In this bulletin:

• Dozens killed by snow, cold in Afghanistan
• Afghans deported from Iran brave biting cold
• Afghan Army discovers Iranian mines on road from Kabul
• Dion, Ignatieff meet with Karzai in Afghanistan
• Dion meets with Karzai in Afghanistan
• Afghan aid projects bearing fruit: CIDA
• NATO targets Taliban commander in north of Afghan capital 
• Bid to transform Afghan madrassas
• Al-Qaeda in Pakistan "a grave concern": US military chief
• Pakistan kills over 50 militants near Afghan border: officials
• Baitullah Mehsud – The Taliban’s New Leader in Pakistan
• Pakistan takes a step backwards
• Asian Development Bank Doing Study, Not Much Known About Poverty In Afghanistan
• Indian soap operas face the axe in Afghanistan
• Three ex-leaders of Muslim charity convicted of false information

Dozens killed by snow, cold in Afghanistan

Sat Jan 12, 2:12 AM ET - KABUL (Reuters) - Dozens of people have been killed by heavy snow and freezing weather in recent days in Afghanistan, an official said on Saturday.

The snow falls have also blocked roads connecting remote districts to urban areas in several western provinces, said Ghulam Mohammad Mujahid, an official of the Afghan Red Crescent Society.

Some 35 employees of a construction company, including Iranian nationals, have been trapped by an avalanche in Herat province close to the border with Iran, Mujahid said. "Efforts are underway to rescue them," he told Reuters.

More than 15 people and thousands of head of sheep perished in various parts of Herat, while 20 people were killed in the rugged province of Uruzgan in the south by cold weather and snow.

A convoy carrying emergency food and other supplies for the affected families was trapped in Badghis due to heavy snow, Mujahid said.

(Reporting by Sayed Salahuddin; Editing by David Fox and Sanjeev Miglani)

Afghans deported from Iran brave biting cold

Pajhwok News Agency, 01.12.08 - HERAT CITY - More than 220 Afghan refugees deported from Iran had to brave frigid weather conditions in the western Herat province, officials said here on Thursday.

Refugee Affairs Department official Ghulam Rabbani Siawashani, in charge of looking after camps in the province, told Pajhwok Afghan News the deportees were arrested from different parts of the neighbouring country before being sent to the Islam Qala Port during the last 24 hours.

The deportees did not have even transport fare and drivers brought them to Herat City for free, claimed Siawashani, who added some of them stayed at the Jami Camp but did not have fuel to warm their rooms. They left for their native provinces today.

Deputy Director Abdul Karim Ebrahimi, regretting the expulsion of refugees in the harsh winter, alleged the move was politically motivated and that Iran always sought to mount pressure on Afghanistan.

Qudratullah (25), one of the deportees from the Samangan province, said: "Iranian police rounded me up along with two other Afghans. We asked them to let us receive our wages, but they refused to play ball." He explained they reached Islam Qala four days after being ordered out of Iran.

But Muhammad Kazim Shafi, media officer at the Iranian Consulate here, insisted the expulsion of Afghan refugees had been halted. "We have recommend (to the government in Tehran) the Afghan refugees not be deported at the peak of winter."

Around 12,900 Afghans including 250 families have been driven from Iran in recent months. Refugee Affairs Department Director Shamsuddin Hamid said most of the Afghans were deported from Mazindaran and Gulistan provinces to Islam Qala port.

Afghan Army discovers Iranian mines on road from Kabul

AKI, 01.12.08 -Mines produced in Iran have been discovered and seized by Afghan armed forces along the road between the capital, Kabul, and the eastern city of Jalalabad.

"These mines are the latest technology and considered very dangerous," said a spokesman from the organisation for Afghan national security.

It is not the first time that Iran has been accused of sending arms to Taliban guerillas who are fighting the government of Hamed Karzai.

Recently the head of the Canadian troops stationed in Afghanistan accused Tehran of collaborating with militants linked to the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar.

Before him, the US defence secretary, Robert Gates, spoke of Tehran's involvement in Afghanistan.

The Iranian consul in Herat has rejected any suggestion of relations between his government and Afghani Taliban leaders.

Dion, Ignatieff meet with Karzai in Afghanistan

Updated Sat. Jan. 12 2008 12:25 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

Liberal Leader Stephane Dion and Deputy Leader Michael Ignatieff have met with Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai in Kabul.

But a CTV reporter in Kandahar said Saturday the meat of the meeting -- a continued presence by Canadian combat troops -- hasn't come out yet.

"That is the real heart of the matter here," he told Newsnet. "There are too few troops in Afghanistan, not too many."

A Liberal news release issued Saturday said they told Karzai that while the party believes Canada's combat mission should end in 2009, the party supports the continuation of diplomatic and development efforts.

"We are convinced after the day we've had that we will have plenty of things to do that will involve, yes, to take risks, but anywhere we will go whether Darfur or Haiti, there are always risks," Dion told reporters in Kabul.

"We are not afraid of the risks. But we want to sure that we have a balanced mission after 2009 that will be optimally helpful for the people of Afghanistan."

Karzai's reaction to the statement isn't known yet, but Oliver said reports indicate he thanked Canada for its service in his country to date.

Canada has about 2,500 troops operating in Kandahar province, one of the most violent regions in the country. Seventy-six of them have died since 2002, along with a Canadian diplomat.

The current mandate from Parliament has the combat mission ending in February 2009, but Prime Minister Stephen Harper would like to see it extended.

He is awaiting the report of a special blue-ribbon panel, chaired by hawkish former Liberal cabinet minister John Manley, to recommend a path forward for the mission.

Dion and Ignatieff said they agreed with Karzai on the use of air and artillery strikes as weapons in the counter-insurgency fight.

The use of such firepower is being blamed for civilian deaths.

Dion and Ignatieff said they wanted a NATO-wide solution that protects detainees from being transferred into situations where they could face torture.

"This was a wonderful opportunity to meet face-to-face with President Karzai to hear first-hand the impact that troops and civilians are having here," Dion said.

"The Liberal Party of Canada is very proud of the contributions our men and women in uniform have made to try to bring peace and stability to this region."

"We had a very fruitful discussion about the NATO mission in Afghanistan and Canada's role in it. I hope it was the first of many more to come," Ignatieff said.

While Ignatieff is the party's deputy leader, Bob Rae, the former Ontario NDP premier, is the Liberals' foreign affairs critic.

With files from The Associated Press

Dion meets with Karzai in Afghanistan

Allison Lampert ,  Canwest News Service Published: Saturday, January 12, 2008

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Liberal party leader Stephane Dion and deputy leader Michael Ignatieff met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai Saturday, in a fact-finding mission to determine Canada's long-term role in the war-torn country.

Speaking to reporters at the Canadian embassy in Kabul, Dion wouldn't say whether Karzai was disappointed over the Liberals' plan to end Canada's combat role in Afghanistan after February 2009.

"The president has been very thankful for everything Canadians are doing," Dion said. "Obviously all our interlocutors would like Canada to be more involved in everything."

Ignatieff said Canada would continue to maintain a military presence to protect construction efforts from attack, but soldiers would no longer go on the offensive against Taliban insurgents. The reduction of Canada's military effort in Afghanistan would free up resources to invest in other areas like construction.

"We understand you can't do development without the security," Ignatiaff said. "The party envisages (having) a balanced portfolio."

Afghan aid projects bearing fruit: CIDA

The Ottawa Citizen, 01/12/2008 By Don Butler - Canada's development efforts are starting to transform the lives of Afghans, three members of the Canadian International Development Agency's Afghanistan task force said yesterday.

But, they warned at a public forum at the International Development Research Centre, there's still a very long way to go.

"My major message would be sustainable development takes a long time," said Diana Youdell, former head of aid for CIDA in Kabul. The same is true of strengthening security and governance.

In all three areas, Ms. Youdell said, "we are making progress." Living conditions for ordinary Afghans are improving, with advances in educational and health services leading the way.

But for that to continue, she said, "it is very critical that we maintain ourselves as key members of the international community in Afghanistan."

Kevin Rex, former development adviser to the Canadian Forces at Kandahar airfield, echoed Ms. Youdell's comments.

"This is going to take a long time," he said. "But it's worth it. We have all seen the change and the positive impact every single day we were there."

One important development is the election of 17,500 community development councils at the village level.

"Local governance is what is going to help Afghanistan get on its feet," said Ms. Youdell.

NATO targets Taliban commander in north of Afghan capital 

KABUL, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) carried out air raid against a Taliban commander and his men in Kapisa province north of Kabul Saturday, a press release of the multinational force said.

"ISAF conducted a precise strike on a compound in Kapisa Province targeting a senior Taliban commander and other Taliban leaders today," the press release said.

The compound, located in the Pasha Qari village of Tag Ab Valley, was the site of a large Taliban meeting and the commander was wanted for attacks in Kapisa, Parwan and Kabul Provinces, it further said.

However, it did not identify the commander and neither said if he was killed. But added he was a key improvised explosive device (IED) facilitator in the valley and is responsible for organizing attacks against ISAF, Coalition and government forces of Afghanistan. Taliban militants have yet to make any comment. 

Bid to transform Afghan madrassas
By David Loyn , BBC Newsnight

The Afghan government has changed its policy on madrassas, the religious schools that inspired a generation of fundamentalists who became the Taliban.

Rather than trying to freeze them out, it is trying to bring them into the state system, providing they widen their syllabus to teach other subjects.

The Education Minister Hanif Atmar says: "We are critical of policies in the past. Actually it was a result of those policies to exclude these madrassas, keep them on the margin of the society, and then entirely hand them over to the fundamentalists."

Under the reform the schools will be able to continue to teach subjects connected to the Islamic faith for 40% of the time, but the other 60% will be taken up with more standard subjects - history, geography, science and languages - as well as computer studies.

Mr Atmar likes to remind people that the founder of modern European medicine, Ibn Sina, born about a thousand years ago, studied at an Afghan madrassa: "I think our madrassas will go back to the historic glory these madrassas had. Four or five centuries ago they were the best institutes of education in the east."

The new policy is a direct challenge to neighbouring Pakistan, where madrassas have been a key recruiting ground for the Taliban.

The Speaker of the Upper House of the Afghan parliament, Sibghatullah Mujadidi, says: "In Pakistan some of our students are studying religious subjects and they have been also trained for terrorism.

"If we have enough madrassas in Afghanistan, there will be no need for students to go to Pakistan. They will study here and real moderate Islam will be taught to them."

Dr Mujadidi was speaking at the laying of a foundation stone for new buildings in one of Kabul's oldest madrassas, funded by the reform programme. The aim is to build a state-funded madrassa in every province in the country, as a spearhead of the new policy.

But many madrassas are opposed to the reforms. At the core of their teaching students learn the Koran by rote, and they say they have no time to learn anything other than the ways of Islam - widening the curriculum as the government wants, would dilute the learning.

So there would be no one wise enough to issue fatwas, legal religious orders.

The Dean of one of these madrassas Mullah Rahimullah Azizi says that if they are forced to introduce other subjects then some of his students will go to learn in madrassas in Pakistan.

"A religious student may want to qualify in Afghanistan. But if he sees there is no way to do that properly here, then he has no option but to go abroad.

"And he gets hatred in his heart. He thinks although I have an Islamic government, I do not have the opportunity to study. He will turn against the government, and problems will be created," says Mullah Rahimullah Azizi.

But in this battle for the minds of the next generation, the government believes the flow of students will be the other way.

The Minister Mr Atmar says if they get the reforms right, more Afghans will want to be educated in Afghanistan.

"In Pakistan across the border with Afghanistan there are around 15,000 madrassas, and around 1.5m students are enrolled there. If we invest adequately, and according to the policy of the government of Afghanistan, in our madrassa system, to a large extent those Afghans who are now being taught in madrassas across the border will come back to their own country," said Mr Atmar.

The other main problem is the lack of resources to carry out the reforms.

The government is struggling to fund the building of standard state schools and has failed to win new funding for its reform of madrassas.

Donations from western military sources have filled some of the gap, but the Dean of a madrassa that does want to reform, Abdul Salaam Abed, said: "I know that they want to raise the syllabus and teaching up to international standards.

"But we do not have the capability for that. We may be getting a new syllabus, and that is good.

"But to implement it requires teachers and books, etc. We do not have that. In the madrassas, even if the new syllabus comes, there is no equipment for it. This is our main problem."

Al-Qaeda in Pakistan "a grave concern": US military chief

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Al-Qaeda's use of Pakistani tribal areas as safe havens is a "grave concern" but it is up to Pakistan to address the problem directly, US military chief Admiral Michael Mullen said Friday.

Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the safe havens have had a "significant impact" not only on the security situation in neighboring Afghanistan, but in Pakistan itself.

"There are concerns now about how much (Al-Qaeda) have turned inward, literally, inside Pakistan, as well as the kind of planning, training, financing and support that (Al-Qaeda's) worldwide effort" demands, he said.

Mullen's comments follow a New York Times report a week ago that said Washington is considering giving the Pentagon and the CIA new authority to conduct covert actions inside the tribal areas.

Pakistani military leaders have bristled at the suggestion of unilateral US action in its territory.

President Pervez Musharraf, in an interview published Friday by the Straits Times, warned that an unauthorized US incursion into Pakistani territory would be treated as an invasion.

"Nobody will come here until we ask them to come. And we haven't asked them," he said.

Mullen said: "We are mindful of this: that Pakistan is a sovereign country and certainly it's really up to President Musharraf and certainly his advisers and his military to address that problem directly."

"But we know it's having a significant impact, not just in Afghanistan; there's certainly concerns there," he added, referring to the safe havens.

"I'm extremely, extremely concerned about that, and I think continued pressure there will have to be brought," he said.

He said Admiral William Fallon, the head of the US Central Command, has discussed the issue with Musharraf's successor as armed forces chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.

"We're looking for additional ways or different ways to address this," Mullen said.

"That's not going to happen overnight. And he's a brand new chief and he just took over, but I know his concern is as ours," he said.

He spoke after meeting with US Defense Secretary Robert Gates and General Dan McNeill, the senior US commander in Afghanistan, to consider a proposal to deploy some 3,000 marines to Afghanistan by April.

Pentagon officials have said the proposal is for a one-time, seven month deployment of a marine air-ground task force with helicopters, combat troops and trainers.

But it comes amid growing insurgent violence in Afghanistan and concerns about weakening support among NATO allies for a mission that is now in its seventh year.

The 40,000-strong NATO-led International Security Assistance Force has assumed responsibility for security throughout the country from US forces over the past two years.

The marines would be used to help fill a shortfall of some 7,500 troops and trainers in the NATO-led force. They would be in addition to the 26,000 US troops already in the country, either as part of the ISAF force or a separate US-led counter-terrorism force.

Pakistan kills over 50 militants near Afghan border: officials

ISLAMABAD (AFP) — Pakistani troops killed more than 50 Taliban militants after fighting off an attack on a military fort in a troubled tribal region bordering Afghanistan, security officials said Saturday.

The clash occurred on the night between Wednesday and Thursday near the town of Ladha in the rugged South Waziristan tribal district, where thousands of Pakistani troops are deployed to fight Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants.

"More than 50 miscreants were killed in the attack and an unknown number were also injured," a senior security official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Chief military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told AFP that militants suffered "heavy casualties in the encounter" but said he had no official figures yet.

The fighting erupted late Wednesday, just hours after thousands of armed tribesmen met at Wana, the main town in South Waziristan, to hunt down those involved in killing members of a tribal peace committee last week.

The tribesmen blame those killings on Baitullah Mehsud, a leading Taliban warlord, who has also been accused by the Pakistani government of masterminding the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto last month.

Military sources said those who mounted the attack on the fort were mainly followers of Mehsud. There was no immediate comment from local Taliban sources.

Pakistan has pushed more than 90,000 troops into the tribal belt to combat Islamic militants who fled Afghanistan after US-led forces invaded the country in 2001 in the wake of the September 11 attacks on the United States.

On Friday the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff said that Al-Qaeda's use of Pakistan's tribal areas as safe havens was a "grave concern".

Military chief Admiral Michael Mullen said the safe havens had a "significant impact" on security not only in neighbouring Afghanistan but also in Pakistan, while adding that it was up to Pakistan to address the problem directly.

Mullen's comments follow a New York Times report a week ago that said Washington was considering giving the Pentagon and the CIA new authority to conduct covert actions inside the tribal areas. Pakistan has bristled at any such suggestion.

President Pervez Musharraf, in an interview published Friday by Singapore's Straits Times, warned that an unauthorised US incursion into Pakistani territory would be treated as an invasion. "Nobody will come here until we ask them to come. And we haven't asked them," he said.

Mullen said: "We are mindful of this: that Pakistan is a sovereign country and certainly it's really up to President Musharraf and certainly his advisers and his military to address that problem directly."

He said he was "extremely, extremely concerned" about the safe havens in Pakistan, adding: "I think continued pressure there will have to be brought."

Mullen said Admiral William Fallon, the head of the US Central Command, had discussed the issue with Musharraf's successor as armed forces chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.

Baitullah Mehsud – The Taliban’s New Leader in Pakistan

By Imtiaz Ali, The Jamestown Foundation Volume 5, Issue 1 (January 8, 2008)

Baitullah Mehsud, the most feared and dangerous militant commander in Pakistan’s tribal region, has not only become the public face of militancy in the country, but is now also openly posing a serious threat to U.S. efforts to bring stability to neighboring war-torn Afghanistan. Mehsud leads the recently formed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (Taliban Movement of Pakistan), a joint group of various local Taliban outfits sharing the common objectives of implementing sharia (Islamic law) and waging jihad against U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan.

Mehsud—who is suspected of having close ties with al-Qaeda—has been in the headlines of local newspapers for more than three years now because of his prominent role in spearheading the insurgency against Pakistan’s armed forces, who are currently hunting al-Qaeda and Taliban militants in the tribal areas. Lately Mehsud has become a menacing presence in Pakistan due to the widespread belief of his involvement in the deadly wave of suicide bombings—mostly targeted against security forces—that has shaken the whole nation. A UN report released in September last year blamed Mehsud for almost 80 percent of suicide bombings in Afghanistan (Daily Times [Lahore], September 30, 2007). According to some reports, Mehsud has compiled his own hit list of political leaders and high-profile government officials, and has formed special squads for carrying out such terrorist acts (Daily Times, May 31, 2007).

Already a household name in Pakistan, Mehsud rose to global notoriety two weeks ago when officials named him as the prime suspect and alleged mastermind behind the killing of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, which was the most high-profile political assassination in the recent history of the country. Pakistani authorities have released the text of a Pashto-language telephone conversation allegedly intercepted by Pakistan’s Interior Ministry, in which Mehsud congratulates “brave boys” for accomplishing a “mission,” which—according to officials—refers to the assassination of Benazir Bhutto (English-language version by Agence France Press, December 29, 2007).

At thirty four years old, Mehsud is a warlord based in the restive South Waziristan tribal agency and is said to be much revered by militants on both sides of the Pakistani-Afghan border. Locals say that he has more than 20,000 fighters, mostly from his Mehsud clan. Officials as well as his aides claim that he also has hundreds of trained fidayeen (men of sacrifice) ready to lay down their lives as suicide bombers upon his instructions.

According to his aides, Mehsud has taken an oath of allegiance to the Taliban supreme leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar. Apart from sharing the same ideologies on sharia and jihad, Mehsud also shares with his spiritual leader an aversion to publicity and photographs. As a guerrilla fighter, Mehsud sharpened his skills under the guidance of legendary Pashtun commander Maulana Jalaluddin Haqqani, who is widely believed to have helped Osama bin Laden escape targeted bombing by the United States in the Tora Bora mountains of Afghanistan in early 2002.

Known as Amir (commander) among his followers, Mehsud was an unknown figure on the tribal scene until late 2004, when he filled the vacuum left by the famous tribal militant leader, Nek Muhammad Wazir, who was killed in a missile attack in June 2004. In February 2005, the Pakistani government brokered a deal with Mehsud in a bid to bring normalcy and peace to violence-stricken South Waziristan. In return for amnesty, Mehsud promised not to attack security posts or cross into Afghanistan for jihad, but backed out of the deal in late August 2007 following the Red Mosque military operation in Islamabad. Local journalists from Waziristan say that the so-called peace deal raised his stature and allowed him to further strengthen his support base (author’s interviews). As a result, the government’s writ is confined to the compounds of its security forces while gun-brandishing fighters control the countryside in the South Waziristan agency. Mehsud had his moment of glory when the government conceded to his demand to free militant prisoners in return for releasing more than 250 Pakistani soldiers, seized by his fighters and held hostage for two and half months. Among the released militants were presumably a number of would-be suicide bombers (Dawn [Karachi], December 31, 2007).

The rising popularity of this young and committed jihadi on both sides of the border has made him a bridge linking the Pakistani Taliban with the Afghan Taliban on the other side of the frontier. Many believe that Mehsud has already been involved in the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan by dispatching his men to fight against the U.S.-led Coalition forces. A close aide of Mehsud, Hakimullah Mehsud, was captured by NATO forces in the border region while trying to cross into Afghanistan with five foreign fighters (Dawn, March 8, 2007).

Once described as a “soldier of peace” by a top Pakistani military general, Mehsud is now not only defying Islamabad, but has emerged as a major irritant in the global war on terror. Some of the latest reports from the frontier may be right in citing him as the new triggerman for al-Qaeda in the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan—an area which carries immense strategic importance for the terrorist network.

Pakistan takes a step backwards

By Syed Saleem Shahzad, Asia Times Online / January 12, 2008

KARACHI - At a time when Pakistan's national decision-making institutions are suspicious of international plans to make the country's nuclear program controversial, there is serious consideration for repositioning the country's foreign policy as neutral in the United States-led "war on terror".

This would mean non-interference in the restive tribal areas on the border with Afghanistan. These are virtually autonomous areas where Taliban and al-Qaeda militants have established bases and vital supply lines into Afghanistan.

Such a move would have devastating effects on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) efforts to control the ever-growing insurgency in Afghanistan.

Following a meeting of the Pakistan corps commanders headed by the new chief of army staff, General Ashfaq Kiani, a press release said there would be a review of the situation in the tribal areas and, instead of citing any plans for military operations there against militants, the release said the military's decisions would be based on "the wishes of the nation".

Islamabad's rethink has been prompted by the violence and political crisis resulting from the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto in Rawalpindi last month. In turn, this has fueled intense speculation in the Western media of the possibility of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal falling into the hands of militants.

Most recently, Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the United Nations' atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, voiced concerns over the this possibility. "I fear chaos ... an extremist regime could take root in that country, which has 30 to 40 warheads," ElBaradei told the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat.

Such comments are viewed in Pakistan's strategic quarters as deliberate mischief on the part of the West. On the one hand it insists that Islamabad come down hard on militancy, but when this is done, the militants react against the government. The West then points to the problem of rising extremism and projects the danger posed to Pakistan's arsenal.

The former chief of the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence and former ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Germany, retired Lieutenant General Asad Durrani, told Asia Times Online, "I don't consider such statements [about Pakistan's nuclear arsenal] even worth commenting on. These are settled issues, any debate on settled issues is unnecessary. Washington is aware of the mechanisms for the protection of those weapons. There is no need to react. Reactions only generate confusion and there is no need to be confused about Pakistan's nuclear arsenal. It is in safe hands."

Durrani, who regularly attends international sessions of British and American policy think-tanks, said Pakistan's military operations in the tribal areas as a part of the "war on terror" had resulted in problems in Pakistani cities.

When asked about the corps commanders' conference and the possibility of peace dialogue between the tribals and the government instead of military operations, Durrani said, "I don't know about the exact agenda of the conference, but you can't tell me of any disagreement anywhere in the country that Pakistan should shun military operations and initiate dialogue."

Durrani, who participated in the joint Pakistan-Afghanistan peace efforts in the Pakistani city of Peshawar last year, continued, "Nobody is in favor of operations, not even those who are actually doing the operations. Even people from [the port city of] Karachi, who are considered ultra-liberal [are against operations] and on the Lal Masjid [Red Mosque] operation, I found them calling it irrational." Durrani was referring to security forces storming the radical mosque in Islamabad last year to root out militants.

Should Pakistan scale down or halt its operations in the tribal areas, where it has thousands of troops, the US might be forced to act. Reports have been swirling for some time of US plans to undertake aggressive covert operations inside Pakistan.

The George W Bush administration is concerned over intelligence reports suggesting that al-Qaeda and the Taliban are intensifying their efforts to destabilize the Pakistani government. Reports say that US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Vice President Dick Cheney and top national-security advisers recently met to discuss the proposal, which is part of a broad reassessment of US strategy following the death of Bhutto. Bhutto had been promoted by Washington as an acceptable liberal face to soften the image of President Pervez Musharraf and his administration.

The meeting also discussed how to handle the period from now to the February 18 general elections and the aftermath of those elections. Several of the participants are said to have argued that the threat to the Musharraf government is now so grave that both he and Pakistan's new military leadership are likely to give the United States more latitude. Asia Times Online investigations suggest that Pakistan might submit to US demands and conduct operations in the tribal areas, but they will be half-hearted at best.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman, former leader of the opposition in Parliament and probably the most fervent pro-Taliban cleric in the country, told Asia Times Online, "We are hearing a lot of news about operations in the tribal areas. Everybody is talking about the mobilization of troops in the coming days for an extraordinary military operation in Waziristan [tribal area] which would amount to an all-out war.

"A logical outcome of this would be a delay in the election process. But believe you me, we are experiencing an extremely normal situation in the tribal areas, especially in Waziristan. Everything is normal and I don't sense any operations from the Pakistani army. I cannot talk about the American initiative, but as far as the Pakistani army is concerned, I don't see any escalation."

Rehman is head of the Jamaat-ul-Ulema Islam Pakistan (Islamic Party of Religious Leaders) and was the main driver behind the peace agreements of 2006 between the Pakistan Taliban and the government, and he also mediated British- and US-sponsored peace efforts between the Taliban and NATO troops in Afghanistan. These resulted in an agreement to start jirgagai (small tribal councils) which would for the first time give the Taliban representation. The process was stopped when the Pakistani military began intensive operations to combat militancy in the Swat Valley in North-West Frontier Province towards the end of last year.

"Though the government has not contacted me for any mediation, I tell you that I don't foresee any operations in the tribal areas - if it happens, it would be a result of immense US pressure - and there is no indication that Pakistan wants that," said Rehman.

"This has been our principle position, that peace should be given a chance and that's why my party and I have always tried for reconciliation. However. I feel that some vested interests don't want peace in the region," Rehman responded when asked about the chances of successful dialogue between the Taliban and NATO.

"Military operations in Pakistan and Afghanistan have only bred extremism. Pakistan should avoid that. The West should learn the lessons of British India days, when the empire stayed away from the tribal areas and even signed an agreement for the independent nature of the tribal areas, and Pakistan also abides by the same agreement with the tribes," Rehman said.

Ironically, while the US is talking about military operations against al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and Pakistan is leaning towards peace accords, al-Qaeda itself is against any peace overtures in the tribal areas. This, in a sense, puts al-Qaeda and the US on the same side. A few days ago, al-Qaeda killed nine tribal leaders trying to make peace agreements.

A senior security analyst commented to Asia Times Online, on the condition of anonymity, "Pakistan is once again at a strange crossroad where its national interests are at stake. We have been under immense US pressure because of which we abandoned our national Afghan policy [support for the Taliban]. We don't actually have any option because of the huge American pressure. But it should be recalled, we didn't actually succumb on the Kashmir issue. We did compromise in our support for the armed opposition of Kashmiris against Indian forces, but not completely. And I think this is the time for us to reconsider our options and priorities in the region."

Washington may be in the process of losing a friend.

Syed Saleem Shahzad is Asia Times Online's Pakistan Bureau Chief.

Asian Development Bank Doing Study, Not Much Known About Poverty In Afghanistan

All Headline News (AHN) January 12, 2008 Paul Icamina - AHN News Writer

Kabul, Afghanistan (AHN) - Afghanistan is the world's fourth poorest or most deprived country. But surprisingly little is known about poverty and how it impacts on the population, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said in a recent statement. One of the reasons so little is known about the country's population is because no census has been done in the last 30 years, ADB officials said.

The estimate is that there are 30 million people in Afghanistan. However, more than one million Afghans still seek refuge in neighboring Pakistan and Iran.

A pilot participatory project funded by the ADB Management for Development Results Cooperation Fund is currently assessing poverty in the impoverished nation, the poorest country in the entire Asia-Pacific region, according to the Afghanistan 2007 Human Development Report.

Discussions have been held with men and women in eight communities in four of Afghanistan's 34 provinces - both rural and urban communities in Badakhshan, Herat, Nangarhar, and Uruzgan provinces

The results will help guide the government of Afghanistan and the international community in the finalization of the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS), the road map for the country's continued reconstruction and development, that is expected to be completed by March.

Indian soap operas face the axe in Afghanistan

via NewKerala.com - London, Jan 11 : The stereotypical Indian soap operas might represent the ideals and morals of the quintessential family in India, but in Afghanistan they are seen as the epitome of 'immorality.'

The country's Islamic Council of Scholars has won the support of a leading government minister in its crusade to boot out dozens of popular Bombay dramas from Afghanistan's television screens. Afghanistan's Minister of Information and Culture has warned television executives that they could face prosecution, if they continue airing Indian soaps.

The minister's announcement came after several clerics met President Hamid Karzai a week ago to demand an outlaw on shows that they claim are "spreading immorality and un-Islamic culture". The dramas, which have won thousands of devotees in India, have earned the wrath of Afghanistan's new moral enforcers, who fear that the soaps will spark a rage of "stone worship", or veneration of Hindu idols.

Tolo TV, Afghanistan's first commercial channel, airs three Indian dramas, 'Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki' or 'The Story of Every House'; 'Kasautii Zindagi Kay' or 'The Trials of Life'; and 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi' or 'Because a Mother-in-Law Was Once a Daughter-in-Law Too'. The enforcers' main concern is that these dramas are promoting "stone-worship" even though Hindu images are pixellated and scenes of Hindu worship are sliced.

The campaigners are also calling for an action to get a young generation of rappers and pop stars off air, with the old men accusing the musicians of poisoning the nation's moral standards.

The hardliners are urging the govt to ban Tolo TV's pop programmes - Hop, a local MTV-style show, and Afghan Star, a talent contest.

"The unrestrained programmes on TV have angered and prompted the ulemas [scholars] to react. Hop ... is spreading immoralities and hurts the sacred religion of Islam. Afghan Star encourages immorality ... and is against Sharia," Times Online quoted an Islamic council spokesman, as saying. However, experts say that battle to expurgate television is also a throwback to the days of Taliban rule when entertainment was forbidden.

"We have so many problems in this country - kidnapping, terrorism, inflation - so why is the Government making a big deal about something which is pleasing to the eyes and ears of most Afghans?" Saad Mohseni, the director of Tolo TV, said. --- ANI

Three ex-leaders of Muslim charity convicted of false information

Sat Jan 12, 11:54 AM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Three former leaders of a Muslim charity were convicted Friday of concealing their links to the mujahidine in Afghanistan and tax evasion, said the Department of Justice. Libyan Emadeddin Muntasser, 43, and Samir Almonla, 50, and Muhamed Mubayyid, 42, both Lebanese, were placed under arrest and could be sent to a maximum of 10-20 years in prison at sentencing hearings in early April.

The three men headed Care International Inc. between 1993 and 2003, when ostensibly the charity was financing an orphanage in Afghanistan. However, a 24-day trial in Boston, Massachusetts, found that their chief activity was issuing propaganda and collecting funds for the mujahidin in Afghanistan.

The three men did not mention the secret activity that violated the charity's tax-exempt status. They were found guilty of conspiring to defraud the United States and of engaging in a scheme to conceal information from the US government, the Justice Department said in a statement.

"Today's verdict is a milestone in our efforts against those who conceal their support for extremist causes behind the veil of humanitarianism," Kenneth Wainstein, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, said in the statement.

"For years, these defendants used an allegedly charitable organization as a front for the collection of donations that they used to support violent jihadists.

"This prosecution serves notice that we will not tolerate the use of charities as a means of promoting terrorism."

[Disclaimer: The content of this news bulletin does not necessarily reflect the view or policy of the Afghan Government, unless specifically stated as such. The collection of articles and commentaries from Afghan and international news sources is provided for informational purposes, and accuracy of the news is the responsibility of the original source.]