Prisoners’ sight invoked fear of God in me: CJ

ISLAMABAD: As intelligence agencies produced before the court seven missing prisoners who had been picked up after their release from Adiyala Jail in 2010, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry Monday said the condition of the prisoners had invoked the fear of God in him.


The Supreme Court on Monday sought records from the intelligence agencies about the whereabouts prior to January 26 of seven prisoners who went missing from Rawalpindi’s Adiyala Jail in 2010.
A three-member bench of the apex court comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Tariq Pervez was hearing the constitutional petition. In compliance with the court’s earlier order, the intelligence agencies produced seven missing prisoners picked up from Adiyala Jail in 2010. 
Raja Muhammad Irshad, counsel for the intelligence agencies, produced the detainees including Mazharul Haq, Shafiqur Rehman, Muhammad Shafiq, Dr Niaz Ahmed, Abdul Majeed, Gulroze and Abdul Basit.
The court directed Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq and Raja Irshad to procure records to satisfy the court about their detention prior to January 26, 2012 and explain whether they were proceeded against under any provision of the law and if so, with what results. 


The court also directed KP Chief Secretary Ghulam Dastagir to collect relevant records to satisfy the court about the circumstances under which the detainees were allowed to be admitted to the Internment Centre by the internment authority. 
During the hearing, the chief secretary, on behalf of the internment authority/ KP governor, pointed out that the detainees were in detention with effect from January 26 and had been kept at the FC Fort, Parachinar, a notified Internment Centre.


Irshad submitted that the first three persons had been brought from the Internment Centre, Parachinar, whereas the latter four persons had been brought from the Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar. He told the court that on February 10, when the case was taken up by the court, arrangements were being made to shift the detainees from Parachinar to Islamabad. 


“But on account of poor visibility due to snowfall, the helicopter was not in a position to operate. When conditions improved, the prisoners were brought to Islamabad along with four other persons who were admitted in Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar. By that time, however, court proceedings had ended,” Irshad said. 
The court then directed him to give this explanation in writing. The court was informed that four of the detainees had been brought from the hospital, where they were under treatment and reports in this regard had also been placed on record.


Based on the report, the court noted that the detainees were not in good health. Similarly, the three persons brought from the Internment Centre, Parachinar also required examination by medical authorities, since the learned counsel for the petitioners had said all seven persons were kept in illegal detention and not provided proper food and medical care/treatment.


In this regard, the KP chief secretary told the court that the persons would be admitted in hospital and a medical board would be constituted to examine their health and proper medical treatment as well as food provided to them. “They will not be shifted to the Internment Centre, Parachinar as long as the matter is pending before this court.”
The chief secretary further assured the court that meetings between the prisoners and their families would be arranged in accordance with rules and regulations, subject to their security and safety.


At the previous hearing, the court had directed the chief secretary to submit whether an oversight board had been constituted in terms of Article 14 of the Actions (in Aid of Civil Power) Regulation, 2011. 


On Monday, the chief secretary placed on record a notification dated August 12, 2011, according to which a board had been constituted. However, he said as per his knowledge, since the detainees were brought to the Internment Centre on January 26, 2012, therefore, the oversight board had neither examined their cases nor visited them. 
The court directed the chief secretary to submit his reports about the health and general conditions of the seven detainees every four days to the registrar of the court. The case was adjourned for further hearing till March 1.

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NATO supply resumption: Parliament to make final decision, says Kayani

JACOBABAD: Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has categorically said for the first time that parliament reserves the right to decide on resumption of Nato supplies.

Speaking to reporters at the Shamsi Airbase on Monday, he said that the final decision on whether Nato supplies will be allowed to pass through Pakistan for forces based in Afghanistan will be made by the Parliamentary Committee on National Security.

Kayani and Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman, chief of air staff, took members of the media to airbase in Jacobabad to formally announce that the Shamsi Airbase is now under the control of the Pakistan Air Force. The US, which used the airbase for drone attacks in Afghanistan and possibly those in Pakistan, was told to vacate the base by Pakistan in the aftermath of the November 26 Salala checkpoint attack.

The army chief said that Pakistan and US are cooperating on defence operations and Pakistani officials are taken into confidence whenever bordering areas are to be attacked.

Asked if the F-16 aircraft that Pakistan recently received from the US can down American drones, Suleman said that the PAF does not want any such situation to arise where this capability will have to tested. “Pakistan is manufacturing its own unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV drones) at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex in Kamra and we will soon be able to prepare UAVs equipped with missile technology.”

He said that 14 used F-16s were provided to Pakistan by the US free of cost while 18 other have been bought.

Finances

The army chief said that 18% of Pakistan’s total budget had been allocated for the armed forces, which included the army, navy and air force. Of this, eight to nine per cent is reserved for the use of Pakistan Army.

Talking about the Coalition Support Fund, which was set up by the US Congress after the September 11, 2001, attacks to reimburse allies for costs in supporting the US-led war on militancy, Kayani said that Pakistan was yet to receive 1.5 billion dollars from the US.

an,� � o X�� � ‘ ate the base by Pakistan in the aftermath of the November 26 Salala checkpoint attack.

The army chief said that Pakistan and US are cooperating on defence operations and Pakistani officials are taken into confidence whenever bordering areas are to be attacked.

Asked if the F-16 aircraft that Pakistan recently received from the US can down American drones, Suleman said that the PAF does not want any such situation to arise where this capability will have to tested. “Pakistan is manufacturing its own unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV drones) at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex in Kamra and we will soon be able to prepare UAVs equipped with missile technology.”

He said that 14 used F-16s were provided to Pakistan by the US free of cost while 18 other have been bought.

Finances

The army chief said that 18% of Pakistan’s total budget had been allocated for the armed forces, which included the army, navy and air force. Of this, eight to nine per cent is reserved for the use of Pakistan Army.

Talking about the Coalition Support Fund, which was set up by the US Congress after the September 11, 2001, attacks to reimburse allies for costs in supporting the US-led war on militancy, Kayani said that Pakistan was yet to receive 1.5 billion dollars from the US.

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MQM delegation attend wedding ceremony of Arif Alvi's daughter, met PTI Chairman Imran Khan

A delegation of MQM attended wedding ceremony of PTI Secretary General Arif Alvi's daughter, today. The delegation includes Member of MQM Coordination Committee Waseem Aftab, Minister Health Sindh Dr. Sagheer Ahmed and its MNA Waseem Akhtar. The delegation also met Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan and its senior leader Javed Hashmi. Leaders of both the parties exchange good will messages.

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Every man should know some Flirting techniques

Hot date on the horizon? Planning a night on the pull? Or just fancy your chances with the blonde in Bought Ledger? Well, we've got a few suggestions on how you can maximise your chances. All you have to do is master these 10 crafty flirting techniques.
Flirt with your follicles
Women might complain about 'pash rash' but they still can't resist a bit of stubble on a man. No, they literally can't resist. That's because a susceptibility to stubble has been pre-programmed into the female brain by Mother Nature herself in order to identify fertile males.
"The higher a man's testosterone level the faster his stubble growth and that acts as a strong visual badge of masculinity," says body language expert Allan Pease, who reckons the optimum length for attracting women is three days-worth of growth. Bad news for razor manufacturers, perhaps, but great news for you.

Scare the daylights out of her
Let's face it, caution and safety have never been sexy. Danger and spontaneity, on the other hand, are powerful aphrodisiacs. And there's a scientific reason why attraction and danger are linked.
Studies have shown that fear is more likely to bond people than laughter because the accompanying release of stress hormones triggers an instinct to grab hold of the nearest person for the sake of safety. Take her to a nice slasher flick for your first date and that nearest person is going to be you.

Smile like you mean it
According to a study by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, 88% of women remember a man with an attractive smile. But there's a big difference between flirtatious and lecherous.
The most effective smiles come from within so think of a genuinely pleasant moment in your life as an 'inner prompt' and flash both sets of teeth to show you're genuine. Some subtle licking or biting of the lips works wonders too since women recognise these as a classic flirting techniques. Subtle is the key word though - you don't want her to think you get all your flirting tips from Twilight.


Spray to play
Fragrance has long been a useful weapon in a man's flirting armoury and with good reason. Not only has a study by the famous Kinsey Institute revealed that women who sniff a male fragrance while fantasising about an erotic experience become more sexually aroused, our sense of smell is handled by the same part of the brain associated with basic instincts - including sexual desire.
If you want to make sure fragrance really hits the spot with her go for ones like Thierry Mugler's A*Men or Chanel's Allure Homme Edition Blanche which contain vanilla - a recent survey showed it to be one of women's favourite smells.

Never appear too interested
Locking eyes and smiling is clearly the most obvious sign you're interested in a woman but never over do it. "With the flirtatious smile, the flirter should briefly show enjoyment, gaze away, then back," advises Daniel McNeill, author of The Face: A Guided Tour.
Looking away isn't just an effective tease, it's also a powerful flirting technique because it sends out a conflicting signals, forcing the object of your affection to look closer at you to get reassurance that you're actually interested.
Be creative

Notorious womanisers, whether Burton or Byron, weren't popular with the ladies purely because of their good looks - their creativity played a part too.
When a team from Newcastle University in the UK explored why some men were more of a hit with women than others they discovered a link between creativity and sexual success. Artists and poets came top of the list, with up to three times more partners than non-creative types. So when she asks what you do in your spare time you're a poet, right? Or play double bass in a jazz quintet. Or paint erotic nudes.

Tease with type
With a survey by the UK's Flirting Academy showing that eight out of 10 women love flirting at work, knowing how to attract attention through email is useful skill to have.
"Many men treat email totally differently than conversation and become incredibly formal or brusque," says Marc Katz, one of America's leading dating coaches. "Instead, write as you'd speak, show your personality and make sure you ask lots of open ended questions so she has to reply. Never ask questions that she can merely reply 'yes' or 'no' to." Cutting and pasting her name into the opening line of the email is clearly a very bad idea.

Play the game
Ok, here's a fact: women are miles better at reading body language than men. In fact, research by psychologists at Harvard University in the US has shown that women are able to read body language correctly 87% of the time compared to just 42% for men.
So why not play to the gallery and consciously send out the right signals? When men are flirting we preen ourselves, stand erect to increase our height, put our thumbs in our belt with fingers pointing at our crotch and stand with our legs open and with our feet pointed at the object of affection. Throw these into your flirting and she'll soon get the message. In fact she'd have to be blind not to.

Use your ears

"Listening is an underestimated quality when it comes to flirting," says Marc Katz, one of America's leading dating coaches. "If you listen and ask questions while flirting it makes a person feel important and shows that you're genuinely interested in them - and there's nothing more flattering."
Admittedly, this may take some practice on your part - especially if all she wants to talk about is the latest Sex and The City film - but is worth a go. Don't overdo it though, you're not interviewing her for a job as your cleaner.

Don't be too tidy

Women might be attracted to a well-groomed man (it shows you're capable of looking after yourself and by implication other people including her too) but it doesn't always pay to be too well presented.
In fact, a little untidiness can positively work to your advantage, especially as women can't resist tidying men up. This is why some flirting coaches suggest wearing a tie and leaving it slightly crooked - the idea being that women simply won't be able to resist straightening it. And once she has her hands on you half the battle is won.

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Marvi rejected PTI's Media secretary post

 

Appointment of Ms. Marvi Memon as the Central Information Secretary Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.

I am pleased to appoint Ms. Marvi Memon as the Central Information Secretary of PTI wuth immediate effect.
Ms. Memon would report directly to the Chairman. She would be overall incharge of all information and media management operations of the party including the Central Media Cell based in Islamabad. All provincial Information secretaries as well as spokespersons would perform in coordination with the Central Information Secretary.
In addition to her responsibilities as the Central Information Secretary, Ms. Memon would also be the Member of the Parliamentary Board to be set up to select the PTI candidates for the Nation and Provincial Assemblies.
In order to streamline the media and information related operations, Ms. Memon would be fully authorized to restructure the entire media and information related PTI management and operations structure at the Central and Provincial levels. She would also manage all national and international youth, think tank, policy related wings to contribute to the information analysis gathering, producing, disseminating and projecting effort for PTI including quick response teams.
All media related expenses would be incurred from a separate bank account to be established to manage the  information and media management operations. The media bank account would be operated jointly by the Finance Secretary and the Central Information Secretary.

Imran Khan

Chairman

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf

25-11-11

On other hand PTI officials remarks on facebook as follows.

"After that all Drama by Marvi Memon on Sana Bucha Show , atlast we have seen that letter. Letter has cuttings on it, its not on letter head of PTI, so it looks very much a draft letter and not the finalized version.
There were some negotiations with Marvi Memon and some draft letter might also be issued but then Khawja Saad Rafiq approached Marvi and things did not went well between Marvi and PTI and no final letter was issued to her.Now she is using that draft version for her stunts and luckily she has services of Sana Nawaz Bucha Sharif. "

 

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Al-Qaida Leader Voices Support for Syrian Uprising

Photo: AFP/IntelCenter

This still image from video obtained courtesy of a group called "IntelCenter," showing Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri appearing in a new video released, October 11, 2011.

Al-Qaida's leader has voiced support for the Syrian uprising against President Bashar al-Assad and called on Muslims from neighboring countries to come to the aid of Syrian anti-government rebels.

In a video posted Sunday on an Islamist website, Ayman al-Zawahri urged Muslims in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey to join the uprising against Assad's "pernicious, cancerous regime." He also called on Syrians not to rely on the West or Arab governments.

Senior Iraqi officials say intelligence over the last four months has revealed a flow of al-Qaida-linked fighters, as well as weapons for Assad's opponents, from northern Iraq into Syria.

Zawahri's comments came a day after two suicide car bombers struck security compounds in Aleppo, a Syrian city that had been relatively peaceful throughout the uprising. While no group has claimed responsibility, suicide bombings are a hallmark of al-Qaida. 

Also Saturday, a Syrian general and military physician was assassinated outside his Damascus home. Brig. General Issa Kholi is believed to have been one of the highest-ranking military officers killed in the 11-month-old conflict.

Assassinations have been a frequent component of the Syrian conflict, with each side accusing the other of targeting individuals. A spokesman for the rebel Free Syrian Army denied the insurgent force was involved in the general's killing.

Syria's turmoil began with peaceful protests against Assad's rule, but the revolt has grown increasingly militarized as army defectors and protesters have taken up arms against the government.

Zawahiri took command of al-Qaida after Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. special forces in a raid in Pakistan in May.

Last week, he appeared in another video to announce that the Somali-based militant group al-Shabab had joined the radical, Islamist terror network.

Al-Shabab had previously said it is aligned with al-Qaida, and in June pledged allegiance to Zawahri. The United States has designated al-Shabab a terrorist group.

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Difa-e-Pakistan conference begins in Karachi

Karachi: The arrangements for Difa-e-Pakistan Council’s (DPC) ‘Defence of Pakistan’ conference in Karachi have been finalized as the leaders and supporter are reaching at Mazar-e-Quaid.

Jamat-e-Islami (JI) is hosting the event while volunteers of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) along with heavy contingents of police are performing security duties.

Dozens of billboards, posters and banners have been put up by Jamaat-ud-Dawa, Ahl-e-Sunnat wal Jamat (ASWJ), JI and different other parties in the city.

Difa-e-Pakistan Council is a coalition of over 42 religious and political parties that has been vocally demanding the government keep Nato supply routes closed and withdraw its decision to grant India the status of most-favoured nation.

On Saturday, the DPC leaders vowed to stage a sit-in protest outside the Parliament House on February 20 against any plan for the restoration of Nato supplies. Besides, an all parties’ conference will be held on the Balochistan issue on February 23.

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Deficits pose big challenge, warns SBP

The State Bank of Pakistan. — File Photo

KARACHI: The State Bank kept the policy interest rate unchanged at 12 per cent on Saturday, saying the real challenge lay in financing the fiscal and external current account deficits.
The Governor of SBP, Yaseen Anwar, explained the difficulties being faced by economy as well as problems in monetary management during a media briefing where he announced the monetary policy for the February-March period.
The SBP expects the average inflation in 2011-12 (FY12) to range between 11 and 12 per cent, implying an uptick during the second half of the current fiscal.
The central bank chief said inflationary pressures had not eased significantly. There were indications of underlying inflationary pressures. For instance, the number of CPI items showing year-on-year inflation of more than 10 per cent was significant and mostly belonged to the non-food category, he added.
The SBP said it had been providing substantial liquidity on an almost permanent basis, but it carried risks for effectively anchoring inflation expectations in the medium term.
From July 1 to Feb 9, Rs230 billion had been supplied by State Bank.
The government has so far borrowed Rs444 billion from the banking system, including Rs197 billion from State Bank, an amount considerably higher than the yearly financing requirements of Rs293 billion envisaged in the FY12 budget, said Yaseen Anwar.
The provisional estimate of fiscal deficit for the first half of FY12 (July-Dec 2011), from the financing side, shows a deficit of Rs532 billion, or 2.5 per cent of GDP.
Over the past 10 years, the deficit has always been higher in the second half of a fiscal year by at least 0.5 per cent of GDP.
“Containing the FY12 fiscal deficit close to the government’s revised target of 4.7 per cent of GDP would be difficult,” the State Bank governor said.
BIG CHALLENGE: The SBP said the real challenge was to finance the projected external current account deficit.
“Incorporating a steady flow of workers’ remittances, the external current account deficit is expected to remain in the range of $3.5 billion to $5.5 billion, or 1.5 to 2.4 per cent of GDP,” said Yaseen Anwar.
The risks to external payments position have also increased due to worsening terms of trade, fragile global economic conditions, and continued paucity of financial inflows. In addition, $1.1 billion is to be repaid to the IMF during the second half of 2011-12.
The SBP’s foreign exchange reserves have already declined to $12.2 billion from $14.8 billion since July 1. Similarly, the rupee-dollar exchange rate has depreciated by 5.2 per cent in FY12 so far, he added.The possibility of limiting the deficit to the lower side of the range is mainly contingent upon the realisation of Coalition Support Fund, $800 million, and the proceeds from the auction of 3G licences, estimated to be around $850 million, he added.
The actual net capital and financial inflows during the first half of FY12 was only $167 million due to decline in both the direct and portfolio investments and shortfalls in official flows.
“Assuming that all the official flows contemplated by the government are realised – $500 million from the issuance of euro bonds, $800 million from the privatisation proceeds of PTCL, and budgeted loans from international financial institutions – the net capital and financial inflows could increase to $3.8 billion by June 2012,” said Mr. Anwar.
The SBP said the credit growth to private sector would remain weak. “All of the fresh credit disbursement in first half FY12 was utilised to meet the working capital requirements, which implies that a significant part of this credit will be retired in second half of the year,” said the Governor.
The full year expansion in credit to the private sector is expected to remain weak for yet another year in FY12 despite interest rate reductions.
“Though, tax collections in first half of the current fiscal grew by 27.1 per cent the full year target of Rs1952 billion still seems ambitious,” he said.

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CPAC Straw Poll Results 2012: Mitt Romney Wins Conservative Vote

WASHINGTON -- Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won the Conservative Political Action Conference straw poll on Saturday, a major symbolic victory as he tries to convince Republicans that he is sufficiently conservative to win the GOP nomination.Romney won 38 percent of the CPAC straw poll votes, with former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum coming in second at 31 percent. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) picked up 15 percent of the votes and Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), who won the straw polls in 2010 and 2011, received only 12 percent of the vote.
The result came despite what has been a weaker conservative response to Romney than Santorum, who has little to prove as a conservative and Catholic who has strong evangelical support. Romney needed to fight against accusations that he is a "Massachusetts moderate" -- hardly a winning concept among staunch conservatives here -- and weak on pro-life issues.
Romney said in his speech Friday at CPAC that he is "severely conservative," and seemed to have a larger campaign presence at the conference than other groups, with dozens of volunteers lining the halls outside the main ballroom to talk about Romney after every event.
Romney also won in a national telephone poll of self-identified conservatives, also announced at CPAC on Saturday afternoon. In those results, Santorum came only two points behind Romney, at 25 percent to 27 percent.
The CPAC result could bolster the organizers' attempts to make the annual straw poll more relevant to the race after two consecutive wins by Paul. The CPAC straw poll used to be considered an indication of the preferences of strong conservative voters, but in the past two years seemed more indicative of the zeal of Paul supporters, who voted disproportionately among conservative attendees.
This time around, organizers implemented a new system in which CPAC attendees could vote either in person or online via computer or mobile device, hoping that making participation easier would make for a more accurate depiction of the crowd. "We have moved into the twenty-first century," Tony Fabrizio, who ran the straw poll, said before the announcement.
A roughly equal number of individual registrants and student attendees -- about 45 percent each -- participated in the straw poll, Fabrizio said. But votes were down from last year, from 3,742 to 3,408.
Al Cardenas, president of the American Conservative Union, told The Huffington Post's Jon Ward on Thursday that he wasn't "worried" that Paul would win the CPAC straw poll.
"Curious is more like it," Cardenas said. "In the past, to his credit, about 80, 90, 100 percent of people who were there and liked Ron Paul voted, and probably a very small percentage of those who liked others bothered to vote."
Paul had another disadvantage in the straw poll this year: he and his campaign skipped CPAC, unlike the other three candidates. Santorum received a particularly positive reception during his speech on Friday, in which he talked about his conservative and religious values.
The online voting for the CPAC poll was secure and there was no evidence of attempts to hack the system, Fabrizio assured reporters before the results came out on Saturday.
"Theoretically, you could sit there, if you were genius enough, and spend as many hours as you could to try to hack and figure out what the pin sequence is, but that would be a very difficult thing to do," Fabrizio said of the system, which requires a pin number for CPAC attendees to vote online. "Given the voting patterns that we have seen and the number of people participating, there is no indication that any of that is happening."
The straw poll also found that about a third of CPAC attendees believe Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) should be the vice presidential nominee; he was also chosen by 15 percent of participants in the national telephone poll. The national poll results on the vice president were less definitive, leading Fabrizio to joke to CPAC attendees, "You all have opinions. They need your help."
The straw poll could be more important than usual this year, provided the vote is not considered swayed by Paul devotees, because the race has been so divided. Different candidates won the first three contests -- Santorum in Iowa, Romney in New Hampshire and Gingrich in South Carolina -- and Santorum somewhat unexpectedly won all three races last week.
The Maine caucus results, which will be announced later Saturday, could give more of a boost to Romney, who is expected to do well there.

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‘Even Milan said we were the better side’

Arsène Wenger has called on his side to deliver a repeat performance of their historic 2-0 win at AC Milan when they face the Italian giants on Wednesday.

Late goals from Cesc Fabregas and Emmanuel Adebayor secured victory for Arsenal in 2008 as they became the first English club to beat the Rossoneri at the San Siro.

Wenger remains fiercely proud of that performance and says his current crop also have the quality to secure another famous away European result.

 “I felt it was such a great night because we stayed faithful to our game and played without complexity,” he said.

“I remember that even Milan said the better team won. So let's keep that in our memory and repeat the same performance.

“We have had quite a few good performances away in the Champions League over the years, and we are very proud of them. We won in Madrid in 2006, 5-1 at Inter Milan in 2003, and the 2-0 win against AC Milan in 2008.

“When you look back and remember, you realise that we have won at almost every big stadium in Europe. Yes, we have not won in Barcelona, where we have played a draw, but overall I think we have won everywhere.”

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Three dead in Sunni-Alawite clashes: Lebanon security

Lebanese Sunni militants of “Ansar”, supporters of the anti-Syrian opposition pose while securing an alley in the neighbourhood of Baba al-Tabbaneh in the coastal city of Tripoli north of Lebanon on Saturday. – Photo by Reuters

TRIPOLI: Three people died and 23 were wounded during fierce clashes on Saturday between Lebanese Sunni Muslims hostile to Syria’s regime and Alawites who support it, a Lebanese security official said.
“A Sunni and an Alawite were killed and 23 people were wounded in clashes that continued since Friday between people from the neighbourhoods of Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tebbaneh” in the northern city of Tripoli, the official told AFP.
A 17-year-old girl died of her wounds later.
Ten soldiers were among those wounded in the fighting, among them a sergeant whose wounds were critical, the official added.
The two sides fired guns and rocket-propelled grenades at each other in the bloodiest clashes since last June when six people were killed in the wake of demonstrations against the Syrian government.
Sunni-majority Tripoli has in the past few years been the scene of intense clashes between Sunni supporters of the anti-Syrian opposition and Alawite Muslims loyal to a Hezbollah-led alliance backed by Iran and Syria.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is fighting an unprecedented revolt against his regime, is from the Alawite community, an offshoot of Shia Islam.
The Lebanese army is deployed on the outskirts of Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tebbaneh, namely near Syria Street which separates the rival neighbourhoods.
Some residents have fled the area while those who stayed behind — both Sunnis and Alawites — said they are afraid that clashes will erupt anew while blaming the other side for the fighting.
“I am paying the price of a war which is not mine,” said Zeinab Yaghi, a 55-year-old Sunni Muslim mother of five whose house was hit in the crossfire.
“I know nothing about politics but supporters of the Damascus regime are causing problems here,” she said after fleeing her home with her children.
One Sunni man who declined to be identified said “rockets have been raining down on us since yesterday (Friday).” “They are constantly provoking us and waving pictures of Bashar al-Assad,” he said of his Alawite neighbours, adding however that he was not against the Alawites.
Some Alawites also expressed concern, saying they were afraid for their lives.
“We are afraid because there is a sectarian spin to things,” said Khaled al-Ali, a taxi driver.
“Since the crisis began in Syria we have been treated like foreigners. They provoke us all day long by staging anti-Alawite rallies,” he said.
“The imams in the mosques are setting the (Sunnis) against us in their sermons and we constantly receive threats saying we would be expelled from Tripoli if the regime in Syria falls,” he added.
The fighting erupted on Friday but subsided by Saturday afternoon after the army negotiated a truce between the two communities, officials said.
“I could not care less what happens in Syria,” said Mohammed Khaldiye, an Alawite.
“I just want to live in peace with my neighbours, in my city” of Tripoli.

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