Jundallah claims responsibility for Kohistan bus attack

Jundallah's commander Ahmed Marwat, who contacted media persons soon after the attack, claimed responsibility for the assault.

The attack took place when gunmen opened fire on the bus which was en route to Gilgit from Rawalpindi with 39 passengers on board. The bus was owned by Mashaburum private bus service.

Seven armed men stopped two buses and a coaster. The armed men were reported to be in Army uniform. They asked the passengers to get off the bus and shot them after checking their CNICs.

Most of the victims were pilgrims who were going back to their native areas after visiting holy shrines in Iran.

A source in the district administration in Dassu told Media that residents of Tangir's Darkai valley, Commander Abdul Qayyum, Saddar Shariat and Burhan Shariat, sons of Gul Shahzada: Abdul Karim and Abdul Qadeem, sons of Abdul Ghafoor are suspected to be involved in the massacre.

Driver Muhammad Younus of Nagar valley, Najibullah, Suhail Ahmed are among the deceased.

"All the people on board were Shia, and at the moment it looks like they were targeted by armed men from the local Sunni community," a senior police official had earlier told Reuters.

"Armed men hiding on both sides of the road attacked the bus," local police chief Mohammad Ilyas said.

"Initial reports said 18 people have died and eight wounded," he added.

Police officials said the bus came under attack in an area inhabited by two Sunni tribes about 165 km (102 miles) north of Islamabad.

The ambush happened near the town of Harban Nullah. DCO Chilas confirmed the incident.

The bodies of the deceased have been kept at Shatial hospital.

Local MP Abdul Sattar Khan linked the ambush to the murder of two Sunni Muslims a few days ago in Gilgit.

"The people of the area had vowed they would take revenge," Khan told AFP by telephone.

President Zardari takes notice of the attack

President Asif Ali Zardari, while taking notice of the attack said that the injured admitted in the hospital should be facilitated with the best treatment.

President Zardari also sought an investigative report of the attack.

Rehman Malik constitutes three-member investigation team

Interior Minister Rehman Malik constituted a three-member investigation team which will be supervised by the Deputy Inspector General of Hazara Division.

The team will comprise members from Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Intelligence Bureau (IB) and police officials.

The team will produce an investigation report within three days.

Schools in Gilgit to remain closed for three days: CM G-B

While speaking to Express News, Chief Minister Gilgit-Baltistan Syed Mehdi Shah said that he was in contact with the chief minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and that investigations were underway.

"We [G-B government] have alerted the army, Frontier Corps and police so that no other incident could take place," said Shah.

He said that section 144 has been imposed in Gilgit, while schools will remain closed for three days.

demolishing the three-storey compound al-Qaeda founder bin Laden

ABBOTTABAD: Pakistani authorities Saturday began demolishing the three-storey compound where al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden was killed by US Special Forces in a night-time raid on May 2, 2011.

The demolition process has entered into the last phase and according to Geo News correspondent the work is temporarily halted adding that the authorities concerned are not sharing the details.

Senior government officials and residents in Bilal Town in Abbottabad, where the compound was located, said that a number of soldiers along with policemen arrived in the area and moved heavy machinery near the building.

The residents said soldiers and policemen had already been deployed in the area after the US commandoes conducted the operation and allegedly killed Bin Laden as the authorities wanted to stop people from going towards the compound.

They said the arrival of fresh contingents of troops with cranes and other machinery in Bilal Town on Saturday convinced them that the military had made up its mind to demolish the building.

"After arriving in the area, the soldiers and the policemen cordoned off the entire town from all sides and did not allow the local residents to enter or leave Bilal Town," a resident Momin Khan said.

He said: "We believed the army would use explosives to blow up the building but it wasn't the case". Instead, Momin Khan said, five heavy cranes were used to demolishing the structures.

The area was completely cordoned off. Residents tried to take pictures of the demolition process, but most could not succeed as it was dark," he added.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai this week again invited the Taliban

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Friday called on Taliban leaders and other Afghan insurgent groups to take part in a peace process to end 10 years of war in neighbouring Afghanistan.

"I would like to appeal to the Taliban leadership as well as to all other Afghan groups, including Hizb-e-Islami, to participate in an intra-Afghan process for national reconciliation and peace," he said in a statement.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai this week again invited the Taliban for direct talks with his government, urging Pakistan to facilitate negotiation efforts in Afghanistan, where US-led combat troops are due to leave by 2014.

"It is now time to turn a new leaf and open a new chapter in the history of Afghanistan... to build peace and bring prosperity to Afghanistan" said Gilani. (AFP)