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Sindh police nab former Air Force pilot for helping Al-Qaeda

10:32 PM | 16 Sep, 2015
Sindh police nab former Air Force pilot for helping Al-Qaeda
KARACHI (Staff Report) - The Counter Terrorism Department of Sindh Police arrested a former Air Force pilot who allegedly helped finance al-Qaeda's newly formed South Asian affiliate, officials said Wednesday.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Naveed Khawaja announced the arrest in Defence (DHA) area of Karachi. He didn't say when the man, identified as Syed Sheeba Ahmad, was detained in the southern port city.

CTD added that an accused arrested from Lahore, identified as Hasan Ghazali, had revealed that Sheeba provided financial support to a hospital in Lahore for extending medical aid to injured terrorists.

He also influenced two militants involved in an attack on a busload of Ismaili Muslims in May that killed 45 people, SSP Khawaja told journalists.

"Sheeba Ahmed not only prepared Safoora attackers mentally but also extended complete financial support to them to execute the Ismaili community carnage," the CTD claimed.

He will be charged with terror financing, said Khawaja.

The CTD said that Sheeba, who is a resident of a posh area in Karachi, confessed to his association with Tanzeem-e-Islami.

"Ahmed was also providing financial assistance to AQIS," Khawaja said, referring to Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, a branch of Al Qaeda that was founded a year ago.

A press release issued by CTD said that Sheeba Ahmed runs chemical businesses in Pakistan as well as neighbouring Islamic countries, adding he uses the revenue proceeds from abroad to finance terrorists in Pakistan.

The arrest is a rare success for Pakistan's police force, struggling with militancy and corruption as well as crime.

After Taliban gunmen massacred around 150 people, mostly children, at an army-run school in December, the government vowed to crack down on militancy. Attacks have fallen sharply as the military has also pushed further into the lawless tribal regions bordering Afghanistan.

But militant groups remain a threat, and many have followers in Pakistan's cities, which fall under the control of the chronically under-trained and under-funded police force.

Ahmed, 52, used to give sermons at a mosque in Karachi's upscale Defence Housing Authority neighbourhood. His public sermons were moderate, but privately he encouraged radicalism, police said.

He served as a Pakistani air force pilot until 1998, said another counter-terrorism official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to release the information.

Police are also investigating the suspect's possible links to the Islamic State group, which has recently made some inroads in Pakistan and Afghanistan. "We have seized his computers, which have Daesh messages," Khawaja said, using an Arabic acronym for the IS group.

Al-Qaeda's senior leadership is widely believed to be based in the rugged tribal regions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, where a number of senior operatives have been killed in recent years by US drone strikes and Pakistani military operations.

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Pakistani rupee exchange rate to US dollar, Euro, Pound, Dirham, and Riyal - 4 Dec  2023

Pakistani rupee's value remained stable against US dollar, Euro, Pound, Dirham, Riyal and other currencies in the open market.

Dollar Rate in Pakistan Today

On Monday, the US dollar was being quoted at 285.15 for buying and 287.95 for selling.

Euro rate stands at 309.9 for buying and 310.5 for selling. British Pound GBP rate stands at 359.4 for buying, and 360.05 for selling.

UAE Dirham AED currently hovers around 77.45 while rate of Saudi Riyal stands at 75.82.

Today’s currency exchange rates in Pakistan – 4 December 2023

Currency Symbol Buying Selling
US Dollar USD 285.15  287.95 
Euro EUR 309.9  310.5 
UK Pound Sterling GBP 359.4  360.05 
U.A.E Dirham AED 77.45 77.6
Saudi Riyal SAR 75.82 75.97
Australian Dollar AUD 187.72 188.22
Bahrain Dinar BHD 759.94 767.94
Canadian Dollar CAD 209.99 210.49
China Yuan CNY 39.78 39.88
Danish Krone DKK 41.95 42.05
Hong Kong Dollar HKD 36.38 36.48
Indian Rupee INR 3.39 3.5
Japanese Yen JPY 1.49 1.56
Kuwaiti Dinar KWD 926.39 935.39
Malaysian Ringgit MYR 60.38 60.98
New Zealand Dollar NZD 173.44 175.44
Norwegians Krone NOK 26.25 26.55
Omani Riyal OMR 742.16 750.18
Qatari Riyal QAR 78.5 79.2
Singapore Dollar SGD 212.45 212.95
Swedish Korona SEK 27.09 27.19
Swiss Franc CHF 325.38 325.88
Thai Bhat THB 8.05 8.09

Gold prices in Pakistan move down despite positive global cues

The gold remained under pressure as the precious metal moved down despite an upward trend in the international market.

Gold Rates in Pakistan Today - 4 December 2023

On the first day of the week, the price of a single tola of 24-karat gold stands at Rs217,000 and 10 grams of 24k gold costs Rs186,043 

A single tola of 22-karat gold costs Rs170,539, while 21 karat rate for each tola is Rs. 192,325 and the price of 18k gold is Rs164,850.

In the global market, gold prices hover at around $2086, gaining $14.44 on Monday.

Today Gold Rate in Pakistan

City Gold Silver
Lahore PKR 217,000 PKR 2,720
Karachi PKR 217,000 PKR 2,720
Islamabad PKR 217,000 PKR 2,720
Peshawar PKR 217,000 PKR 2,720
Quetta PKR 217,000 PKR 2,720
Sialkot PKR 217,000 PKR 2,720
Attock PKR 217,000 PKR 2,720
Gujranwala PKR 217,000 PKR 2,720
Jehlum PKR 217,000 PKR 2,720
Multan PKR 217,000 PKR 2,720
Bahawalpur PKR 217,000 PKR 2,720
Gujrat PKR 217,000 PKR 2,720
Nawabshah PKR 217,000 PKR 2,720
Chakwal PKR 217,000 PKR 2,720
Hyderabad PKR 217,000 PKR 2,720
Nowshehra PKR 217,000 PKR 2,720
Sargodha PKR 217,000 PKR 2,720
Faisalabad PKR 217,000 PKR 2,720
Mirpur PKR 217,000 PKR 2,720

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