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Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Turkey police fire tear gas to disperse protesters


Prominent Bahrain Blogger Arrested

Saudi Arabia accused of giving Egypt $1B to oust Morsi
Washington TimesPolitical activist Mujtahid bin Hareth bin Hammaam, who operates an active Twitter campaign aimed at exposing corruption in the Saudi government, said Gen. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi received the money on July 3, United Press International reported. The reason for the payoff, he alleged, was so Egypt's transfer of power would flow smoothly. But now the Saudi government isn't sure it spent its money wisely, he said. "King Abdullah knows well that failure of the coup in Egypt will be a disaster for al-Saud because any new government will be stronger and will adopt anti-Saudi Arabia policies," Mr. Mujtahid tweeted, according to UPI. "That is why King Abdullah is one of the supporters of unlimited use of force in cracking down protesters. … King Abdullah not only supported the coup and tried to convince others to accept new changes, he also helped el-Sisi." The Saudi king is trying to influence the West from taking action — including the issuance of strong criticisms — against Egypt, the activist said. Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jul/30/saudi-arabia-accused-giving-egypt-1b-oust-morsi/#ixzz2aeAFkV6E Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter
Saudi Arabia responsible for Syria bloodshed: Political Analyst

Pakistan Supreme Court issues contempt notice to Imran Khan

FASCIST SAUDI REGIME: Saudi activist receives 7-year sentence, 600 lashes

UN: Civilian Casualties Up 23 Percent in Afghanistan
Pakistan Election Commission chief resigns
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Fakhruddin G Ebrahim, Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan, resigned today a day after overseeing the election of the new President. In his resignation letter addressed to President Asif Ali Zardari, Ebrahim said that he has done his job to hold elections and it was time for the new Parliament to appoint his successor, so that the new chief can get ample time to prepare for next election in 2018. "In my humble opinion, the newly elected members of Parliament should have the opportunity to forge new consensus and choose a new Chief Election Commissioner," he said. "Therefore, in accordance with Article 215(3) of the Constitution, I hereby resign from the office of the Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan". The outgoing election chief said that he tried to perform to the best of his abilities despite personal threats. "Despite personal threats and even brazen gun attack on my family - I quietly stood firm against those forces who first tried to derail and then delay the 2013 Elections," he said. He regretted the violence in run up to the May 11 election in which dozens of people were killed. Ebrahim also expressed satisfaction over successful first ever political transition under a civilian government. Pressure has been mounting on Ebrahim from the opposition parties due to alleged irregularities in the May elections. He was also criticised for failure to stand up against the Supreme Court when it unilaterally changed date of presidential elections. Ebrahim was appointed in July 2012 after then ruling Pakistan Peoples Party and opposition PML-N agreed on his name, as part of constitutional obligation that government and opposition should jointly nominate the election chief.
Militant jailbreak in Pakistan prompts fears of similar attacks

Prison in Dera Ismail Khan was attacked by waves of gunmen wearing police uniforms who freed hundreds of IslamistsA massive jailbreak in Pakistan in which up to 300 Islamic militants escaped could lead to a wave of similar attempts to free detained extremists, security experts and officials have warned. The prison, in the western city of Dera Ismail Khan, was attacked on Monday night with suicide bombs, mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and waves of gunmen wearing police uniforms. Authorities said 24 wanted terrorists were among those freed. Six policemen were killed in the two-hour firefight. The attack, which was claimed by the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), underlines the continuing weakness of agencies charged with maintaining security and countering violent extremism in the troubled south Asian state. There are scores of similar detention facilities across the region where poorly trained, badly equipped police and prison personnel oversee thousands of militant prisoners. Last week around 500 militants, including many convicted senior members of al-Qaida waiting to be executed, were freed in a similarly brazen attack in Iraq. Waves of militants attacked the infamous Abu Ghraib prison west of Baghdad, using tactics almost identical to those employed in Dera Ismail Khan. A statement of responsibility issued in the name of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant was later posted on a jihadist forum. "There is no evidence of any co-ordination as such but one could reasonably assume there is a contagion effect. It's a bit like hijacking in the 1970s and 1980s," said Magnus Ranstorp, a respected expert at the Swedish National Defence College. Imtiaz Gul, a security analyst and author in Islamabad, said the Pakistani Taliban, a coalition of different groups largely based in the restive semi-autonomous zones along the border with Afghanistan, would have been aware of the operation in Iraq last week. "All these groups watch one another. They pick up knowledge, learn lessons, replicate tactics … This will keep happening," Gul said. One western security official in Pakistan, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the prisons as "low-hanging fruit" for militants and said intelligence services across the region were "well aware" of the problem. There have been many breakouts in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere. Some have significant strategic consequences: a mass escape in Yemen in 2006 saw almost the entire leadership of the al-Qaida affiliate in that country (AQAP) gain freedom – a key factor in the surge of violence there. AQAP now poses the most significant threat to the west, officials say. Nearly 500 militants were also freed from a jail in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar in 2011, fuelling the local insurgency. "There is no strategy, no competence, no vision. So it's easy for these groups," said Gul. One strike in Pakistan last week targeted an office of the main spy agency, the ISI, while another killed more than 50 Shia Muslims. The jail in Dera Ismail Khan was supposed to be heavily guarded. Officials received a letter threatening an attack, but they did not expect it so soon, said Khalid Abbas, head of the prison department in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. A curfew has been imposed and army units deployed. Six Shia Muslim prisoners – the vast majority of Pakistanis are Sunni – were killed. Many of the high-profile prisoners who escaped belong to the violent sectarian group Lashkar-e-Jangvi, further evidence of increasing collaboration between groups. The Pakistani Taliban have also claimed responsibility for the two attacks earlier this week and for the shootings of 10 mountaineers at base camp on a famous peak, Nanga Parbat, last month. Hopes that the election of a new government in Pakistan, led by third-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif, might lead to less violence, have been dashed. Some analysts have suggested the ambivalent position taken towards the Taliban by some high-profile Pakistani politicians might have emboldened militants. Imran Khan, the former cricketer turned conservative prime ministerial candidate, said negotiating with the extremists was the only way to end violence in the restive western border zones. In April 2012, Taliban militants armed with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades battled their way into a prison in the city of Bannu in north-west Pakistan, freeing close to 400 prisoners, including at least 20 described by police as very dangerous insurgents. After that attack, militants said they had been helped by insiders in the security services. An inquiry later found there were far fewer guards on duty than there should have been and those who were there lacked sufficient ammunition. One of the militants freed in that attack, Adnan Rasheed, recently gained attention by writing a letter to the teenage education activist Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head by the Taliban last year in an attempt to kill her. Rasheed said he wished the attack had not happened, but told Malala that she was targeted for speaking ill of the Taliban. Reuters new agency has reported that Rasheed was the mastermind behind this latest attack. Top jihadi jailbreaks and escapees The most high-profile: Abu Yahya, a senior al-Qaida propagandist and organiser, won global renown among militants for escaping from the high-security US-run detention centre at Bagram, in Afghanistan in 2005. He was killed by a drone strike last year. The most damaging: In February 2006, Naseer Abdul Karim Wuhayshi and 22 other suspected al-Qaida members broke out of a jail in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen. They went on to build the affiliate of the group which now is seen as posing the biggest threat to the west. The most numerous: More than 900 prisoners escaped from Sarposa prison in Kandahar after a suicide attacker crashed a huge carbomb into its gates in 2008. The most unlikely: Rashid Rauf, a British militant detained by Pakistani security agencies escaped when allowed to go to the toilet by policemen accompanying him to a court in 2007. He was later killed. The most like a film: In 2011, 35 prisoners facing terrorism charges escaped through a sewage pipe from a temporary jail in the Iraqi city of Mosul – as a convict does in the 1994 film The Shawshank Redemption.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa polio staff holds demonstration over salaries

Load shedding protest: Furious crowd attack grid station in Kohat
GEO TV

ڈی آئی خان جیل حملہ: ستائیس پولیس اہلکار معطل
حملے کے بعد ٹانک میں لگائی گئی کرفیو بدستور نافذ ہے اور ڈی آئی خان میں کچھ دیر کے لیے کرفیوں میں نرمی کر دی گئی ہے پاکستان کے صوبہ خیبر پختونخوا کے ضلع ڈیرہ اسماعیل خان میں سینٹرل جیل پر حملے کے بعد فوراً کارروائی نہ کرنے پر ایلیٹ فورس کے افسران سمیت ستائیس دوسرے پولیس اہلکاروں کو معطل کر دیا گیا ہے۔ ہمارے نامہ نگار عزیزاللہ خان کے مطابق یہ اقدام صوبائی آئی جی پولیس خیبر پختونخوا نے متعلقہ پولیس افسران اور ہلکاروں کی طرف سے جیل پر حملے کے بعد فوراً ردِ عمل ظاہر نہ کرنے کی وجہ سے اٹھایا ہے۔ ان کا کہنا ہے کہ واقعے کے تیسرے دن بھی حکومت یہ صحیح طور پرواضح نہیں کر سکی کہ حملہ آور کتنی تعداد میں کس طرف سے آئے، حملہ کرکے قیدیوں کو کیسے آذاد کیا اور کس راستے سے جائے وقوعہ سے فرار ہونے میں کامیاب ہو گئے۔ ایک سرکاری ذرائع نے بی بی سی کو بتایا کہ حملہ آور جیل کے مرکزی دروازے کو تھوڑ کر اندر داخل ہوئے اور انھیں جیل کے اندر نقل و حرکت کرنے میں کوئی مشکلات پیش نہیں آئیں۔ یاد رہے کہ مسلح پسندوں نے ڈیرہ اسماعیل خان میں سینٹرل جیل پر پیر کی رات کو حملہ کرکے 243 قیدیوں کو رہا کروا لیا تھا جن میں تیس انتہائی خطرناک قیدی بھی شامل تھے۔ اس واقعے کی ابتدائی تفتیشی رپورٹ تھانہ چھاؤنی ڈیرہ اسماعیل خان میں درج کر دی گئی ہے۔ حملے کے بعد ٹانک میں لگائی گئی کرفیو بدستور نافذ ہے اور ڈی آئی خان میں کچھ دیر کے لیے کرفیوں میں نرمی کر دی گئی ہے جبکہ ڈی آئی خان کی طرف جانی والی چار اہم شاہراہیں بدستور بند ہیں۔ ایک ذرائع نے بی بی سی کو بتایا کہ حملہ آور جیل کے مرکزی دروازے کو تھوڑ کر اندر داخل ہوئے اور انھیں جیل کے اندر نقل و حرکت کرنے میں کوئی مشکلات پیش نہیں آئیں ان شاہرہوں میں ڈیرہ بنوں روڈ، ڈیرہ ٹانک روڈ، ڈیرہ چشمہ روڈ ا ور دربن روڈ شامل ہیں۔ پاکستان کے سرکاری ذرائع ابلاغ کے مطابق اس حملے میں چھ اہلکاروں سمیت بارہ افراد ہلاک اور 13 زخمی ہوئے تھے۔ ڈیرہ اسماعیل خان ڈویژن کے کمشنر مشتاق جدون نے بی بی سی سے بات کرتے ہوئے بتایا تھا’شدت پسندوں کے حملوں کے باعث کُل 243 قیدی جیل سے فرار ہونے میں کامیاب ہوئے تاہم سکیورٹی فورسز نے سرچ آپریشن کے دوران چودہ قیدیوں کو دوبارہ حراست میں لے لیا ہے۔‘ کمشنر مشتاق جدون نے بتایا تھا کہ حملے کے باعث جیل سے فرار ہونے والوں قیدیوں میں سے تیس قیدی انتہائی خطرناک قیدی تھے۔ انہوں نے کہا تھا ان تیس قیدیوں میں سے کوئی بھی قیدی دوبارہ گرفتار نہیں کیا جاسکا۔http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu
کالعدم شدت پسند تنظم تحریک طالبان پاکستان نے سینٹرل جیل پر حملے کی ذمہ داری قبول کرتے ہوئے دعویٰ کیا تھا کہ انھوں نے اس حملے میں دو سو کے قریب ساتھیوں کو رہا کرا لیا تھا۔ اس سے قبل سرکاری میڈیا پی ٹی وی کے مطابق ڈی آئی خان کے سینٹرل جیل کے سپرنٹنڈنٹ نے بتایا کہ جیل میں کُل 483 قیدی تھے جن میں سے 243 قیدی فرار ہو گئے ہیں۔ کمشنر مشتاق جدون کا کہنا تھا کہ حملہ آوروں نے لاؤڈ سپیکرز پر اپنے ساتھیوں کے نام پکارے۔ مقامی افراد کے مطابق طالبان لاؤڈ سپیکرز پر ’اللہ اکبر‘ اور ’طالبان زندہ باد‘ کے نعرے لگاتے آئے تھے۔ گزشتہ سال اپریل میں خیبر پختونخوا کے ضلع بنوں کی سینٹرل جیل پر طالبان نے حملہ کر کے تین سو چوراسی قیدیوں کو رہا کروا لیاتھا، فرار ہونے والے قیدیوں میں زیادہ تر طالبان شدت پسند تھے۔ پاکستان میں 89 جیلیں ہیں جن میں سے 65 جیلوں کو انتہائی حساس قرار دیا گیا ہے۔ سب سے زیادہ حساس قرار دی جانے والی جیلیں صوبہ پنجاب اور خیبر پختونخوا میں واقع ہیں
گزشتہ سال شدت پسندوں کی جانب سے ممکنہ حملوں سے متعلق کلِک بی بی سی کو موصول ہونے والی اس رپورٹ کے مطابق کالعدم تنظیموں سے تعلق رکھنے والے افراد نے خودکش حملوں، بم دھماکوں اور شدت پسندی کے مختلف مقدمات میں گرفتار ہونے اپنے ساتھیوں کی رہائی کے لیے جیلوں پر حملہ کرنے کی منصوبہ بندی کی۔ ان اطلاعات کے بعد پاکستان فوج نے جیلوں پر شدت پسندوں کے ممکنہ حملوں کو روکنے کے لیے جیل کے عملے کو کمانڈو تربیت دینے کا فیصلہ کیا تھا۔
Jamshed Dasti: You have no idea who I am!

http://lubpak.com/archives/279207Just as people in glass houses should not hurl stones, people in parliament houses should not hurl threats. Member of the National Assembly Jamshed Dasti, who based his election campaign on slogans of representing the “non-elites” and the middle-class of the country, recently demonstrated the same typical elitist behaviour associated with those walking the corridors of power. Dasti threatened motorway police officers with “grave consequences” after the latter had the ‘audacity’ to pull him over for speeding. Never mind that it was the fourth time they had signalled for the speedy MNA to stop his Toyota Hilux. The earlier three attempts to stop the speedy MNA’s pickup truck proved futile. “You have no idea about the powers of MNAs. You will regret this,” Dasti threatened two patrolling officers on the Islamabad-Peshawar motorway after they issued him a Rs700 speeding ticket. The two-term MNA, a man of humble origins who defeated the father of former foreign minister Hina Khar in a landslide electoral victory using the ‘man-of-the-people’ approach, was not driving himself, rather it was his driver who was behind the wheel at “dangerously high speed”, according to police officials. The speed camera first detected Dasti a few kilometres short of the Swabi interchange. The police patrol stationed a kilometre ahead signalled for him to stop, but Dasti instructed his driver to speed up instead. The police got on his tail. The patrols ahead were informed. The MNA’s car was signalled to stop again a short distance up the road, and again decided to give the police a run. However, the cops remained adamant. By this time, they had identified the car as belonging to Dasti, and knew he was an MNA, but refused to give up the chase. The police erected traffic cones on the road a few metres short of the Swabi interchange. Here, the MNA’s driver was finally forced to slow down the pickup truck. But the MNA was not ready to give up. He had other ideas. He decided to try and escape via GT Road using the Swabi interchange exit. The cops were quick to anticipate the MNA’s plan, though even they were confused whether the parliamentarian was trying to protect his ‘izzat’ or his Rs700. The police finally blocked the MNA’s vehicle and left him with no option but to step out — with four armed bodyguards surrounding him. “You know this has never happened before. No one has ever dared to stop me,” Dasti told the policemen — senior patrolling officers (SPO) Imtiaz Ahmed and Atta Muhammad. The patrolling officers remained courteous and politely informed the MNA that everyone, an MNA or a layman, was equal before the law. His armed bodyguards also quarrelled with the patrolling officers and tried to create a scene, the motorway police officer said. “I will get you transferred to Balochistan. You do not know my powers,” the MNA went on to boast. The policemen politely replied that they were ready to serve wherever the government posted them. The MNA flatly refused to accept the speeding ticket and the police refused to let him go without it. After some arguments, the MNA gave up and paid the fine before moving on to motorway exit and heading for Peshawar. The police officers must be thinking what will happen next. Would they be transferred to Balochistan — considered one of the toughest postings for police officers from other provinces? That is not yet certain, but the cops should still be prepared for a call to appear before the National Assembly privilege committee, as the MNA would undoubtedly wail about the breach of privilege and his izzat on the first available opportunity in the assembly. - See more at: http://lubpak.com/archives/279207#sthash.lhNUFZ6v.dpuf
Pakistan's Dangerous labour: The little-known 'e-waste' phenomenon

Pakistan : Time to act ( DIK Central Jail )
EDITORIALNot that we are not accustomed to it, but what surprises the most is that in spite of repeated attempts of a similar nature by the terrorists, the government and its law enforcement agencies have learnt little or nothing about security and its parameters. It would not be wrong to say that in the process we have allowed the terrorists to hone their skills in challenging the writ of the state without much resistance. Those who had broken out of Bannu Jail last year in April are still at large, and the chances are that the criminals who had fled from Dera Ismail Khan’s (DIK) Central Jail the other day would vanish as well. One is at a loss at the tactics successfully used by the terrorists when they attacked DIK’s Central Jail. Armed with rockets and heavy weapons, the group of about 250 militants parked their vehicles just outside the main gate of the Jail and began their assault that lasted several hours. They had come to rescue their accomplices imprisoned there. They did that and left the scene with their 175 friends, after letting off at least 40 explosions and killing 10 people. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has become emboldened with the increasing show of weaknesses of the government. The incapacity of the present incumbents, in office for two months now, to build a coordinated and all-encompassing counter-terrorism strategy is feeding into the strength of the militants. Ever since the PML-N has assumed office, many high profile attacks have occurred across the country. However, the response did not go beyond condemning the incident or a verbal statement to deal with the culprits with an iron hand. Are we confronting a new situation? How many times do we have to create a consensus through All Parties Conferences? There are parliamentary resolutions on the identity of our enemies and the mechanisms to combat them. With so much brainstorming already done, it is just a matter of getting our act together and calling a spade a spade. The present government did not even have the luxury to enjoy the traditional 100-day honeymoon period! The DIK Central Jail had 35 hardcore criminals yet the security of the jail was wholly inadequate. Surrounded by mud walls and protected by ramshackle gates, it was an open invitation to the militants. Only a day before this incident, 10 militants fled after overwhelming the jail staff, although the authorities claim they were subsequently apprehended. There are also reports that there was prior intelligence about the impending attack. Still, the doors of the jail were symbolically kept open. According to TV reports, the police showed no resistance as they lacked training and equipment to confront heavily armed terrorists. It is time to wake up, and to act.
Pakistan: Opposition demands removal of ECP officials

PTI fails to fulfill its promises in KP:?
The Frontier Post

Balochistan: '' A ‘Made-in-China’ Solution?''
The Baloch HalBy Sanaullah Baloch Balochistan’s dormant conflict was triggered by the exploitative nature of the multi-billion mega projects introduced by Musharraf. The general signed off on the Gwadar Port project and gave away the world’s best copper-gold project, Saindak, to the Chinese without a fair and transparent bidding process. To ensure the smooth and uninterrupted expropriation of Balochistan’s natural wealth he announced the construction of three military cantonments – furthering Baloch anger. The PPP regime, which came after Musharraf, put on hold the construction of garrisons but the multibillion dollar Saindak copper-gold deposit is being mined by the Chinese without any national or international monitoring. Against national and international rules, the Chinese company didn’t spend a single penny on human resource development, education, health and infrastructure in the concerned district, Chaghi. Musharraf’s glitzy mega-projects didn’t envisage any local participation and had no trickle-down effect. Instead of development, his defective policies led to the wholesale destruction of Baloch society, with political unrest and violence that resulted in a significant decline in social and development indicators. Regrettably, Pakistan’s newly-elected government is following the path taken by the former dictator, who unilaterally and insensitively took mega decisions concerning Balochistan’s sensitive projects. During his recent visit to China, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif signed several MoUs and agreements with the country. The majority of them strategically significant and profitable for the Chinese, these projects are in the conflict-stricken Balochistan region which has faced extreme violence and injustices particularly in the past few years. Apart from increased attacks by Baloch armed groups on fuel tankers bound to the Chinese-controlled Saindak copper-gold project, there hasn’t been any strong political response to PM Nawaz Sharif’s unilateral agreement with China on rails, roads, the Gwadar Port and natural resources. However, Baloch nationalists are cautiously observing the prime minister’s moves. No doubt, any miscalculation about Baloch grievances and their sensitivity towards mega projects will backfire. Energy-hungry China is not blamed for any of the miseries and dreadful social conditions in Balochistan. And the Chinese have not offered any political solution to nor discussed Balochistan’s appalling poverty, malnutrition, unemployment and many other social problems – simply because they are interested in Balochistan and the Baloch. China is a huge country with a massive population and is justified in looking for options and opportunities to sustain its economic growth and maintain political ‘stability’. The country is a risk-taker, and the Chinese are massively investing in very tricky projects in Africa. But one thing that our Pakistani politicians need to understand is that China’s investment and money are no guarantee for growth and political stability. In fact, these roads, rails and ports will be of little benefit to Pakistan and Balochistan. Simply, these rail and road links along with the Gwadar Port are there to accelerate growth and speedy access of Chinese products to west bound destinations – towards the Middle East, Africa and Europe. Apart from finished goods, these infrastructures would be of more use to China to transport Balochistan’s raw mineral resources, which include copper-gold and other rare-earth minerals. Thousands of kilometres of rails and roads were built during the British rule in Balochistan but these purpose-built roads and rails didn’t help bring education, social change and economic development. Such developments simply aimed to serve the interests of the colonial power – to facilitate colonisation, military deployments and economic exploitation. Before taking on such ambitious challenges, the prime minister and his team have to look for an out-of-the-box solution for Balochistan – nationally debated, consulted and implemented. China’s overwhelming presence, gigantic mining machines, crisscrossing railways and roads will have very little impact, if completed, on the lives of the Baloch people. Balochistan is going through an appalling human rights crisis – insecurity, law and order coupled with a surge of religious extremism which many believe is used as a tool to counter the Baloch national struggle. China has nothing to offer on these issues. It may have a solution for the country’s energy crisis, its crumbling railway and expropriation of resources. However, for peace, political stability and conflict resolution, PM Nawaz has to develop his own road map and demonstrate willingness to overhaul faulty and colonially-structured political, security and economic institutions that are unacceptable to the politically-conscious Baloch society. In an environment of mistrust, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif needs to address Balochistan’s chronic human rights crisis on a fast track. His government must powerfully unmask the real elements of the powerful security establishment that are benefiting from self-created chaos and disorder and are unwilling for any political settlement to be reached. Putting it in very simple terms: there is no ‘made in China’ solution for Balochistan.
Pakistan: Move by Supreme Court and ECP was a first step towards reintroduction of “one unit”

http://mediacellppp.wordpress.com/Speaking on a point of order in upper house of parliament, Raza Rabbani, who was PPP’s presidential nominee, categorically said the move by Supreme Court and ECP was a first step towards reintroduction of “one unit”, which would certainly widen the gap between centre and provinces. The PPP fully backed by Awami National Party (ANP), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and Balochistan National Party-Awami (BNP-A), clayed ECP for its failure to exercise its constitutional powers, and said it always sought refuge in the lap of apex court in matters of national importance. “The ECP earlier rejected the PML-N request for rescheduling the presidential election, but at the same it also said that if the apex court directs it, there is no harm in following the directives [and] this is what it [ECP] did after the court announced its verdict without issuing notices to other presidential candidates,” he added. Rabbani said the decision to boycott the presidential election against SC was made in protest “meddling” into the jurisdiction of ECP at the behest of ruling party, adding the commission had fixed August 6 for the presidential poll by exercising its powers under Article 41 of the constitution, but it abruptly agreed to change the schedule without any objection. He said the PPP participated in the election campaign with all seriousness and contacted all opposition parties, adding that his party also made efforts for fielding a joint candidate. “But we were left with no option but to boycott the election,” said Rabbani, adding that Supreme Court did not issue any notice, nor did they hear the PPP or provide it an opportunity to present its point of view, “rather a unilateral decision was made. We see it as part of moves to strengthen the centre’ once again,” he maintained. Rabbani said the Supreme Court decision made it difficult for him and other opposition candidates to carry out campaigns in four provincial capitals and the federal capital in just two days. He said they hoped the Election Commission would function independently after the 18th Amendment as it was the ECP’s responsibility to announce the election schedule and hold the poll. The PPP leader said the party’s decision to boycott the presidential election was a part of struggle against military and civilian dictatorships.
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