ISLAMABAD // Police have arrested half a dozen suspects in connection with the assassination attempt last week on the country's minister for religious affairs, according to the Islamabad police chief.
Hamid Saeed Kazmi survived an assassination attempt on September 2 when unidentified gunmen opened fire on his government vehicle just yards outside his office in a busy neighbourhood of Islamabad.
Mr Kazmi, a soft-spoken religious scholar and politician who has been vocal against the Taliban and religious extremism, was shot in the leg and is currently in hospital.
His driver was killed at the scene and a police officer, Ashraf Sial, who was critically wounded, died yesterday in a hospital in Islamabad.
Syed Kaleem Imam, the inspector general of Islamabad Police, said the arrests were part of a big sweep carried out against terrorist suspects in the capital. "We have arrested 46 other suspects in the last few weeks."
Mr Imam said the arrests have helped foil major terror attacks targeting the capital. "The terrorists planned to target the parliament building, members of the parliament and National Defense University."
Islamabad has suffered several terrorist attacks in recent years as the Pakistani military battles the Taliban and hard-line extremists in the country's north.
Concerns have also mounted about the high number of madrasas, or religious schools, that have mushroomed in the capital and elsewhere. Islamabad district officials say there are 140 madrasas in the capital. Pakistani politicians have expressed concerns that these madrasas, mostly of the Deobandi branch of Sunni Islam, can provide safe havens to militants and terrorists. Islamabad was the scene of a bloody eight-day siege and military operation in 2007 when army commandos stormed a madrasa compound, known as the Red Mosque, which had become a hotbed of militancy in the capital. Its clerics and students had audaciously started challenging the writ of the government.
Mr Imam, the police chief, confirmed that several of the recent arrests came after raids on madrasas but declined to divulge further details regarding the identities of those arrested, saying it could affect ongoing investigations.
Mr Kazmi's vehicle was attacked by at least two people on September 2. The driver tried to speed away to avoid the gunfire but lost control of the vehicle as it rammed into a tree. The driver was shot in the head and died immediately.
Sial, the police officer, was shot five times as he fought back.
Mr Imam said the minister for religious affairs was provided with seven security guards and one gunman used to accompany him in his vehicle. However, he said a police escort vehicle was conspicuously absent at the time of the attack and had gone to have its fuel tank filled up.
"The gunman fired four shots and covered the minister. That is why the assailants did not come near the vehicle," Mr Imam said.
The attackers managed to escape after the shooting.
Mr Kazmi, who belongs to the Barelvi school of thought of Sunni Islam, had received death threats.
While suspicion has been pointed at Taliban militants in the country's north-west, politicians and rights groups said militants in Punjab, the most populous and prosperous of the four provinces of the country, are also gaining strength.
Sheikh Waqas Akram, an opposition member of the national assembly from Jhang, a district in Punjab that is considered a stronghold of a banned extremist group, Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, said he had warned about dangers to the life of Mr Kazmi.
"Two weeks before the attack, threats and sermons against the religious minister were being announced in the mosques of three cities in Punjab," he said. "Why didn't the government take notice of it?" Mr Akram said tensions had been rising between Deobandis and Barelvis.
The Taliban and most of the militant groups in Punjab are followers of the Deobandi school, a radical, revivalist version of Islam that approves of militancy and is popular in south Asia. The foot soldiers of the war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan were mostly students of Deobandi madrasas.
Barelvis, on the other hand, believe in mysticism, revere saints and shrines and are considered to be tolerant and accommodating of other faiths.
Mr Akram said in several Punjab districts, extremists were roaming openly in Toyota pickup trucks with blue lights on top, just like police vehicles.
"Free movement of banned outfits is not being watched," he said. "Why such complacency?"
Government officials, on the other hand, say they are being as vigilant as possible but also point out that the terrorist threat is enormous.
The police say they lack the numbers and weapons.
Mr Imam, the Islamabad police chief, said the capital faced more than 250 security threats in the past six months.
More than 90 security barriers and checkpoints have been erected in the city.
Bushra Gohar, a member of the parliament, said the high number of security barriers made the residents feel more vulnerable and heightened their sense of insecurity. "They actually make me feel frightened," she said.
But police officials said such measures have become inevitable.
"There is a need for collective effort. Police alone cannot deal with terrorism," Mr Imam said. "There is a war of ideologies."
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
The%20specs
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Company%20Profile
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Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Smart words at Make Smart Cool
Make Smart Cool is not your usual festival. Dubbed “edutainment” by organisers Najahi Events, Make Smart Cool aims to inspire its youthful target audience through a mix of interactive presentation by social media influencers and a concert finale featuring Example with DJ Wire. Here are some of the speakers sharing their inspiration and experiences on the night.
Prince Ea
With his social media videos accumulating more half a billion views, the American motivational speaker is hot on the college circuit in the US, with talks that focus on the many ways to generate passion and motivation when it comes to learning.
Khalid Al Ameri
The Emirati columnist and presenter is much loved by local youth, with writings and presentations about education, entrepreneurship and family balance. His lectures on career and personal development are sought after by the education and business sector.
Ben Ouattara
Born to an Ivorian father and German mother, the Dubai-based fitness instructor and motivational speaker is all about conquering fears and insecurities. His talk focuses on the need to gain emotional and physical fitness when facing life’s challenges. As well managing his film production company, Ouattara is one of the official ambassadors of Dubai Expo2020.
Company%20Profile
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'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Gully Boy
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Producer: Excel Entertainment & Tiger Baby
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi
Rating: 4/5 stars
The specs: 2018 Kia Picanto
Price: From Dh39,500
Engine: 1.2L inline four-cylinder
Transmission: Four-speed auto
Power: 86hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 122Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.0L / 100km
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
LUKA CHUPPI
Director: Laxman Utekar
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Cinema
Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Kriti Sanon, Pankaj Tripathi, Vinay Pathak, Aparshakti Khurana
Rating: 3/5
MEDIEVIL%20(1998)
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Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Company%20profile
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Company%20Profile
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if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
ARSENAL IN 1977
Feb 05 Arsenal 0-0 Sunderland
Feb 12 Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal
Feb 15 Middlesbrough 3-0 Arsenal
Feb 19 Arsenal 2-3 West Ham
Feb 26 Middlesbrough 4-1 Arsenal (FA Cup)
Mar 01 Everton 2-1 Arsenal
Mar 05 Arsenal 1-4 ipswich
March 08 Arsenal 1-2 West Brom
Mar 12 QPR 2-1 Arsenal
Mar 23 Stoke 1-1 Arsenal
Apr 02 Arsenal 3-0 Leicester