PAKISTAN'S NEW PRIME MINISTER...Raja Pervez Ashraf

Raja Pervez Ashraf has been declared the new prime minister of Pakistan after 211 members of the National Assembly convened to vote for the new premier on Friday. Raja Pervez Ashraf’s competing candidate Sardar Mehtab Abbasi, from Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) lost with 89 votes. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam’s (JUI-F) Fazlur Rehman was the third candidate, but he withdrew his nomination as soon as the National Assembly session began. According to sources, Ashraf is expected to take oath as the prime minister later tonight, and the new cabinet will consist of the same members as the previous one. He was elected twice from NA-51, Gujjar Khan and also appointed federal minister for water and power after the 2008 elections. The newly premier was again appointed a minister in the recently-dissolved cabinet. Raja Pervez Ashraf also faced corruption allegation for receiving kickbacks in rental power projects and buying properties in London. The Supreme Court also directed NAB to take action against Ashraf for his alleged involvement in rental power case. The session of National Assembly started with the recitation of the Holy Quran, after which Speaker Fehmida Mirza opened the session. Maulana Fazlur Rehman requested the speaker to postpone the election for some time. However, his request was declined by the speaker, after which Moulana Fazl announced that his party would remain neutral in the election and not vote for any candidate. Later, the speaker told the members to go the polling booths made for the purpose and the process of voting started. The House was divided in two parts. The voters of Sardar Mehtab were assigned the left side of the lobby while voters of Raja Ashraf were asked to gather on the right side. Faisal Saleh Heyat also voted in favor of Raja Ashraf. Earlier in a statement Faisal had said that he would not vote for Ashraf. It must be recalled that it was Fiasal Saleh who took the rental power corruption case to Supreme Court.

Pakistan's ruinous political farce

The political pantomime played out in Pakistan over the past few years is degenerating into farce. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court terminated the career of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani - disqualifying him from office on the basis of a contempt of court conviction linked to his refusal to reopen corruption cases against President Zardari. Two days later, a lower court issued a warrant for the arrest of Makhdoom Shahabuddin, a member of Mr Gilani's party, just hours after he was nominated as his possible successor. Uncanny timing, some might say. While Mr Shahabuddin was still a free man come Friday morning, the ruling alliance named a new man as its candidate for PM, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf. But he too faces controversy, denying allegations that he took bribes when water and power minister. Nobody will be surprised if the courts choose to turn up the heat should he become PM, and few expect the judges to drop their pursuit of Mr Zardari. Many in Pakistan see these developments as signs that the skirmishes between the judiciary, the military and the civilian government are now erupting into all-out war. Many in Pakistan see these developments as signs that the skirmishes between the judiciary, the military and the civilian government are now erupting into all-out war. Most ordinary Pakistanis are fed up with power cuts and the price of fuel This is all happening at a time when the country can least afford it - relations with the West are at an all-time low, the economy is heading for disaster and people are battling severe power and fuel shortages. To compound matters, nuclear-armed Pakistan - which is known to have promoted armed militant groups over the past two decades - has steadily been losing territory to these groups in recent years. That's a major issue for its neighbours and the wider world. But instead of dealing with the big problems, Pakistan's power elite have other fish to fry. Military role A major part of the problem lies in the traditional domination of the military in Pakistan, and the fact that the judiciary has supported successive attempts by the generals to cut the politicians down to size. The civilians have rarely held the reins of power, and when they have, they have always had the military establishment to contend with. Accusations of corruption are a time-tested tool to beat the civilians with, and corruption cases lodged against them during the country's 64-year history literally run into the hundreds. Few of those cases have ever been resolved. But they have been successfully used to bring every single civilian government down well before the end of its constitutional five-year term. The present administration is the longest-serving civilian government Pakistan has ever had - it is just over six months short of reaching the finish line. If it does, it will set a new precedent - and this is an unsavoury proposition for the establishment for two reasons. First, prolonged civilian rule is likely to permanently dent the political influence of the military, and thereby the massive business and real estate empires it has acquired. Second, while Pakistan's military and civil bureaucracy are dominated by Punjab province, the country's largest vote-bank, the ruling Pakistan People's Party has its roots in the southern province of Sindh, the country's main source of revenue and home to a distinct linguistic group that detests Punjab's domination. So while the establishment is generally sceptical of politicians, it has been almost intolerant towards the PPP. 'Judicial activism' The military is widely accused by Western powers of playing a double game in Afghanistan and lost credit in the eyes of many Pakistanis when US forces killed Osama Bin Laden in a secret raid on Pakistan's soil. But its diminishing ability to openly control Pakistan's politicians has been more than offset by what some analysts describe as the judiciary's increased ability to encroach on the administrative sphere. This has led to a number of fierce battles between state institutions in recent years which are a distraction from the main challenges. Since 2009, when judges sacked by the Musharraf regime were reinstated by the present government, they have shown an appetite for pursuing long-standing corruption cases against President Zardari. Mr Zardari spent eight years in jail because of them, without being convicted in a single case. That led to the Supreme Court's dogged pursuit of Prime Minister Gilani and his conviction in April. The Supreme Court also responded with alacrity late last year in investigating a controversial memo which invited the US to help avert a possible coup in Pakistan after Bin Laden's death. The "memogate" affair had the potential to drag in President Zardari but has led only to the dismissal of Pakistan's then ambassador to the US, Husain Haqqani. Top military leaders showed a keen interest in the case and participated in initial hearings, but gradually pulled out when questions were raised over their own political role. Most recently, the country was stunned to find its bulwark against corruption - Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry himself - implicated in allegations of bribe-taking levelled against his son. They both deny any wrongdoing and an investigation has been ordered. Conspiracy theorists see the government's hand in the case somehow - but no one's got any evidence. The government has distanced itself from the whole affair. Time running out Throughout the endless drama, the government has stood its ground with one single goal in mind - to complete its term. PPP leaders say there's no other way to make sure democracy takes root in Pakistan. But the events of the past couple of years have blurred the rules by which a state should be run, and muddled up the laws that govern the powers of various state institutions. What is happening now is a battle of wits, being fought almost according to the laws of the jungle, some observers say. And time is ticking away for all the important things that the government, the judiciary and the military ought to be doing to rid the country of poverty, shortages, obscurantism and militancy. Meanwhile, what happens in the next 24 hours and who wins the unenviable job of PM is anyone's guess.

PPP picks Raja Pervaiz Ashraf for premiership

PPP leader says parliament elections will be held this year, earlier than expected. The ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Friday named Raja Pervaiz Ashraf as its nominee for prime minister. The government allies also agreed to the name of Raja Pervaiz Ashraf who was earlier selected as covering candidate for Makhdoom Shahabuddin. On Thursday, an anti-narcotics court took the unusual step of issuing an arrest warrant for former textiles minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin over a drugs scandal. Shahabuddin had been President Asif Ali Zardari`s first choice to succeed Gilani. "Raja Pervez Ashraf is our candidate," senior party official Syed Khurshid Shah told a news conference, hinting that the government could call an election before its mandate expires early next year. "This is election year and we are going towards elections," Shah said. "If we have committed some mistakes or did not fulfill our manifesto, then the decision should be left to the people of Pakistan." Ashraf has been dogged by allegations of corruption and controversy from his tenure as water and power minister. He served as information technology minister until the Supreme Court dismissed prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday. Election of the new Prime Minister will be held at a special session of the National Assembly in Islamabad today. Other nominees for premiership are PPP’s Qamar Zaman Kaira‚ PML-N’s Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan Abbasi and JUI-f’s Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman. Newly elected Leader of the House after taking oath as next Prime Minister will seek Vote of Confidence from the National Assembly within sixty days. Office of the Prime Minister fell vacant after disqualification of Yousuf Raza Gilani by the Supreme Court in a contempt of court case.

Five killed, 24 injured in Peshawar blast

At least five persons were killed and 24 others including seven children and 11 women were injured when a power bomb exploded in Hazar Khawani area of Peshawar on Thursday. Rescue sources said the pressure cooker bomb was planted in a handcart which was parked near Panj Pirano Ziarat. At the time of blast, a large numbers of male and female devotees were present near the graves of old Sufi saints. The blast resulted in killing of five persons and injuring 24 others. The powerful blast also damaged the boundary wall of the graveyard. The blast caused fear and panic among the residents as its sound was echoed in the surrounding localities. Soon after the blast Edhi ambulances and rescue 1122 squad rushed to the blast site and shifted the injured persons to Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar for emergency medical treatment. Some of the injured were stated to be in critical condition. Those who were killed were identified as Zahir Shah, Muzammil Shah and Kamil Shah and two others while those who were injured included Basit Haider, Tofail,Syed Shah Bahar Shah, Fatima, Azmat Shah, Farooq, Rani, Naila, Ajmal, Zeeshan, Kashif, Atiq, Haider Ali, Sombal Noman and Mukhtiar. Police and Bomb Disposal Squad rushed to the blast site and cordoned off the area. SSP Operations Tahir Ayub said that that main target of the blast was the gathering of people. According to Bomb Disposal Squad around 10 kilograms of explosives materials were used in the attack. They said that the bomb was placed in pressure cooker which blew up with a huge blast. It is worth mentioning here that earlier to this Rahman Baba mausoleum was targeted in the same graveyard when unknown persons planted explosives material.

Asif Ali Zardari targeted, Yousuf Raza Gilani exits: Who'll be the next to go?

The targeting of Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari by elements of the country's establishment continues apace with the unseating of his prime minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani, by the Pakistan Supreme Court last Tuesday. At a constitutional level, the judgement represents a direct face-off between the executive and parliament, on the one hand, and the judiciary, on the other hand. The initial issue, of whether or not the president enjoys immunity in office under Article 248 of the Constitution, snowballed into a confrontation over the powers of the Speaker to decide on Gilani's eligibility to continue in office despite his conviction for contempt of court on April 26, 2012. The fallout of the Supreme Court's judgement by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, himself recently beleaguered by questions of personal integrity, also has political implications, which will play out in coming days and months. Immediate issues of governance and constitutionalism stem from the order having ante-dated effect, thus invalidating all prime ministerial decisions since April 26. The wider context concerns the direction in which the Pakistan state is headed, the institutional and political face-offs involved and continued uncertainties in an innately unstable, even volatile, situation. Who gains? Who is vulnerable? And who is dispensable? NRO and the memo to the US Two narratives, involving the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) of October 5, 2007, and the memo to the Americans after the killing of Osama bin Laden in May 2011, have intertwined to draw in the army, political parties (notably PPP) the executive and the judiciary. The NRO was promulgated by General Pervez Musharraf as president, to facilitate the return of Benazir Bhutto to Pakistan and its politics at a time when he was involved in a confrontation with Chief Justice Chaudhry. The Ordinance provided selective amnesty for cases instituted for offences between January 1, 1986, and October 12, 1999, i.e., during the civilian interregnum between years of military rule. The NRO represented a deal between the military establishment under Musharraf and its major civilian opposition. But even before Benazir Bhutto could capitalise on it, she was assassinated; fingers pointed in several directions, including the military establishment itself, known to be adept at playing a two-faced game as with the Americans after 9/11. Meanwhile, the changes that Pakistan had seen in increased civil society activism and the face-off between Musharraf and the judiciary led to the military-sponsored NRO becoming a football between the executive under both Musharraf and PPP, and the judiciary. The life of the NRO is indicative: Promulgated on October 5, 2007, by Musharraf Suspended by Chief Justice Chaudhry on October 12, 2007 Revived by Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar on February 27, 2008 Struck down by Chief Justice Chaudhry on December 16, 2009 Subsequent developments led to the Pakistan Supreme Court ordering the prime minister to write to the Swiss authorities to reopen cases against Zardari, Gilani's refusal to do so, his conviction for contempt on April 26, 2012, the Speaker's ruling in Gilani's favour, PILs against the ruling by opposition parties and Gilani's eventual dismissal.

International Pashto Language . د پښتو ژبی نړیواله ورځ

۲۰۱۲ میلادی کال د جون میاشتی یوویشتمه چی د۱۳۹۱ شمسی کال د چنګاښ د میاشتی اولې نیټې سره دمون خوري د پښتو نړیواله ورځ ټاکل شوی چی دا ورځ به د نړی په مختلفو سیمو کی لمامځل کیږي. ژبه چی د یو قوم هویت څرګندوي، هر قوم ته ډیر ګرانه وي. ځکه چی د قوم ژوند د خپلی ژبي سره تړلی یي، که د قوم ژبه وی ؛ قوم هم ژوندې وي، خو چه ژبه ترې هېره شوه نو قومیت هم ترې ولاړ. د پښتو ژبې نړیوالی ورځ په مناسبت د افغان یون اداره د افغانستان حکومت باندی غږ کوی تر څو د پښتو ژبی ته د افغانستان په تعلیمی، اداری، قانونی سیستم، کلتوری او بلاخره رسنیو کی د افغانستان رسمی ژبی په څیر مساویانه ونډه ورکړي او په خپلو ورځنیزو چارو کی یی وکاروی. د افغان یون اداره نه یواځی دا د دولت مکلیفیت ګني بلکه د مسلکی ادارو، جوړښتونو، تعلیمی ادارو او مسلکی اشخاصو څخه هیله کوی تر څو د پښتو ژبی په وده او عام کولو کی خپل رغنده رول ولوبوی. راخی چی پښتو د خپل ورځنیزو خبرو، لیکلو او کارونو کی وکاروو

Pakistan: Looming judicial tyranny

EDITORIAL:Daily Times

Yousaf Raza Gilani is gone. The incumbent PPP is discussing his replacement. Whoever succeeds Gilani still runs the risk of being subjected to the same pressures from the judiciary as Gilani faced, and which eventually ended in his ignominious departure, not at the hands of the people or their elected representatives, which is the norm in all parliamentary democracies, but at the hands of an activist judiciary that has opened itself up in the process to grave criticism. For the benefit of our readers, let us retrace some of the steps and developments that led to this denouement. The National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) was essentially a political deal between Musharraf and the PPP led at that time by the late Benazir Bhutto. It gave relief to over 8,000 people affected by charges of corruption and other misdemeanours, of whom only about 80 were politicians. While the Supreme Court (SC) struck it down on the strict constitutional/legal criterion of being discriminatory, and ordered all closed cases of the beneficiaries to be reopened, its subsequent focus seemed to be on just one of those beneficiaries: President Asif Ali Zardari. Gilani took his stand on the basis of Article 248 of the constitution, which lays down that the president enjoys immunity so long as he is in office. This is a principle that is the bedrock of every constitution known to man. Take the example of French former president Sarkozy. After losing the presidential election, his immunity extended one month after leaving office, according to the French constitution. As soon as that grace period expired, Sarkozy is being hauled over the coals in various cases, including the murky Agosta submarine affair that involves a Pakistan angle. The SC saw fit in its wisdom to ignore all this constitutional edifice despite the argument being presented that President Zardari could be acted against in the Cotecna case after he leaves office. Instead, the SC suggested that if ‘someone’ claimed immunity, he must apply for it to the court (while Article 248 leaves no or little room for ambiguity). The government appeared reluctant to subject itself to an ‘interpretation’ of Article 248 that could open new cans of worms for it, hence its reluctance to pursue the immunity matter in all the proceedings. The SC ordered the chief executive, then Prime Minister Gilani, to reopen the Swiss case despite presidential immunity and the reluctance of the Swiss judicial authorities themselves to reopen the case in the absence of fresh substantive evidence, those being their judicial rules. The insistence despite all these facts by the SC indicated to some circles that some extraneous factor may have crept into these judicial proceedings. Be that as it may, the first casualty of this jurisprudence is a unanimously elected prime minister at the hands of the judiciary. And there is no telling whether he will be the last. It may be noticed in passing that the reluctance of Gilani to file an appeal against his contempt conviction suggests a lack of confidence in the impartiality of the court. This is a serious development with implications for the future. The separation of powers enshrined in the constitution is a reflection of the best practice and constitutional structure from world experience. The framers of the US constitution were clear that individuals or groups could not be relied upon to exercise restraint on the basis of good intentions, therefore checks and balances and the separation of powers was necessary. Every institution therefore is enjoined by this schema to remain within its boundaries and not encroach on other institutions’ turf. Unfortunately, the restored superior judiciary’s activism, unrestrained in some instances by the time honoured principle of judicial restraint, is deleterious for the respect and dignity of the judiciary itself since it opens up the judiciary to debate and controversy. The SC’s overruling the Speaker of the National Assembly can be considered a weakening of the principle that parliament is supreme. In fact, the essence of the verdict against the Speaker’s finding is to declare, at least in the sphere of the issues raised by the case, that parliament’s supremacy is subject to the will, not of the people, but of the judiciary. This is a dangerous chink in the wall of separation of powers construct. Since there is no higher judicial forum than the SC, its verdicts acquire permanence (we may recall the shelf life of the doctrine of necessity to illustrate the point). The US Supreme Court declared: “We are not final because we are infallible. We are infallible because we are final.” Hidden in that message is the thought that if the judiciary does not judiciously impose restraint on itself, the direction in which things may head would alarmingly resemble judicial tyranny.

Karachi home to 71,000 registered Afghan refugees, says UNHCR

For the thousands of Afghan children living in refugee camps on the outskirts of Karachi, June 20, which is observed around the world as International Refugees Day, was no different from any other day. The hunger, homelessness and feeling of desperation that these children and their families had tried to leave behind in their war-torn homeland of Afghanistan have followed them to their new home. This was stated by Rashid Khan, a former official of the BEFAR (Basic Education for Afghan Refugees), an NGO working to improve and contribute towards better standards of living for displaced and underprivileged communities. “International Refugees Day is observed to honour the courage, strength and determination of the women, men and children who have been forced to flee their homeland under threat of persecution, conflict and violence,” Khan said. Though there are some 25,000 Afghan refugees living in the Afghan and Jadeed camps located near the Super Highway, there is not a single school, college, or hospital that the refugees can visit. For those living in these camps, the lack of basic facilities is compounded by a feeling of alienation and persecution. Sujjad Gul believes that the camp is the only secure place for his people. “If we go outside of this camp, we are assaulted. The local police are reluctant to interfere when we are attacked. I once went to the police after being attacked. I was still bleeding from the head, and all they had to say was that I should defend myself if I am attacked.” Gul believes that it is pointless to ‘fight the system’, as this will only make things worse and will probably result in him being thrown in prison. “I don’t think fighting back is worth being separated from my family,” he said. Two young Afghani refugees Fawad Khan and Dawood Shah said that we are selling homemade items to survive. Both the brothers said that each member of a family must work to earn some money for their family. When asked if they plan to attend school, Shan said that the street was their school now. Syed Bilal Agha, Senior Field Assistant at UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), told The News that the state of Pakistan has hosted countless Afghan refugees in the last 30 years. “In 2006, we issued registration cards to about 120,000 Afghan refugees. There were already hundreds of undocumented refugees in the country who did not have the financial means to settle anywhere. Many of the Afghan refugees have now left Pakistan voluntarily, but there are still some 71,000 registered Afghans in Karachi.” He stated that under a tripartite agreement between the UNHCR and the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan, Afghan refugees in Pakistan have a deadline of 31 December 2012 to voluntarily register for repatriation. Those who return to their homeland will be supported by the UNHCR.

Benazir Bhutto's 59th birthday today

Benazir Bhutto's 59th birthday is going to be celebrated Thursday (today) with full fervour. Party workers would give blood in order to pay tribute to their great leader. Benazir Bhutto was born on June 21, 1953: she was an embodiment of extraordinary personality. She was of 29 year old when she led the party after tragic death of her father Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. In the Muslim World, she was the first woman who came to power at the age of 35. The PPP leaders and workers are of the view that she was lady of character who not only tried her best to empower women but also sacrificed for uplift of democracy and people. The PPP Member National Assembly Mir Temur Talpur said that he passed three years along with her when she was studying in London. Minister for the Minorities Mohan Lal said that Benazir Bhutto continued her endeavours for rights of minorities throughout her life.

Ghazala Javed: A nightingale plunged into silence

When Pashto singer Ghazala Javed walked onto any stage in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it was always to the whistling of adolescent boys. The girls were also admirers, as they dreamed to dress and sing like her. The K-P belt swooned when she hummed songs of love and passion. Sadly, this feeling of romantic indulgence came to a screeching halt when the news of her death spread. Javed, a combination of beauty and brilliance, was shot dead on Monday by unidentified gunmen outside a beauty parlour in Peshawar. “Her death is a great loss to Pashto music. She was an inspiration for the fresh batch of singers coming into the Pashto music industry,” a well-known Pashto singer, Bakhtiar Khattak, tells The Express Tribune. He adds that her tragic murder will serve as a warning sign to younger artists from the region, who will now be reluctant to enter into the local music industry; family pressure and security concerns will overshadow talent and the Pashto music industry will eventually suffer. Female musicians are so deeply affected by the threats received from conservative groups, that they refused to comment on the news of Javed’s death, for fear of a backlash. Javed hailed from the Banrr village in Swat, which was considered the hub of musicians before the wave of militancy hit the province. “Ghazala Javed was a complete package. She had a beautiful voice and an equally charming personality. I’m shocked to hear about her murder,” says Rahim Khan, a prominent Pashto singer. “Ghazala was a gifted person and we should have honoured her for contributing immensely to the Pashto music industry,” he adds. The mystery hangs in the air Although the reason behind her murder is still unclear, like other musicians of that area, Khan blames conservative groups that condemn the profession of art and culture for Javed’s demise. He supports his accusation by citing the murder of yet another versatile female singer, Aiman Udas, who was shot dead in 2009 by unknown assailants. “The new generation will hardly dare to come into this field now, because all they see is death waiting for them with open arms. The actors, singers and musicians should be provided security and protection if we want our Pashto culture to flourish,” says Khan. Remembering Javed A true promoter of modern Pashto music, Javed’s voice resonated from Peshawar to Ningerhar. She was something of a national sweetheart and having a picture of her in your mobile phone was not uncommon for young men of that area. Javed’s sad end reminds one of the brief yet impactful career of Nazia Hassan who, just like the Pashto singer, departed at a very young age leaving her admirer mourning her death. In the short span of eight years, Javed had managed to release six albums, all of which were a hit in the market. She has performed 10 international concerts in cities like Dubai, Kabul and Kuala Lumpur. Like most female celebs, she lost a major chunk of followers in April 2010, when she tied the knot with Peshawar-based businessman Jahangir Khan. She remained disconnected with the local music scene for two years until her marriage was on the rocks. After her divorce was finalised, she returned to music, her first love. “She gave stalwarts like Nazia Iqbal tough competition,” the owner of Musafir CD house told The Express Tribune. “She was the one who kept song alive even when K-P was going through its darkest period,” he said. According to him, her albums sold like hot cakes, and it wasn’t just because she was a pretty face garnering popularity because of her looks. A proud winner of the Khyber Award amongst many others accolades, Javed was a true artist at heart and gave her life in the line of duty. She was heading out for a show from the parlour when unidentified gunmen opened fire on her. The same evening she had recorded her latest song, titled “A zamung kali ta rasha, za ba zan darta pagal kram, tol jehan ba rata gori, za qadamona ba di khqul kram” (The news of your arrival is driving me crazy, the whole village will witness me bow down and kiss your feet). Now, the city mourns Javed’s death, and will bury with her any dreams of watching her perform again.

Ghazala Javed: Police conducting raids to arrest killers

Ghazala Javed recorded four songs for her new album and was planning to sing two duets with Rahim Shah after returning from beauty parlour when she was ambushed by armed men in Dabgari, said the family of the slain popular singer who was shot dead along with her father on Monday night. The police are conducting raids at various places after lodging the first information report (FIR) against her former husband of Ghazala Javed, Jehangir Khan, and his two accomplices Naseer Khan and Salam Khan. The popular artiste and her father, Javed, were laid to rest at Tahirabad, Mingora in Swat. Thousands of fans of Ghazala Javed, in her 20s, are still in shock. They were anxiously waiting for her new album but they got the news of her sudden death at the hands of the killers.The social media forums, Facebook and Twitter, are abuzz with condolence messages for the singer, who has recently emerged on the music screen and had earned extraordinary popularity in a short span of time. “I have four sons and as many daughters but I would not allow any of my daughters to sing anymore,” said the mother of the slain singer.The mother said Ghazala just recorded four songs for her new album, the first one after her re-entry into the world of music, and was planning for two more songs when she was targetted. “She requested her father to allow her to stay for two more days in Peshawar as she was so much attached to the city,” recalled her mother while sitting with the body of her spouse and daughter. Farhat, the younger sister of Ghazala, remained unharmed as armed men opened fire at the good-looking vocalist in Dabgari, once a popular market for musicians. “She told me that she is feeling suffocated after quitting singing. Her former spouse was after our family and used to threaten us,” said Farhat. Ghazala Javed, belonging to Swat, shot to fame when she shifted along with her family to Peshawar at a time when militancy was at peak in her district. Once an ordinary dancer, she got a sudden boost due to her pretty looks when she appeared on different television channels in Peshawar. Later a local from Peshawar Jehangir Khan tied the knot with Ghazala Javed but the wedding didn’t prove successful. She was allegedly forced by her in-laws not to sing. However, Ghazala and her father were more interested in the field of music. In April 2009, another popular female singer Ayman Udas was killed allegedly by her family on the Dilazak Road. The family was not happy with her singing career. In November 2009, a popular Pashto singer from Quetta, Yasmin Gul, was found dead inside her house in a mysterious condition. A dancer, Naheed, was killed by robbers while returning from a concert a couple of years ago.

Asian immigrants to U.S. surpass Hispanics for first time

http://news.yahoo.com

Asians have surpassed Hispanics as the largest group of new immigrants to the United States, according to a new study from the Pew Research Center. The study, called "The Rise of Asian Americans" and released on Tuesday, reveals that Asian-Americans also have the highest income, are the best educated and are the fastest-growing racial group in America. About 430,000 Asians—or 36 percent of all new immigrants—arrived in the United States in 2010, according to U.S. census data. About 370,000, or 31 percent, were Hispanic.The wave of incoming Asians pushed the total number of Asian-Americans to a record 18.2 million, or 5.8 percent of the total U.S. population, according to census data. By comparison, non-Hispanic whites (197.5 million) account for 63.3 of the U.S. population, while Hispanics (52 million) and non-Hispanic blacks (38.3 million) account for 16.7 percent and 12.3 percent, respectively. The influx of Asians reflects "a slowdown in illegal immigration while American employers increase their demand for high-skilled workers," the Associated Press said."The educational credentials of these recent [Asian] arrivals are striking," the report said. Sixty-one percent of 25-to-64-year-old Asian immigrants come with at least a bachelor's degree—more than double non-Asian immigrants, making the recent Asian arrivals "the most highly educated cohort of immigrants in U.S. history."The study also found that Asian-Americans are "more satisfied than the general public with their lives, finances and the direction of the country, and they place a greater value on marriage, parenthood, hard work and career success." Last month, data released by the U.S. Census Bureau showed that there were more minority children born in the United States than whites for the first time in history—signaling what the Washington Post called "the dawn of an era in which whites no longer will be in the majority." According to the census report, 50.4 percent of children born in a 12-month period that ended July 2011 were Hispanic, black, Asian-American or from other minority groups, while non-Hispanic whites accounted for 49.6 percent of all births in that span. In 2010, minority babies accounted for 49.5 percent of all births.

Pakistan ranks 13th in failed states index

THE NATION

Pakistan has been ranked 13th in the latest ranking of failed states. The unique ranking compiled by the prestigious Foreign Policy magazine is topped by African countries Somalia , Congo, Sudan, Chad and Zimbabwe. Afghanistan with 106 points is ranked at number 6, followed by Haiti, Yemen, Iraq and Central African Republic. Pakistan with 101.6 points, the magazine said, is ranked 13, a slight improvement from the previous two years. In 2011 it was ranked 12th in the list of failed states, while in 2010 and 2009 it was ranked 10th. “The absence of the state makes for 20-hour daily electricity blackouts and an almost non-existent education system in many areas”.

LAHORE:PIC tragedy: Four months on, spurious drugs case remains in cold storage

The Express Tribune

Four months have passed since spurious medicines at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) claimed the lives of 165 patients and affected another 700 in Lahore – yet not a single person has been indicted in what was arguably the greatest medical tragedy in the country’s history. Data available with The Express Tribune shows that the compensation process is still pending. While compensation cheques for Rs500,000 were distributed to the relatives of 116 deceased patients, cases of 38 patients are still being verified, and the addresses of the remaining 11 are said to be incomplete. The unofficial death toll is said to be around 200; and more than 1,500 patients are said to have been affected by the faulty medicines distributed free of cost by PIC to poor patients. In January 2012, heart patients approached different hospitals with similar symptoms of low platelet count, darkening complexion and bleeding. Health authorities tried to downplay the matter at first, but the issue later escalated to a major health crisis. Preliminary investigations showed that a drug named Isotab, contaminated with anti-malarial chemical Pyrimethamine, had caused the deaths. However, authorities have little to show in way of preventive measures taken to avert any such crisis in the future. A senior doctor at the PIC admits that “it seems everybody has forgotten about the PIC drug-related deaths.” Of efforts taken in wake of the incident, the doctor, requesting anonymity, says: “A lot has changed since then, but only on paper. The on-ground situation remains the same. The judicial inquiry report is yet to be released and no mechanism has been put in place to check that medicines are not contaminated with hazardous chemicals.” PIC’s chief executive Dr Bilal Zakaria, who was appointed after the drug fiasco, claims to have taken some precautionary steps. “It is now mandatory for PIC to purchase medicines only from pharmacies that have at least three branches in a city. We have also asked the companies to submit a report of all the non-active ingredients in the medicines.” Dr Zakaria maintains that a Drug Regulatory Authority (DRA) has a major role to play in keeping a check on pharmaceutical companies. However, though the president has issued an ordinance in this regard, a regulatory authority is yet to be established. PIC’s former head Dr Muhammad Azhar, who was removed from his post after the tragedy, differs in opinion from Dr Zakaria. Dr Azhar feels the conditions at PIC have deteriorated further. “If the government cannot make a unique system, it should copy the mechanisms put in place by the USA and the UK.” “In Pakistan, there are above 55,000 registered medicines while in the USA there are just 5,000 and in the UK only 2,200. The government should just copy their lists to avoid any such catastrophe in the future.” Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturer’s Association (PPMA) Chairman Dr Riaz Ahmad said the issue of giving licenses to manufacturers will now be decided by the DRA after the passage of the 18th Amendment. The Punjab chief minister’s special assistant on health Khwaja Salman Rafique is quick to evade the blame. He says the provincial administration has given its consent and it is now up to the federal government to make the DRA functional. A senior official at the health department expressed his dissatisfaction over the inaction against Efroze Chemical Industries, the company that manufactured Isotab. “The company has been sealed but hasn’t paid any damages to the families of those who died due to the faulty drug.” Advocate Azhar Siddiq, who filed a petition in the Lahore High Court regarding the case, said: “The report of the judicial inquiry is expected soon. I am hopeful that the inquiry, headed by Justice Ijazul Ahsan, will hold the perpetrators responsible.” A young boy who lost his father due to the faulty medicine doesn’t know who to blame. “If the culprits in this case are not brought to justice, I will believe the government killed my father.”

Punjab govt instigating violent protests

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Central Information Secretary Shafqat Mahmood said on Tuesday that the Punjab government was responsible for the loss of lives during the violent protests against load shedding. In a press statement, he said that protests against load shedding were justified but it was the responsibility of the provincial administration to ensure that they remained peaceful. Three people have died as a result of violent protests in Kamalia and Chichawatni. He added that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is actively instigating violent protests as several leaders of the party have led a number of such protests. He claimed that the protesters have often been directed to attack political opponents and PTI supporters amongst others have been victims of such violent attacks in Vehari and Faisalabad. He questioned the partisan role of law enforcement agencies in facilitating such attacks on political opponents as no arrests have been made in any of the incidents. Media footage has shown law enforcers standing as silent spectators while violent protesters have looted and destroyed banks, CNG stations, shops, cars and other private and public property, he added.

Shahbaz should be booked for loss of life, property

PAKISTAN TODAY

Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PML-Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has said that PML-N and Shahbaz Sharif were engaged in politics in the name of load shedding protests and a FIR should be lodged against them for the loss of human life and property during demonstrations. He was talking to reporters after meeting former Khanewal nazim Ahmad Yar Heraj and his brother Muhammad Yar Heraj following an attack on their house in Khanewal on Tuesday. Shujaat said the attacks on the houses of Ahmad Yar Heraj and Riaz Fatiana had been carried out at the instance of the provincial government and Shahbaz Sharif and it did not suit the chief minister to “supervise” such destructive activities in the province. The PML president said whatever Shahbaz Sharif was doing under the garb of load shedding protests in Punjab did not merit his office and position. He said the registration of an FIR against Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, the provincial government and local administration was essential for the loss of human lives and public properties. Shujaat said the chief minister was issuing instructions to the administration and police that people indulging in violence and destructive activities should not be stopped, adding that if any officer tried to control the protest and riots locally, he was admonished by the chief minister. Shujaat said arson of trains, looting and attacks on petrol stations indicated that all these activities were the result of connivance between the government and local administration. He said the PML-Q would expose the “achievements” of PML-N in the provincial assembly. Meanwhile, PML-Q senior leader and Senior Minister Parvaiz Elahi had a telephonic conversation from London with Ahmad Yar Heraj and condemned the attack on his house. He said an FIR for looting and plundering, setting ablaze of public property and loss of precious life in Punjab would be gotten registered against the so-called chief of the province Shahbaz Sharif.

Pakistan: A judicial coup?

Editorial:The Express Tribune

The Supreme Court, in claiming to represent the will of the people, has removed from power the people’s representative, saying that he stood disqualified from being a member of parliament and hence the office of the prime minister since April 26 — the day he was found guilty of contempt. Support for the decision may not be unanimous mainly because of recent developments, especially where the Honourable Court was dragged into the Arsalan Iftikhar matter and how it chose to — itself — remove it from the allegations citing that Malik Riaz had himself admitted that he had never received any favours from the court. The procedure to remove a prime minister from office is clear: he can be voted out by parliament or the speaker of the National Assembly can send a reference to the Election Commission. So the view, that with this verdict, the apex court has played the role of judiciary, legislature and executive, may find some takers. Also, one must wonder why didn’t the seven-member bench that ruled in the contempt case in April not make matters clear, and that if the intention was to leave the matter to parliament then why wasn’t the speaker’s ruling left unscrutinised. The passage of almost two months since that verdict and Tuesday’s decision may well give ammunition to some people who may claim that the Honourable Court is perhaps trying to deflect attention from the Arsalan Iftikhar case. Furthermore, there will be people, and not entirely from within the PPP, who may consider whether yesterday’s verdict is, in effect, a judicial coup. Of course, all of this is not to say that Yousaf Raza Gilani or the PPP is without blame. The crisis could have been avoided by simply writing to the Swiss authorities or he could have resigned on April 26. Of course, the other view is that the apex court could have let the matter rest after being told by the government that under the Constitution, the president enjoyed immunity. Of course, it has to be said, with the utmost of deference and respect, that often times, the apex court has not shown the same assertiveness to military dictators that it has shown to elected civilians/governments. Perhaps this is now changing, with the court’s renewed interest in the missing persons’ case and Asghar Khan’s petition. But one would like this interest to be sustained in order to show tangible results.

'Gilani's disqualification linked to CJ's son case'

Leaders of the ruling Pakistan People's Party believe that the allegations of corruption levelled against Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry's son have some link to the Supreme Court's decision to disqualify Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. Leaders of the ruling Pakistan People's Party believe that the allegations of corruption levelled against Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry's son have some link to the Supreme Court's decision to disqualify Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. Arsalan Iftikhar, the son of the Chief Justice, has been accused of receiving payments of over Rs. 342 million from property tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain to influence cases in the apex court. The tycoon has acknowledged making the payments in a statement submitted to the Supreme Court, which directed authorities to take action against Iftikhar and Hussain. "Since the Chief Justice's son case surfaced, the case to disqualify the Prime Minister was suddenly taken up by the Supreme Court and we had the decision regarding Gilani’s disqualification," senior PPP leader Usman Salim Malik told PTI. A three-judge bench headed by the Chief Justice yesterday disqualified Gilani as a member of parliament due to his conviction of contempt for refusing to reopen graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. The apex court also overruled the National Assembly Speaker's decision not to disqualify Gilani following his conviction in April. Malik said after the corruption case involving the Chief Justice's son, it seemed as if the apex court was in a hurry to "punish" Gilani. "As the Speaker's ruling cannot be challenged at any forum, the court's decision leaves several questions unanswered. Only time will reveal the real motive behind the decision of the bench led by the Chief Justice in Gilani’s case," he said. "It is a biased decision as the courts have always targeted PPP governments. We reject this verdict and the masses will give a befitting reply to it in the next election," Malik said. PPP secretary general Jehangir Badar said it was not the first time that such a decision had been given against a PPP leader by the judiciary. He said since the corruption allegations against Iftikhar came to the limelight, the PPP was expecting something "unusual". Badar said: "And the inevitable happened." He added: "Conspiracies had been hatched against the PPP since it came to power in 2008. PPP workers are dejected and disappointed over the apex court's decision but they will continue their struggle to strengthen democracy." Badar said the PPP could organise countrywide protests against the "unfair and biased" verdict but it would show restraint for the sake of democracy. "We do not want a clash of institutions," he said. Malik contended that the judiciary had given nine years to military ruler Pervez Musharraf, who violated the constitution, but never allowed PPP governments to complete their terms. "There are different standards of justice for the Sharif brothers (PML-N leaders Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif) and the Bhuttos. The judiciary in the past restored the Sharifs while it sent the PPP Prime Minister packing," said another PPP leader who did not want to be named. Gilani's special assistant Chaudhry Aslam Gill said the apex court had already made up its mind to send the premier home. "No legal arguments have any value when a judge has already made up his mind in a case," he said.

Prime Minister's disqualification

EDITORIAL

IN disqualifying a sitting, democratically elected prime minister, the Supreme Court has taken an extraordinary — and unfortunate — step. This whole story could have played out very differently, in ways much less disruptive to the nascent democracy this country is trying to build, if the SC had steered clear of a course of action that has now brought the judiciary, parliament and the executive in direct confrontation with each other. At a number of junctures the court could have avoided pursuing the contempt of court case as doggedly as it did, especially considering that the larger issue — corruption — was a matter involving the president, not the prime minister. Legally there might have been a case against the prime minister, but it was best for the supreme judiciary not to have waded so deep into such obviously political waters. Even at a later stage, it could have let the speaker’s ruling — which has the backing of a parliamentary resolution — stand. If that was not possible, it could have declared her ruling unacceptable and referred the matter to the Election Commission rather than simply asking that body to issue a denotification. Even if the outcome had ultimately been the same, at least the court would not have taken on the role of directly disqualifying an elected prime minister. By doing so, it has both disrupted an existing democratic set-up and set a worrying precedent for the future. But the damage has been done. And the PPP has an important choice to make. The party should now take the high moral ground and focus on the system rather than the individual. There are disruptive options: refusing to accept the order, for example, or delaying the matter by using the constitution to argue that the president can ask the prime minister to continue in office until a new one is appointed. For the sake of preserving the system, if the party has reservations against the judgment it should express these, perhaps even through a strongly worded parliamentary resolution, have Mr Yousuf Raza Gilani step aside and parliament elect a new prime minister as soon as possible. Indications are that the ruling coalition has already embarked on this course. But it is still deeply unfortunate that matters have come to this stage; completing the five-year tenure of both an elected government and its chief executive would have been a much-needed win for Pakistan. What is critical now is that elections are held, whether early or on time and as free and fair as possible, so that the final judgment can be left to the people’s court.

Pakistan media link 'judicial coup' to CJ's son's case

The Supreme Court's decision to disqualify the Prime Minister has pitted state institutions against each other at a time when the country is grappling with several challenges and raised questions about a "judicial coup" overseen by the top judge, the Pakistani media said today. Sections of the media questioned the apex court's ruling that declared Yousuf Raza Gilani ineligible for the post of premier, with commentators asking why the judiciary had acted almost two months after the Prime Minister was convicted of contempt for refusing to revive graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. The news of Gilani's ouster dominated the front pages of Pakistani dailies, with The News headlining its report, "Out you go Mr PM". The headline in the influential Dawn newspaper read, "Prime minister is sent packing". In an editorial titled 'A judicial coup?', The Express Tribune questioned the timing and the reasoning behind the Supreme Court's decision. The daily said, "The view, that with this verdict, the apex court has played the role of judiciary, legislature and executive, may find some takers". The Tribune cautioned that there would be people, and "not entirely from within the (ruling Pakistan People's Pary), who may consider whether yesterday's verdict is, in effect, a judicial coup". A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry yesterday disqualified Gilani in response to several petitions that had challenged National Assembly Speaker Fehmida Mirza's decision not to disqualify the premier following his conviction of contempt. The court ruled that the post of premier had been vacant since April 26, when another seven-judge bench had convicted Gilani of contempt for refusing to reopen graft cases in Switzerland against Zardari. However, commentators noted that the Supreme Court had acted days after real estate tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain, known for his ties with political parties and the military, had acknowledged that he paid over Rs 342 million to the Chief Justice's son Arsalan Iftikhar to influence cases in the apex court. Some commentators contended the apex court was trying to divert attention from the allegations against the top judge's son. "Support for the decision may not be unanimous mainly because of recent developments, especially where the Honourable Court was dragged into the Arsalan Iftikhar matter and how it chose to – itself – remove it from the allegations citing that Malik Riaz had himself admitted that he had never received any favours from the court," the editorial in the Tribune said. The passage of almost two months since Gilani's conviction and his disqualification "may well give ammunition to some people who may claim that the Honourable Court is perhaps trying to deflect attention from the Arsalan Iftikhar case", the editorial added. The Dawn, in an editorial titled "PM's disqualification", said the Supreme Court had taken "an extraordinary -- and unfortunate -- step". The apex court's action had "brought the judiciary, parliament and the executive in direct confrontation with each other". "Legally there might have been a case against the prime minister, but it was best for the supreme judiciary not to have waded so deep into such obviously political waters," the editorial cautioned. The apex court could have declared the Speaker's decision not to disqualify the premier unacceptable and referred the matter to the Election Commission, it said. The News daily, which has backed the Chief Justice in his standoff with the government, said in its editorial that the Supreme Court's ruling was "inevitable". It added, "Contrary to the claims by many, the ouster of the prime minister and his cabinet has not shaken the democratic system". The media further said the ruling-PPP now had to make some tough decisions to ensure that political, economic, strategic and security policies are not affected at a time when the country is grappling with an economic downturn and strained ties with the US. The News called for "extreme restraint and political maturity and vision" on the part of all players while the Dawn said the PPP "should now take the high moral ground and focus on the system rather than the individual". The Express Tribune pointed out that the apex court "has not shown the same assertiveness to military dictators that it has shown to elected civilians (and) governments".

Pakistan: Virtual judicial coup

EDITORIAL:DAILY TIMES

The Supreme Court’s (SC’s) verdict on the petitions challenging the ruling of the Speaker of the National Assembly (NA) that rejected the argument that Prime Minister (PM) Yousaf Raza Gilani stood disqualified after being convicted and sentenced for contempt of court has pronounced that he does stand disqualified, not only from the premiership, but from membership of parliament as well. Not just that, the SC in its short order has laid down that he cannot stand for election for five years. To that end, the SC has sent instructions to the Election Commission (EC) to issue a notification to that effect. Meantime the PPP’s Central Executive Committee (CEC), which happened to be meeting when the verdict was announced, revealed its decisions on the crisis through a press conference by PPP leaders. The gist of the CEC’s decisions was that despite having reservations about the SC’s verdict, they had accepted the court’s finding that the conviction and sentencing till the rising of the court of Gilani for contempt on April 26 meant that he was no longer the PM, and with retrospective effect, had been removed on and since that date. The PPP has appealed to its workers and supporters to remain calm and restrained, despite the fact that the verdict is bound to inflame opinion in the PPP and allied camp. The CEC has empowered party Co-chairperson President Asif Ali Zardari to take whatever decisions he thinks fit regarding a replacement for Gilani. The intriguing question of course is whether the new PM will suffer the same pressure from the SC to write the letter to the Swiss authorities regarding President Asif Ali Zardari that the court was insisting on Gilani writing, and refusal to comply with which had attracted the contempt conviction for the former PM. In that case, the looming confrontation between state institutions, which began as a confrontation between the judiciary and the executive, could expand to now a confrontation between the judiciary and parliament as well. After all, the SC’s verdict overruling the Speaker of the NA too has set an unprecedented example, one that will reverberate in our jurisprudence for a long time to come. Questions have also been raised whether all the decisions and acts of the former PM since April 26 to date stand. The most important of these acts was the passing of the budget. It is possible that the detailed judgement may throw more light on this matter. Normally, courts are mindful that retrospective judgements should not disrupt things done and transactions closed to an extent that causes greater difficulties. Yousaf Raza Gilani was unanimously elected PM after the 2008 elections, arguably in the context of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in end 2007, a tragedy that led to widespread unrest and riots, especially in Sindh. The sympathy factor had a great deal to do with the results of the 2008 elections in which, despite garnering only a plurality, the PPP was the only party in a position to form a coalition government. The other factor that worked in favour of the consensus that surrounded Gilani’s election as PM was the relatively good relations at the time between the PPP and the main opposition party the PML-N. By 2009, those relations had already soured to the point where the coalition saw the departure of the PML-N and its open opposition to the seeming reluctance of the PPP to restore Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and the deposed superior judiciary. Since then, the impression has been unmistakable that the SC has tilted more against the incumbent PPP than in any other direction, even resorting to picking and choosing which cases to hear on a priority or fast track basis. This has invited criticism of the judiciary for alleged bias. True or not, such criticism may well find a fresh lease of life after the SC, in an unprecedented verdict, has deposed a sitting PM. Such ‘treatment’ at the hands of the judiciary is likely to resurrect the party’s memory of past injustices at the hands of the judiciary, the most poignant example being the case of Z A Bhutto. This verdict will have legal as well as political implications. Whether our nascent democratic system will survive these fresh storms can only be left to the imagination at this point

Afghanistan:Students treated in latest Afghan fainting incident

More than 100 Afghan students, most of them girls, were treated in hospital on Tuesday following the latest in a series of mass fainting incidents in schools in the war-torn country, officials told AFP. The students, aged between nine and 17, felt weak and dizzy after smelling a strange odour at their high school in the central city of Bamyan, and many fainted, the head of the provincial hospital Mohammad Hamid Nazim told AFP. "There is no life-threatening case among the students -- most of them have been discharged from the hospital, and eight others are still being treated," Hamid said. The incident was confirmed by the deputy provincial governor of Bamyan, Mohammad Asif Mobalegh, who said 116 school children, most of them girls, fell ill. Hamid said he thought there were signs of poisoning, but he did not have the equipment needed to confirm this. Afghan officials regularly accuse Taliban insurgents, who banned schooling for girls while in power from 1996 to 2001, of poisoning school wells or using "gas" or "toxic powder" against the girls. None have died, however, and no traces of poison have been found in blood samples, officials say. Experts suggest that a phenomenon known as mass hysteria -- against a background of conflict -- could be behind the episodes.

Coalition partners entrust Zardari to nominate next PM

The Express Tribune

All coalition partners of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) met under the chairmanship of President Asif Ali Zardari and handed him the mandate to decide on a candidate for election as the new Prime Minister of Pakistan, Express News reported. The emergency meeting was called after the Supreme Court of Pakistan declared Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani ineligible to hold office. Gilani will not be a member of parliament following the verdict, and his name was also removed from the Press Information Department website. “The Election Commission shall issue a notice of disqualification and the president is required to take necessary steps to ensure continuation of democratic process,” said Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. The election commission subsequently issued a notification declaring Gilani’s membership of the National Assembly as null and void. The coalition partners said that since the previous Prime Minister belonged to the PPP, the next one too should be from the PPP. Disqualified Prime Minsiter Gilani too attended the meeting. Earlier, Express News reported that Senior PPP leader Ahmed Mukhtar said that he heard the party may be nominate him for the post of prime minister. “I’m not sure about the party’s decision but if the party considers me for the position of prime minister, I would duly serve the country,” he said.

Babar Awan criticizes PM's advisers

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Babar Awan said on Tuesday that the people responsible for advising Prime Minister Gilani to not appeal against the conviction in the contempt of court case would be soon unveiled, Geo News reported. He was speaking to the media after a case hearing outside the Islamabad High Court. Babar Awan said after the chief executive case ruling, no client would forget the lawyer who charged Rs100. He said that in this amount, it is only possible to purchase petrol to reach the Adiala Jail. He further said that it appears as if there would be a huge upset in the Supreme Court Bar elections this time around. The Senator added that he is more interested in advocacy rather than politics.

President Zardari cancels Russia visit to consult allies

The Pakistan People’s Party on Tuesday said that, though it has reservations on the Supreme Court’s ruling disqualifying Yousuf Raza Gilani as prime minister, it will announce its future strategy after consulting its coalition partners. “Though we have reservations about this judgement, we will take advice from the allied parties and legal experts and will then chalk out a strategy for the future,” PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira told reporters following a meeting of the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) held in at the Presidency. President Asif Ali Zardari has also cancelled his visit to Russia in a bid to contain the domestic crisis sparked by the apex court’s disqualification of his prime minister, said his spokesman. The president summoned coalition parties to meet later Tuesday to decide how to respond after holding emergency talks with leaders in his party. Zardari was due to attend the June 20-22 St Petersburg International Economic Forum but would now hold talks with coalition partners “to consider the situation (at home) and formulate a course of action,” his spokesman Farhatullah Babar said. No pardon for Gilani Senior PPP members appealed for calm as isolated protests were held around the country, in a sign that the party was perhaps most likely to decide on electing an alternative prime minister rather than contesting the court ruling. “The central executive committee has advised all party workers to remain calm and show patience and not to protest against the verdict,” Kaira told reporters after the emergency CEC meeting. Asked whether the PPP was considering a presidential pardon for Gilani, the information minister said “no such suggestion is under consideration”. PPP secretary general Jehangir Bader said the party executive committee had given Zardari “complete authority… to take any decisions after taking advice from the allied parties”.

Britain: 7mn working adults struggle to survive

A recent study has revealed that almost seven million adults of working age in Britain “face money woes” finding it difficult to feed themselves and their families. An Experian study for The Guardian has revealed that about 3.6 million households are not able to live on their income and are struggling to feed themselves because they have no assets or savings to fall back on. “What's shocking about this is that these are people who want to work and are working but who, despite putting their faith in the politicians' mantra, find themselves in another cul-de-sac. Recent welfare cuts and policy changes make it difficult to advise these people where they should turn to get out of it - it really is genuinely shocking”, said Frank Field, Britain’s former welfare minister. The research study revealed that 2.2 million children live in families which are financially struggling while one or both parents work in a low or middle-income job. “What is clear and this research shows, is that the existing system doesn't help those families who strive to do the right thing”, said a spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions. This comes as the research only investigated those who fell outside the most deprived. Moreover, another study by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) showed that long-term youth unemployment in Britain increased by 78 percent over the past decade.

Obama immigration shift a hit with voters

http://news.yahoo.com

President Barack Obama's high-profile shift on immigration last week — announcing plans to grant temporary legal status to as many as 800,000 undocumented people brought to American soil as children — has the overwhelming support of likely voters in a new Bloomberg poll released Tuesday. Sixty-four percent of them — and 66% of independents, the frequently up-for-grabs voters thought to decide elections — support the president's decision. The White House has forcefully (and rather implausibly) denied that Obama sought political gain from his announcement. But as recently as March 2011, he had said publicly that he lacked the power to halt such deportations. The Bloomberg survey found that just 30 percent of likely voters disagreed with the president's plan. Fifty-six percent of likely Republican voters opposed it, while 86% of Democrats supported it. Just 26% of independents sided with the Republican majority in the poll. The results surely cheered Obama's reelection campaign, which has been working to reassemble the victorious coalition that powered his history-making 2008 win — but faces an uphill fight in the face of deep pessimism about the economy. The poll, which had an error margin of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points, also showed that immigration was the top issue of just four percent of voters — the sputtering recovery tops that list in every survey of public opinion.Obama enjoys a lopsided advantage over Republican rival Mitt Romney among Latinos. But while they are the fastest-growing voting bloc, and could decide the outcome in pivotal battleground states like Colorado, Florida and Nevada, Latinos have the lowest voter registration numbers of any major ethnic group in the United States. That means the president must energize them enough to register — and then encourage them to show up on November 6. The challenge — and the stakes — are evident in Florida. A whopping 638,000 Latinos there are eligible to vote but have not registered, according to a recent report by the Obama-aligned Center for American Progress think tank in Washington. That's enough to make the difference in the Sunshine State. Both Romney and Obama are due to visit Florida this week to address the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) at the group's annual conference. The former Massachusetts governor will speak Thursday, followed by Obama on Friday.

Gilani no more Prime Minister

Yousaf Raza Gilani left PM House in a car without flag after he was disqualified as PM by the SC. The picture of Yusaf Raza Gilani has been removed from the website of the National Assembly of Pakistan while PM s and ministers profiles have also been removed from PID website. Meanwhile, the Election Commission of Pakistan received the copy of detailed verdict of the SC. The Supreme Court of Pakistan disqualified Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani from office Tuesday in a stunning move throwing the country into fresh turmoil just months before expected general elections. The Supreme Court made the move after convicting Gilani on April 26 of contempt in a highly politicised case for refusing to ask Switzerland to reopen a multi-million-dollar graft investigation into President Asif Ali Zardari. Although the ruling itself is unlikely to bring down the government, it could hasten the date of the next election unless the Pakistan People s Party and its fractious coalition members can agree on a consensus, interim prime minister. "Yousuf Raza Gilani has become disqualified from being member of the parliament," said the order read by chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. "He has also ceased to be the prime minister of Pakistan with effect from the same date (April 26) and office of the prime minister shall be deemed to be vacant accordingly," it said. "The president of Pakistan is required to take necessary steps under the constitution to ensure continuation of the democratic process through parliamentary system of government in the country," Chaudhry read. Zardari immediately convened emergency talks among top leaders in his main ruling Pakistan People s Party (PPP) and then summoned heads of coalition parties to the presidency for further talks on Tuesday night. Officials were tight-lipped on how the president would respond, saying only that the series of meetings was being called to "assess the situation". Gilani, Pakistan s first sitting prime minister to be convicted, has faced down widespread calls from the opposition to quit while he has been insisting that only parliament can remove him from office. Members of his government have been accusing judges of over-stepping their reach and of trying to bring down Gilani and Zardari before February 2013, when the administration would become the first in Pakistan to complete a full five-year term. Under the constitution, anyone convicted of defaming or ridiculing the judiciary is barred from being an MP. The matter of disqualification fell first to the speaker of parliament, Fehmida Mirza, a member of the PPP who on May 24 said conviction for contempt was not a charge that meant he should be disqualified under the constitution. Gilani subsequently decided not to appeal against his conviction in a move interpreted as an effort not to antagonise the court into disqualifying him. But senior opposition politicians, including cricket legend Imran Khan and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, challenged the ruling. The allegations against Zardari date back to the 1990s, when he and his late wife, former premier Benazir Bhutto, are suspected of using Swiss banks to launder $12 million allegedly paid in bribes by companies seeking customs inspection contracts. The Swiss shelved the cases in 2008 when Zardari became president. Gilani has always insisted Zardari has full immunity as head of state and last month said that writing to the Swiss would be a violation of the constitution.

Kabul accuses Pakistan over suicide attack

Afghan authorities on Tuesday said “regional spy agencies” were behind a rare suicide attack targeting Shia Muslims that killed more than 80 people in a veiled reference to Pakistani intelligence. Attorney General Eshaq Aloko said two men had been arrested over the December attack, which struck a crowd of worshippers on Ashura in Kabul. President Hamid Karzai blamed Pakistani sectarian extremist outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi for the atrocity, which was unprecedented on such a holy day, and urged Islamabad to act. Aloko said the attack was planned in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar, by “regional spy agencies” aimed at “provoking sectarian violence”. “Although the Jhangvi group claimed responsibility, it was masterminded by some spy agencies in our neighbouring countries,” Aloko said. Afghans blame Pakistan for fuelling much of the violence in their country, where the Taliban are leading a 10-year insurgency against the government and 130,000 Western troops. The prosecutor said one of those arrested came from Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, which borders Pakistan’s militant-infested tribal belt, and was paid 10,000 Pakistani rupees ($100) to bring two suicide attackers to Kabul. “One attacker blew himself up, the second fled the area,” Aloko said. He said the two arrested men both confessed over the plot and the case was now closed. The explosion happened at the entrance to a riverside shrine, where hundreds of Shias had gathered. The Taliban denied responsibility for the attack, the deadliest in the Afghan capital in three years. “The case is closed for us now. We have completed our investigation, and the case will be sent to the court,” Aloko said.

Polio vaccination ban: Militants put thousands of children at risk

The Express Tribune

Over 16,000 children below the age of five will miss their polio vaccines in the North Waziristan tribal region following a ban announced by a powerful local warlord on vaccination campaigns in the region. Hafiz Gul Bahadur, the alleged host of the deadly Haqqani network of Afghan Taliban, said last week that the top shura of militants has decided to ban the vaccination drive which, they believe, was a cover for US spies. The move will seriously impact polio eradication efforts in Pakistan, which is among the three countries where polio is still prevelant, with 197 fresh cases reported last year. Health officials believe that the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, or Fata, has become the reservoir of the disease because of its difficult terrain and reservations of local tribesmen about the vaccine. A three-day vaccination drive kicked off on Monday in ‘high-risk’ agencies of Fata, which include Khyber, Bajaur, Mohmand and lower and central subdivisions of Kurram agencies. The target is to immunise 777,012 children below the age of five against the crippling disease. A health official confirmed that North Waziristan Agency will be skipped. “North Waziristan was on the list until today. But now we have taken it off due to the threat from Hafiz Gul Bahadur,” Shahibzada Khalid, the deputy director of Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) Fata cell, told The Express Tribune. Khalid categorised North Waziristan as a ‘high-risk’ area and said that if the ongoing vaccination drive was not carried out in the region, thousands of children will be at risk. “The virus may also spread to other agencies and neighbouring districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa,” he added. Health officials, however, believe they might find a way out of the dilemma. “All stakeholders, including the government, World Health Organisation (WHO) , NRDF and UNICEF are trying to find a safe way to vaccinate children in North Waziristan,” said Dr Muhammad Azam, the focal person for the Fata polio monitoring cell. The tribal regions of South Waziristan, Orakzai and Upper Kurram are ‘low-risk’ areas and hence not on the list of regions to be covered during the ongoing campaign. Health authorities have formed 2, 451 mobile, 195 sedentary and 79 transit teams to undertake the task. So far this year, 22 fresh polio cases have been confirmed in the country – nine in Khyber Agency and one each in North and South Waziristan agencies. In March this year, the WHO had warned that if the polio virus was not contained, Pakistan could face serious consequences, including travel and visa restrictions, from the international community.

President Zardari invites Presidents of Russia, Afghanistan, Tajikistan for summit

President Asif Ali Zardari has invited the Presidents of Russian Federation, Afghanistan and Tajikistan to participate in the 4th Quadrilateral Summit which would be hosted by Pakistan. The 4th Quadrilateral Summit between Russia, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Pakistan will be held in Islamabad on September 26-27 2012. Spokesperson to the President Senator Farhatullah Babar said that the President has also invited the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir V. Putin to undertake a bilateral visit on the eve of the Quadrilateral Summit.

MASSIVE KILLING IN KARACHI

It is a matter of serious concern that more than 750 people lost their lives in target killing in Karachi during the first few months of the current year. To be precise, the gangs are known to the Government and its security agencies and still the Government is unmoved to stop the senseless killing of innocent citizens in the streets of Karachi. More than ten people are being killed in a day in r3ecent days in Karachi and the police and the security agencies are not chasing the killers for unknown reasons. Recently, the people are kidnapped at gunpoint and taken hostage, tortured and killed and their bodies thrown to the public places. It is a serious trend that different communities are at war and they allowed escalating the tension to all areas of Karachi. Even, footballer players are not allow to undergo routine practice in playground and they are chased away by the armed thugs wielding guns at the public place and the state agencies are turning a blind eye to this trend. Similarly, the business activities had come to a complete halt following a murder of a MQM activist and in revenge dozens of people from a particularly killed spread scare in all parts of Karachi to suspend the routine business and trade. The only solution to the problems of killings and particularly ethnic cleansing of non-Mohajir communities is that all the armed groups should be disarmed and they be deprived of their weapons collected since the 1985 trouble in Nazimabad. MQM is the dominating group and it should be disarmed first. If the leaders do it voluntarily, it is better. Otherwise, the security agencies should do the job disarming the MQM gangs first and others will automatically surrender their weapons voluntarily, it is hoped. More than 90 percent terrorists and target killers caught by the police and other security agencies belonged to the MQM indicating the love for violence by the MQM top brass to keep Karachi and its people hostage at gun point. In the ultimate analysis, it is not in the interest of MQM and its Urdu speaking people to continue violence against the other communities as a final united front will demolish their military might. Thus, it is advised the MQM should disarm all its militants and gangs, mainly target killers first and show the way to others to disarm later. The Government in power should use its influence on MQM to disarm the armed gangs and target killers in the larger interest of peace in Karachi and rest of Pakistan.

Punjab rulers responsible for loss of life, says Kaira

Frontier Post

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira said on Monday that the Punjab rulers were instigating the people against the federation and they were personally responsible for the loss of life and damage to the public and Pakistan People's Party leaders and workers' property. He was talking to media persons at Faisal Mosque after attending funeral prayers in absentia for Saudi Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who died on Saturday. While replying to a question, he said no doubt that loadshedding during past couple of days had increased, but that was no justification for attacking the public property and property of the PPP leaders. "Loadshedding is being done in all four provinces, but violent protest demonstrations are being held only in the Punjab. The Punjab police has become silent spectator, and the provincial rulers and the administration are not only part of the protest but they are instigating the people". Kaira said that the PPP through the 18th Amendment has tried to end the sense of deprivation among the smaller provinces but the rulers in the Punjab are fanning hatred to get petty political gains. He said that there was 800 mw low head hydro power potential in the Punjab but not a single mega watt has been produced so far. The minister said that 200 mega watt electricity will be added in the system from wind sector and 600 mw will be added from the same sector next year. He said that some Independent Power Plants (IPPs) are commissioned only on gas and their closure due to shortage of gas has added to loadshedding problem. He said that the incumbent govern was paying the price of the decisions of its predecessors which could not prepare proper energy policy and diverted gas towards CNG sector. Replying questions about the deceased Saudi crown prince he said the entire nation was praying for his soul. Kaira said that Saudi Arabia is brotherly country of Pakistan which has always supported Pakistan on all forums of the world. The minister said that the Saudi Arabia and Pakistan enjoy historic relations and the place where we have offered the funeral prayer is also a gift of the Saudi government to the people of Pakistan. To a question, he said that Fauzia Wahab was central leader of the PPP whose services would be remembered for long. He said that the PPP has lost a hard working parliamentarian and the National Assembly has lost a dedicated member. He said that the deceased PPP leader fought the case of the party and the poor masses in a very efficient manner. Replying to a question, Kaira said that the doctors belong to noble profession and work in unusually difficult conditions, however, if their negligence proved in the death of Fauzia Wahab, action will be taken against the responsible.

Pashto singer Ghazala Javed gunned down in Peshawar

Dawn.Com

Prominent Pashto singer Ghazala Javed and her father were gunned down by unidentified persons at Dabgari area here on Monday night. Family members of the deceased told police that Ms Javed had gone to a beauty parlour along with her father Mohammad Javed. Unidentified motorcyclists sprayed them with bullets when they came out of the parlour, they said. The bodies were shifted to mortuary for autopsy from where they were taken to a police station by police and Farhat Bibi, a sister of Ms Javed. An official of Shah Qabool police station told Dawn that they were collecting details of the occurrence and could not say anything with accuracy as to who was behind the crime. He said that Farhat Bibi might be complainant in the case and it was not known as to who she would charge. Hailing from the scenic Swat valley, Ms Javed married around two years ago Jehangir Khan, a native of Peshawar. However, last year, differences emerged between the couple following which she left residence of her husband and started living with her father. The singer had also filed a suit for dissolution of her marriage in Swat. She got fame few years ago and her audio and video CDs and cassettes were selling like hot cake not only in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but also in Middle East where Pashtuns work in large number. Following her marriage, Ms Javed had stopped singing, but recently she resumed attending private functions.

NATO supply routes: K-P governor warns of isolation

The Express Tribune

A top government functionary dropped the clearest hint yet on Sunday that Pakistan may reopen Nato supply routes for US-led foreign forces stationed in Afghanistan. “We cannot oppose Nato nor can we live a secluded life in this world,” Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Barrister Masood Kausar told reporters in Peshawar. The governor was speaking to the media during a visit to the Hayatabad Medical Complex to enquire after the health of Saturday’s Landi Kotal blast victims. He added that the government would have to take a decision over the Nato supply lines. Governor Kausar’s statement came against the backdrop of reports that the United States is getting increasingly impatient over the delay in the resumption of supply lines. A diplomatic source disclosed that the United States is pushing the embattled government to reopen the land routes at the earliest, as it fears that uncertainty hanging over the rule of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani might delay the process for months. “This is certainly an issue of concern for us,” said a source referring to the ongoing legal battle over the fate of Premier Gilani. The apex court is currently examining multiple petitions that challenge the ruling of National Assembly Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza, who refused to disqualify the prime minister after he was found guilty of contempt of court. Legal experts believe that this week is crucial, as the three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, asked the premier’s lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan to complete his arguments soon. In what appears to be anticipation of a possibly adverse decision, Premier Gilani has called off his trip to Brazil for an international environmental conference. Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar will represent Pakistan at the conference instead. Gilani’s move to opt out of the conference is attributed to ongoing cases in the apex court. The US urgency stems from the fact that Nato supplies may remain blocked for months if the prime minister is disqualified by the Supreme Court. A Pakistani official familiar with the development has confirmed that there had been intense efforts in recent weeks by Islamabad and Washington to break the deadlock in ties. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Express Tribune that Washington wanted to see the government take a decision before any judgment by the Supreme Court. He said the agreement on technical details related to taxes and transit fees Pakistan intends to impose on Nato trucks passing through the country had already been reached. “The matter rests with the political leadership of the two countries,” said the official. However, an American official pointed out that it was up to the Pakistani government to take the decision. “We have conveyed what we wanted to,” the official added. A crucial meeting of the Defense Committee of the Cabinet (DCC) is expected to review the situation this week to take a final decision. But officials from the two sides, though hopeful of a breakthrough, are not sure if the decision on the resumption of Nato supplies is imminent.

Zardari to visit Russia to attend Int’l Economic Forum

President Asif Ali Zardari will pay a three-day official visit to Russia from June 20-22 to participate in the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). President Zardari will join other world leaders in the Russian historic city of St. Petersburg at the annual gathering of leading decision-makers from across the globe to identify key economic challenges and engage in finding solutions. With this year’s theme ‘Effective Leadership’, the President will highlight the issues affecting the global economy and the increasing role of emerging economic powers in shaping regional and global agendas. Sources said President Zardari will also take part in the panel discussion titled ‘Leadership that works’ and will stress to minimize the global financial crisis and find ways to strengthen energy security, regulate financial markets, and introducing large-scale reforms. He will also present Pakistan’s point of view on the global economic model for the twenty-first century that can withstand geopolitical challenges and meet the interests of all countries. The President during his stay will hold talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin besides meeting several other world leaders and dignitaries on the sidelines of the Forum. He will also interact with the presidents and CEOs of the leading international business companies to seek investment in Pakistan, particularly in energy sector. The SPIEF will debate important topics including global energy outlook, the Eurasian economic integration, international global energy award, banking in the 21st century and investment in human capital.

KHYBER-PAKHTUNKHWA:34 dead in two KP bomb attacks

Thirty-four people were killed and more than 70 sustained injuries in two separate bombings in Landi Kotal and Kohat on Saturday. In the first incident, 27 people became victims of terror strike at a market in the Landi Kotal town of Khyber Agency. Assistant Political Agent Khalid Mumtaz Kundi said unidentified persons had parked an explosives-laden pickup truck at Ranghar Bazaar located on the Charbagh Road, which exploded at 10:55 am. Soon after the incident, security forces rushed to the scene and cordoned off the area. Two schoolgoing children were also among the victims, while 65 people, including a local journalist Ashrafuddin Pirzada, were injured in the bombing. The wounded were rushed to the Agency Headquarters Hospital Landikotal, from where five seriously wounded were referred to a hospital in Peshawar. No organisation or individual has so far claimed responsibility for the deadly attack; however, it is stated that the vehicle terminal owned by the anti-militant Zekha Khel tribe was the main target, as it openly opposes the Mangal Bagh-led banned outfit Lashkar-e-Islam. According to the local administration, 25 shops, three vehicles and other nearby buildings were damaged in the terror strike. Moving scenes were witnessed in the hospital as people were searching their beloved ones. Later, a remote-controlled bomb attack on a police mobile killed seven people including four policemen, as they were patrolling Dhoda Road. At least 10 policemen were injured in the attack. An additional SHO was also among the dead. Three more injured are reported to be in critical condition

Bahrain police shoot 5-year-old in chest, eye

http://bikyamasr.com

Bahrain police have shot a five-year-old boy in the left eye and chest, reports said. The shooting occurred last Wednesday evening in the Dair village, a suburb of Muharraq, during a police crackdown on protesters. The boy was hit by birdshot, activists said. The young boy was then transferred to the Salmaniya Hospital for treatment, and doctors are still waiting to see whether the boy will lose his eyesight in the eye. The ABNA news agency reported the father said his son was conscious, but could not see out of his injured eye. Activists who were with the child in the hospital said that they were banned from speaking to the child’s father about the incident after the instructions of officer Yousef Mulla Bkheit “who is renowned for his torturing of the prisoners and assaulting them sexually,” the report said. The activists said that the family wanted to take the child to a private hospital, however, officer Bkheit refused. They said that the father’s body was full of bird shots pellets as well. They reported that police told him to move otherwise they would fire at him, when he turned to carry his child they fired on both of them. The man who was still in shock said: “It didn’t occur to me they would fire at an old man and his little child, we were only selling fish.” He confirmed that they fired on them on purpose. They fired twice at them. The activists said that the father’s and child’s blood covered their fish box where they were selling fish at the side of the road. The activists said the boy Ahmed Nahham was the youngest citizen whose eyes were fired at. Wefaq society, a leading opposition group, called on human rights organizations and groups to save Ahmed Nahham five-year old boy who was targeted by Bahrain police by bird gunshots along with his injured father who was with him during the incident. Wefaq statement explained that Ahmed was from Dair village that suffered the savage barbaric attack waged by the police. It added that police carried Ahmed away with them, nobody knew about his injury.