, Raham Bibi, Muhammad Sher, Zahir Mina, Bakht Rawan, Shagai, Nawab Sher, Begum, Shtamand and Dost Muhammad. Meanwhile, thousands of residents of Doog Darra, which was attacked by warplanes on Sunday, fled the area. http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=22211

May 20, 2009: LAHORE: MAINSTREAM opposition parties on Tuesday accused the government of misleading the nation by falsely claiming of unanimous support to Swat military operation by all the political parties in the government’s APC held in Islamabad on Monday. They warned the rulers against blind pursuit of US agenda at the cost of national security and integrity, and said it was dishonesty of PPP government to misinform the nation that at least seven parties outright opposed military operation in Swat, adding that such deceptive attitude would force opposition parties to refrain from any government APC in the future. Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Syed Munawwar Hasan said the PPP government deserved extreme condemnation for deceiving whole nation for the sake of US agenda, and alleged that all parties in the ruling coalition were part of the US game plan. Jamiat Ahle Hadith President, Senator Sajid Mir accused the government of crossing all limits of shameful US slavery by making false claims of unanimous support to Swat military operation by all parties at the APC. Pakistan Tehrik Insaf (PTI) Information Secretary Omar Sarfraz Cheema demanded resignation of the federal information minister for misleading the nation about support to military operation in the APC. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=178484

May 21, 2009: MARDAN: Villagers and internally displaced persons (IDPs) staged a demonstration here Wednesday to protest the attack by a military helicopter in Buner on Tuesday in which a teenage girl was killed and several other civilians were injured.The protestors mostly came from Mohib Banda, a village in Garhi Kapoora area near Mardan that served as temporary home for the IDP families that suffered human losses in the Buner helicopter attack.The protestors complained that innocent civilians were being targeted during the military operation against the militants. They argued that the government on the one hand was asking the IDPs to return to Buner but the army was attacking the displaced families that were going back to their villages.
The family of Mir Kamal from Koga village in Buner suffered the most in the shelling by gunship helicopter. His 15-year-old daughter Zainab was killed while his two other daughters Saira and Hida and his wife Zamina, along with his three sons Ayaz, Fayyaz and Imtiaz sustained injuries.The unfortunate Mir Kamal, who survived the attack, told reporters that his family along with several others was returning to Buner from Mohib Banda, Mardan to harvest their wheat crop when the helicopter shelled their vehicle. He wondered as to why the civilians were attacked. He added that several other people too were wounded in the attack and some of them were taken to Peshawar for treatment.The dead and injured were transported to Mardan Tuesday night via Katlang. The number of injured was around 26, though some needed first-aid only. Some of the injured were identified as Hidayat Bibi, Shah Zahoor, Ahmed, Fahim, Nasir and Muhammad Arif.


http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=22270

May 21, 2009: Athar Abbas said that a total of 1,057 militants had been killed in Swat, Dir and Buner since April 27, while 58 security forces’ personnel were also martyred. He said the foreign nationals so far arrested by security forces included Afghans, Uzbeks and Arabs. “The strategy is to kill the maximum number of terrorists. The militant leaders are paying $50 to 60 per day to the fighters,î he said. He added the Pakistan Army would try its best to end the ongoing operation as soon as possible. http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=22250

May 21, 2009: MARDAN: Villagers and internally displaced persons (IDPs) staged a demonstration here Wednesday to protest the attack by a military helicopter in Buner on Tuesday in which a teenaged girl was killed and several other civilians were injured. The protestors mostly came from Mohib Banda, a village in Garhi Kapoora area near Mardan that served as temporary home for the IDP families that suffered human losses in the Buner helicopter attack. The protestors complained that innocent civilians were being targeted during the military operation against the militants. They argued that the government on the one hand was asking the IDPs to return to Buner but the army was attacking the displaced families that were going back to their villages.
The family of Mir Kamal from Koga village in Buner suffered the most in the shelling by gunship helicopter. His 15-year-old daughter Zainab was killed while his two other daughters Saira and Hida and his wife Zamina, along with his three sons Ayaz, Fayyaz and Imtiaz sustained injuries.
The unfortunate Mir Kamal, who survived the attack, told reporters that his family along with several others was returning to Buner from Mohib Banda, Mardan to harvest their wheat crop when the helicopter shelled their vehicle. He wondered as to why the civilians were attacked. He added that several other people too were wounded in the attack and some of them were taken to Peshawar for treatment.
The dead and injured were transported to Mardan Tuesday night via Katlang. The number of injured was around 26, though some needed first-aid only. Some of the injured were identified as Hidayat Bibi, Shah Zahoor, Ahmed, Fahim, Nasir and Muhammad Arif. http://www.thenews.com.pk/print3.asp?id=22270

May 22, 09: A family, which managed to move out from Swat, said that eight persons were killed and 13 others injured when mortar shells landed on three houses in Shagai area of Mingora on Wednesday night. Two of the dead were identified as Abdul Satar and Usman. Four persons were kidnapped from Fatehpur area of Khwazakhela. We have traced conversation between the Taliban commanders in which the commander of the Swat Taliban is appealing to his counterpart in Waziristan to send Uzbek and Tajik fighters. a senior intelligence official told IslamOnline, wishing not to be named. We cannot say with authority at the moment that if these foreign militants will join the Taliban fighting in Swat, but we are fully prepared,î he said, adding ìAdditional troops have been sent to the bordering areas of South and North Waziristan to tackle the foreign militants if they try to move towards Swat. http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=22275

22-05-09: The military has been engaged in the operation against the militants in Maidan for the last 27 days and it had claimed to have killed over 200 militants so far. http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=22278

22-05-09: PESHAWAR: A Swati family that lost nine members when its house was bombed in the ongoing military operation in Swat has appealed to the security forces to differentiate between the militants and common citizens and make proper arrangements to rescue helpless people from the troubled areas. The ill-fated family, whose three women were killed earlier by the militants for supporting security forces, lost another nine members in the military operation. The family also appealed to the militants to first investigates the case before awarding “Islamic punishment� to anyone. Jan Nawab of Gat