Key al-Qaeda operative arrested in Karachi

Pakistan’s intelligence agencies have arrested two terrorists, including a US-national, who for many years acted as a spokesman for Osama Bin Laden and the Al-Qaeda, in the city.

Well-placed sources in the government and the police said US national Abu Yayha Azam, who is also known as Adam Gadahn, along with another terrorist was arrested two days ago from a house located close to Sohrab Goth on the Super highway, confirming fears that the Taliban and al—Qaeda are using the city as a safe base.

The two have now been shifted to an undisclosed location for further interrogation, the sources said.

According to the sources, key catch Azam acted as a spokesman for Laden and the al-Qaeda for many years.

Azam was wanted by the FBI since 2004 and two years later he was charged with treason. There was a USD 1 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction.

“He (Azam) is a key al-Qaeda operative who encouraged militants to wage terrorism against the US and other western countries with his messages on the internet,” a source said.

The most recent of his posting was praising of a US Army major who was charged with killing 13 people in Texas.

This is the second time in recent weeks that Pakistan’s intelligence agencies have made such arrests here.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s No 2 leader and top military commander, besides Mullah Abdul Kabir, the top Taliban commander in eastern Afghanistan, were earlier arrested here.

MNIK a smash hit in Karachi

Shah Rukh Khan starrer ‘My Name Is Khan’ is turning out to be a hit big with the moviegoers in this Pakistani city with the film running to packed houses.

“Normally the 3 and 6 o’clock shows have reasonable attendance and the late night show is packed, but this time we have been witnessing a full house for all three shows which is remarkable,” Nadeem Mandviwalla, owner of Nishat cinema, said.

The movie was released on February 12 in two main cinema theatres and also at the only multiplex which is screening it on two halls with four daily shows to cope with the rush.

“The fact that the Shiv Sena made such a big issue of Shah Rukh Khan’s statement about Pakistani cricketers has also added to the interest in the movie,” Mandviwalla said.

It is also the first major Shah Rukh Khan movie to be released in Pakistan since the government allowed screening of Indian movies in cinema halls two years back.

“In the last two years this is the first proper Shah Rukh Khan starrer that has been released in Pakistan,” another cinema manager said.

Long lines and rows of cars can be seen parked on the busy M. Jinnah road outside the two big cinema halls that are screening ‘My Name Is Khan’, causing trouble for the traffic police who are finding it difficult to cope with the rush.

“Both cinema halls have limited parking space and the people coming to watch the movie are parking their vehicles outside on the main road and that is causing problems since this road is usually congested and has heavy traffic,” traffic police sergeant, Inamullah said.

“Definitely ‘My Name Is Khan’ has generated lot of interest in Pakistan and also contributed significantly to the cultural and arts scene, but overall I think the release of Indian movies is good for us as it means people have some entertainment to look forward too,” art critic, Muneeba said.

Famous television actor and writer, Talat Hussain, said that despite recent bomb blasts in Karachi, the people were still willing to come to cinema halls and theatres to watch movies and dramas.

“It is a good sign and it shows the never say die attitude of our people, and also that our cultural scene is vibrant despite the security issues,” Hussain said.

Second bomb hits Karachi

Two bombs exploded in Pakistan’s largest city Friday, one outside a hospital treating casualties from the first attack. At least 12 people were killed and more than 50 wounded.

The first blast targeted a bus carrying Shiite Muslim worshippers, most of them women and children.

Twelve people were killed in the attack, and 49 were injured, officials said.

The second bomb two hours later wounded several more people outside the entrance to the emergency ward at Jinnah Hospital, witness Imran Ahmad said.

Karachi has a history of religious violence and has been tense in recent weeks due to deadly clashes between rival political parties.

In late December, a bomb killed 44 Shiites attending a procession in the city, sparking riots.

11 people killed, over 40 injured in Karachi blast

Eleven people were killed and over 40 others, many of them women and children, were injured when a blast occurred near a bus taking a group of Shias to a religious procession in the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi on Friday.

The explosion occurred on Shahrah—e—Quaideen, a key thoroughfare in the city, at 3.05 PM.

Simi Jamali, a senior doctor at the Jinnah Hospital, said the they had received 11 bodies and over 40 injured people.

There was confusion over the nature of the blast.

TV news channels quoted witnesses as saying that a motorcycle-borne suicide bomber rammed into the bus.

However, Karachi police chief Waseem Ahmed said initial investigations had indicated that an explosive device planted in the motorcycle was triggered by remote control as the bus was passing by.

Mr. Ahmed appealed for calm and urged Shia mourners to go ahead with the main procession marking the ‘Chelum’ or 40th day of the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain.

He said the blast had occurred at a considerable distance from the venue of the main procession and might have been aimed at diverting the attention of the security forces.

Ambulances and rescue workers rushed to the site and ferried bodies and the injured to nearby hospitals.

Security forces cordoned off the area and gathered the pieces of the motorcycle believed to have been used in the attack.