Pakistani Cricket team new coach "Whatmore"

Former Australian batsman Dav Whatmore, who guided Sri Lanka to World Cup glory, arrived here to sign a contract to become Pakistan s new cricket coach, an official said Friday. The 57-year-old Whatmore, who played seven Tests and one limited overs international for Australia, coached Sri Lanka to the World Cup title in 1996 and also helped Bangladesh reach the second round in the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean. Whatmore was chosen by a three-member coaching committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after regular coach Waqar Younis left the post citing health issues in September last year. Former Pakistan opener Mohsin Khan was appointed interim coach under whom Pakistan beat Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and whitewashed England 3-0 in Tests before they went down tamely 4-0 in one-day series and 2-1 in the Twenty20 internationals last month. The head of the coaching committee Intikhab Alam confirmed Whatmore will sign a contract. "Whatmore and Julien Fountain (likely to take over as fielding coach) have arrived here and Whatmore will sign a contract as head coach of the Pakistan team," Alam told AFP, refusing to give further details of the contract. Whatmore s first assignment will be to help the team in the four-nation Asia Cup in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Defending champions India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will also compete in the March 11-22 event. Alam said Whatmore would assist the newly-formed selection committee along with captain Misbah-ul Haq to pick the squad later Friday. Former spinner Iqbal Qasim was appointed head of the selection committee after Mohammad Ilyas resigned from the post on Thursday. Whatmore will be Pakistan s fourth foreign coach after Richard Pybus (South Africa), Bob Woolmer (England and South Africa) and Geoff Lawson served in the past. 

Violence in Pakistan's tribal region of Kyhber

Suicide attack

A Pakistani official says a suicide bomber has killed 23 people, many of them believed to be militants, in an attack on the base of a rival insurgent group. Friday s bombing took place in the Tirah Valley region close to the border with Afghanistan. Political administration official Iqbal Khan says the target of the bombing was the base of the Lashkar-e-Islam group. He didn t immediately know how many of those killed were militants and how many were civilians. A commander of the Pakistani Taliban, which is a rival of Lashkar-e-Islam, claimed responsibility for the attack in a call to an Associated Press reporter. The commander gave his name as Mohammed. Both groups have been fighting for control of the Tirah Valley.  

ARMY-MILITANTS CLASH

At least eight Pakistani soldiers and 22 militants were killed early Friday in a gunfight in a restive northwestern tribal area, officials said. The clash took place in Tirah valley of lawless Khyber tribal district bordering Afghanistan. "At least eight Pakistani soldiers embraced martyrdom and 22 militants were killed," Khyber administrator Mutahir Zeb Khan said.

The Memo Commission & Mansoor Ijaz

During his cross-examination via video link from London, Mansoor opened a Pandora s box by claiming that the US helicopters were in touch with Pakistani air defence and control at the time of launching the Abbottabad operation to kill Osama bin Laden. Mansoor submitted documents to support his allegation. The Memo Commission asked Mansoor to hand over all the documents to the Secretary Commission who was present at the Pakistani High Commission in London where the testimony was recorded. The Secretary would hand over the sealed documents to the Memo Commission. The documents comprise data of Pakistani air traffic control following the US raid on the compound of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad and the data of communication between American helicopter pilots, said a report.  The report said Mansoor also included text of purported conversation between President Zardari and COAS Gen Kayani after the OBL raid. Mansoor said that then ambassador Haqqani was of the expressed view that likelihood of mutiny in the Pakistan Army was very high following the Abbottabad raid that killed Osama bin Laden. He also said the chances of coup were high as ISI chief Gen Pasha was visiting foreign countries, and he handed over the memo to Mike Mullen after Gen Pasha s one of such visits.

Brig Ali planned F16 attack on GHQ

A BCC report said that it was planned that attack would be carried out during corps commanders meeting. He said that Brig Ali had connived with a pilot of F-16 fighter jet who as per plot would have attacked on the GHQ at the time of the commanders meeting. The report quotes Major Sohail Akbar as saying that Brig Ali shared his views with Hizbut Tehrir and tried to convince that about 300 armed men would be enough to topple the military top brass as a larger plan to take over the government. The report said the prosecution witness claimed that Brig Ali also boasted of having the 111-Brigade commander on board. It said the plan also involved an F16 attack on Blackwater and US airbase and other installations in their use.