Pak Taliban threatens Karachi’s co-education institutions

October 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - US lawmakers were forced to attach strict terms and conditions in the Kerry Lugar aid bill over fears that Pakistan was not doing enough in the fight against terrorism and nuclear proliferation. While the aid bill has now been sent to President Barack Obama for his final nod following the approval by the Congress, American lawmakers were skeptical over Pakistan's sincerity in carrying out operations against the extremists operating from its soil, during the final drafting of the bill before its approval.

September 23rd, 2009 PESHAWAR - Extremists have bombed a co-ed primary school in Peshawar destroying the three room building completely, Pakistani security officials said. There were no immediate reports of any casualty in the bombing as the school was closed on the occassion of Eid -ul-Fitr.

September 9th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The Pakistani cabinet has approved a new education policy Wednesday after deliberating on the subject for four years, the Online agency reported. Education Minister Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani said all federal and provincial educational institutions were consulted before finalising the policy.

August 19th, 2009 MINGORA - After a brief lull, Taliban's Swat chapter spokesman Muslim Khan has threatened the Malakand Division Commissioner to stop the action against the extremists. According to sources, Khan called Malakand Commissioner Fazal Karim Khattak and told him to discontinue the operation against militants as soon as possible.

August 19th, 2009 CANBERRA - The Australian Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, today warned education providers that they risk being shut down if they don't comply with rules relating to international students. Gillard was speaking in the Australian Parliament at the introduction of an Amendment Bill to the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Act 2000.

August 9th, 2009 SWAT - The Swat education department has said that the Taliban has destroyed 238 out of 1,576 schools affecting more than 56,250 students in the province. The department has demanded a grant of 2,203 million rupees from the provincial government, for the reconstruction of more than 238 school destroyed by the Taliban, The Dawn reports.

July 17th, 2009 KABUL - Taliban commanders delivered an ultimatum to the U.S. military on Thursday to withdraw from south eastern Afghanistan or an American soldier they had captured last week would be killed.

June 19th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Top cleric and rector of the Darul Uloom Waqf (Deoband), Maulana Salim Qasimi, has denounced the Taliban for its unIslamic viewpoints and actions, saying that the banned outfit does not qualify for any affiliation with Jama'at Deoband. "It is totally against Islam to blow up the barber shops, education organizations and tombs," said Qasimi.

June 17th, 2009 LAHORE - After claiming the responsibility for carrying out the suicide attack on Jamia Naeemia here, in which the country's top religious scholar Dr. Sarfraz Naeemi was killed, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has now warned of more such strikes against other important religious leaders in the country.

June 3rd, 2009 DHAKA - A parliamentary committee in Bangladesh has asked the government to make singing of the national anthem mandatory at madrassas, the Islamic seminaries that impart education to millions of children across the country. An unanimous recommendation was made after some lawmakers complained that this was not being followed at many seminaries.

May 29th, 2009 TORONTO - The attacks on Indian students in Australia offer a great opportunity for Canada to ramp up enrolment from the country, says the Canada-India Business Council (C-IBC) which represents Canadian companies doing business in India. Because of stricter visa rules and lack of publicity by Canadian institutions in India, only 3,000 Indian students join universities and colleges here, compared to 20,000 in Australia each year.

May 24th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The Taliban has threatened Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and other top Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP) leaders, saying they would face dire consequences if the military offensive is not discontinued immediately. In a letter to the PPP Information Secretary Fouzia Wahab, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) warned that the country's leadership would be targeted if the operation against them is not stopped.

May 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The United States has expressed full faith in the Government of Pakistan after President Asif Ali Zardari assured Washington that Islamabad is fully capable of protecting its nuclear weapons. We were assured by President Zardari that they have complete command and control of the nuclear weapons in Pakistan.

May 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has said that all Madarsas in the countries would be taken over by the government to separate the students from extremism and impart modern as well as religious education to them. Speaking at a community dinner here, Zardari said his government has resolved to bring reforms in the Madarsas system and bring it under the government system.

April 18th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The Taliban in the Bajaur region of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) has asked the tribal elders, who had opposed their activities, to seek pardon and give undertakings that they would speak against Taliban's act in future. "Those elders who approach Taliban will be granted clemency.