Pakistan warns against further raids inside its territory

U.S. seeks answers over Bin Laden

Wed, May 4 2011

(Reuters) – Pakistan, in apparent reference to old rival India, said on Thursday any country that tried to raid its territory in the way U.S. forces did to kill Osama bin Laden would face consequences from its military.

Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir dismissed any suggestion the Pakistanimilitary or its main spy agency had been involved with al Qaeda, while issuing a blunt warning against any further intrusions.

“We feel that that sort of misadventure or miscalculation would result in a terrible catastrophe,” he said. “There should be no doubt Pakistan has adequate capacity to ensure its own defense.”

U.S. special forces launched the Monday morning raid without the knowledge of Pakistan officials, with helicopter-borne soldiers attacking a compound in Abbottabad, north of the capital, killing bin Laden and several others.

Pakistan has been under international pressure to explain why the al Qaeda chief was able to hide in a compound in a hill town near its capital.

The military has been criticized over the perceived violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty. Bashir’s comments, while apparently directed at India, also seemed aimed at reassuring the public the military was capable of defending the country.

While few in Pakistan supported bin Laden and his ideology, violations of sovereignty can provoke street protests and media outrage.

The fact that bin Laden was found hiding in a garrison town, near Pakistan’s main military academy, has led to speculation the country’s main Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) security agency was in cahoots with him.

Bashir reacted that.

“The critique of the ISI is not only unwarranted, it can not be validated,” he said.

He also echoed comments from Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, who said on Wednesday the world shared in the failure to find bin Laden.

“If it was an intelligence failure … then it was a global intelligence failure,” Bashir said.

“That the ISI is incompetent is a value judgment,” he added. “And we believe that this is not the time for anybody to indulge in the luxury of passing value judgments.”

(Additional reporting by Saeed Azhar; Writing by Chris Allbritton; Editing by Robert Birsel)

IAN Thomas, the co-accused of convicted Jamaican reggae star Buju Banton, was yesterday sentenced to 51 months’ imprisonment in a federal court in Tampa, Florida.

The sentence was more than the 18 months that Thomas had requested in court documents last week for co-operating with the prosecution against Banton.

“Mr Thomas requests that the court deem a sentence of 18 months more than reasonable in this case,” according to the papers filed in the Sam M Gibbons Federal Court last Friday.

Yesterday’s sentence follows Banton’s conviction in the said court in February on charges of conspiracy to distribute five or more kilogrammes of cocaine, possession of a firearm in the furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and using the wires to facilitate a drug-trafficking offence.

The Grammy award-winning artiste was acquitted of a fourth charge of attempted possession with the intent to distribute cocaine.

Banton, whose real name is Mark Myrie, is to be sentenced on June 23. He faces upwards of 15 years in prison.

Thomas, who is a long-time friend of Banton, was arrested in an undercover operation in a warehouse in Florida along with a man by the name of James Mack in December 2009. Banton was arrested hours later at his south Florida home. Both Thomas and Mack pleaded guilty on the charges against them. They were scheduled to give evidence in Banton’s trial but were not called.

Although Thomas did not give evidence in court, his briefing, according to the court document filed last Friday, has tremendously benefited the prosecution. Thomas said in the filing that he did not stand to benefit from any sale of cocaine and that his only function was to seek a buyer for the cocaine that the Government’s confidential source had presented.

“After consideration of the factors enumerated… this court should find that a sentence below the advisory guideline range is sufficient but not greater than the necessary to achieve the purposes of sentencing,” said the document.

Psalm 37[a]

Of David.
1 Do not fret because of those who are evil
or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.

3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.

7 Be still before the LORD
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For those who are evil will be destroyed,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy peace and prosperity.

12 The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them;
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming.

14 The wicked draw the sword
and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose ways are upright.
15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.

16 Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked;
17 for the power of the wicked will be broken,
but the LORD upholds the righteous.

18 The blameless spend their days under the LORD’s care,
and their inheritance will endure forever.
19 In times of disaster they will not wither;
in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

20 But the wicked will perish:
Though the LORD’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,
they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.

21 The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous give generously;
22 those the LORD blesses will inherit the land,
but those he curses will be destroyed.

23 The LORD makes firm the steps
of the one who delights in him;
24 though he may stumble, he will not fall,
for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

25 I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
26 They are always generous and lend freely;
their children will be a blessing.[b]

27 Turn from evil and do good;
then you will dwell in the land forever.
28 For the LORD loves the just
and will not forsake his faithful ones.

Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed[c];
the offspring of the wicked will perish.
29 The righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it forever.

30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
and their tongues speak what is just.
31 The law of their God is in their hearts;
their feet do not slip.

32 The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
intent on putting them to death;
33 but the LORD will not leave them in the power of the wicked
or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

34 Hope in the LORD
and keep his way.
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.

35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,
36 but he soon passed away and was no more;
though I looked for him, he could not be found.

37 Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
a future awaits those who seek peace.[d]
38 But all sinners will be destroyed;
there will be no future[e] for the wicked.

39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD;
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
40 The LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.

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