ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said he will resign if Blackwater, found operating anywhere in Pakistan.

Talking to media in Islamabad, Malik denied presence of Afghan Taliban leader Mulla Umar in Pakistan and termed such reports as baseless.

He said operation will be launch against militants in adjoining areas of Peshawar and also said that more troops will be dispatched to Waziristan.

He said the mobile scanners from China will reach Pakistan next month, which will help to foil terror attacks.

Interior minister praised the role of citizens of Peshawar against terrorism and said security will be strengthened more in NWFP.

Malik said 75 persons have been arrested so far during anti terror drive. Replying to a question about Dr. Aafia, he said Dr. Aafia’s issues had been came under discussion during recent visit of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and he will meet Dr. Aafia in his next US visit.

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Updated at: 1209 PST, Saturday, November 21, 2009
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik, strongly defying reports of being operational in Pakistan, the Blackwater, an alleged US underworld terrorist organistation, has said he was ready to step down from office if Blackwater existed anywhere in Pakistan or there are evidences of its engagements in Pakistan, Geo news reported.

This Malik boosted talking to media in Islamabad on Saturday morning after attending a high-level meeting in connection with the efforts for release of detained Pakistani Dr. Aafia Siddiqui from US custody.

Laal is a musical band from Pakistan known for singing socialist political songs, especially those written by leftist Urdu poets such as Hazrat Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Hazrat Habib Jalib. The band received mainstream attention during the Lawyers’ Movement, in which it led support to the reinstatement of the then deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. The band put to music one of the poems written by leading lawyer Aitezaz Ahsan during the movement, “Kal, Aaj, Aur Kal”.

In just one year the band has gained recognition allover Pakistan. They have performed in almost all the major cities as well as many smaller towns. On their fanclub page, Shahram has invited all to join the “Laal Brigade”, a revolutionary brigade of young and enthusiastic revolutionaries committed to the emancipation of the people.

Reminiscent of another great Pakistani band Junoon, Laal has not only managed to reconnect the people of Pakistan to the forgotten revolutionary socialist poets, but also introduced them to the youth. The youth will invariably play an important role in the politics of the country in the years to come.

Khawaja M. Asif PML-N, Brig. (R) Saulat Raza Former Dir. ISPR and Haidar Abbas Rizvi MQM in fresh episode of Capital Talk and discusses with Hamid Mir.