Saturday 2 January 2016

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Dubai property giant to restore hotel damaged in fire

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DUBAI (AFP) - Dubai property giant Emaar Properties promised Saturday to restore its luxury 63-storey hotel in the emirate, which was damaged in a spectacular fire on New Years Eve.We are determined to restore it to all its glory, and even surpass the splendid architectural standards, said chairman Mohamed Alabbar.Further timelines and plans will be shared as they are finalised, he said.A huge fire engulfed The Address Downtown hotel three hours before midnight Thursday, but only 16 people were injured.Alabbar did not give any information on the cause of the fire.Security services are investigating the causes and circumstances of the fire, Dubai authorities said on Friday.

Football: Van Gaal hopes Rooney sparks Man Utd upsurge

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MANCHESTER (AFP) - Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal paid tribute to Wayne Rooney after his winner against Swansea City lifted him to second place in the clubs all-time list of goal-scorers.Rooney superbly flicked in Anthony Martials cross with 13 minutes to go at Old Trafford on Saturday to give his side a 2-1 victory that ended their nine-game winless run and left them fifth in the Premier League.The United captains third league goal of the season took him past Denis Law to 238 goals -- behind only Bobby Charltons club record of of 249 -- and Van Gaal hopes a first home victory since 7 November will trigger an improved run for both Rooney and his side.Van Gaal, who had overseen Uniteds longest sequences of matches without victory since 1990, said: It is amazing and that at the age of 30 years.You have to say that of course now we are playing much more matches, but still it is an achievement. For me, it is more important he scores now and he scores today (Saturday).He scores also a fantastic goal, with his left foot behind his right foot, and you cannot imagine what a goal that is. A great goal.All the players have done their utmost best and that is very important for the manager. I hope it is a fantastic starting point for the team and for him.United, whose 0-0 draw against Chelsea last Monday meant that they had failed to score in five of their previous eight home games, produced an improved performance.As well as creating the winning goal, Martial headed in the games opening goal two minutes into the second half and Ashley Young, who set him up, also stood out.Van Gaal described his starting formation, with a three-man defence and Young and Martial as wing-backs, as risky.He was in danger of seeing more points dropped when Swansea, who had won their previous three games against United, equalised through a Gylfi Sigurdsson header with 20 minutes to play.Lower the pressureBut Rooneys goal was a reward for a more adventurous approach by the United manager.Amazing is that you can perform the game plan like we have done in the first half and the second half in a risky style under this pressure. That is positive, I think, Van Gaal said.Also against Chelsea we played very risky because we want to press. The players want to press. It is a risk to play that.Still we are the dominating team, against Chelsea and today against Swansea. That is why I am proud they can do it under this pressure.They have showed it this season many times, but now the situation is different. Now I have a good hope this is a starting point for more.You cannot predict (what effect a win will have). Only it shall raise the confidence and lower the pressure because the players had a lot of pressure to do it in 90 minutes against an opponent that is not so easy.The opponent is also playing in a way that makes it difficult to score, with 10 players behind the middle line. That is why I am happy we scored the two beautiful goals.Swansea, who remain just one place above the relegation zone, did not include England midfielder Jonjo Shelvey in their squad, but caretaker manager Alan Curtis said that the 23-year-old was still part of his plans.We had a good talk about it before we came away. He trained this morning with a group of players, Curtis said.Jonjo has a terrific ability. We all know that. We need him and hopefully he will play a part to the end of the season for us.

Dark clouds will hover over Federation if autonomy withdrawn: Raza Rabbani

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Chairman Senate Raza Rabbani on Saturday stated that ‘dark clouds’ will start hovering over the Federation if provincial autonomy was withdrawn.Addressing an event in a private hospital in Karachi, Rabbani stated that the Federation does not have the margin for experimentation. He stated that the 18th Amendment was approved unanimously by all parties.Rabbani expressed that conditions today resembled those of the 70’s decade. He further stated that certain forces are desperately trying that the health and education sectors be given back to the Federation.Rabbani stated that the 18th Amendment’s section calling for the transference of health sector to provinces was greatly opposed. He further added that health and education were provincial matters and should be left to them; however Islamabad has taken over these departments. Rabbani stated that philanthropists are seen when the state fails to provide medical facilities to its nation.The Federation and Sindh government could not resolve their differences pertaining to the issue of exclusive powers of Rangers for the operation in Karachi. A meeting was also held earlier between Prime Minister (PM)Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister (CM) Syed Qaim Ali Shah in this regard. Chairman Senate’s sentiments on the issue are now a clear message to the Federation.

Saudi execution risks fueling sectarian tensions: US

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States warned Saudi Arabia that its execution Saturday of a prominent cleric of minotiry Shia community who was behind anti-government protests risks exacerbating sectarian tensions.The US also urged Riyadh to respect and protect human rights, said State Department spokesman John Kirby, following the execution of Nimr al-Nimr.Another 46 men were executed, including activists and those accused of involvement in Al-Qaeda killings.The executions sparked angry condemnation from Iran and Iraq, while the EU similarly expressed concern about possible dangerous consequences in a region already fraught with sectarian tensions.Some of the executed were beheaded, while others were shot by firing squad.The United States also urges the government of Saudi Arabia to permit peaceful expression of dissent and to work together with all community leaders to defuse tensions in the wake of these executions, Kirby said in a statement.We are particularly concerned that the execution of prominent cleric and political activist Nimr al-Nimr risks exacerbating sectarian tensions at a time when they urgently need to be reduced.In this context, we reiterate the need for leaders throughout the region to redouble efforts aimed at de-escalating regional tensions.

Driver had 'martyr' aim in attack on French soldiers: prosecutor

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VALENCE (AFP) - A 29-year-old man who tried to run down soldiers guarding a French mosque said he wanted to kill them and be killed himself to appear like a martyr, a prosecutor said on Saturday.Investigators also found extremist propaganda images on a computer at the mans home, and the assailant reportedly said the words Allah is great during the attack, prosecutor Alex Perrin said.The extremist images that were discovered however can be accessed by anyone using the Internet, Perrin told AFP, refusing to give further details.The official also stressed that the individual seemed confused and said a terror link can be ruled out for now.The motivation for the attack remains unclear and there is no indication the suspect was a member of any terror organisation, Perrin told journalists.The terrorism line of investigation has been ruled out for now... nothing points to membership of a network of any kind, Perrin said.The incident took place on Friday in a suburb of the southeastern town of Valence.Witnesses said the driver deliberately accelerated his car, a Peugeot station wagon, as he headed towards four soldiers in a car park outside a large mosque.The driver bore down on the team a first time, prompting them to shout a warning, and when he returned for a second pass, they opened fire, seriously injuring him in the arm and the leg.One of the soldiers sustained leg injuries after being hit by the vehicle, and a 72-year-old worshipper was also hurt after being hit in the leg by a stray bullet.The suspect is an unemployed 29-year-old French citizen of Tunisian origin who resides in Lyon and came to Valence a few days earlier to visit his in-laws, Perrin said.He underwent a round of questioning on Saturday following hospital treatment.The suspect has not materially contested the facts and that in actual fact he wanted to run over the soldiers, to attack them, to possibly kill them as well, Perrin said.The assailant told emergency services who came to the site of the incident that he wanted to be killed by soldiers and to kill soldiers... a way for him to appear like a martyr, he said.The suspect was rather confused and claimed he had targeted the soldiers because they kill people, he added.The individual had no criminal record, was not flagged by the security services and did not have any history of psychiatric illness, the prosecutor said.Perrin described the man as a practising Muslim, but not radical.However, during the attack, the suspect is said to have used the words Allah is great, which shows an association to a particular religious sentiment, Perrin added.France is on high alert following the November 13 attacks on Paris in which 130 people died when gunmen and suicide bombers attacked bars and restaurants, a concert hall and the Stade de France national stadium.More than 10,000 soldiers are deployed across France to guard premises including mosques and synagogues.

Anger after Saudi Arabia executes top cleric of minority sect

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RIYADH (AFP/Dunya News) - Saudi Arabia on Saturday executed a prominent cleric of the Shia sect, prompting outrage in Iran, where angry crowds set fire to the kingdoms embassy and consulate.Nimr al-Nimr, 56, who spent more than a decade studying theology in Iran, was a driving figure behind anti-government protests in Saudi Arabia in 2011.He was put to death along with 46 other men, including activists and those accused of involvement in Al-Qaeda killings, the Saudi interior ministry said.The executions sparked protests in at least one city in Saudi Arabias oil-rich Eastern Province, where the minority sect complains of marginalisation, as well as in Iran, Iraq and Bahrain.The strongest condemnation came from Riyadhs longtime rival Tehran.The Saudi government supports terrorist movements and extremists, but confronts domestic critics with oppression and execution, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari said.It will pay a high price for following these policies, he warned.Saudi foreign ministry spokesman Mansur al-Turki called Irans reaction irresponsible, and Riyadh summoned Tehrans envoy in protest.Soon after, protesters hurled petrol bombs and stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran before being cleared out by police, ISNA news agency reported, adding that flames could be seen rising form the building.The fire has destroyed the interior of the embassy, an eyewitness told AFP. The police are everywhere and have dispersed the demonstrators, some of whom have been arrested.Websites carried pictures of demonstrators apparently clutching the Saudi flag, which had been pulled down.In Mashhad, Irans second biggest city, demonstrators meanwhile set fire to the Saudi consulate, according to news sites, carrying pictures of the alleged assault.Exacerbating sectarian tensionsThe incidents came after the EU expressed concern about possible dangerous consequences in a region already fraught with sectarian tensions.The United States echoed those fears, warning that Saudi Arabia risked exacerbating sectarian tensions at a time when they urgently need to be reduced.In this context, we reiterate the need for leaders throughout the region to redouble efforts aimed at de-escalating regional tensions, said State Department spokesman John Kirby.Tehran ally Hezbollah, said Saudi Arabias rulers were global criminals and denounced Nimrs execution as a heinous crime.Saudis interior ministry said the 47 executed men had been convicted of adopting the radical takfiri ideology, joining terrorist organisations and implementing various criminal plots.An official list published included those convicted of involvement in Al-Qaeda attacks that killed Saudis and foreigners in 2003 and 2004.Some of them had been convicted of taking part in May 2003 attacks on expatriate compounds in Riyadh that killed 35 people, nine of them Americans, the ministry said.Others were involved in 2004 attacks on a housing complex in the eastern city of Khobar, in which 22 people were killed, most of them foreigners, and other assaults.Among them was Fares al-Shuwail, described by Saudi media as Al-Qaedas top religious leader in the kingdom.All those executed were Saudis, except for an Egyptian and a Chadian.Some were beheaded, while others were shot by firing squad, said the ministry spokesman.Execution tallyExecutions have soared in the country since King Salman ascended the throne last January, with 153 people put to death in 2015, nearly twice as many as in 2014.Rights groups have repeatedly raised concern about the fairness of trials in Saudi Arabia, where murder, drug trafficking, armed robbery, rape and apostasy are all punishable by death.In Saudi ally Bahrain, police used tear gas to disperse dozens of youths protesting the executions.In Iraq, hundreds of people demonstrated in the holy city of Karbala.Prominent Iraqi lawmaker Khalaf Abdelsamad called for the closure of Riyadhs embassy in Baghdad and urged the government to expel its ambassador.In Yemen, where the kingdom is leading a coalition against Huthi rebels, the religious scholars association controlled by them condemned the execution.Reactions will not be limited to angry protests; they will turn into a sweeping revolution against Saudi authorities, said the statement published on the rebels sabanews.net website.Nimrs brother, Mohammed, said he had hoped that wisdom and a political solution would prevail to spare the clerics life.He warned that his execution could trigger negative reactions inside and outside Saudi Arabia.The Bahraini government and the United Arab Emirates voiced support for the conservative kingdom, saying the executions were necessary to confront extremism.Nimr was arrested in 2012, three years after calling for Eastern Provinces Qatif and Al-Ihsaa governorates to be separated from Saudi Arabia and united with Bahrain.The interior ministry had described him at the time of his arrest as an instigator of sedition.A video on YouTube in 2012 showed Nimr making a speech celebrating the 2012 death of then-interior minister Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz.Let the worms eat him, Nimr had said, while also criticising the rulers of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, where the community has also complained of marginalisation.

Khairpur: 4 dacoits arrested for looting cars after clash with police

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KHAIRPUR (Dunya News) – Four dacoits who were busy in looting passengers of public transport vehicles on National Highway were arrested in injured condition early Sunday morning after a clash with the police.According to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Khairpur, police patrolling the area reached the crime scene as the felons were busy in looting. Seeing the police, the suspects opened fire on them. Three of the suspects managed to escape.Two grenades, three Kalashnikovs and bullets were recovered from the arrested criminals.SSP Khairpur further informed that the suspects were wanted by the police for similar cases throughout Sindh.

Karachi operation will continue till eradication of terrorism: CM Sindh

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Chief Minister (CM) Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah on Sunday announced that Karachi operation will continue till complete eradication of terrorism from the city. He stated that the Provincial government wants to keep Rangers in the city up until then. CM Sindh made this announcement during a casual discussion with senior journalists.According to details, CM Sindh stated that Sindh government had always cooperated with the Federation and he hoped that the Federation will not ignore the Provincial government’s point of view.Shah stated that his meeting with Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif had been extremely promising. Shah further stated that all issues will be discussed with Federal Minister for Interior Chaudhary Nisar as well, who will soon be visiting the Provincial capital.Speaking on the matter of Rangers, CM Sindh said that Rangers were given exclusive powers and mandate in four cases and the Provincial government wants that the law enforcement agency should conduct action in accordance with these cases. Shah stated that these points will be discussed with Nisar.CM Sindh stated that he had seen the news of Islamic State (IS) operatives being arrested from Punjab. Shah reiterated that effective action should be taken against IS and other terrorists, wherever they maybe.

Karachi: Three people shot dead in various areas of city

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Three people on Saturday were shot dead in various areas of the city in separate incidents of crime.Unknown assailants gunned down an individual identified as Irfan in Defence area.Suspects opened fire on a shop in Neelum colony killing one who was later identified as Haider Ali.Meanwhile a person named Ibrahim was shot dead at a PCO in Qayyumabad area of the city.On the other hand, Rangers conducted action in numerous areas of the city and arrested nine suspects. According to the Spokesperson for Rangers, the arrested felons include terrorists and suspects of gangwar and militant wings.Various weapons including a Submachine gun (SMG) was recovered from the arrested suspects.The criminals have been shifted to an undisclosed location for interrogation.

Karachi: Repairs cause severe traffic jam at Drigh road Shahrah-e-Faisal

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Repair work late Saturday night on a railway track caused a severe traffic jam at Drigh road Shahrah-e-Faisal, Karachi. Motorists were stuck for 5 hours in the traffic havoc until the road was finally cleared so commuters could be on their way.Thousands of cars were stuck in the unrelenting traffic pile up since 11:00 PM causing a massive queue of cars from Drigh road to Baloch Colony.The traffic havoc also affected routes from Star Gate to Drigh road and Gulistan-e-Johar to Shahrah-e-Faisal.Motorists stuck in the traffic stated that it was impossible to reach their destinations in time now. The roads only cleared when traffic on the roads diminshed bit by bit.The administration has informed however that the railway track repair work will continue till 11:00 AM Sunday morning.

Karachi encounter: Plaintiff refuses to recognize student Zakria

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Two major contradictory developments into a case of an alleged police encounter of a student named Zakria have further complicated matters. The main plaintiff has refused to recognize the late student while on the other hand Zakria’s arrested alleged accomplice Azad has confessed that the late student was his partner in crime.The video of the interrogation shows a terrified looking injured Azad and the confession has been deemed as questionable by some however.The clarity of the case has been compromised with many calling the encounter as ‘fake’. The police registered 4 cases against the suspect. The police itself are the plaintiff in 3 of the cases.Police claim that the alleged suspect fled after a robbery at Khayab-e-Rahat and was killed during a clash while his accomplice Azad was injured. Even though a similar statement was given by Azad during interrogation, however the video of the interrogation and the refusal by the plaintiff have further complicated the case.Police on late Friday had gunned down the student n Gizri area. Zakria had returned from Malaysia after completing his education just six days ago.Read Further:Student killed in fake police encounter in KarachiDunya News also obtained passport of the returning student. He had completed his education in Malaysia and returned almost a week ago.Bereaved family has said that the 25-year-old was martyred in a fake encounter. On January 1, Zakria was in Gizri area along with his friend named, Azad.Additional IG has taken action on Dunya News report. A team has been formed to investigate the matter and present a report.

Trump Muslim remark used in jihadist recruitment video: monitoring group

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NAIROBI (AFP) - Republican White House frontrunner Donald Trumps call for a ban on Muslims entering the US have been used by Somalias Shebab in a jihadist recruitment video, a US monitoring group said Saturday.The Al Qaeda-affiliated Shebab use an excerpt from Trumps December 7 speech to try and woo Muslims in the West to wage jihad, the SITE Intelligence Group reported.In his speech, Trump proposed a total and complete shutdown on Muslims entering the US until the US was able to determine and understand this problem of Islamist violence, following the killing of 14 people by a radicalised couple in California.In the Shebab video, the Trump soundbite is preceded by a speech by the late Anwar al-Awlaki, a US-born radical imam, calling on Muslims in America to flee the oppressive Western atmosphere for the lands of Islam.Al-Awlaki, who Washington alleges was a senior Al Qaeda operative, was killed by a US drone strike in Yemen in September 2011.The video, which lasts more than 50 minutes, specifically targets black youths, urging them to convert to Islam and leave for the Somali battlefield using footage of Malcolm X, protests against police actions, and speeches of white supremacists, SITE said.It portrays America as a country hostile to its Muslim population, with the narrator claiming that in the United States, basic human rights and concepts such as justice, tolerance, and the rule of law do not apply if you are a Muslim.- ISISs best recruiter -Trumps inflammatory remarks sparked a wave of global outrage, with his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton warning that his words were playing into the hands of extremist groups.During a Democratic debate last month, Clinton accused Trump of being ISISs best recruiter, referring to the self-described Islamic State group, and said the radical jihadists were going to people showing videos of Donald Trump insulting Islam and Muslims in order to recruit more radical jihadists.Trump hit back, accusing her of lying, but Clintons spokeswoman insisted that his remarks were being used in social media by ISIS as propaganda... to help recruiting, sourcing the information to groups that monitor ISs online activities.US media outlets were unable to find any footage evidence to back up Clintons initial claim.The video was uploaded onto Twitter by the Al-Kataib Media Foundation, a regular conduit for the groups propaganda material, SITE said.The Shebab was born out of the Islamic Court Union, which controlled central and southern Somalia for six months in 2006, including the capital Mogadishu.The insurgents, who were driven out of Mogadishu in 2011, are fighting to overthrow Somalias internationally-backed government, which is protected by 22,000 African Union troops.

Outsider takes early lead in C.Africa presidential race

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BANGUI (AFP) - Early results from Central African Republics presidential election Saturday gave former premier Faustin Archange Touadera a slim lead in the capital after a vote seen as vital to restoring stability after ending years of unrest.Partial results in Bangui from Wednesdays election showed Touadera, a former prime minister under ousted ex-president Francois Bozize, leading with 30,999 votes.Anicet Georges Dologuele, another former prime minister who had been seen as one of the favourites to lead the country, was on 28,162 votes while Desire Kolingbala, son of former military dictator Andre Kolingba, had 25,057.The results were based on nearly 130,000 votes, representing 64 percent of votes cast in Bangui, Julius Ngouade Baba of the National Elections Authority (ANE) told reporters.Voters had flocked to the polls to elect a president and parliament, three years after the ousting of Bozize, a Christian, by a rebel alliance dominated by minority Muslims.Despite security concerns after a deadly attack on a Muslim district in Bangui during a mid-December constitutional referendum the election went off without major incident after initial delays caused by logistical glitches.Nearly two million people in the country of around five million were eligible to choose between around 30 presidential hopefuls and over 1,800 people running for a place in the 105-seat National Assembly.The head of the UNs Minusca peacekeeping mission in CAR, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, hailed the election as a success.The presidential election is expected to go to a run-off on January 31.One of the poorest countries in the world, with a history of coups and rebellions, CAR was plunged into a bout of fierce intercommunal violence in 2013 after Bozize was ousted by the Seleka rebel alliance.Thousands of people were killed and around one in ten fled their homes in attacks by rogue rebels on remote villages and the fierce reprisals by Christian militia against Muslim communities.UN and French peacekeepers helped restore a degree of calm in January 2014, when a transitional government took over, but large parts of the country which was visited by Pope Francis by November remain lawless.

Aid groups create huge peace sign of life jackets on Greek isle

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Athens (AFP) - Rights groups briefly transformed a mountain of discarded life jackets used by refugees who crossed the Aegean Sea into a huge peace sign on the hills of the Greek island of Lesbos.The giant symbol, which was made out of around 3,000 flourescent orange life jackets, was created on a hillside overlooking the 10-kilometre (six mile) stretch of water between the islands northern shores and the Turkish coastline, the Greenpeace website said.It was formed on New Years Day by around 100 volunteers from Greenpeace, Doctors Without Borders, Sea-Watch and the Dutch Refugee Boat Foundation as well as the local community group, Starfish.The groups created the peace sign on New Years Day to bring in 2016 with a message of hope, with Greenpeaces Florian Schulz telling AFP it took three-to-four hours to create the giant symbol, which measured 10 metres from side-to-side.But it was later removed as the group did not have permission to leave it there.We had no permission for the sign to stay in the hills so we dismantled it and cleaned up the dump, Schulz told AFP.UN figures show that more than half a million people have crossed Aegean Sea to Lesbos alone over the past year, accounting for nearly 60 percent of the 850,000 who reached Greece by boat in 2015.The vast majority were refugees fleeing war and violence in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, with the life jackets they used left at a dump near the village of Molyvos, Greenpeace said.- A silent reminder -The dump site stands as a statue, a silent reminder of the risks and that so many more still hold out hope of a safe crossing. It also includes the life jackets of those who never made it, of those who lost their lives at sea and can never return home or continue their journey north, it said.More than one million migrants and refugees have entered Europe this year, four out of five of whom reached the continent via the Greek islands. Although the arrivals has declined since the autumn, around 60,000 arrived on Lesbos in December, UN figures show.Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei on Friday said he was planning to create a memorial on Lesbos to the plight of refugees, many of whom have died trying to reach Europe.A lot of people have lost their lives under the waves... we need a memorial, he told AFP after a news conference on the project.I already set up a studio in Lesbos. Next year we are going to be involved with different projects, he added.

Teen gang-rape case: victim was 'friends' with accused

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – With the discovery of new evidence, the Lahore teen gang rape case appears even more tangled, Dunya News reported.According to details, new discovery suggests that the victim already knew the prime suspect Adnan and was allegedly friends with him. They allegedly talked on social messaging app WhatsApp regularly.Reportedly, the victim repeatedly expressed the desire to meet the accused and also sent him the photos of her cousin. The police sources have claim that the victim and accused Adnan have met in the same hotel multiple times before.The police are investigating on multiple angles with the help of mobile phone records and the evidence recovered from the crime scene.Prior to this development, the victim has refused to appear before the court and undergoing a medical exam which has tangled the case further.
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