Nawaz Sharif demands national commission to scrutinize statement on Mumbai attacks

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, left, chairing NSC meeting called to discuss Nawaz Sharif's interview given to local media outlet. (Photo courtesy: Radio Pakistan)
Updated 14 May 2018
Follow

Nawaz Sharif demands national commission to scrutinize statement on Mumbai attacks

  • Opposition parties slam Sharif for his ‘irresponsible’ statement
  • NSC also criticize India for delays in finalizing cases against alleged militants who attacked targets in Mumbai

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif challenged his detractors on Monday to form a “national commission” to scrutinize his recent statement on the 2008 Mumbai attacks. He said the same authority should also assemble those who are calling him a traitor so the people of Pakistan can determine who is right and wrong.
Addressing a public rally in Buner, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said: “Whoever is found guilty, hang him publicly.”
Sharif also questioned why there was no accountability for the generals who overthrew democratically elected governments, while politicians who worked for the country and its people were labeled as traitors.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan’s National Security Committee (NSC), the country’s top civil-military body, held a meeting during which it described the former premier’s statement regarding the Mumbai attacks as “incorrect and misleading.”
In an interview published in Dawn newspaper on Saturday, Sharif questioned the role of militant organizations based in Pakistan in cross-border terrorism. This was interpreted by the Indian media as an admission of Pakistan’s involvement in the Mumbai attacks.
“Militant organizations are active,” Sharif said in the interview. “Call them non-state actors; should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me. Why can’t we complete the trial?”
After the NSC session, at Prime Minister’s House, the government said: “The meeting reviewed the recent statement in the context of Mumbai attacks, as it appeared in the Daily Dawn of May 12, 2018, and unanimously termed this statement as incorrect and misleading.
“The participants observed that it was very unfortunate that the opinion, arising out of either misconceptions or grievances, was being presented in disregard of concrete facts and realities.”
The participants at the meeting also “unanimously rejected the allegations and condemned the fallacious assertions.”
Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi chaired the session, which was also attended by all three services chiefs, including Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Director-General Inter-Services Intelligence Lt. Gen Naveed Mukhtar, and other senior civil and military officials.
The meeting, however, also accused India of delays in finalizing the cases against alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba’s militants who attacked targets in Mumbai in November 2008.
“Besides many other refusals (by India) during the investigation, the denial of access to the principal accused, Ajmal Qasab, and his extraordinarily hurried execution became the core impediment in the finalization of the trial (here in Pakistan),” the government said.
Pakistan’s main opposition parties, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the Pakistan People’s Party, have also criticized Sharif for his “irresponsible” statement and demanded a retraction.
However, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said that the former prime minister’s rivals were targeting him for political gain ahead of the general elections.
“One general comes into power and creates ‘mujahideen;’ the other takes over power and declares them terrorists,” he said, adding that such political antics could not be tolerated in the country any longer.


China-led lunar base to include nuclear power plant on moon’s surface, space official

Updated 3 sec ago
Follow

China-led lunar base to include nuclear power plant on moon’s surface, space official

SHANGHAI: Preliminary plans for the China and Russia-led International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) include building a nuclear power plant on the moon’s surface, a presentation by a Chinese space official on Wednesday showed.

Russia destroys energy facility in Ukraine’s Kherson, governor says

Updated 29 sec ago
Follow

Russia destroys energy facility in Ukraine’s Kherson, governor says

  • The drone attacks are continuing and there could be emergency power cuts
DUBAI:Russian forces destroyed an energy facility in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson early on Wednesday, the regional governor said.
Oleksandr Prokudin said the facility, which provided the city of Kherson with electricity, had come under Russian artillery and drone attacks for more than 24 hours.
“Our military fought all night to repel the enemy attacks. However, in the morning, the Russians succeeded in destroying the energy facility,” Prokudin said on Telegram.
The drone attacks are continuing and there could be emergency power cuts as energy workers are working to stabilize the situation, he added.

China’s Xi says tariffs ‘hurt’ multilateral trade

Chinese President Xi Jinping inspects honour guards during a welcoming ceremony (AFP)
Updated 28 min 49 sec ago
Follow

China’s Xi says tariffs ‘hurt’ multilateral trade

  • China responded with a 125 percent duty on goods from the United States.

Beijing: Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday tariffs “hurt” the multilateral trading system as he hosted his Azerbaijani counterpart for talks in Beijing, state media said.
Tariff and trade wars “undermine the legitimate rights and interests of all countries, hurt the multilateral trading system, and impact the world economic order,” he told Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, state news agency Xinhua reported.
Beijing and Washington have been embroiled in a blistering trade war since US President Donald Trump this month slapped a 145 percent blanket tax on Chinese imports.
China responded with a 125 percent duty on goods from the United States.
Beijing’s commerce ministry this week warned other nations to be wary in seeking a deal with Washington.
“China firmly opposes any party reaching a deal at the expense of China’s interests,” a ministry spokesperson said Monday in a statement.
“Appeasement will not bring peace, and compromise will not be respected,” the statement said.
On Wednesday, Xi said that “despite a constantly changing international situation,” China and Azerbaijan had maintained close ties.
A day earlier, in phone calls with his British and Austrian counterparts, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi urged Britain and the European Union to help in defending multilateral trade.


Pope Francis’ body to lie in state in St. Peter’s Basilica as the faithful mourn

Updated 57 min 4 sec ago
Follow

Pope Francis’ body to lie in state in St. Peter’s Basilica as the faithful mourn

  • Heads of state are expected for Pope Francis’ funeral Saturday in St. Peter’s Square
  • The three days of public viewing are largely for ordinary Catholics to grieve the pontiff

VATICAN CITY: The body of Pope Francis will be moved to St. Peter’s Basilica early Wednesday to lie in state for the Catholic faithful to pay their respects to the Argentine pontiff remembered for his humble style, concern for the poor and insistent prayers for peace.
Heads of state are expected for the funeral Saturday in St. Peter’s Square, but the three days of public viewing are largely for ordinary Catholics to grieve the 88-year-old pope, who died Monday after suffering a stroke.
Francis first lay in state in the Santa Marta Domus in a private viewing for Vatican residents and the papal household. Images released by the Vatican on Tuesday showed Francis lying in an open casket, wearing the traditional pointed headdress of bishops and red robes, his hands folded over a rosary. The Vatican’s No. 2, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, was pictured praying by Francis.
His body will be transferred Wednesday morning to St. Peter’s Basilica, which will be kept open until midnight on Wednesday and Thursday to allow the faithful to mourn. The public mourning period will end on Friday at 7 p.m.
Once inside the basilica, his casket won’t be put on an elevated bier – as was the case with past popes – but will just be placed on the main altar of the 16th-century basilica, simply facing the pews.
Italian police have tightened security for the viewing and the funeral, carrying out foot and horse patrols around the Vatican, where pilgrims continued to arrive for the Holy Year celebrations that Francis opened in December. The faithful who walk through St. Peter’s Holy Door are granted indulgences, a way to help atone for sins.
“For me, Pope Francis represents a great pastor, as well as a great friend to all of us,’’ said Micale Sales, visiting St. Peter’s Basilica from Brazil.
“I think he spread a positive message around the world, saying there shouldn’t be any violence, there should be peace around the world,’’ said Amit Kukreja, from Australia.
The funeral has been set for Saturday at 10 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square, and will be attended by leaders including US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelensky.
Cardinals are continuing their meetings this week to plan the conclave to elect Francis’ successor, make other decisions about running the Catholic Church as world leaders and the ordinary faithful grieve the pontiff’s death.
History’s first Latin American pontiff charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated many conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change. He last appeared in public on Sunday with an Easter blessing and popemobile tour through a cheering crowd in St. Peter’s Square.
He had some reservations about looping through the square packed with 50,000 faithful, Vatican News reported on Tuesday, but overcame them – and was thankful that he had greeted the crowd. He died the next morning.
“The death of a pope is not a small thing, because we’ve lost our leader,’’ said Julio Henrique from Brazil. “But still, in a few days, we will have a new leader. So … the thing of hope remains. Who will assume Peter’s throne?”


Vietnam village starts over with climate defenses after landslide

Updated 23 April 2025
Follow

Vietnam village starts over with climate defenses after landslide

  • Last year, Typhoon Yagi’s rains unleashed a landslide that engulfed much of Lang Nu village in mountainous Lao Cai province

LAO CAI, Vietnam: Nguyen Thi Kim’s small verdant community in northern Vietnam no longer exists, wiped away in a landslide triggered by Typhoon Yagi’s devastating heavy rains last year.
She and dozens of survivors have been relocated to a site that authorities hope will withstand future climate change-linked disasters, with stronger homes, drainage canals and a gentler topography that lessens landslide risks.
It is an example of the challenges communities around the world face in adapting to climate change, including more intense rains and flash floods like those Typhoon Yagi brought last September.
Kim lost 14 relatives and her traditional timber stilt home when Yagi’s rains unleashed a landslide that engulfed much of Lang Nu village in mountainous Lao Cai province.
The storm was the strongest to hit Vietnam in decades, killing at least 320 people in the country and causing an estimated $1.6 billion in economic losses.
It is unlikely to be an outlier though, with research last year showing climate change is causing typhoons in the region to intensify faster and last longer over land.
Climate change, caused largely by burning fossil fuels, impacts typhoons in multiple ways: a warmer atmosphere holds more water, making for heavier rains, and warmer oceans also help fuel tropical storms.
Kim remains traumatized by the landslide.
She says everything is painful, especially the memory of the moment a torrent of mud swept away her and her two-year-old daughter.
“This disaster was too big for us all,” she said recalling the moment the pair were pulled from the mud hours later.
“I still cannot talk about it without crying. I can’t forget,” the 28-year-old said.
Yagi hit Vietnam with winds in excess of 149 kilometers (92 miles) per hour and brought a deluge of rain that caused destructive flooding in parts of Laos, Thailand and Myanmar.
In Lang Nu, 67 residents were killed, and authorities vowed to rebuild the homes of survivors in a safe spot.
By December, 40 new houses were ready at a site around two kilometers away.
It was chosen for its elevation, which should be less impacted by adjacent streams, and its relatively gentle slope gradient.
“Predicting absolute safety in geology is actually very difficult,” said Tran Thanh Hai, rector of Hanoi University of Geology and Mining, who was involved in choosing a new site.
But the site is secure, “to the best of our knowledge and understanding.”
Lao Cai is one of Vietnam’s poorest areas, with little money for expensive warning systems.
However, a simple drainage system runs through the new community, diverting water away from the slope.
This should reduce soil saturation and the chances of another landslide, scientists who worked on the site said.
The village’s new homes are all built of sturdier concrete, rather than traditional wood.
“We want to follow our traditions, but if it’s not safe any longer, we need to change,” Kim said, staring out at the expanse of mud and rock where her old village once stood.
Months later it remains frozen in time, strewn with children’s toys, kitchen pans and motorcycle helmets caught up in the landslide.
Like Kim, 41-year-old Hoang Thi Bay now lives in the new village in a modern stilt house with steel structural beams.
Her roof, once made of palm leaves, is now corrugated iron and her doors are aluminum glass.
She survived the landslide by clinging desperately to the single concrete pillar in her old home as a wall of mud and rocks swept her neighborhood away.
“I still wake up in the night obsessing over what happened,” she said.
“Our old house was bigger and nicer, with gardens and fields. But I sleep here in the new house and I feel much safer,” she said.
Even at the new site, home to around 70 people, there are risks, warned Hai.
Development that changes the slope’s gradient, or construction of dams or reservoirs in the area could make the region more landslide-prone, he said.
Building more houses or new roads in the immediate area, or losing protective forest cover that holds earth in place, could also make the site unsafe, added Do Minh Duc, a professor at the Institute of Geotechnics and Environment at the Vietnam National University in Hanoi.
Yagi wiped out large areas of mature natural forest in Lao Cai and while private companies have donated trees for planting, it is unclear whether they can provide much protection.
“In terms of landslide prevention, the only forest that can have good (protective) effects is rainforest with a very high density of trees, so-called primary forest,” explained Duc, an expert on disaster risk maps who also helped choose the new site.
Leaving the old community was hard for Kim, whose family had lived and farmed there for nearly half a century.
But she is grateful that she and other survivors have a second chance.
“I believe this is the safest ground for us.”