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Sha'aban 8,1432/ July 10, 2011 # 29
Please scroll way down 
to JI Islamic shoora's analysis of 
Pakistan, particularly Baluchistan, as well as support for 
Kashmir and Palestine.
Letters below
Latest news:
1. July 5-9: Secularist parties are slaughtering each other 
in the port city of Karachi, Pakistan. Toll 103 killed. 
Markets and transport destroyed. A gangster ethnic party MQM 
is on the offensive against ANP and PPP.
2. July 7- 8: Vast crowds came out in Egypt to call for 
removal of Mubarak's left overs. In Syria, the people 
continue to defy the Alawite tyranny. Mounting death toll. 
Unarmed Islamic crowds defying the Alawite military.
3. July 5: A Dutch court admits that Dutch troops were 
partly responsible for the massacre of Bosnian Muslims by 
the Serbs in Screbernicia.
4. July 7: Syed Munawar Hasan, Jamaate Islami Pakistan's 
Ameer, is demanding that the army  release Amna Janjua's 
husband, one of hundreds "disappeared" by the Gen. 
Musharraf-Gen. Kayani tyranny.
5. In Afghanistan, NATO admitted 65 of its best troops 
killed in June. Another 13 have been killed in 7 days of 
July. The Taliban Islamic fighters lost only 15 killed. 
Classic guerrilla warfare has tied down 100,000 crusader 
forces, say Taliban.
6. Pakistan is reporting new fighting with the Pak Taliban 
in various areas. Pakistani military says it launched a 
successful offensive in Kurrram area. On the Iran-Pak border 
5 Kayani troops were killed and 6 wounded. Could be done by 
Jundullah denounced by the US and Iran.
7. The Egyptian pipeline to Israel has been blown up. 
Attackers not known.
Who will speak for the Muslims of Nigeria?
[Sent by one of New Trend's Nigerian readers.]
[Gaddafi and his supporters remained silent when these 
horrific atrocities were committed against Islamic people by 
the US-and-Israel backed Nigerian military. Don't let 
children see this.]
Please click on this link and see how innocent unarmed 
Muslim children were killed in public glare in July 
2009...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABAsZakzepY
New Trend was the only Muslim voice in America which 
condemned these horrors. [Boko Haram is making a come 
back.]
An Invitation to Think
Spotlights from Imam Badi Ali, Jamaat al-Muslimeen, 
N.Carolina
Spotlight #1: Sudan: Only a doomed nation celebrates its own 
defeat and division. They know not what they do!
Spotlight #2: The challenge for Muslims is: How to bring 
about a desire for and a sense of real unity. Why are we 
Muslims being used as tools of division? Who is behind this 
process? Let's be one Ummah, united.
Spotlight #3: Our people fix their faces, their clothes, 
even their eyes, trying to remove physical blemishes. Let us 
learn to correct and fix the way we look at things.
Spotlight #4: The average human being yearns  to be free but 
real freedom can come only thru worship of Allah. If we do 
not bow before Allah, we will bow before so many other 
forces.
Spotlight # 5: If you see obstacles in your way, consider 
them a test from Allah. Use difficulties as opportunities to 
become better. Become problem solvers, instead of being 
discontented.
Spotlight #6: Advice is like a gift. Wrap it nicely. Show 
that you care for it. Advice without love can hurt, even in 
such a small matter as teaching correct wudu.
Spotlight #7: It is said that if you want to make America's 
government better, give it to Walmart [a store known for its 
efficiency]. As for Arab governments, taxi drivers and 
barbers could do a better job! [Smile!]
Outreach: Juma Khutba
Forgiveness for  Muslims and for Oppressors?
Should we Forgive those who made Cartoons of the Prophet, 
peace be on him?
On July 8, Dr. Kaukab Siddique gave the juma' khutba at a 
mosque in central Baltimore. The main points are given here 
for distribution across Muslim communities.
Text
"Lord, forgive us and our brethren who have preceded us in 
faith, and do not put in our hearts any rancor towards those 
who believe. Lord, You are the Most Tender, the Most 
Compassionate."    (The Qur'an 59:10)
- 
Allah is forgiving and merciful. Every chapter of 
the Qur'an reminds us that Allah is Gracious and Merciful. 
We must be forgiving  and merciful to be Allah's 
followers.
 
- 
We must forgive our brothers and sisters for the wrongs they 
might have done us.
The Prophet, peace be on him, teaches us not to cut 
ourselves off from a believer for more than three days, 
maximum.
 
- 
Don't say: He/she is a Sufi always doing zikr all the time, 
so I am not interested. Don't say: He/she is a "wahhabi" 
always worrying about the laws and forms of religion, so I 
am not interested.["Wahhabi" is a Zionist term for strict 
Muslims.]
 
- 
Don't say: He/she is a Shi'a always talking of Ali, r.a. but 
ignoring other sahaba, r.a., so I am not interested.
 
- 
All Muslims are our brothers and sisters if they believe in 
Allah, His messengers, His Books, the Hereafter, Qadr, the 
finality of Prophethood with Muhammad, pbuh, the Qur'an, the 
authentic Hadith.
 
- 
We must forgive all personal attacks on us. That's the 
REQUIRED Sunnah of Muhammad, pbuh.
 
- 
What we are NOT ALLOWED to FORGIVE:
 
- 
Attacks on the Prophet, pbuh, and on Ayesha, r.a., and 
irrational, non-scholarly attacks on Islam in its totality 
cannot be forgiven.
 
- 
A Zionist in Denmark made cartoons of the Prophet, pbuh. A 
lackey "imam" in USA said it should be forgiven because the 
Prophet forgave even the people of Taif.
 
- 
Such "forgiveness" is a violation of Islam. Cartoons are not 
an attack on the Prophet as a person. He is not here. The 
cartoons are an act of war against Islam, our entire way of 
life. It is a form of cultural genocide.
 
- 
An attack on the Prophet, pbuh, is an attack on EVERY 
MUSLIM.
 
- 
But, says the lackey "imam," we are a helpless minority in 
this powerful country. We should just forgive and move 
on!
 
- 
No, we are not helpless. The lackey "imam" is a liar. We 
must speak up and show that we are offended. The Prophet, 
pbuh, told Hassan ibn Thabit to recite poetry to ridicule 
the oppressors.
 
- 
We should use all legal, non-violent means to oppose the 
Zionists who made the cartoons. Make the Zionists so exposed 
as liars that they will apologize and be humiliated.
 
- 
Remember that the Zionist Jews are our enemies. They love 
Rushdie, Hirsi Ali, Netanyahoo. Don't go around meeting the 
enemies of the Prophet, pbuh. Don't let the Rabbis fool you. 
 
- 
But do not be violent. We have the Qur'an, the hadith. The 
oppressors have nothing but hate.
 
- 
The Prophet, pbuh, taught: Do not be angry. He said it three 
times. The rebuttal we make must be calm, powerful, and made 
in the language of the Qur'an.
 
- 
Islam does not forgive till AFTER the oppressors are 
defeated. Notice the Prophet's victory at Makkah. He 
defeated the Makkans and THEN forgave them.
 
- 
We do not hate Jews but they must learn that when Israel 
hurts our people in Palestine, it is hurting all of us. By 
bombing Pakistan, Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, killing 
Muslims in Nigeria, sending late model weapons to Israel, 
plotting against Iran, the imperialists and Zionists are 
hurting ALL of us, all 1.8 BILLION Muslims.
 
- 
Clinton apologized for slavery. That is a cheap gimmick. 
Islam teaches that when you do physical hurt, reparations 
must be made. Why is Africa so poor and America so rich? 
That is the result of 400 years of slavery.
 
- 
Pray for the unity of the Muslims of Baltimore and of 
America on the basis of the Qur'an and the authentic 
hadith
 
$3.7 Trillion Cost of US Military Role in Iraq, Afghanistan 
and Pakistan, New Study Finds
Reuters
http://news.yahoo.com/u-cost-war-least-3-7-trillion-counting110411362.html
When President Barack Obama cited cost as a reason to bring 
troops home from Afghanistan, he referred to a $1 trillion 
price tag for America's wars. Staggering as it is, that 
figure grossly underestimates the total cost of wars in 
Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan to the U.S. Treasury and 
ignores more imposing costs yet to come, according to a 
study released on Wednesday. The final bill will run at 
least $3.7 trillion and could reach as high as $4.4 
trillion, according to the research project "Costs of War" 
by Brown University's Watson Institute for International 
Studies.
Holes in the holocaust story.
Lessons of the Mengele Affair
Mark Weber
http://www.ihr.org/jhr/v06/v06p377_Weber.html
With the possible exceptions of Hitler and Himmler, no man 
has been so vilified in recent years as the personification 
of Nazi evil as Dr. Josef Mengele. The Mengele legend was 
the basis for two novels that Hollywood turned into popular 
movies .. .. While no sane person would excuse or whitewash 
atrocities, no matter who commits them, a basic regard for 
truth and decency compels another, more thoughtful look at 
the Mengele legend. How much truth is there to the fantastic 
accusations? The stock allegation that Mengele "sent 400,000 
Jews to the Auschwitz gas chambers" is a falsehood based in 
part on misrepresentation.
Our America
VETERANS, PEACE ACTIVISTS, HAVE THEIR "DAY IN COURT" TO 
CHALLENGE MARCH 19 WHITE HOUSE ARRESTS
Contact:  Elliott Adams (518) 441-2697
Mike Ferner   (314) 337-8871
On Monday, July 11, 2011, nineteen veterans, members of 
Catholic Worker and other long-time peace activists will 
have a pro se trial in DC Superior Court, stemming from 
arrests on the White House sidewalk March 19, 2011, the 
anniversary of the invasion of Iraq.
After the 8:00 a.m. press conference, they will then proceed 
to a trial, which will be held in Courtroom 313 of DC 
Superior Court.
The March 19 action raised issues of the ongoing wars in 
Iraq and Afghanistan, the cost of the war to American 
society, and the continued detention of whistleblower 
Bradley Manning.  One hundred thirteen persons were arrested 
on the White House sidewalk by US Park Police, and 19 of 
those will proceed to a trial on charges of Failure to Obey 
a Lawful Order and Unlawful Assembly-Disorderly Conduct.
Explaining his reason for being arrested in March, Veterans 
For Peace president, Elliott Adams, stated, "The majority of 
Americans want our troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan.
As a Vietnam vet I remember this pattern well and I know 
instead of withdrawal we will get lip service and lies from 
our government.  The Vietnam war did not end until citizens 
and soldier made the government stop.  I am fulfilling my 
job as a citizen to stop these
wars and occupations."
The activists have traveled from as far away as Maine, North 
Carolina and throughout the Eastern US.  Their trial will 
highlight their desire to petition their government for 
redress of grievances in prosecuting two costly wars; their 
First Amendment Right in doing so; and other arguments.  
Although there are some first time activists, many of those 
going to trial have opposed war for most of their lives.  
They have continued to "speak truth to power" as they did on 
March 19 at the White House.
3 Letters on: Photos of Pakistan from Dr. Siddique's Visit 
in June
Very Beautiful and Panoramic view of Pakistan in a different 
light than what the press displays. Thanks!
Aamira Inaam Ibrahim
[Philadelphia]
[Re: Dr. Siddique's participation in an anti-pollution rally 
in the town of Murree.]
You must have felt right at home, being the beacon for the 
betterment of mankind.
Alesia Yasmin Richards
[Baltimore]
Photos were fascinating, Murree appears to be a beautiful 
town.
[Dr] Omar Afzal
[Ithaca, New York]
2 Letters: ISNA's FITNA and other articles in NT
Most informative articles ...
Roberto Solano [Texas]
[The writer has sent New Trend to many email addresses.]
ISNA's Treachery
Jazakallahu Khairun brother Kaukab for yet another excellent 
article.They are truly shameless. In the UK we only see such 
treachery from manifest apostate likes Quilliam foundation. 
These ISNA shayateen put on an Islamic face and endorse the 
same policies over the pond.
Abdul-Hamid  [London. UK]
Understanding the situation in Pakistan
Kashmir and Palestine: Military Rule in Baluchistan
Extra Judicial Killings in the North by Kayani's troops
LAHORE, July 2: The Central Shoora of the Jamaat e Islami, 
Pakistan has expressed complete solidarity with the 
oppressed Kashmiri people and demanded immediate withdrawal 
of the Indian occupation troops from Held Kashmir.
A resolution adopted by the Shoora at its meeting said that 
the division of the Indo-Pak sub continent would remain 
incomplete till the end of India's occupation in Kashmir and 
the grant of the right to self determination to the Kashmiri 
people.
It said that for the last 63 years, the Indian government 
had been claiming Held Kashmir as integral part of India 
while the fact remained that over 7 lakh Indian army in Held 
Kashmir had failed to crush Kashmiris' freedom struggle and 
added that even the Indian politicians, journalists and 
analysts were now counseling New Indian rulers to heed to 
the Kashmiris' demands and resolve the issue. 
The Shoora demanded of the Pakistan government to learn from 
its past mistakes and fulfill its responsibilities in regard 
to the country's jugular line. It pointed out the Kashmir 
issue could not be resolved through India-Pakistan talks. It 
counseled Islamabad to seek Muslim world's support on the 
issue and pressurize New Delhi for its solution. 
The Shoora also impressed upon the world community to take 
immediate step for plebiscite in Kashmir in line with the UN 
resolution on the pattern of East Timor and South Sudan.
The JI central body deplored the rigging and disturbances 
during Azad Kashmir elections and said this had sent a 
negative signal to the world community as also the 
Kashmiris.
Through a resolution on Palestine, the Shoora lauded the 
rapprochement between two major Palestinian parties, HAMAS 
and Al-Fath. It noted that the Hamas-Al-Fateh agreement was 
the result of the end of pro-Zionist rule in Egypt. It said, 
the US and Israel were pressurizing Al-Fath to go back on 
this agreement. The JI body appealed to the Palestinian 
people not to fall prey to the enemy plans in this 
respect.
The Shoora condemned the silence of the world community on 
the siege of Gaza continuing for the third year and said 
that the so called champions of human rights and civil 
liberties in the west were equally responsible for the 
deaths on the people under siege in Gaza.
LAHORE, June 30: The Central Shoora of the Jamaat e Islami 
has impressed upon the government to pull out of the US so 
called war on terror and stop the military operations in 
tribal areas and adopt the path of dialogue to restore peace 
in the FATA.  
A resolution adopted by the Shoora at its meeting with the 
JI chief, Syed Munawar Hasan in the chair, urged the Supreme 
Court to take notice of the extra judicial killings in FATA 
which went unnoticed for being out of the reach of the 
media. It demanded of the government to appoint a judicial 
commission to probe into these.
The Shoora called for extending the jurisdiction of the 
Political Parties Act 2002 to the tribal areas in order to 
give political and democratic rights to the tribal 
people.
It called upon President Zardari to notify reforms in the 
FCR in fulfillment of his word. It stressed that the 
educational institutions in FATA be opened forthwith and a 
Tribal Assembly be elected in FATA on the pattern of 
provincial assemblies and this  assembly should the powers 
to amend the FCR.
The JI central body also appealed to the Supreme Court to 
take notice of the massive corruption in the development 
institutions of the tribal areas under the control of the 
FATA Secretariat and the Political Administration and hold a 
thorough enquiry into these.
The Shoora was of the view that the newly enforced Civil 
Power Regulation for FATA and PATA areas was only a means to 
hide the war crimes in the area and to give these a legal 
cover. It appealed to the Supreme Court to take notice of 
the new regulation and strike it down and suggested that the 
jurisdiction of the Parliament and the superior  courts be  
extended to the FATA.
It demanded that all the tribal people under detention 
extra-judicially be freed and the arrests in the name of 
search operations be stopped, the practice of formation of 
Lashkars by force be given up, the problems of tribal people 
be solved and unnecessary interference in the religious 
Madrissas of FATA and ATA areas be stopped.
A resolution on the Baluchistan situation said that in spite 
of the announcement of the troops withdrawal, the FC had a 
parallel government in the province and the blind use of 
force by the FC was increasing hatred for the state.
The Shoora demanded that the FC be completely ousted from 
the law and order and local lavies and the police be 
reorganized. It demanded that the report of the Kharotabad 
probe be made public and dialogue should be begun with the 
real parties for resolving the Baluchistan situation. The 
additional powers and the resources of the provincial 
governments under the 18th amendment should be ensured and 
the rights of the provincial population on their resources 
should be recognized.
It demanded that Baluchistan should be paid the royalty of 
SI Gas amounting to over 600 billion rupees and the people 
should be taken in confidence in regard to the Gowadar port, 
Sandak and other major projects. The federal government 
should attend to the national highways, the murder case of 
Nawab Akbar Bugti be registered against Pervez Musharraf and 
his accomplices to start the legal process and the culprits 
be punished under the law.
Analysis
The Bombing of Islamic Villages in Pakistan by the US Air 
Force
Slaughter of Civilians: Strong Pakistani Protest Rallies
Summary: June was the deadliest month of the year 2011 in 
which American spy agency CIA has killed as many as 118 
people in 12 drone attacks in Pakistan's tribal area. This 
was revealed in a monthly report compiled by Conflict 
Monitoring Center, an Islamabad based independent research 
organization.
During the month, US drones fired 35 missiles, which 
destroyed six houses, one madrassah and seven vehicles. 
Shift in Focus According to CMC's report, it was for the 
first time since the drone campaign started in 2004 that 
number of drone attacks in South Waziristan exceeded the 
number of attacks in North Waziristan. Eight out of twelve 
drone attacks were carried out in South Waziristan during 
June 2011.
South Waziristan is known as a safe haven for anti-Pakistan 
Taliban whereas militants operating in North Waziristan 
generally target US and NATO forces across the border inside 
Afghanistan. The focus of CIA's assassination campaign 
during the month was mostly on anti-Pakistan militants, 
which may be seen as an effort to deal with public criticism 
of the drone campaign. This shift in focus may prove 
'usefulness' of drone attacks from Pakistan's perspective. 
Pakistan has complaint in the past that CIA largely uses its 
superior technology only against anti-US militants often 
does not target anti-Pakistan militants. Past data shows 
that South Waziristan was never a frequent target of US 
predators.
According to the yearly report of Conflict Monitoring 
Center, during the year 2010, CIA has carried out 132 
attacks inside Pakistan and only nine of them were in South 
Waziristan. However, statistics of June 2011 show a clear 
shift in the focus. It is also noteworthy that in the 
pretext of US pressure on Pakistan to launch a military 
operation in North Waziristan it was expected that US will 
intensify its campaign in North Waziristan after Pakistan's 
refusal to launch the operation but contrary to the 
expectations, it was South Waziristan, which was main target 
of drone attacks in June 2011. It is not clear whether this 
US will continue this pattern or it will refocus on North 
Waziristan in future.
Attacks in Kurram Agency
On June 20, Kurram Agency was hit twice by drones killing as 
many as 12 people. It was for the first time after two years 
that Kurram a drone attack in Kurram Agency was observed. In 
these two attacks, militants of Haqqani network were 
reportedly targeted who had relocated to the area. 
Significant Deaths during June 2011 There was only one 
significant death reported during June 2011 that was Ilyas 
Kashmiri, founder and head of Al-Qaeda linked militant 
organization Harkatul Jihad Al-Islami 313 Brigade. He was a 
senior al-Qaeda member connected with the Soviet-Afghan war, 
the Kashmir conflict, and attacks against India, Pakistan, 
and the United States. In August 2010, the US and the United 
Nations designated him a terrorist. NBC News reported that 
United States officials had mentioned him as a possible 
successor to Osama bin Laden as head of al-Qaeda. He was 
also considered mastermind of attacks on Pakistan Navy's 
Mehran Base and Army's GHQ. On June 3, 2011, a US drone 
attack targeted a compound in the Ghwakhwa area of South 
Waziristan, a TTP stronghold. Nine militants, including 
Ilyas Kashmiri, were reportedly killed in the missile 
strike. Three other militants were badly injured in the 
attack. Local officials reported that the militants in the 
compound were all members of the Punjabi Taliban.
Kashmiri had moved to Wana from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 10 days 
earlier. A spokesman for the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan 
stated that Kashmiri was alive and well. However, Lala 
Wazir, a spokesman for Mullah Nazir, a Taliban commander 
associated with the owner of the compound which was 
attacked, confirmed his death. Kashmiri's death was also 
confirmed by an email from Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami and by 
an anonymous Pakistani security official.
The U.S. defence department has so far declined to confirm 
Kashmiri's death. However, a U.S. official said that it was 
more likely than not that Kashmiri is still alive, in spite 
of Interior Minister Rehman Malik's assertion that he could 
'confirm 100 percent that he is dead'. On June 19th, the 
claim of his death was further backed after a senior US 
intelligence official in the Obama administration stated 
that Kashmiri was among five senior Al Qaeda leaders who had 
been killed in drone strikes in 2011.
Civilian Casualties
As usual, civilian deaths were overlooked by the security 
officials who released death tolls to the media 
representatives. There was no independent reporting observed 
during the month and media organizations only relied on body 
counts released by security officials. Despite controlled 
release of information, there was no consistency in the 
claims of security officials.
However, a public demonstration on June 16 revealed that all 
those killed in a drone attack on June 15 were innocent 
civilians. Protest against Civilian Killings On June 16, 
2011, the enraged tribesmen blocked Bannu-Miramshah Road to 
protest killing of innocent people in US drone attacks in 
North Waziristan Agency on June 15, 2011.
Hundreds of tribesmen placed the coffins of the four 
victims, killed in US drone attack, on the main road, and 
blocked it to all kinds of traffic. The protesting tribesmen 
were also chanting slogans against the US and Pakistan 
government.
More than 2,000 tribesmen participated in the protest and 
funeral of the victims. The victims were laid to rest by the 
protesters after holding rally and blocking the road.
The US drones had fired four missiles at a moving vehicle on 
Thall-Razmak Road on June 15. Six people were killed in the 
strike. Earlier security officials had claimed that all 
those killed were militants but their claim was proven wrong 
when dead bodies of those killed were identified by their 
relatives. The residents of the area said that four of the 
victims, who belonged to Borakhel tribe, were identified. 
The identity of two other victims could not be established 
because there remains were not identifiable.
Three victims, including a student, were from the same 
family. They were residents of Spelga village of North 
Waziristan. The fourth victim, Akram Shah, was a driver in 
WAPD, which is a government institution.
As per their announcement, Some 1,200 tribesmen also staged 
a demonstration on June 20 in North Waziristan tribal region 
against the U.S. drone strikes and threatened to block the 
NATO supply line if the government failed to stop the 
attacks. All markets in major cities in the tribal area, 
Miranshah, Mir Ali and Razmak, were closed due to the 
protest.
Protest in other parts of the country
On June 5 and 6 A two-day sit-in was staged in Karachi by 
right wing Islamic political party Jamat-e-Islami to protest 
against drone attacks with a warning to the relevant 
authorities that supplies to Nato forces in Afghanistan 
would be blocked if drone attacks continued. Thousands of 
people carrying banners inscribed with anti-US slogans and 
party flags took part in the sit-in. The huge crowd 
comprising party workers, supporters, and trade union 
leaders was addressed by JI chief Syed Munawwar Hasan, Sindh 
and Karachi chapter chiefs of the party Asadullah Bhutto and 
Mohammad Husain Mehnati.
On June 7 The lawyers in Masehra a northern city of Khyber 
Pakhtoonkhwa province took to the streets against the US 
drone attacks in the country. Holding banners and placards, 
the lawyers led by District Bar Association President Naseem 
Khan marched on various roads before reaching the district 
bar. The banners were inscribed with slogans against the 
United States and the government, demanding immediate halt 
to the US drone attacks in the tribal areas as innocent 
people were being killed in the strikes.
On June 13, The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf blocked Nato 
supplies by staging a two-hour protest sit-in in front of 
the Karachi Port Trust Gate No 17.
Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf had also announced a 
sit-in on June 25 but it turned into a protest against PPP 
government policies. Pakistan Sunni Tehreek a sectarian 
extremist organization has also protested against drone 
attacks in Lahore on June 6.
Highest Number of Drone Attacks
June 2011 also witnessed highest number of drone attacks in 
2011 at par with March 2011. Both the months saw 12 drone 
attacks each. However, number of subsequent deaths in June 
exceeded all months of 2011.
In May 2011, CIA's predators carried out nine drone attacks 
killing 62 people. It means the resultant fatalities in June 
have become almost double to fatalities of May 2011.
Bangladeshi Workers Make their Mark against Exploitation
DHKA (AFP)- Large swathes of Bangladeshi capital Dhaka were 
shut down on Sunday during a nationwide strike protesting 
against a government oil exploration deal with a U.S. 
company.
Most shops, businesses and schools were closed and roads and 
highways in the city were deserted as the six-hour strike by 
the National Committee for Protection of Oil, Gas and Ports, 
a left-leaning umbrella group, took hold.
Police used batons on protesters at a university campus in 
central Dhaka after they damaged a car and held marches, 
private news agency Sheershanews said, adding 50 people were 
arrested in the city.
University area police chief Rezaul Karim confirmed the 
arrest of 12 people.
Seven supporters of the strike were each given two months in 
jail by a magistrate after they torched two buses ahead of 
the strike on Saturday night, Dhaka police spokesman Masud 
Ahmed said.
Security is tight across the city where more than 8,000 
police and elite Rapid Action Battalion forces are 
patrolling key roads and areas in an effort to prevent 
violence, he said.
"So far we don't have any reports of any violence. Except 
for some protests at Dhaka University, the strike is largely 
peaceful," he said, adding police briefly detained a leader 
of the committee but freed him after an hour.
The committee, made up of leaders of several left-wing 
parties, has demanded the government scrap an offshore gas 
exploration deal with U.S. energy giant ConocoPhillips, 
saying it is tantamount to theft.
State-owned energy firm Petrobangla signed the deal last 
month allowing ConocoPhillips the right to explore two 
offshore blocks that lie in disputed waters in the Bay of 
Bengal.
The committee has called the deal "suicidal" for the 
country.
It says it would allow the U.S. firm to export 80 per cent 
of the gas found in the blocks at a time when impoverished 
Bangladesh is facing an acute energy crisis.
Petrobangla chairman Hossain Monsur dismissed protestors' 
claims that Bangladesh would not benefit from the deal, 
saying the arrangement would help end the country's chronic 
power shortages.
2011-07-12 Tue 02:06:52 cdt
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