Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. GPS News .




THE STANS
Pakistani Kashmiris want India border opened for flood relief
by Staff Writers
Muzaffarabad, Pakistan (AFP) Sept 22, 2014


Pakistan appoints new spy chief
Islamabad (AFP) Sept 22, 2014 - Pakistan on Monday named a new head of its main intelligence agency, considered the second most powerful official in the military after the army chief.

The naming of Rizwan Akhtar as director general of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) agency comes as a protest movement to topple the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif enters its second month.

His appointment will be closely scrutinised for any clues over how it may affect the current impasse and civil-military relations, in a country where the security establishment has traditionally wielded heavy political influence.

   It was announced in a      tweet by army spokesman Major General Asim Bajwa 
along with the promotions of other senior army officers. The current ISI chief Zaheer-ul-Islam is due to retire on October 1.

The final decision on appointing the chief rests with the prime minister, who was presented with a list of names to chose from.

Akhtar, who was also promoted from major-general to lieutenant-general, previously headed the paramilitary Rangers force in the southern province of Sindh, where he oversaw a major operation against criminal syndicates and Taliban militants in the city of Karachi that began last year.

The operation has reduced crime levels but was criticised by human rights activists over allegations of extra-judicial killings and torture.

From 2007-2010 Akhtar was posted in the restive South Waziristan tribal district along the Afghan border, a refuge for militant groups including the Pakistani Taliban.

Pakistan-controlled Kashmir's parliament on Monday called upon India to open the de facto border separating the two sides of the disputed territory to allow rescue officials to reach residents hit by devastating floods.

Monsoon-induced flooding has wreaked havoc on both sides of the Himalayan region, which is divided between the two nuclear-armed rivals.

Its effects have been particularly devastating in Srinagar, the capital of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir where thousands of people lost their homes and were stranded for weeks without aid.

The floods, which hit on September 7, also caused devastating economic losses running into billions of dollars to the area's famed carpet exporters, with separatists heavily criticising New Delhi's response.

The government of Pakistan's Azad Jammu Kashmir issued a resolution calling for the United Nations to intervene, which was passed by the parliament of the nominally autonomous territory.

"The government of Pakistan should contact the United Nations and government of India to open the ceasefire line to supply the relief goods to the flood victims for their rehabilitation," the resolution by the 49-member house said.

"India has left helpless Kashmiris alone. Hundreds of dead bodies are lying unattended and thousands of people are missing, there is no arrangement for edibles.

"So this meeting (calls on) the UN to send international agencies to the Indian-held Kashmir to help the victims," it said.

Separately, the union representing traders involved in business across the border also demanded the opening of the Line of Control (LoC) which splits the region in two.

"The United Nations should open the LoC for the relief activities to enable us to go and help the flood victims," Gohar Kashmiri, president of the Intra-Kashmir traders union, told a press conference.

Since 1989 fighting between Indian forces and rebels seeking independence or a merger of the territory with Pakistan has killed tens of thousands, mostly civilians.

.


Related Links
News From Across The Stans






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








THE STANS
Blasts in China's Xinjiang kill two, injure 'many': govt
Beijing (AFP) Sept 22, 2014
Two people were killed and "many" injured as explosions erupted in multiple locations in China's Xinjiang Sunday, according to authorities in the ethnically divided region that is on edge after a series of violent incidents this year. The blasts struck at least three locations in Luntai County in the region's south, including a shopping area, the Xinjiang government's Tianshan web portal sai ... read more


THE STANS
The future of global agriculture may include new land, fewer harvests

Boosting global corn yields depends on improving nutrient balance

More land, fewer harvests

Canada federal police hunt for bee killer

THE STANS
Method detects prize particle for future quantum computing

Program Grows Lasers Directly on Silicon-Based Microchips

New species of electrons can lead to better computing

The quantum revolution is a step closer

THE STANS
USMC system for aircraft battle management to be maintained by Lockheed

Japan wants its own early-warning planes: report

Upgrade for F-35's Autonomic Logistics Information System

Upgraded Brazilian Army helo passes evaluation

THE STANS
BYU electric car sets new E1 land speed record at 204 mph

Nissan to make luxury cars in new China joint venture

Automaker gets first permit in the Golden State

150-car pile-up kills two in Netherlands

THE STANS
Japan business delegation visits China amid thaw hopes

Alibaba: China's giant online shopping 'crocodile'

Alibaba surges in Wall Street debut

China's Zhu charms Milan with Italian vision of Krizia future

THE STANS
Major palm oil companies to halt deforestation

Britain pledges funds in fight against deforestation

Smithsonian Scientists Discover Tropical Tree Microbiome in Panama

Global change: Trees continue to grow at a faster rate

THE STANS
Dry Conditions and Lightning Strikes Make for a Long California Fire Season

NASA Airborne Campaigns Focus on Climate Impacts in the Arctic

Severe flooding in Northern Pakistan photographed by NASA

EIAST announces Remote Sensing Applications Competition 2014

THE STANS
Nanoribbon film keeps glass ice-free

Rice rolls 'neat' nanotube fibers

Decoding the role of water in gold nanocatalysis

Magnetic nanocubes self-assemble into helical superstructures




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.