Opinion Unaccountable cops

On September 8,during the hearing of the case,the chief justice of Pakistan,Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry,obliquely warned of an army coup if peace does not return to Karachi. The Express Tribune reported: “Why is the situation’s gravity not being realised… It will invite those who come and say ‘my dear countrymen’,he said,referring to the army.”

A good catch

Pakistani forces,in a joint operation with the CIA,reportedly arrested the “foreign minister” of al-Qaeda in Quetta,along with two other senior operatives. Daily Times carried a statement from the army on September 6: “In an intelligence-driven operation,by Inter-Services Intelligence in coordination with Frontier Corps Balochistan,a senior al-Qaeda leader,Younis al-Mauritani,mainly responsible for planning and conduct of international operations,was nabbed… Al-Mauritani was tasked personally by Osama bin Laden to focus on hitting targets of economic importance in the United States of America,Europe and Australia.”

The News added: “‘If it’s confirmed,it’s a good catch,’ said one Western intelligence source.” US defence secretary Leon Panetta was quoted by Dawn on September 7: “It’s an encouraging sign,that we’ve gotten the Pakistanis to work with us in this kind of effort… As you know,we’ve had kind of a rocky relationship of late. But we have continued to urge the Pakistanis particularly to work with us in going after some key terrorist targets… This is an indication that they are cooperating with us in that effort,and I think that’s a good sign.” The US may also obtain access to al-Mauritani for interrogation.

Among the information collected by the US after Osama bin Laden was killed in Abbottabad on May 2,a strategy paper authored by al-Mauritani was the crucial lead that led to his arrest. Dawn added: “The strategy paper,which sketched plans for the Europe plot envisaging strikes on European economic targets,was seen as evidence that Osama bin Laden sought to direct the botched Europe plot through Mauritani. The paper was later shared by the US with European intelligence agencies to help them investigate the al-Qaeda plot they had claimed uncovering last year.”

The flood returns

Since August 11,over 135 people have lost their lives in floods in Sindh. The Express Tribune reported on September 9: “With the new spell of monsoon in southern Sindh,hundreds of people have lost their lives and over five million have been displaced. According to official data,over four million acres of land has been inundated; 2.5 million acres of crops have been destroyed and over a million houses have been damaged or washed away.”

Hostages change hands

The Express Tribune reported on September 9: “Law enforcement agencies investigating the abduction cases of Shahbaz Taseer… and American aid expert Dr Warren Weinstein reportedly made a breakthrough but have simultaneously arrived at a dead-end,officials privately informed The Express Tribune. Investigators have traced the initial kidnappers in both high-profile abduction cases,and confirmed that both are kidnappings for ransom,but discovered that the original kidnappers ‘sold’ their victims to another set of abductors at a higher ransom,sources said. The ‘new’ kidnappers have been identified and are organised criminals,with a strong background of such abductions,but so far,no link has been established with banned militant outfits in either case,sources added.” Taseer’s family has denied receiving any calls for ransom.