NWFP(Pukhtunkhwa) govt reverses weapon distribution decision in Swat

PESHAWAR: The NWFP government on Saturday annulled its decision about distributing weapons among villagers to tackle the Taliban, saying it could create problems in some areas.The decision was taken during a meeting of the NWFP cabinet with Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti in the chair.The inspector general of police, the Special Branch deputy inspector general and the home secretary briefed the meeting about the security situation in the province and the return of peace in the restive Swat valley.Briefing reporters about the decisions taken during the meeting, NWFP Information Minister Iftikhar Hussain said the provincial cabinet had discussed the proposal regarding the distribution of weapons among villagers and had decided to reverse the decision, saying it would create more problems.Iftikhar told reporters that the insurgency had caused damages worth Rs 32.21 billion to state-owned and private properties in Swat district. The minister said the losses to the public sector amounted to Rs 2.21 billion while those to the private infrastructure were worth Rs 32 billion.He said 188 schools in the area were damaged during the violence in Swat. Of them, 122 schools were completely destroyed while another 66 were partially damaged. Iftikhar said the provincial government would implement Nizam-e-Adl Regulation in Malakand division as per the promise made to the people of the area. Regarding abductions for ransom in the province, particularly in Peshawar, the minister said the cabinet had directed the authorities to take immediate steps to tackle the situation.Responding to a statement by Azam Khan Hoti, father of NWFP chief minister, pointing to risk attached with governor’s rule in the NWFP, Iftikhar said no one needed to comment after the clear-cut policy statement on the situation by Awami National Party chief Asfandyar Wali.

Pakistan says wins key region on Afghan border

KHAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani forces have defeated Islamist militants in a strategically important region on the Afghan border and expect to clear militants out of other areas by the end of the year, a commander said on Saturday.Pakistan's seven semi-autonomous ethnic Pashtun regions, known as agencies, are sanctuaries for al Qaeda and the Taliban and a victory against them would provide relief for U.S. and NATO forces hard-pressed by insurgents in Afghanistan.Major-General Tariq Khan, who is commanding military operations in five of the seven agencies, said his paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) had driven militants out of Bajaur, the smallest of the agencies but a major infiltration route into Afghanistan, after a six-month offensive."They have lost. They have lost their cohesion here," Khan told reporters on a trip arranged by the military to Bajaur and Mohmand agencies. "The resistance has collapsed."He said his forces had also largely restored "a reasonable state of stability," in the four other agencies under his command."If you are asking me about five agencies ... I think somewhere by the end of the year or so we would, more or less, be over with the military operations," he said.Khan said his forces planned to hand over control of Bajaur, the most northerly of the tribal areas and opposite the Afghan province of Kunar, to government authorities next week.In 2006, a CIA-operated pilotless drone aircraft fired missiles at a house in Bajaur in the belief that al Qaeda number two Ayman al Zawahri was there. At least 18 people were killed.Khan said he had no information about Zawahri's whereabouts but his forces had killed and arrested several Arab fighters.Officials say more than 1,500 militants were killed, along with about 100 soldiers, during the "Operation Sher Dil" launched in Bajaur in September. There has been no independent verification of that militant casualty estimate.Hard-pressed militants led by an al Qaeda ally, Faqir Mohammad, this week declared a unilateral ceasefire in Bajaur. Khan said he rejected an offer of talks and went ahead with military operations.
DIFFERENT STRATEGIES
Khan's strategy appears different to the government's in the neighboring Swat valley, where authorities struck a deal with Islamists, agreeing to enforce Islamic sharia law, after militants virtually took control of the region in recent months.Authorities also sealed peace deals with militants in North and South Waziristan agencies, two major sanctuaries for al Qaeda and Taliban militants on the Afghan border where U.S. drones have carried out more than 20 missile strikes since September.Western countries have expressed concerns over Pakistan's policy of making deals with the militants, fearing the strategy provides breathing space for militants to regroup and intensify their insurgency against Western forces in Afghanistan.
Army spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas said the military and government had devised strategies to suit different areas."There is no single thread that runs across all the agencies ... so one has to deal according to what exactly the situation warrants. That's why the strategy applied in Swat is different and what is being applied in Bajaur is different."Pakistani officials argue that military action against militancy must be backed by political support to reach a lasting solution. "There is no such thing as a military solution. It has to be a political solution," Khan said.

PAKISTAN:Politics of agitation —Dr Hasan-Askari Rizvi

NAWAZ SHARIF AND HIS THUGS DESTROYING PROPERTY AND DESTABLISING THE COUNTRY.








Moderation, tolerance and accommodation can help overcome the present crisis. Both sides need to stand-down from their rigid perspectives. The longer they confront each other in the streets, the harder it will be to find a peaceful and mutually acceptable solution

Democracy is a delicate system of governance that can be sustained only if the political class fully subscribes to and implements its basic norms in letter and spirit. The use of violence in the name of exercising the democratic right to protest shows a lack of understanding of the spirit of democracy.

It was disappointing to watch the PMLN leadership discard the democratic framework and call upon its workers to take to the streets to voice their anger against the Supreme Court judgement that disqualified the Sharif brothers from holding public office. Perhaps the PMLN leaders think that democracy is relevant only to the extent that it facilitates the achievement of their partisan political agenda.

Political agitation and violence in the last week has perturbed even those most optimistic about the future of democracy in Pakistan. The main concern is whether this is the beginning of an unrestrained power struggle between the two major political parties that would unravel the democratic process and shift the political initiative to the military.

What are the implications of street agitation for the capacity of the government to cope with religious extremism and militancy?

Pakistan’s current transition to democracy cannot succeed without active cooperation between the PPP and the PMLN within the constitutional framework. The cordiality manifested by the leaders of these parties in the immediate aftermath of the 2008 general elections engendered the hope that both have learnt from their experiences and would not engage in a free-for-all struggle against each other.

The optimism generated by their cooperation led many to challenge those who projected a doomsday scenario for Pakistan or argued that Pakistan lacked the capacity to function within a democratic framework.

In the 1990s, the PPP and the PMLN engaged in an all out confrontation. During 1988-90, the federal government was led by PPP leader Benazir Bhutto and the Punjab provincial government was led by Nawaz Sharif. These governments declared political war and adopted various measures to destabilise each other. It was a most unfortunate confrontation that weakened civilian institutions and processes. The bitter legacy of these years overshadowed their bilateral interaction until General Pervez Musharraf knocked both leaders out of the political process in October 1999.

Now, in 2009, the PPP and the PMLN have again adopted confrontational posture. The intensity of the PMLN’s anger against the judgement of the Supreme Court has surprised most political observers. Instead of building pressure gradually, the tempo of response was raised to the highest pitch in one go.

Nawaz Sharif’s press conference on February 25 and a public address in Sheikhupura on February 26 reflected his defiant mood and determination to take on the PPP-led federal government in the streets. He minced no words in accusing President Asif Ali Zardari of securing his disqualification from the Supreme Court, which Sharif refused to acknowledge as a legitimate court. He also talked about Zardari’s alleged moneymaking practices while Benazir Bhutto was prime minister. Nawaz Sharif’s second government — 1997-1999 — instituted corruption cases against Zardari. However, no charge was substantiated in court during the next ten years. However, Nawaz Sharif played up these charges in his press conference.

It was an unusual move by Nawaz Sharif to call upon the people to take to the streets to challenge the PPP-led federal government that he held responsible for hatching a conspiracy against him and Shehbaz Sharif. He also advised civil servants not to obey the orders of the government, and endeavoured to isolate Zardari by arguing that he did not blame the PPP for the disqualification. It was Zardari’s doing, he argued.

PMLN activists came out in the streets mainly in the Punjab in a defiant mood and targeted government property, PPP posters and Benazir Bhutto’s memorial in Rawalpindi, where she was assassinated on December 27, 2007. Some of the protest marches that resulted in violence were led by PMLN parliamentarians.

The agitation is limited mainly to PMLN activists and its base in Punjab, especially in the cities that elected PMLN parliamentarians in 2008. It is weak in other provinces where the PMLN has a weak political standing.

However, if the agitation persists at the current level of intensity for another week or so, it is expected to attract ordinary people. It can also spread to other provinces and become nationwide. If agitation does not establish itself in other provinces, it will turn into a confrontation between the PPP and Punjab, which may have negative ramifications for Punjab’s relations with other provinces.

The PMLN can strengthen its position by joining the lawyers’ Long March and sit-in, which will have some political parties and societal groups in its fold. This depends on the tempo of the agitation over the next twelve days.

Another dimension of the PMLN agitation relates to the imposition of Governor’s Rule in Punjab for two months after Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif was disqualified.

The available evidence suggests that neither the PMLN nor the PPP has the required number in the provincial assembly to elect a new chief minister. The imposition of Governor’s Rule gives enough time to both parties to woo the PMLQ for support. If the PPP musters enough members it can form its government; and Governor’s Rule will come to an end quickly. If the PPP cannot muster enough support, however, Governor’s Rule may continue for a longer period. The efforts by the Speaker of the Punjab Assembly (who belongs to the PMLN) to summon the assembly session have no legal basis. However, it is advisable to bring an end to Governor’s Rule and let the Punjab Assembly elect its leader. This will ease tensions in Punjab.

The PPP-led federal government must also share the blame for the current predicament. Its performance in the socio-economic domain has been poor and has alienated the people. It also built pressure on the Punjab government though the governor who periodically threatened to remove the provincial government. This convinced Nawaz Sharif and other PMLN leaders that President Zardari wanted to remove the Punjab government and neutralise the PMLN. Therefore, when the Supreme Court disqualified the Sharif Brothers, Nawaz Sharif was quick to blame President Zardari for the present crisis.

Time is fast running out for the PPP and the PMLN. The PMLN strategy of using its political clout in the Punjab to paralyse the federal government through violent protest will cause irreparable damage to democracy. The strategy of street agitation is expected to accentuate Pakistan’s internal and external security problems and undermine economic recovery. This strategy may create a situation where democracy suffers a major setback and both the PPP and the PMLN lose.

Moderation, tolerance and accommodation can help overcome the present crisis. Both sides need to stand-down from their rigid perspectives. The longer they confront each other in the streets, the harder it will be to find a peaceful and mutually acceptable solution.

Dr Hasan-Askari Rizvi is a political and defence analyst

NAWAZ SHARIF: The genie is out of the bottle

Editorial:(Daily Times)

Addressing a protest rally against the disqualification of the Sharif brothers at Aabpara Chowk in Islamabad, the PMLN’s senator-elect Mr Zafar Ali Shah said on Thursday, “If Zardari wants to stay in the presidency, he will have to undo the SC verdict”. He warned the president against “the wrath of the masses” if he did not issue a presidential order to reverse the verdict. His chief Mian Nawaz Sharif was in Sheikhupura exhorting the “masses” to revolt against the government, a clear incitement to violence.Violence was committed by the PMLN activists in Rawalpindi and other cities, spearheaded by youths in their teens who hardly knew the political meaning of what they were doing. The style is still single-item, reliant on a calculation of anti-PPP factors, including the lawyers’ movement and the media. Given this posture of the Sharifs, the assurance given by the lawyers that their Long March would be peaceful is hardly credible. Pakistani politics is now headed for violence with unpredictable results.Mr Shah’s “demand” for a presidential edict of absolution for the Sharifs is issued late in the day and not in the language of democracy. No one in his right senses would offer a concession in the face of a threat. But concessions are routinely made in democracy through political compromises. The PMLN had many occasions to benefit from such compromises despite the all-black picture painted to the Sharifs by the hawkish section of their second-echelon leaders. Use of the language of violence was a clear precursor to the violence that is now in evidence. The genie is out and will not easily go back into the bottle.
In the first flush of a “new relationship” between the PMLN and the PPP, compacts were made, including the Murree Declaration pledging restoration of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, that have hurt the PPP before the media and the average citizen committed to the lawyers’ cause. But even if angels were to descend upon Pakistan as politicians they would not feel safe in the hands of a suo moto judge determined to undo everything that happened after November 2, 2009 under President Pervez Musharraf. No politician will commit suicide in the name of “principles”. Democracy takes care of this predicament by accepting the practice of compromise.
The PPP and the PMLN were well placed for this compromise. The Sharifs could have settled for a presidential pardon to give them safe passage in Punjab and in future elections. After that they could have agreed to a constitutional package to execute the Charter of Democracy which the nation wants. Instead of now “separating” Mr Asif Ali Zardari from the PPP and saying that only the former is to blame for the current crisis, the Sharifs could have treated the PPP members of their Punjab government well. Instead they took on the party in Punjab and relied on their relationship with Prime Minister Gilani to win a battle that they had in mind even in the days of their honeymoon with the PPP at the centre.A majority of the people looking on will finally come to the conclusion that both parties are to blame for the present crisis, even though most Punjabis hold Mr Zardari exclusively responsible. Regardless of the rights and wrongs of the case, the two have simply gone back to the toppling pattern of the 1990s. The violence in the offing is going to hurt the economy and damage the livelihood of a lot of people whose businesses will be shut in the fortnight of the build-up to the Long March. The denouement of this upheaval will be in no one’s favour. If the PMLN thinks it can inherit even a broken Pakistan after the PPP is somehow ousted, it may be shocked to find that a “third option” may quickly take hold of the country.

PAKISTAN:No to a political war

The Frontier Post

The Sharif Brothers do have a grouse. We empathize with them and have even voiced our sentiments on this account. But protest is one thing; it is at once legitimate and acceptable. Confrontation is nonetheless altogether a different ball game; it is inherently destructive and hence absolutely unacceptable. And completely abhorrent is incitement of people to civil disobedience, as has done Mian Nawaz Sharif unforgivably. By provoking the civil servants and the police force in Punjab to defy the state writ and to disobey the state authority, he has definitely added no feather to his hat. Rather, he himself has torn asunder his donned mantle of martyrdom, showing himself to be what he intrinsically is: a power-hungry politico; no venerable statesman. By instigating the government employees to rebel and revolt, he indeed has forfeited much of the public sympathy that the apex court's ruling had drawn him and his younger sibling, Shahbaz Sharif. This foolhardiness he will keep ruing for long, as the hurt he has inflicted on his person in the popular public eye is hard to heal, so grievous is the hurt. Pakistan, after all, is no real estate or a fiefdom of Nawaz Sharif, as it isn't of Asif Zardari. Nor is it a battleground for the two to wage and fight their dirty political wars on. The homeland it is of 160 million people, who hold it dearest to their hearts and fret concernedly about its security and integrity at the slightest sign of a threat to it. And in these days their country is veritably pitched in a precarious existential threat, both internally and externally. Whichever direction they look at, they see this threat staring their beloved homeland in the face with its vile jaws wide open. So they are deeply worried. And it could only be a sweet delusion of Nawaz and of Zardari that the people are indulgent spectators of their political war. They are not. It is only scorn they have for their repulsive show. Indeed, they are angry and getting angrier; for, as their homeland is slipping deeper into an international conspiracy's lap to hurt it cripplingly, these two are getting embroiled irreconcilably in their own politically-motivated personal fracas. And why indeed should the people get involved in their squabbles when they find both the chips of the same block? Over a year has elapsed since the poll and the restoration of "democracy", whatever it is, they see neither of the two any much concerned about their weal and welfare. Nawaz is craftily touting up his own favourite causes as the people's causes, which they are not. The people's agenda is diametrically different from his agenda. It is their urgent needs and demands that come to them uppermost. But these figure only for lip service in his scheme, driven wholly by his own political appetites and power projects. And Zardari is yet to lay out a coherent state policy for the people's progress and advancement. His government is just chugging off without any direction, without any clear-cut destination. It is mere ad-hocism that characterises his rule. Not as yet has he unveiled any plan for educating the nation's children, for the citizens' healthcare, for the labour's welfare, and for the peasants' weal. No reforms in any sector has he announced and put in place. It seems as if he has abandoned the country to take its own course and the people to fend for themselves. So if Nawaz or Zardari thinks the people are dying for him, he is badly mistaken. They are not. Neither are they enamoured of Nawaz nor of Zardari. Both live in their own core party constituencies; beyond they are just nobodies. They would do well to face up to this compelling reality and act accordingly. With his stridency, Nawaz has just opened up the floodgate to street violence. Already, clashes between party workers of PPP and PML (N) have started, which potentially may flare up into a conflagration, if not scotched right now. One hopes sanity will prevail on both, sooner than later. Nawaz shouldn't overshoot himself; political avenues he should explore for his grouses' gratification. Zardari shouldn't go for an overkill, which surely will boomerang on him; he must be respectful of compelling political ground realities. Both must know that the nation has a resounding no for a political war. It already has too many monstrosities to grapple with. And it would do without one more.
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Dated: Saturday,February 28, 2009, Rabi-ul-Awwal 02, 1430 A.H.

U.S., Pakistan and Afghanistan to Hold Regular Talks

WASHINGTON — Intensifying its focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan, the United States said Thursday that it would hold regular three-way meetings with top officials from the neighboring countries, which the Obama administration sees as the main front of the battle against Islamic extremism.

The plan was announced by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton after three days of meetings with high-level delegations from Afghanistan and Pakistan, which touched on sensitive issues like American airstrikes in Pakistan, and the scope of the American commitment in Afghanistan.

Officials from both Pakistan and Afghanistan expressed concern about civilian casualties from American military operations, according to people who took part in the talks. Pakistan’s foreign minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, objected to airstrikes by Predator drones in tribal areas, part of a covert campaign against militants by the Central Intelligence Agency.

The Afghan foreign minister, Rangeen Dadfar Spanta, voiced worries that the Obama administration, frustrated by escalating violence and corruption in Afghanistan, would scale back its efforts in development aid and nurturing democracy to focus on security.

Mrs. Clinton sought to reassure him that “we’re committed to the Afghan government and people,” said a spokesman, Robert A. Wood. “The Afghans wanted to get across that they’re serious about democracy.”

American officials said the exchanges, which included civilian, military and intelligence officials from the three countries, had been unusually frank and substantive, if somewhat general. The next meeting, scheduled for late April or early May, will delve into more specific issues.

Three-way meetings involving these countries are not new: former President George W. Bush held a tense dinner in 2006 for President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan and Gen. Pervez Musharraf, then the president of Pakistan, during which the two guests said little and Mr. Bush did most of the talking.

But this week’s meetings involved a much larger cross-section of military and government leaders — among them foreign ministers and the heads of the Afghan and Pakistani intelligence services.

“These were not just photo ops,” said Richard C. Holbrooke, the special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. “Meetings in this configuration have not taken place.”

The chief of the Pakistani Army, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, met with leaders in Congress this week and faced questions about whether the military would step in if the political situation in Pakistan deteriorated. General Kayani — who unlike his predecessor, Mr. Musharraf, has pledged to keep the military out of politics — said the army would not intervene, according to a Pakistani official.

On a hectic day at the State Department, the Syrian ambassador to the United States, Imad Mustafa, also met with a senior American diplomat — a tentative step toward what analysts said could be an opening between the United States and Syria on the Middle East peace process.

Mrs. Clinton leaves late on Saturday for her first visit to the region, against a difficult backdrop of complaints about humanitarian aid in Gaza and continued negotiations in Israel to form a government.

On another thorny issue, Mrs. Clinton dispatched a new special envoy for North Korea, Stephen W. Bosworth, to try to restart talks over the North’s nuclear program. Mr. Bosworth is to leave early next week for meetings in Russia, China, South Korea and Japan. He is not scheduled to talk with North Korean officials, but he left open the possibility of such a meeting.

A former ambassador to South Korea, Mr. Bosworth recently returned from a private visit to Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital, during which he said he found willingness on the part of the North Koreans to talk to Washington.

“I found the North Koreans, I thought, quite inclined toward continued dialogue with the United States,” Mr. Bosworth said to reporters. “They see the benefits to them of continued engagement.”

On her first trip last week, Mrs. Clinton jolted diplomatic circles when she spoke about a succession struggle under way in North Korea. The jockeying to succeed Kim Jong-il, she said, could undermine the six-party talks intended to persuade the North to give up its nuclear weapons.

Obama: combat in Iraq to end in 2010

President Obama declared Friday that the U.S. has now “begun the work of ending this war” in Iraq as he announced plans to withdraw most combat forces by August 2010.

Ominous signals

The Frontier Post
EDITORIAL
After disqualification of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif, PML-N workers took to the streets and staged demonstrations in Lahore and other parts of Punjab. In the wake of unrest and violence at some places, President Asif Ali Zardari imposed governor's rule in the Punjab on the advice of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani. Business community is worried that there would be deterioration in the already distressed economic environment. Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry President Sultan Ahmed Chawla said the decision would harm economy, and further hit already dismal economic indicators. Already, foreign and local investors are hesitant in making investments in Pakistan because of the situation in FATA and settled areas in the NWFP. People are suffering from inflation, unemployment and lack of basic facilities of health and education but ruling elite comprising jagirdars, industrial robber barons are unmindful of their conditions. Eminent lawyers are also part of the ruling elite who are spearheading the movement for restoration of deposed judges charge millions of rupees for one case, whereas notable lawyers also have sizeable income. They do not realise that shops and business centres are closed not because of love for certain political party and its leaders but because of fear of damage to their property in an environment of agitation and violence. Daily-wage workers cannot go about their vocations due to non-availability of transport, and a lot of vendors are deprived of the income they earn for their families. According to an official at Ministry of Finance, Pakistan is likely to experience negative growth this year in all sectors of economy except the agriculture sector. Growth in agriculture sector is expected to be around 4.5 per cent depending on wheat production provided the government takes measures to make fertilizers available to the growers without any delay. He reckoned that if targets of agricultural production are missed, the Gross Domestic Product growth rate would be even less than one percent. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Pakistan on Wednesday revised downward all macroeconomic targets, including scaling down of GDP growth rate to 2.5 per cent from earlier envisaged target of 3.5 per cent for the ongoing fiscal year to approve the second tranche of $800 million for Islamabad under Standby Arrangement (SBA) programme. Business community has been demanding the decline in interest rate because expensive credit and high rates of electricity and gas have made Pakistani products uncompetitive in the world market. But the Fund authorities has linked decrease in discount rates with reduction in core inflation, which means that the central bank is unlikely to scale down discount rates in near future. The GDP growth target was envisaged at 4 per cent for the next budget 2009-2010. The inflation, the official said, would be aimed at bringing down from 23 to 20 per cent by June 2009. For the next fiscal year 2009-2010, the inflation target was envisaged at 6 per cent. But these are statistics with which a man on the street is not concerned. He knows that it is difficult for him to eke out a living to keep his body and soul together. The partisans should stop the nasty wrangle and focus on solving problems faced by the people; otherwise they would lose faith in democratic process, which will be a bad omen for the ruling elite of the country.
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Dated: Friday,February 27, 2009, Rabi-ul-Awwal 01, 1430 A.H.

World crisis far from over, it hasn't reached its peak yet - Putin

NOVO-OGAREVO (Moscow Region), February 27 (Itar-Tass) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin warned that the global financial crisis is far from being over. "We're closely watching the processes running in the world economy - whether good or bad - we depend on it, and have to state that the crisis is far from being over, and has not even reached its peak yet," the prime minister said at a meeting with the leadership of the United Russia party on Friday.

At the same time, the measures taken by developed countries "are not bringing visible results yet. It means such situation may remain for a rather long time," according to Putin.

"The scale of disproportions that accumulated in the world economy is too large, and in order to clear the path to a new upturn, much has to be accomplished together with our partners in international community, and on our own," Putin said.

PPP protests against burning of Benazir, Zardari portraits

HYDERABAD: Activists of the ruling Pakistan Peopleís Party (PPP) on Thursday took out rallies and staged demonstrations against the burning and disgracing of portraits of Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari in the Punjab cities.Activists of the Sindh Peopleís Youth took out a rally, led by divisional president Ahsan Abro and others, with activists chanting slogans against the workers of the PML-N.Another protest rally was brought to the Hyderabad Press Club, which was led by provincial minister Zahid Bhurguri, Amanullah Siyal, Aftab Khanzada and others. The protesters were carrying placards inscribed with slogans against the PML-N workers and demanding President Zardari to take action against those involved in damaging the portraits of the slain chairperson.The protesters also set on fire the effigy of PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif. They said protesting against the decision of the apex court was the right of the PML-N but damaging the portraits of Benazir Bhutto and Asif Zardari had hurt the sentiments of millions of supporters of the PPP.Large contingents of police and Rangers were deployed to prevent violence as the PML-N workers were staging a demonstration at the press club when the PPP workers arrived. Our Khairpur correspondent adds: The students wing of the PPP protested against the destruction of the monument of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto in Rawalpindi by the PML-N workers. The students of the Shah Abdul Latif University staged a demonstration and alleged that the PML-N was instigating the PPP workers but said the PPP was a party of democratic personalities. They said the Supreme Court had announced the disqualification decision on merit. However, they said, the PML-N was accusing President Asif Ali Zardari for the verdict. The tone of the Sharif brothers towards the president of Pakistan was intolerable, they said. They said if the Sharifs did not change their tone of criticism, then they will react. The PPP women wing protested against the disfiguring of portraits of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto. The women workers said the PPPP will not tolerate such acts of the PML-N.Our Naushahro Feroze correspondent adds: Hundreds of activists of the PPP staged a protest and a sit-in outside the local press club against the disfiguring of portraits of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto in Rawalpindi and other cities of the Punjab. The rally started from the PPP district office and went round the entire city before terminating at the local press club. The rally was led by Sadruddin Ujan, president PPP Lawyers Forum, Ubaidullah Rajpar, Shahnaz Ansar, district president PPP Women Wing, Bakhtawar Vistro and others.
The protesters raised slogans against the PML-N and the Chaudhry brothers. Speaking to a large gathering, the local leaders said Benazir Bhutto had sacrificed her life for democracy in Pakistan and its masses.

Pak-Iran gas pipeline deal in final stages’

PESHAWAR: Talks on Pak-Iran gas pipeline are in their final stages, Iranian Consul General Muhammad Iqbal Asghari said on Thursday. Talking to reporters at his residence, Asghari said the Iranian government was aware that Pakistan needed gas and had chosen to supply it to Pakistan, rejecting Swiss and Bulgarian proposals. Answering a question about an Iranian diplomat kidnapped from Peshawar four months ago, he said those behind the kidnapping wanted to damage Pak-Iran ties. Asghari said the Pakistani government should ensure safe recovery of the diplomat, adding no group had yet contacted the Iranian embassy regarding the kidnapping. staff report

Nawaz has nothing to do instead of leveling allegations, says Farzana

ISLAMABAD: Central leader of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Chairperson Benazir Income Support Programme Farzana Raja on Thursday said Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has nothing to do that’s why he was leveling allegations against President Asif Ali Zardari.Former Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif should concentrate towards the crises and threats being faced by the nation and country instead of leveling allegations against the President, she said this while talking to Private TV Channel.
PPP has promoted national unity and political reconciliation for stability of democratic system emerged after February 18, she said, adding that, the attitude adopted by Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif is not in favor of country and masses would not accept it. Nawaz Sharif never ever speaks about extremism and other crises being faced by the nation, Farzana added.He advised Mian Muhammad Nawaz to demonstrate Political maturity. Reply to a question, she said, PML-N has full right to show its reaction but Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was compelling the administration and Police to take unconstitutional and illegal steps. Nawaz Sharif, she said, is trying to aggravate the situation."Sharif brothers’ was able to return Pakistan due to President Asif Ali Zardari and late Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. We had forced PML-N to participate in elections", she said. PPP believed in Politics of reconciliation, she said.

PASHTO:Compulsory language

The NWFP government has decided to include Pushto in the syllabi of schools and colleges as a compulsory language from class one to XII. Talking to a private television channel on Thursday, Minister for Education Sardar Hussain Babak said that during the outgoing academic session the government had already declared Pushto as medium of instruction in eight districts of the province whereas the decision would be extended to the remaining 16 districts from next month when the new session commenced. Experts of educational psychology all over the world are of the unanimous opinion that primary schoolchildren can best learn the new concepts in their mother tongue. However, if the opinion of the linguistic experts carries any weight, the situation in NWFP is different as, according to available statistics, there are 27 languages which are at present being spoken in various parts of the province.
There is no harm in including Pushto or Hindko in the syllabi but declaring it as compulsory language or adopting it as medium of instruction in one go can cause confusion, complications and even disaster in terms of linguistic oppression. The ground realities are that even Pushto-speaking teachers in schools, colleges and universities cannot all of them correctly read or write the language. The honourable minister must have had the first-hand experience of the fact when he briefly worked as translator in Peshawar radio's news section. As a political move, the decision can draw tremendous applause if the government is trying to play to the gallery. However, if it genuinely wants to serve the cause of education, the issue should be placed before a panel of experts for final approval and subsequent implementation in phases.

Reconciliation doors open: Zardari

ISLAMABAD: While taking initiative to make more friends in Punjab in the backdrop of Supreme Court's decision against the electoral eligibility of Sharif brothers, President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday restored the funds of local bodies in the biggest populated province of the country.
According to Geo News, a meeting presided by President Asif Zardari has decided to restore the funds and powers of district, tehsil and town nazims in Punjab.
Sources said that the president has also decided to extend the term of local governments to six months as the LG's term to end in August.
The Shahbaz Sharif government had ceased the funds of local bodies after corruption charges.
The decision has been taken in the wake of emerging political situation created following the Supreme Court verdict against the electoral eligibility of Sharif brothers.
Spokesman to president house Farhat Ullah Babar refused to comment regarding the local government.
Online adds: President Asif Ali Zardari has said that doors of reconciliation are still open with all parties including PML-N for ensuring smooth democratic process.
He expressed these views while talking to Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Chairman Special Committee of the National Assembly on Kashmir, at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Thursday.
The current political situation in the country was discussed along with law and order situation particularly in FATA and Swat region.
Sources told Online that Maulana Fazl briefed President Zardari about his telephone conversation with Shahbaz Sharif prior to the meeting and said that PML-N has not closed doors of negotiations and also desired smooth functioning of democratic institutions and did not intend to destabilise the country.
Sources say that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani also joined the meeting and expressed his viewpoint.
Gillani emphasised that the reconciliation process must not be stopped and democracy should be allowed to flourish and any steps leading to another martial law should be avoided, sources told.
Sources further say that President was of the view that he also regrets the verdict of Supreme Court in which the Sharif brothers were disqualified but added it was a decision of the court whether we like it or not.
President said that he also wants an early end to governor's rule in Punjab and desires that a new government is installed as quickly as possible, sources concluded.

Fazal, Wali offer mediation between PPP and PML-N

LAHORE: JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman and ANP chief Asfandyar Wali made separate offers to mediate between the PPP and the PML-N on Thursday. Fazl called former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif and offered to help the two parties reconcile, according to a private TV channel. It said Shahbaz responded positively to the offer. Asfandyar Wali had a telephone conversation with President Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, another private TV channel reported. NWFP Information Minister Ifitikhar Hussain told the channel they discussed prevailing tension between the PPP and PML-N. The ANP chief stressed the need for reconciliation and assured both the leaders of his support and cooperation. daily times monitor

EDITORIAL: Reading tea-leaves of PMLN’s ouster

DAILY TIMES
The PMLN’s policy of not recognising the “PCO Supreme Court” anticipated its decision to reject the verdict the Supreme Court reached Wednesday to disqualify the Sharif brothers. The deposed chief justice, Mr Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, was able to say in Dera Ghazi Khan that “the Court forfeits its legitimacy by issuing verdicts that are against the Constitution”, clearly referring to the stance of the lawyers’ movement that the judiciary after November 2, 2009 was unconstitutional.Opinion in Punjab is overwhelmingly against the verdict. Apart from the loaded anti-PPP situation, there are steady signs of uncertainty within the ruling coalition. The ANP leader, Asfandyar Wali, is categorical in opposing the decision; the JUI’s Maulana Fazlur Rehman grieves over it but resorts to the ploy of bemoaning the two mainstream parties’ legacy of bickering and taking revenge against each other. The school of thought that focuses on the old pattern of rivalry is led by ex-PMLQ Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.There is quibbling over Governor’s Rule. Even professional opinion is divided. Some say that emergency was wrongly imposed. They say the Governor could not disallow the convening of the Punjab Assembly. Others disagree. The debate will go on. On the streets, the PMLN is rallying its supporters to stage demonstrations. Others like the Jama’at-e Islami are declaring how their cadres will swoop down on Islamabad from the various corners of the country. But all that is still a fortnight in the future.Meanwhile, the stock exchange in Karachi has plummeted, a reflex that routinely deprives a lot of people of their investments. Investors from the UK are cutting their losses and pulling out. The country is on the boil. The world outside sees it embarked on “a trajectory of failure”. The US says it can’t comment on Pakistan’s internal developments, but in Washington most people are scared of where the country might go from here. Al Qaeda has got the Taliban of all stripes to announce renunciation of war against the Pakistan Army in order to focus on the US and its two allies in the region, Hamid Karzai and Asif Zardari.This time around, the PMLN and the PPP have chosen to square off during a most dangerous regional and global moment. The economy is demanding solutions that the population of Pakistan is not happy with. Islamabad needs flexibility of response and pragmatism as never before, but the politicians are refusing to give each other any ground. The two parties are going for the kill. As in the past, they might both come a cropper. This time, however, there is real danger that the state they are trampling upon in the process may join the failed ranks of Somalia, Sudan, Congo and Zimbabwe.

Governor rule after PML-N declared ‘war’, says Zardari

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari said on Thursday he had imposed governor’s rule in Punjab after the Sharif brothers declared war on the Presidency following the Supreme Court decision to disqualify them.

Addressing a meeting of the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), the president said he had been left with no other constitutional alternative.

The CEC endorsed the proclamation of governor’s rule and adopted a unanimous resolution of support for Zardari, sources privy to the meeting told Daily Times. They said most top leaders of the PPP wanted to negotiate a power-sharing deal with the PML-Q, but some stressed taking the PML-N along to avoid political instability.

President Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani chaired the meeting. The committee empowered the PPP leadership to name a new leader of the House in Punjab and urged that the new chief minister of the country’s largest province should be from the PPP. The sources said that it also authorised Zardari and Gilani to establish contacts with the PML-Q for power sharing in Punjab and Centre.

Challenges: Earlier, addressing the office-bearers of the Punjab chapter of the People’s Lawyers Forum (PLF), President Zardari said the PPP did not believe in confrontation and was pursuing a policy of reconciliation, but knows how to tackle political challenges.

“The PPP is a political force that does not believe in confrontation and had adopted the policy of reconciliation for the sake of democracy and political stability of the country. We will pursue this policy but we also know how to meet political challenges that come our way,” he said.

The provision of justice to the common man was the top priority of the government, Zardari said, adding he knew the problems faced by the citizens

Law Minister Farooq Naik also addressed the delegation, which was headed by Attorney General of Pakistan Latif Khosa and included PLF Punjab President Khurram Latif, Senior Vice President Iftikhar Shahid, General Secretary Khawar Khatana, and lawyers Shafqat Abbasi, Habibullah Shakir, Syed Nayyer Hussain Bukhari, Zummurd Khan and Amir Fida Paracha.

Fazl: Also on Thursday, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam chief Fazlur Rehman called on President Zardari to discuss the political and law and order situation in the country after the Supreme Court’s decision to disqualify the Sharif brothers, a statement by the Presidency said.

Top slot: Vital decisions were likely in another meeting that had not ended by late Thursday, they told Daily Times. Qasim Zia, Tanvir Ashraf Kaira and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi are in the run for Punjab’s top slot, the sources said. Zardari has called another meeting today (Friday) of the party’s MNAs and MPAs from Punjab to take them into confidence over the new political developments.

Bangladesh Mutiny Ends After Tanks Enter Capital

Hamid Karzai considers snap Afghan election

President Hamid Karzai risks alienating his international backers if he calls a snap election in Afghanistan, diplomats have warned.
The Afghan president is understood to be considering throwing his political enemies into turmoil by springing a poll as early as April 21, despite fears in Kabul that it would be impossible to stage a free and fair election in seven weeks time.
Britain, the US and United Nations strongly backed the Afghan election watchdog's earlier decision to postpone elections from late April until Aug 20 because of security and logistical worries.
Fair, widespread elections are a central plank in the strategy to defeat the Taliban-led insurgency and the UN said delays were a "practical necessity" to ensure they passed of smoothly.
However Mr Karzai has this week held intense discussions with allies and is understood to be mulling the idea of bringing the elections forward, with an announcement expected as early as Friday.
An early poll would not benefit from the arrival of 17,000 US reinforcements ordered to Afghanistan last week by President Barack Obama to boost security. There are also doubts ballot papers could be printed or distributed in time.
"There was a lot of logic in the electoral commission decision and that's why we and big international players here who are part of the process, supported the August 20 date," said one Western official.
"If something else is presented, then for a number of different reasons, it's going to be difficult for us to support that."
Another Western official said: "Pushing for a snap election puts Hamid Karzai on a collision course with his international backers."
An early poll would represent an unexpected attempt by President Karzai to outmanoeuvre his Afghan and international opponents. In recent weeks, criticism of the president has focused on questioning his legitimacy during the lead up to the polls.
One Afghan MP said: "I think personally Mr Karzai is very, very good at giving surprises.
"All the opposition preparations were set for August 20 and then they could have to set them for seven weeks time.
"What can they do, they don't have a fleet of helicopters at their service. They have been taken by surprise."

Diplomatic Windfall as Goodwill for Obama Lingers

By HELENE COOPER(NYT.COM)
WASHINGTON — The honeymoon period between President Obama and Congress may be running its course in Washington. But on the world stage, the romantic flame is still flickering.Three years ago, President Bush could barely get the leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan to be polite to each other — let alone shake hands — when he dragged Pervez Musharraf and Hamid Karzai to the White House. But this week, things were decidedly warmer as the new Obama administration played host in Washington to high-level delegations from the two countries for talks aimed at producing a new strategy.
At a three-way dinner with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday night, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi of Pakistan and his Afghan counterpart, Rangeen Dadfar Spanta, made nice, assuring each other that they were committed to fighting extremists in both countries, administration officials and diplomats said. While it’s not exactly on par with Yitzhak Rabin reluctantly extending his hand to Yasir Arafat in 1993, South Asia experts noted that just getting the two camps in the same room to talk about a common approach was a step in the right direction.
Similarly, the Bush administration spent three years urging the Egyptian government to free Ayman Nour, the country’s most prominent political dissident, to no avail. But last week, in a move that many interpreted as a goodwill gesture, the Egyptian government abruptly released Mr. Nour, citing “medical reasons.”And two weeks ago, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia dismissed two powerful religious figures — including the head of the cane-wielding religious police known as the mutawa — as part of a government shuffle that appeared aimed at reforming the kingdom’s hard-line religious establishment.While it is a stretch to assume that King Abdullah, who has been slowly inching toward modest reform, suddenly dumped the head of his religious police to curry favor with the Obama administration, the new cooperation coming from the Egyptian, Afghan and Pakistani governments is a different story, foreign policy experts say.“I think the Ayman Nour release is definitely connected to Obama,” said George Perkovich, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “It was a fairly simple thing for the Obama administration to say to the Egyptians that if you want Mubarak to see our guy, this has to happen.”
As for “Afpak” — the new shorthand e for Afghanistan/Pakistan being popularized by Richard Holbrooke, the new high-level American envoy for the two countries — Mr. Perkovich says that both governments are trying to put their best foot forward. They expect demands from the Obama administration for the Afghan government to do more to fight corruption and drug trafficking, which many in the West believe has helped to fuel the resurgent Taliban and for Pakistan to do more to crack down on extremists in the border region.Mr. Holbrooke is a veteran diplomat known for dragging reluctant Serbs to the peace table during the Balkans conflict, and Mr. Perkovich suggests that the prospect of being put under his purview may have scared the Afghan and Pakistani delegations into making nice. “Some of this is them saying, ‘O.K., these guys mean business, and Holbrooke is going to be coming out here every month, so let’s see if with little gestures we can turn down the pressure.’ ”But the question of how much of the early good will translates into real policy changes remains. Kenneth M. Pollack, a Middle East expert at the Brookings Institution, says the better atmospherics are great in the short term. But he cautions that, “as with all honeymoons, this says nothing about the long-term durability of the marriage.”The United States wants Pakistan to focus more on insurgents and a little less on its long-running fight with India, which Washington believes is occupying the Pakistani army, whose time would be better spent — in the American view — on Afpak, instead of what might be called Indiapak. The Egyptians want the United States to do a little more to press Israel on settlements in the West Bank. And in Afghanistan, where the presidential election season will be getting under way soon, Mr. Karzai has been striking increasingly anti-American tones, in a move to distance himself from the United States at a time when America is viewed with increasing hostility in that country.
“At the end of the day, we have some very significant policy differences with all of these countries,” Mr. Pollack said.

China decries U.S. criticism of its rights record

BEIJING (Reuters) - China denounced on Thursday U.S. criticism of its human rights record in an annual tit-for-tat exchange, saying the United States should put its own house in order first.

The U.S. State Department sharply criticized China on Wednesday, saying detention and harassment of dissidents, petitioners, human rights defenders and defense lawyers peaked around high-profile events such as the Beijing Olympic Games in August.

China's Foreign Ministry said China maintained a high level of "protection and respect" for human rights.

"Over the 30 years of development and reform we have seen a constant development of the economy, religious freedom has been protected, and all of China's ethnic groups increasingly have more and more freedom and rights," spokesman Ma Zhaoxu told a news conference.

"We urge the U.S. to own up to its own human rights problems, and not use human rights as an excuse or publish human rights reports in order to meddle in others' internal affairs."

NAWAZ SHARIF CORRUPTION EXPOSED

Drone Attacks Inside Pakistan Will Continue, CIA Chief Says

CIA Director Leon Panetta said yesterday that U.S. aerial attacks against al-Qaeda and other extremist strongholds inside Pakistan would continue, despite concerns about a popular Pakistani backlash.

"Nothing has changed our efforts to go after terrorists, and nothing will change those efforts," Panetta said in response to questions about CIA missile attacks, launched from unmanned Predator aircraft. Although he refused to discuss details of the attacks -- and the CIA will not confirm publicly that it is behind the strikes -- Panetta said that the efforts begun under President George W. Bush to destabilize al-Qaeda and destroy its leadership "have been successful."

"I don't think we can stop just at the effort to try to disrupt them. I think it has to be a continuing effort, because they aren't going to stop," Panetta said in his first news briefing since taking the job. The CIA has launched about three dozen Predator strikes in Pakistan since late last summer, two of them during the Obama administration.

Panetta's comments came as senior Pakistani and Afghan leaders held lengthy talks here with each other and with their U.S. counterparts. Obama administration officials said that the existence of the unprecedented consultations were as important as any substantive agreements that may emerge from them.

The talks, quickly arranged during the first overseas trip of special U.S. envoy Richard C. Holbrooke early this month, include the foreign and defense ministers of both countries, along with Afghanistan's interior minister and Pakistan's intelligence chief. The Pakistani army chief of staff is also here on a separate visit to his U.S. military counterparts.

In addition to bilateral sessions, the Afghan and Pakistani delegations met jointly yesterday with the National Security Council and attended a dinner hosted by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. They will hold another trilateral session today.

"We have two goals," a senior administration official said. One is to receive their input for the Obama administration's ongoing strategy review on Afghanistan and Pakistan, he said. "But it's also to hear commitments -- the Pakistanis on taking on terrorists themselves, and the Afghans on cleaning up their government."

"There are not too many brand-new ideas," the official said. "But our expectations of what they have to do are not just based on what we want them to do, but what they say they're going to do. It gives us a different basis for going back to them in the future."

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have long been marked by mutual suspicion. Pakistan believes Afghanistan is too close to India, Islamabad's historical adversary to the east, while Afghanistan suspects that Pakistan has continued its traditional support for the Taliban. In addition to urging a stronger counterterrorism effort from Islamabad and less governmental corruption in Kabul, the administration seeks better cooperation between the two to stop cross-border infiltration by Pakistan-based extremists fighting U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

The difference between the Obama and Bush administrations, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said, is that "the present administration is willing to listen. They are very frank. They're saying, 'We do not have a magic formula. . . . Let Pakistan, let the U.S., let Afghanistan -- let's all stick together and find a solution," Qureshi told CNN.

The meetings have not been without conflict. Panetta, who has participated in the sessions, said he had voiced concerns about Pakistan's recently announced truce with local Taliban leaders in that country's Swat Valley region, and noted that similar agreements with militant groups in the past had allowed al-Qaeda to strengthen its base. "They assured me that this is not the same as past agreements," Panetta said. "I remain skeptical."

In a series of interviews yesterday, Qureshi said that Pakistan objected to the Predator strikes and that he has asked the United States to supply his country with drones to carry out its own missile attacks against extremists. Pakistan has also requested other sophisticated weaponry, including Cobra attack helicopters, communications and night-vision equipment. Although the drones are unlikely -- and both U.S. and Pakistani officials say they are privately in agreement on continuation of the CIA strikes -- the administration and Congress are likely to approve more military assistance along with a multibillion-dollar aid package.

Legislation introduced in the Senate last year by Vice President Biden, and soon to be sponsored by his successor as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), and Sen. Richard G. Lugar (Ind.), ranking Republican, calls for about $1.5 million a year in economic and development assistance for Pakistan over the next five years.

A report released yesterday by the Atlantic Council said that at least double that amount is needed from the United States and the international community if Pakistan is to be brought back "from the brink." Pakistan, it said, "is on a rapid trajectory toward becoming a failing or failed state."

In a report last year, under the leadership of President Obama's new national security adviser, James L. Jones, the Atlantic Council warned that the West was "not winning in Afghanistan." Those words were repeated yesterday by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in his first major foreign policy speech since losing the presidential election to Obama in November. "Let us not shy from the truth," McCain said in an address to the American Enterprise Institute, "but let us not be paralyzed by it either."

McCain chastised "some [who] suggest it is time to scale back our ambitions in Afghanistan -- to give up on nation-building and instead focus narrowly on our counterterrorism objectives, by simply mounting operations aimed at killing or capturing terrorist leaders and destroying their networks."

Obama, while calling for improved governance in Afghanistan, has publicly suggested that the United States adopt the "very limited goal" of ensuring that "Afghanistan cannot be used as a base for launching terrorist attacks" against the United States.

Pakistan, Under Fire, Vows to Defeat Terrorism With U.S.

After meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday, Pakistan's foreign minister vowed to work with President Obama's administration to "defeat terrorism" and fight extremism in South Asia, AFP reported.Pakistan opens three-way talks with Afghanistan this week as a top U.S. senator proposed the U.S. invest billions of dollars to avoid chaos in Pakistan."Pakistan is willing to work with the American administration to fight extremism and terrorism," AFP quotes Shah Mehmood Qureshi telling reporters during his Clinton meeting at the State Department in Washington. "We are determined to defeat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations."Clinton's response was more reserved as she said she was "very grateful for the minister's advice and counsel" and would consult closely with Pakistan, AFP reported.Pakistan has come under fire recently from the U.S. for its Islamic law deal with Taliban in the Swat Valley, which is perceived as essentially giving extremists free reign in the region.Qureshi described the deal as "a local solution to a local problem, which is quick dispensation of justice.""It is not any appeasement towards militants," AFP quotes the foreign minister. "Pakistan's determination and resolve to defeat terrorism is as sound as it was."

NAWAZ SHARIF DECLARED INELIGIBLE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THATS A GOOD MOVE AND HE SHOULD BE HANGED FOR HIJACKING A PLANE.

ISLAMABAD ( 2009-02-25 12:44:45 ) :The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday in a short order disqualified PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and party president and CM Punjab Shahbaz Sharif in eligibility case.After completion of arguments of Attorney General Sardar Latif Khosa a three-member bench of the Supreme Court comprises Justice Moosa K.Leghari, Justice Sheikh Hakim Ali announced the short order of disqualification of Sharif brothers.Justice Sheikh Hakim Ali in his remarks said that the Supreme Court has the right to stop any ineligible person to become a member of the Parliament. The apex court also upheld the verdict of the Lahore High Court.The Federation had filed appeals in the apex court against the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif and had challenged the June 24 Lahore High Court (LHC) order to set up an election tribunal to decide the eligibility of Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif.These appeals were filed under Article 185(3) of the Constitution, citing Shahbaz Sharif, the Returning Officer PP-48, Bhakkar-II, the Election Appellate Tribunal for PP-48, Bhakkar-II, Lahore High Court, Chief Election Commissioner and Syed Khurram Shah as respondents.

Obama: U.S. 'will emerge stronger'

Communist Party leadership warns of "austere" year for China

The ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) said Monday the country will launch a comprehensive economic package to tackle an "austere and complicated" year ahead.
"We will increase large-scale government investment, implement and readjust a plan to revive industries, make great efforts to boost innovations, and greatly enhance the level of social security," said a press release issued after a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.The meeting was presided over Hu Jintao, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.The Political Bureau warned that 2009 would be the most difficult for China's economic development so far this century as "it is crucial for implementing the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010), and the tasks of reform, development and stability are austere and complicated."The meeting participants discussed a government work report which would be submitted to the forthcoming second annual session of the 11th National People's Congress, the national legislature.In 2008, "a very extraordinary year", China experienced serious challenges and tests for economic and social development, and made great achievements in the country's reform, opening up and socialist modernization drive, the press release said. In the past year, the government readjusted macro-economic policies promptly and decisively to cope with the serious impacts of the global financial crisis; maintained stable and relatively fast economic and social development; pushed forward reform and opening up; accelerated the development of social welfare; improved people's living standards; made great achievements in dealing with extraordinary natural calamities; succeeded in hosting the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics; and accomplished theShenzhou-7 manned space flight.The Political Bureau called for greater awareness of the austere and complicated nature of the international and domestic economic situation and for active response to the challenges.Efforts should be made to increase domestic demand, change the development mode, accelerate the strategic readjustment of the economic structure; deepen reforms; and improve living standards and promote social harmony, said the Political Bureau.Source: Xinhua

Nawaz at it again....A CORRUPT FAILED POLITICIAN.

NAWAZ SHARIF IS CORRUPT PAKISTANI POLITICIAN WITH ZERO I.Q. BUT HE IS EXTREMELY CUNNING,HE SUPPORTS OSAMA BIN LADEN AND TOOK MILLIONS OF RUPEES FROM TERROR CZAR FOR HIS ELECTION CAMPAIGN.



Not even the gullible was taken in by his democracy and independent judiciary chant, so blemished has been Mian Nawaz Sharif’s track record on both counts. The perceptive observers were at once blunt and unforgiving. Faking and posturing was he, they averred all along. Neither could this conqueror of the Supreme Court of the 1990s be a lover of judiciary nor could this erstwhile ameerul momineen-aspirant be a fan of democracy, they maintained throughout. Autocratic by nature and temperament they said he was. A sultan they said he wanted to be. He was just bidding his time to make a fling and set the ball rolling for a snap poll. And this Saturday he proved them dead right. It was decidedly a stump speech that he delivered to his PML (N) general council at his sprawling Raiwind residential complex. And the cat is also out of the bag. Nothing less than a two-thirds majority he would settle on, as had he in his last stint that saw him giving a no-holds-barred vent to his autocratic propensities and dictatorial impulses. And it is the martyrdom’s apparel that he has chosen to don to fructify his vaulting imperial ambition which knows of no inhibitions or bounds. Deceitfully, all cry was this cloned-baby of garrison hatcheries against praetorian generals, many of them his own benefactors who had bred, groomed and trained him in the arts of Bonapartism and the politics of barracks and had launched him into the field to do their bidding. And comply he did to the last word, spiritedly becoming part of the establishment’ and its agencies’ plots to topple his adversaries’ elected governments and cart out from prestigious positions politicians deemed uncomfortable by the powers-that-be. Musharraf may have done him wrong, although one knows not how much of the litany of charges he read out against him in his address was a lie and how much of it was truth. But probably sensing his tumble in the Supreme Court, he has picked on President Asif Zardari, accusing him of conspiring to oust the two Sharif Brothers from politics and of leaning on the apex court to disqualify them. So a martyr he is out to presents himself to the people. But many may not be unknown to overriding lust for wealth and power of this man who felt no compunction in accepting even Osama’s money to pull down a Benazir government. His prank to team up with lawyers in their long march and sit-in may or may not work to give him what he wants. But a confrontation is sure now to break out ferociously between him and the PPP power centres. Politics of confrontation may be his loved method and the only thing he knows of. And go after this device he surely will with full gusto, caring less of unbearable consequence this politics of confrontation holds in store for this unfortunate nation. But, so far, he has demonstrated he gives a damn if the country is in the lap of a ravaging militancy and extremism, bursting out from its hotbeds of FATA, Swat and parts of NWFP and Balochistan to engulf Punjab and port city of Karachi. He even gives a damn of his confrontationism snowballs the miseries blighting the huge mass of this country’s poverty-ridden, deprivation-stricken and disease-plagued citizenry. Power he wants, at any rate and at any cost. In the opposition’s wilderness, he has lived now for more than a year after the ouster of the military dictator’s rabble in a fairly honest poll. This period is too long for a power-hungry politico that he in reality is. He has been hungering for the power plum impatiently; and his patience has now run out. Still, we hope sanity will prevail on him, as also on the PPP lot. They, too, are jumping in the ring, with gloves off and fists clenched. A political turmoil is the last thing that this unfortunate can afford at this critical time, besieged as it is with multiple colossal challenges internally and externally. As we have been pleading on this page, both the PML (N) and the PPP must declare a truce, call back their boxers, and desist from disturbing the existing power dispensations, particularly in Punjab. And the PPP leadership should think out of sorting out the two Sharif Brothers’ political problems, sitting at the roots of shrilly commotion rising out of the PML (N) camp to make for a durable ceasefire.

Call to arms

Tuesday, February 24, 2009
(THE NEWS INTERNATIONAL)
The chief minister of the Frontier province has given orders to distribute 30,000 assault rifles among villagers across the province. The initiative is intended to allow people to defend their villages against criminal gangs – and others who threaten law and order. It can be assumed militants count among these. US experts credit militias based along similar lines with helping reduce violence in Iraq. A similar experiment is underway in Afghanistan and the orders in NWFP seem to follow the same basic line of thinking.The idea of yet more arms being introduced into a society where there are already far too many weapons in circulation is somewhat alarming, to say the least. The NWFP government has said police officers in specific areas will help identify 'good' people. But given the rather unsavoury reputation of the police itself and the possibility that influence, nepotism and bribery could play a part in any decision that is made, this hardly seems to be a reliable basis on which to dole out large numbers of arms. It is also unclear how effective the plan to raise an elite police force of some 2,500 will be. The military, which says it has not been informed of the plan, has meanwhile said it will keep troops deployed in Swat and that another operation cannot be ruled out.It is not clear how this fits in with the overall strategy for peace. In Swat, while the militants of Maulana Fazlullah have been rewarded for their rule of blood and gore through a peace deal, the detailed provisions of this are not known. The rumours that a general amnesty may be granted to those behind bars is obviously disturbing given that these persons include murderers, rapists and others guilty of all kinds of crimes. Some signs of the way things work in Swat are even more worrying. The kidnapping of the new DCO to the area by militants who say they wished to discuss 'important matters' with him makes it quite clear these men are not willing to relinquish their hold on power or to respect the rule of law. The claim by militants that the official was released in exchange for two of their detained comrades only adds to the absurdity of the whole matter. Authorities need to wake up to a simple fact: there is no easy way out of the mess we have got ourselves into. The militants must be defeated. They must be tried and made subject to justice. Otherwise, any kind of peace will not hold for long.