Rawalpindi

AMRITSAR: A Sikh advocate in Pakistan was reportedly thrashed and threatened with dire consequences recently if he did not convert to Islam, forcing his family to run for safety to a gurdwara in Hassanabdal near Rawalpindi.

While the victim, Anup Singh, was yet to regain consciousness, the incident has left the Sikh community in Pakistan rattled and insecure. Talking to TOI from Islamabad, Anup’s brother, Ravinder Singh, recalled horror of November 21. ‘‘A group of at least eight men kidnapped my brother from his office and took him to Mohammad Amin’s residence, where he was stripped and photographed with Amin’s wife.’’

Islamabad, Paksitan (CNN) -- Life is slowly getting back to normal at the women's campus of Islamabad's International Islamic University.

The young women who study here chatter on the school's well-manicured lawns, their brightly-colored scarves and Pakistani dresses blowing in the wind on a sunny autumn day.

Barely three weeks ago, this quiet place of learning was the scene of a nightmare. On October 20, two suicide bombers launched near simultaneous attacks on both the men's and women's side of the campus.

Afsheen Zafar, 20, is in mourning. Three of her classmates, girls she describes as "shining stars," were killed on that terrible day.

Still, she says the carnage could have been much worse if not for the actions of a lowly janitor, who was also killed.

RAWALPINDI: At least 10 people have been feared dead and as many others were injured as a massive explosion has occurred near Shalimar Hotel behind Pearl Continental (PC) Hotel located on a Mall Road in Cantonment Area of Rawalpindi, on Monday morning, Geo news correspondent Zarghoon Shah quoted police sources as saying.

Rescue teams have arrived on the blast scene, kicking off rescue efforts.

According to police sources, the blast was planted in a vehicle; meanwhile, emergency has been declared in all hospitals as some wounded people were said to be critical in condition including an army major.

Blackwater (Xe) accused of Bhutto & Hariri assassinations

http://seeker401.wor...
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http://www.tehrantim...

TEHRAN – Pakistan’s former chief of army staff, General Mirza Aslam Beg (ret.), has said the U.S. private security company Blackwater was directly involved in the assassinations of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto and former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.

Blackwater later changed its name and is now known as Xe.

Pakistan is being misrepresented in the media. This provoked a thought and I, with some friends, have decided that we should seriously pursue repairing and building of Pakistan’s image by writing in every available platform. I have taken the first step by sending a letter to Gulf Times editorial, which got published in today’s newspaper.

I thought to share it with you.

http://www.gulf-time...

Pakistanis optimistic

Dear Sir,

Pakistan is surely a land of miracles. Here impossibilities turn into possibilities, abstracts into concretes and dreams into realities; nothing is beyond the limits of Pakistanis. Be it the field of science or technology, politics or economics, the nuclear research, or the war against terrorism, Pakistan always comes up with a high head. The astonishing fact is that the whole world is busy in creating hurdles and obstructions in Pakistan’s way to its progress but the people of Pakistan are so determined and strong-minded that they never give any importance to the wind blowing against them. They are always ready to tame the wild forces.