Pakistan Analysis: Has Islamabad Stopped the US Offensive in Afghanistan? (Porter)

UPDATE 1400 GMT: Pakistan's Foreign Ministry has issued a statement, "After assessing the security situation in all its aspects, the government has decided to reopen the Nato/Isaf supply from the Pakistan-Afghanistan border at Torkham with immediate effect."

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Latest news from south-western Pakistan is that gunmen have set fire to nearly 30 tankers parked near a roadside restaurant near the town of Sibi.

By continuing its halt in NATO convoys headed for Afghanistan through the Torkham border crossing into a second week, Pakistan's military leadership has brought an end to the unilateral attacks in Pakistan pushed by Gen. David Petraeus and forced Washington to make a new accommodation.

And it may make it impossible for Petraeus to make the argument in the future that the United States can succeed in Afghanistan, given the refusal of Pakistan to budge on the issue. 

The halt in NATO convoys bound for Afghanistan and unhindered attacks on tanker trucks have continued despite a decision by the White House to direct U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen to apologise to the Pakistani government for the deaths of three Pakistani soldiers resulting from a U.S. helicopter raid from Afghanistan into Pakistan.

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Afghanistan: Kunduz Governor Among 12 Killed in Mosque Bombing (Rubin)

In an audacious attack, insurgents assassinated the governor of Kunduz Province on Friday by bombing the mosque where he attended the weekly Friday Prayer, according to Afghan officials.

The bomb blast killed 12 people and wounded 33 at the main mosque in Taliqan, the capital of Takhar Province, which borders Kunduz.

[AFP puts the death toll at 20.]

The slain governor was Muhammad Omar, a Takhar native who returned there regularly for the Muslim weekend and Friday worship. Mr. Omar, who had survived one other assassination attempt, was believed to have been the target of the attack, said Faiz Muhammad Tawhidi, the spokesman for the Takhar governor.

The assassination underscored the growing capability of the insurgency in northern Afghanistan, which has become increasingly unstable over the past year. Mr. Omar was the third government official in the past two months to be assassinated in the region. In August and September, district governors were killed in Kunduz and Baghlan Provinces.

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Iran Document: Mehdi Karroubi to Youth "This Situation Will Not Last....The Future Belongs to You"

Don't be sad!  for sure this situation of governing the country will not last as is. These events will pass and  pride and victory will belong to the Iranian nation. As you witnessed, relying on military through organizing a bunch of thugs in Basij clothes and some hired individuals, and imposing restrictions for individuals such as myself, Mr. Mousavi, Ms. Rahnavard, members of our families and other political figures and activists, not only caused harm for the totalitarians, but also showed that despite their claims of having control and eliminating the criticizing movement, the movement is still alive and has deep roots in the society and that is why they desperately commit such hopeless acts.

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Iran Document: Heshmatollah Tabarzadi Responds to His 9-Year Sentence

I call upon public opinion and educated and impartial human beings to judge the way the laws and trial procedures were implemented in my arrest, detention, interrogation, trial, and sentencing. I wish for that judgment to be placed on a page of the history of this era in order to show the way I have had to endure the present situation, putting my best asset, my life, out of my control like this. If we focus on the fact that everyone’s life is his most valuable asset, we will heed caution in issuing prison sentences or illegal detention orders. I have not defrauded anyone financially; I have not oppressed anyone; and I have not betrayed my country, my nation, and their interests and security. Why should I be in illegal detention and be deprived of the implementation of laws in my case? If there is no one or no organization in Iran to be accountable about this, how else would I pursue this injustice other than through international organizations?

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The Latest from Iran (9 October): Threats and Two Responses

1725 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Several students at Amir Kabir University have received a total of 20 years of prison sentences.

Parvin Javadzadeh, arrested after an Ashura procession in December, has been released on $300,000 bail. 

Blogger Hossein Ronaghi-Maleki (Babak Khorammdin), sentenced this week to 15 years in prison, is reportedly in poor health because of a hunger strike. 

1720 GMT: Economy Warning. In advanced of planned subsidy cuts, Mehr warns that prices will rise in Aban (October/November) for seven energy items: gasoline, gasoil, white oil, blast-furnace gas, liquid gas, natural gas, and electricity.

On another front, Mohammad Atarodian, secretary general of employer's association, has said the official figure on unemployment of 14.6% is surely too low, because it counts people as "employed" if they work one hour per week.

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Israel-Palestine: Abbas to Mitchell "If Settlement Expansion Continues, I Resign" (Eldar)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas informed U.S. envoy George Mitchell last week that the renewal of settlement construction will not only bring about the collapse of peace talks but it will also induce his resignation from the post of Palestinian Authority president.

According to Palestinian sources close to the PA leadership, Abbas told Mitchell of his plans during their last meeting together.

Abbas's resignation means the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority, since it was agreed inside the government that no one from the leadership of Fatah will step up to replace Abbas as president, and no new elections will be held.

In a conversation he held last week in his plane with a reporter, Abbas said "this is the last time that you will fly with me while I am president of the PA."

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China: Nobel Peace Prize Winner Liu Xiaobo --- His Last Statement Before 11 Years in Prison

Today Liu Xiaobo, a Chinese intellectual and human rights activist, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. President of the Independent Chinese PEN Center since 2003, he was detained in December 2008 because of his involvement in Charter 08, a manifesto signed by more than 300 Chinese intellectuals and activists for reform and democratisation.

Liu was formally arrested in June 2009 for "inciting subversion of state power". He was tried on 23 December and, two days later, was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

The Norwegian Nobel Prize committee praised Liu for his "long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China. The...committee has long believed that there is a close connection between human rights and peace." 

The Chinese Government was not as impressed: "Liu Xiaobo is a criminal who has been sentenced by Chinese judicial departments for violating Chinese law....[This award] runs completely counter to the principle of the prize and is also a blasphemy to the peace prize".

This was Liu's statement for his trial:

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Alliance Update: Top Pakistan Diplomat Criticises US Terror Warning

As Islambad continues to block the movement of NATO tankers through the Khyber Pass to Afghanistan, leaving them prey to attack, and Washington criticises Pakistan's lack of fortitude in pursuing insurgents --- even accusing the Pakistani intelligence service of backing the Taliban in Afghanistan --- the latest spat arises.

Senior Pakistani diplomats, as well as European intelligence officials, are telling journalists that a US terror alert this week about Al Qa'eda plots to attack targets in western Europe was politically motivated and unsupported by credible intelligence.

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Afghanistan: Guards at US Military Bases Linked to Taliban (Risen)

Afghan private security forces with ties to the Taliban, criminal networks and Iranian intelligence have been hired to guard American military bases in Afghanistan, exposing United States soldiers to surprise attack and confounding the fight against insurgents, according to a Senate investigation.

The Pentagon’s oversight of the Afghan guards is virtually nonexistent, allowing local security deals among American military commanders, Western contracting companies and Afghan warlords who are closely connected to the violent insurgency, according to the report by investigators on the staff of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

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The Latest from Iran (8 October): Hey, Look Over There!

1845 GMT: Banning the Reformists (Confusion Edition). Yesterday we erroneously reported, "Alireza Avayi, the head of the judiciary in Tehran Province, has denied that a banning order has been issued against the reformist Islamic Iran Participation Front."

Here's the rather muddled story. The IIPF is claiming that, after it complained about a ban on its activities, an Iranian court cancelled its dissolution and authorised the resumption of its activities.

Avayi has denied the IIPF's claim, saying that the file on the case has merely been transferred to the Tehran Revolutionary Court. The IIPF is still not allowed to engage in any political activity.

Last week, Iran Prosecutor General Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei said the IIPF and another reformist party, the Mojahedin of Islamic Revolution, were banned.

1815 GMT: Sanctions Watch. Iranian Labor News Agency reports that paint factories are unable to import raw material due to sanctions, and retailers are now out of stock.

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