The so-called executive committee of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) appointed Kumara Pathmanathan alias Selvarasa Pathmanathan as the chief of the once dreaded outfit. There is intense speculation on where the executive committee is located.
Sri Lanka
< class="maroontitle">LTTE has a new chief
The so-called executive committee of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) appointed Kumara Pathmanathan alias Selvarasa Pathmanathan as the chief of the once dreaded outfit. There is intense speculation on where the executive committee is located. “KP”, as he is known, had earlier served as LTTE’s international arms procurer and the head of the Centre for International Affairs to negotiate peace deals with the governments of various countries, including that of Sri Lanka. KP pledged to make the Tamil Tigers into a non-violent organisation and also promised to run the affairs in a democratic manner. The group has set up a head office at an unknown location to take forward its separatist agenda. The government of Sri Lanka urged the world community, especially the European Union, to find “KP” and arrest him as soon as possible. It is also not clear whether the Tamil diaspora would readily accept “KP” and his new ideology because Tamilnet, a chief mouthpiece of the Tamil diaspora, has refused to carry any of his declarations or announcements.
Bangladesh
< class="maroontitle">Laskar-e-Tayeba network unearthed
Bangladeshi security forces cracked a major Laskar-e-Tayeba (LeT) network. The network was discovered following arrests of LeT operative Mufti Obaidullah and his associate Maulana Habibullah. A LeT network is believed to have been running in the country for past fourteen years. It is claimed that there are at least ten operatives who are currently active inside Bangladesh. The LeT operatives have accepted their close linkage with the Harkat-ul Jihad al Islami Bangladesh (Huji-B). Security forces are suspecting LeT’s involvement in the grenade attack on Sheikh Hasina in August 2004. LeT is claimed to have supplied the explosives through Huji leader Moulana Tajuddin.
Maldives
< class="maroontitle">Former President Gayoom questioned by the Maldivian Police
Former Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was questioned by the police for not attending the proceedings of the Presidential Commission, which has been appointed by President Mohamed Nasheed to investigate Gayoom’s alleged embezzlement of funds. Gayoom was also summoned by the Commission in relation to misappropriation of government funds Clashes erupted between the supporters of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party and the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party in which two policemen were injured.
Pakistan
< class="maroontitle">Supreme Court summons Pervez Musharraf
The Supreme Court on Wednesday (July 15) summoned former President Pervez Musharraf concerning the legitimacy of the November 2007 Emergency. This follows the filing of two petitions challenging the sacking of the judiciary in 2007. Faced with mounting nationwide agitation after the former President refused to step down in 2007, Musharraf imposed a state of Emergency, sacked all non-subservient judges and ordered a media blackout, which finally led to his unceremonious exit the following year. Musharraf finds himself with few allies with Attorney General Latif Khosa ruling out the possibility of the government defending him and US special envoy Ambassador Richard Holbrooke stating that Musharraf “is history and the United States will not rescue him”. Musharraf has decided to stand up to the court case and sought advice from senior legal expert Sharifuddin Pirzada, former attorney general Malik Qayyum and former law minister Dr Khalid Ranjha. It remains unclear whether the Army will come to his rescue and arrange for a deal with the incumbent civilian government.
< class="maroontitle">Contributors:
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