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US Defence Secretary Robert Gates found it ‘astonishing’ that President Asif Ali Zardari was still in power in 2010, as was revealed in confidential US diplomatic cables.

The comments were part of a conversation Gates had with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, the details of which were leaked by WikiLeaks:

Turning to Pakistan, Sec Def described the dramatic changes that had taken place over the past year.  It was astonishing that President Zardari had remained in power and that the Pakistanis had conducted such effective COIN operations.  He noted that coordination between ISAF and Pakistan’s armed forces was improving – and this was creating a more difficult situation for the Taliban along the border… moreover, Pakistan’s aggressive campaign against the insurgency had won broad political support among all political parties.

Bernard Kouchner agreed, and added that political and military changes in Pakistan are “nothing short of a miracle”.

Sec Def commented that one can never be an optimist about Pakistan, but that the changes had been striking.  Kouchner agreed with SecDef’s analysis that the changes in both the political and military spheres were “nothing short of a miracle.”

In the conversation, Gates and Kouchner also addressed the improving image of the Pakistan Army.

Operations in the West and North-West had begun to accrue respect for Pakistan Army that Musharraf had squandered.

With additional reporting by Jahanzaib Haque.

LAHORE: Two new ministers took oath on Tuesday, as cabinet expansion preceded the upcoming devolution of five federal ministries to provinces.

Acting President and speaker of the National Assembly Dr Fehmida Mirza administered the oath taking of Khuda Bux Raja and Istaqbal Khan. Khan has been appointed as state minister and Rajar as federal minister, with portfolios to be announced at a later date.

The total number of ministers stands 63 after the new appointments.

The government, in a bid to increase provincial autonomy, has announced that five federal ministries will be transferred to provinces by the first week of December. The ministries to be transferred in the first phase include Zakat and Ashar, Youth Affairs, Special Initiatives, Rural Devolpment and Population & Welfare.

WikiLeaks has quoted the head of the French Interagency on Afghanistan-Pakistan cell, Jasmine Zerinini as saying that Army Chief General Kayani has learnt his lesson from Musharraf and is staying behind the scenes in Pakistan.

Zernini also told a US diplomat that General Kayani is manipulating the government and parliament into preventing change on Pakistan’s policy in the tribal belt. She added that Kayani also had a role in stirring up controversy regarding the Kerry-Lugar bill – that ties continued US aid to increased civilian control of the military.

Zerinini also argued that the West had missed its opportunity to push the Pakistani military to crush the Afghan Taliban taking refuge in Pakistan.

Citing Jalaluddin Haqqani as an example, Zerinini said in 2004 he had a  standing as a leader among the militants, but did not have the organisation to represent a significant military threat. However, since then, large amounts of funding, predominately from Gulf donors, have allowed Haqqani to create a network that would be difficult for the Pakistani military to defeat.

At least 36 government websites were hacked on Tuesday by online hackers going by the name ‘Indian Cyber Army’.

The 36 websites were reportedly hosted on the same server.

According to Express 24/7 correspondent Sabur Ali Syed, some of the websites belong to the Pakistan Army and the others belong to different ministries, including the Ministry of  Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Finance, Pakistan Computer Bureau, Nadra and Council of Islamic Ideology etc.

So far, no official statement has come from the government on the cyber attack.

Some of the websites have been made inaccessible while others are partially damaged, reports Sabur. The attackers have reportedly inserted a page on the websites that indicates that the servers have been rooted.

The message on the websites says the attack is related to the Mumbai attacks. The following message can be seen on the page:

Rest In Peace

The Hero’s of 26/11 Who Laid their precious life for the country people

OMG!! INDIAN CYBER ARMY 0Wns YoU

Pakistan’s Main Gov Server 0wned? r00ted? Hell Yes It iS ;)

Everything is in our hands now .

Cyber attacks of a similar nature have been going on since 2001. Messages have been left on official Pakistani and Indian websites in the past.

A couple of months ago, two college students from Kohat were taken into custody by the FIA on accusations of hacking certain Indian websites.

Following is the list of hacked websites:

• http://www.nab.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.paknavy.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.mofa.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.na.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.sindh.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.pastic.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.nrb.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.nfdc.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.sindhpolice.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.pcb.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.niopk.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.neas.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.navtec.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.dgto.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.msa.org.pk/indian.html
• http://www.topians.edu.pk/indian.html
• http://www.usc.com.pk/indian.html
• http://www.vepcon.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.pifra.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.pmad.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.pwd.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.pcret.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.pmnh.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.pcrwr.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.pcsir.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.agp.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.alp.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.pha.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.census.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.cga.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.cii.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.cmsindh.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.cmtl.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.environment.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.eadtraining.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.enercon.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.thenucleuspak.org.pk/indian.html
• http://www.fab.gov.pk/indian.html
• http://www.fgehf.gov.pk/indian.html

Friend and foes alike of the United States turned on WikiLeaks Monday over its release of secret US diplomatic cables, saying the revelations undermined diplomacy and made the world less secure.

“This will weaken diplomacy around the world. It will weaken diplomacy in general, but first and foremost American diplomacy,” Sweden’s Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said after the mass release.

“I see this rather as something that is making the world less safe,” he said.

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, object of much of the diplomatic discussion revealed by the WikiLeaks website, dismissed the documents as “worthless mischief” which would not affect relations with its Arab neighbours, exposed as having pressed for a US military strike on its nuclear sites.

Afghanistan said its ties with Washington would not be shaken by portrayals of President Hamid Karzai as an “extremely weak” and paranoid leader and his brother as a corrupt drugs baron.

“We don’t see anything substantive in the document that will strain the relationship,” Karzai’s spokesman Waheed Omer told reporters.

Global concern about Iran

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday said the content of the massive US document leak by WikiLeaks underlines broad world concern over Iran’s nuclear program.

“Any of the comments that are being reported on allegedly from the cables confirm the fact that Iran poses a very serious threat in the eyes of many of her neighbors and a serious concern far beyond her region,” Clinton said.

The chief US diplomat told a press briefing that widespread global unease about Iran was reflected in Washington’s ability last June to garner international support for a fourth round of UN Security Council sanctions against Tehran.

People reading the cables will conclude “that the concern about Iran is well-founded (and) widely-shared,” said Clinton, who said Washington would continue to pursue policies “with like-minded nations to try to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.”

No guarantee against another leak

The Pentagon has taken steps to prevent more disclosures but there is no guarantee against more damaging leaks after Wikileaks published a huge trove of classified diplomatic cables, a spokesman said on Monday.

Colonel Dave Lapan told reporters that the Defense Department had tightened procedures for handling sensitive information but he did not expect changes to rules on who is permitted access to secret documents. The WikiLeaks website, which posted more than 250,000 classified documents on Sunday full of embarrassing details of diplomatic exchanges, has never revealed its source in a series of document dumps but suspicion has focused on a US Army private working in military intelligence, Bradley Manning, who is now under detention.

KARACHI: The wife of Pakistan wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider wants to join her husband in London as she fears for her children’s safety after Haider said he would expose those taking bribes in Pakistan cricket.

Iqra Haider, flanked by her two small children, said on a private news channel that she was scared after getting threat calls from unknown callers.

“Soon after my husband said on his Facebook page yesterday he would expose these people, I started getting calls from unknown numbers where they told me they knew where my children studied or went and they would not remain safe,” she said.

The wicketkeeper’s wife, speaking on national television with her face and head covered by a veil and only her eyes visible, said she wanted to join her husband in London. “I don’t feel safe any longer in Pakistan after these threats calls. I am afraid to even send my children out now, I want to be with my husband,” she said.

Fixing matches

Haider caused a furore in Pakistan cricket when he left the national team earlier this month and fled Dubai for London where he has applied for asylum, saying he was under threat from people who wanted him to cooperate in fixing matches.

On Saturday he wrote on his Facebook page that he would soon expose people who had taken bribes. “All these people who are saying negative things about me… they should wait for five more days then I will show them my background and status. After five days I will show them their background and place and also those who don’t take money and those who have taken money,” Haider wrote on his page.

Sources close to the keeper, who has played just one test for his country, told Reuters he was likely to hold a press conference on Friday to carry out his Facebook threats.

The keeper’s family have reported the threat calls to the police. In a related development the fact finding committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also submitted its report on the Zulqarnain incident to the board.

“The three member Fact Finding Committee formed by the PCB to establish the facts surrounding the incident of Zulqarnain Haider’s disappearance from the Team Hotel in Dubai during the recent Pakistan vs South Africa series, held a meeting at PCB Headquarters today. The committee has finalised its report and submitted the same to PCB,” the board said in a statement. “PCB has no further comments to make on this matter at this stage,” it said.

PESHAWAR: The Supreme Court on Monday expressed regret over the circumstances that forced it to take action against its sitting judges who had taken oath under Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) imposed by then president Pervez Musharraf on November 3, 2007.

A five-member bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Sair Ali and comprising Justice Mehmood Akhtar Shahid Siddiqui, Justice Jawwad S Khawaja, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Tariq Pervez, heard the case against PCO judges.

Wasim Sajjad, the counsel for Justice Khurshid Bhinder, submitted that if a judge committed contempt of court, he could only be tried in light of Article 209 of the Constitution.

Justice Tariq Pervez remarked that the article was silent on how to proceed and did not specify how to prescribe a punishment in this regard.

Wasim Sajjad argued that in the Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry case, Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday wrote that to make a judge dysfunctional from his official duty amounted to suspending him.

Sajjad told the bench that the court should be compassionate in this case. He submitted that till November 3, it was a departmental violation until the October 6 notice was converted into a contempt of court notice.

Justice Tariq Pervez said that it was the outcome of the November 3 circumstances. He asked as to why a trial cannot be initiated against a judge if he committed a murder.

Raza Kazim, the counsel for Justice Hamid Ali Shah, argued that according to Article 209 of the Constitution, a contempt notice could not be served on a sitting judge. The article provided that a judge shall not be removed from his office except in a manner prescribed in the Constitution, he added. He said that a sitting judge could not be tried or punished until removed from service by the Judicial Commission.

Justice M Shahid Siddique said that few years ago, an FIR had been filed against a sessions judge in a murder case, and he contested his case in the court and got bail.

Earlier, the PCO judges’ counsel Abdul Basit argued that the case could not proceed until a ruling on the intra-court appeal. His contention was rejected by the bench.

The hearing was later deferred till Tuesday.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 30^th, 2010.

PESHAWAR: The Supreme Court has asked private power companies to submit their responses by December 6 on allegations of massive corruption in rental power projects levelled by the Transparency International in one of its reports.

A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, was hearing a suo motu case along with the pleas regarding allegations of corruption in contract of rental power projects and the government’s decision to increase electricity tariffs.

During the hearing, Khawaja Tariq Rahim, the counsel for Wapda and the now-dissolved Pepco submitted that the electricity produced by rental power projects will cost Rs14 per unit.

The chief justice remarked that consumers would have to pay Rs18 per unit for this electricity.

When Tariq Rahim responded by saying that the government was already providing subsidy on electricity and consumers would get the electricity at “current rates”, Justice Ramday said that the burden of subsidy would ultimately fall on the consumers, because it would be given from taxpayers’ money.

The court directed Wapda’s counsel to submit a reply to the Transparency International report which details instances of huge corruption in rental project contracts.

He, however, sought more time for examining the report and preparing a reply, which the court allowed and adjourned the case till December 6.

The court then directed Rahim to prepare a complete synopsis of the rental power projects and produce it before the court on next hearing, besides providing complete infrastructure of the rental projects.

He was further directed to tell the court that how much money the government had spent on 19 rental power projects. The chief justice asked him that what necessitated the government to buy electricity at such high rates, adding that this burden will ultimately be shifted to general consumers.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 30^th, 2010.

PESHAWAR: Top opposition leader Nawaz Sharif launched a blistering attack on the government on Monday, accusing it of following the legacy of former dictator Pervez Musharraf and bringing the country on the verge of collapse.

Addressing party workers here at a local hotel, the head of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) said corruption, poverty, lawlessness, price hike and bad governance have made the lives of the public miserable. He asked the people to prepare themselves for a ‘green revolution,’ adding his party will never allow anyone to usurp people’s rights.

“The Charter of Democracy (CoD) was aimed at bringing an end to corruption, strengthening democracy in Pakistan and blocking the entry of dictators into politics, but the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has failed to keep its commitments to this effect,” said Nawaz.

He said he had extended support to government in the best interest of democracy and the country but the rulers failed to respond positively and further deepened the country’s crisis by deriding the judiciary and subverting all rules and regulations. He said the judiciary was forced to take suo motu notices but the government was not taking any action on court orders.

He pointed out that the government is busy accommodating incompetent people on important positions in national level organisations, thereby risking the country’s future.

He said price hike was wreaking havoc on the poor and no one was able to spend his life with dignity under the current government.

Sharif said that his party was committed to bringing about a ‘green revolution’ in the country with a focus on resolving public issues.

Talking about his party’s previous tenure in the government, Nawaz said his government had planned to make the country an ‘Asian tiger’ but Pervez Musharraf had foiled the plan. His government had initiated several mega projects including the motorway and had planned to connect the country to the Central Asian Republics, but it was toppled over by Musharraf, he added.

Sharif also claimed that the Kargil war was initiated by Musharraf without consulting him. However, when Musharraf could not defeat India, he requested Sharif to talk to the then American President Bill Clinton for bringing the war to an end.

He also held Musharraf responsible for the killing of Baloch leader Akbar Bugti and the Lal Masjid operation. He urged the people to take a stand on the resolution of their problems, adding that no one would be able to usurp their rights if they raised their voices against it.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 30^th, 2010.

PESHAWAR: An explosion occurred in Bannu on Tuesday morning, killing five people and leaving several injured.

Two policemen, two civilians and one child are among the dead. The injured have been shifted to the District Headquarters hospital in Bannu.

Express 24/7 correspondent Umer Farooq reported that the explosion took place in front of the house of former Minister for Housing and Planning Malik Naqibullah. The suicide attacker targetted a police vehicle which was on routine patrol in the Milad Park area of Chambeli Chowk in Bannu.

Police have cordoned off the area and investigations are underway to track down militant links.

In September this year an IED explosion  occurred next to a security convoy in Janikhel, Bannu.

Kyhber Pakhtunkhwa has witnessed a series of deadly explosions that have added to the unrest in the region.

PESHAWAR: The proposed reformed general sales tax law that whipped up acrimony across party lines in the Senate will test the nerves of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in the National Assembly when its standing committee on finance will take up the bill on December 1.

Fauzia Wahab, chairperson of the National Assembly’s standing committee on finance, has called a meeting of the committee from Wednesday to discuss the RGST and amended finance bills.

Wahab told The Express Tribune that the meeting will continue for three days. The first day has been reserved for public hearing of recommendations from traders’ bodies, while during the next two days the parliamentary panel will discuss both bills and recommendations of the Senate.

It will be a tedious task for the PPP to first secure approval for the legislation from the standing committee and then from the National Assembly as the bill’s fiercest opponents are drawn from opposition groups as well as allies in the ruling coalition.

In the standing committee on finance, the PPP and PML-N have five members each, PML-Q has three, while the ANP, JUI-F, MQM and Fata have one member each in the 15-member parliamentary panel.

Other than five votes of their own party, the PPP will require at least three more votes in the committee to get both bills approved from the parliamentary body. The bills will then be sent to the lower house for final approval.

Earlier, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, who heads a key faction of the former ruling party, vowed that his party would vote against the legislation instead of staging a walkout from the National Assembly.

It is said that the government managed to approve the recommendations on the bills from the Senate, due to a walkout by the PML-Q at the deciding moments.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, the main opposition party in parliament,  has already announced its opposition to the proposed new laws, while the MQM and JUI-F have also vowed to continue opposing it in both the committee and the National Assembly.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 30^th, 2010.

PESHAWAR: Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani has appreciated the professional role played by the Army during the security operation in areas hit by terrorism, and has reiterated the army’s determination to continue taking part for the fast completion of social development projects in these areas.

The 65th meeting for the formation commanders was held on Monday at General Headquarters (GHQ) and it was presided over by General Kayani. The corps commanders, principal staff officers and formation commanders participated, as satisfaction was expressed on the Pakistan Army’s professional preparedness.

While addressing the meeting, the COAS lauded the efforts of the field formation commanders for their cooperation in the provision of flood relief and assistance.

The COAS said the army will complete the social development projects in the flood-hit areas on a priority basis. The military sources reported that the conference expressed its satisfaction on the steps taken for the internal and external security of the country.

The meeting also discussed, in detail, the Afghanistan situation, the effects of the Wikileaks documents on Pakistan, Karzai government’s dialogue with the Taliban, the Pakistan -Afghan border issues and cooperation with Nato. The meeting reiterated the pledge that American or international coalition forces will not be allowed to set up offices, or take any action on the land of Pakistan. ONLINE (with additional input from our correspondent)

Published in The Express Tribune, November 30^th, 2010.

GILGIT: “We are proud to be a nuclear state,” said Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, adding that the nuclear status has helped the country gain recognition in the world.

“We believe in democracy. We believe in the freedom of media and respect its criticism. We respect the opposition and its mandate but at the same time we expect that our mandate will also be respected,” said Gilani while addressing party workers on Monday.

“I am criticised and my cabinet members are criticised. Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) should be praised for its tolerance,” Gilani added.

He expressed confidence that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) will sweep the next general elections too, adding that change would only come through the people. “I advice all those who wish to take over the government that they should wait till the next general elections,” he added.

He announced the end of the single-party-led government era, adding the next government would also be formed through a coalition. “Eighty per cent work on the Charter of Democracy has been completed,” claimed Gilani.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 30^th, 2010.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday ridiculed the Wikileaks disclosure that the Saudi monarch described President Asif Zardari as the biggest hurdle to the country’s progress, calling it “mischievous, misleading and contrary to facts”.

“We consider the extremely negative reports carried on Pakistan-Saudi Arabia relations attributed to Wikileaks as misleading and contrary to facts,” said Foreign Office spokesperson Abdul Basit. However, he said Pakistan was not in a position to comment on the veracity of US internal documents.

His remarks came after Wikileaks posted on its website some 200 cables written by US diplomats containing blunt assessment of their host governments.

The leaked documents revealed that Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz speaking about President Asif Zardari, called him the biggest obstacle to Pakistan’s progress. “When the head is rotten, it affects the whole body,” it quoted him as saying.

However, the Foreign Office spokesperson tried to downplay the controversy. “Pakistan enjoys a very special and unique relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Basit said. Saudi Arabia, His Majesty King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, the royal family and the people of Saudi Arabia have always stood by Pakistan, he added. “It is quite evident that these mischievous reports reveal the utter inadequacy of the author to grasp the essence of the Pakistan-Saudi relationship.”

Presidential spokesperson Farhatullah Babar also rejected the leaked cables, saying President Zardari regards the king as “an elder brother”.

“After stating what we thought of the so-called leaks there would appear no need for contacting Saudi Arabia,” Babar told — by phone from Colombo.

The Saudi king’s purported remarks about President Zardari have sparked fears of a diplomatic crisis between the two countries. “The so-called leaks are no more than an attempt to create misperceptions between two important and brotherly Muslim countries,” said Babar.

However, it is widely believed that the Saudis are not forthcoming and generous towards the current PPP-led government in Pakistan.

Their indifferent approach could be judged from the fact that they scraped negotiations with the Gilani administration in 2008 on import of oil on deferred payments when the PML-N pulled out of the coalition government on the issue of restoration of judges.

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is considered to be a close friend of Saudis, who hosted him and his family for almost seven years after he was thrown out in a military coup in 1999.

Wikileaks also revealed that in July 2009, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Muhammed bin Zayed, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE armed forces and de facto defence chief, said Zardari was “dirty but not dangerous” and Nawaz Sharif was “dangerous but not dirty”.

Interestingly, PML-N spokesperson Ahsan Iqbal instead of rejecting the disclosures said “it reflects that Nawaz Sharif is a man of principle.”

Though Pakistan rejected the leaked cables about the Saudi king, it confirmed parts of the Wikileaks revelations that Islamabad denied the US access to nuclear facilities.

“Pakistan is an advanced nuclear technology state. No one can touch Pakistan’s nuclear facilities and assets,” asserted the Foreign Office spokesperson. He added that Pakistan had plainly refused the US suggestion to have the fuel transferred. However, Basit made it clear that the controversy would not affect relations between Pakistan and the US.

“The US had alerted us to the unauthorised leaks,” he added.

The US Embassy spokesperson said there has been no fallout yet of the release of confidential information by Wikileaks.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 30^th, 2010.

ISLAMABAD: In what has the makings of an awkward situation, the United States has, for ensuring proper use of financial assistance it has provided Pakistan, enlisted the services of an organisation that has been at bitter odds with the government of Pakistan as of late.

The much-maligned Transparency International (TI) will set up and run a graft hotline that will be open to Pakistanis who want to report any peculiarities or complaints regarding the use of American aid by both government and private parties. The service will be run in all local languages, said Ambassador Robin Raphel, US Coordinator for Economic and Development Assistance to Pakistan at a press briefing on Monday at the consul general’s residence.

The confidence that the US government is reposing in Berlin-based TI is in stark contrast to the relationship between the Pakistan government and the TI’s local wing, whose chief claims that he has been facing all sorts of pressure – including ‘death threats’ – following the release of a contentious corruption report by the organisation. The report had it that corruption had increased in Pakistan since the current government took over – a claim that the government took umbrage to, saying it was unsubstantiated and mala fide, and aimed at hurting the PPP’s credibility.

Since then, there has been plenty of mudslinging, including a lawsuit filed by the TI-Pakistan chief against key government leaders, and a resolution passed by the Sindh provincial assembly against the corruption report.

It is unclear how this conflict will be dealt with, but the understanding is currently in the process of vetting. If it goes through, it could present an embarrassing situation for the PPP-led current government, which has gone out of its way to stress that the TI-Pakistan was pushing vested agendas – a claim that has found support in many quarters, including the media.

Meanwhile, speaking more regarding the efforts to ensure transparency, the US administration’s point person for handling the millions of dollars in aid it is providing Pakistan for rebuilding its infrastructure in the aftermath of devastating floods, Ms Raphel said that reports regarding USAID having approached the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) over some cases of graft were untrue.

She said that the meeting was only between the US’ own financial taskforce and NAB on how to improve coordination and communication in cases of graft.  She said that the Islamabad office of USAID had an Inspector General working on cases of auditing and irregularities.

She added that the US had put in place safeguards, which included the setting of “benchmarks” in projects to track where and how the money was being spent. Another safeguard, she said, was a strict and thorough “pre-award assessment” of companies vying to use US funds”.

The money provided by the US to the government, said Ms Raphel, goes into a “special account” and is not pooled in with other money being spent on similar projects, so that it can be tracked. This, she said, was all an effort in “responsible stewarding of [American] taxpayers’ money.”

Clearly, there are plenty of measures in place – but when asked if she was satisfied with them, the ambassador avoided a direct answer, and said that such questions always cropped up when financial aid of this magnitude is provided.

Devolution

Ms Raphel said that she was in Karachi to consult with government officials, civil society and other parties to cater to “the specifics of each province.” Ms Raphel stressed that the needs of each province were unique, and such an initiative was also important in light of the 18th Amendment and the devolution plan.

She said she had already met leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and would continue to meet with the provincial leaderships of the provinces.

RGST

Ambassador Raphel also spoke positively of the contentious reformed general sales tax (RGST) initiative by the government. She said that the RGST would not be the “only” initiative that the government would require, but is one that the government needs to take immediately.

Speaking about the opposition that the government is facing on the issue, Ambassador Raphel said that new taxes and tax systems always face opposition. Maintaining good relations with institutions such as the International Monetary Fund was important for Pakistan, she said.

Republicans in the Congress

The purse strings of the state are controlled by the lower house of the parliament, said Ambassador Raphel, referring to potential hurdles in finances and assistance for Pakistan.

Following the mid-term elections, the Republicans have gained control of the lower house, which means that the Democrat-run administration will be fettered when it comes to fresh initiatives in the face of a hostile house.

The ambassador corroborated fears about the policy hurdles that were in place following the elections.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 30^th, 2010.

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Monday said his government can be held accountable, but only after its term ends.

Addressing party workers, Gilani said the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had fought anti-state elements to restore democracy.

The Prime Minister said his party also gave provincial autonomy to Gilgit-Baltistan adding that Kashmir is an important issue of Pakistani foreign policy.

Gilani also said the entire nation is united against the scourge of terrorism.

He claimed that the Charter of Democracy signed between the PPP and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) has been implemented by more than 80 per cent.

The prime minister also asserted that the government will complete its 5-year tenure.

Asian Tiger dreams

PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif vowed to make Pakistan an Asian Tiger if granted another chance to serve the country.

Addressing a ceremony in Peshawar, PML-N leader lauded all those who resisted dictators and martial laws in the country.

Sharif said he cannot turn a blind eye to poverty and unemployment in the country and said his party will not remain a silent spectator if the government keeps on increasing the power tariff every month.

A Pakistani man who claims to have lost his son and brother in a US drone strike in FATA threatened to sue the CIA unless he receives compensation.

Kareem Khan and his lawyers said they were seeking $500 million in two weeks or they would sue CIA director Leon Panetta, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates and a man they said was the CIA’s station chief in Islamabad for ”wrongful death” in a Pakistani court reported the Associated Press.

Khan said his 18-year-old son, Zaenullah Khan and his brother Asif Iqbal were killed on December 31 last year in the town of Mir Ali in North Waziristan. The third victim was a mason who was staying at the house, he said. Khan said his son and Iqbal were teachers.

“The people who were martyred were innocent,” Khan told a media conference in Islamabad alongside his lawyer, Mirza Shahzad Akbar. ”They did not have links with any terrorist group, nor they were wanted.”

Security officials have arrested a key suspect allegedly involved in the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore in March 2009.

The suspect was picked up by officials from the Raiwind area of Lahore, reported Shiraz Hasnat for Express 24/7. Security officials said that the arrested suspect belonged to the banned outfit Lashkar-e-Jahangvi and was involved in a number of other terrorist activities. Officials added that they were hopeful that further interrogation would reveal more about LeJ’s ongoing activities. This latest arrest was termed a major breakthrough in light of the possibility of terrorist attacks during the upcoming holy month of Muharram.

To date, at least three suspects were known to be at-large in connection to the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team, where a dozen gunmen shot at and threw grenades at the team bus, killing seven policemen and wounding six players, a British coach and a Pakistani umpire. A number of other suspects in the case were arrested over the last two years, or killed in operation is Dera Ismail Khan and North Waziristan reports Hasnat.

Federal Minster for States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) Najmuddin Khan on Monday said that NADRA has cancelled 80,000 Computerised National Identification Cards (NICs) out of 100,000 which were illegally issued to Afghan refugees.

“Remaining 20,000 will also be cancelled at the earliest after completing the required procedure,” he said while talking to media at the Parliament House.

He said the Ministry of Interior and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) were investigating the matter and tracing the officials and public representatives who had attested Afghan refugees documents and played role in getting the illegal cards issued.

NADRA had issued 100,000 NICs to Afghan refugees and they were enjoying Pakistani nationality and buying property in different parts of the country, he added.

To a question, he said around 1.6 million Afghan refugees were staying in Pakistan under the temporary registration policy, adding that the government would issue a permit to them for doing business but will not give the rights to buy any property in the country.

Najmuddin further stated that government will confiscate the property of those Afghan refugees who bought properties by using illegal NICs.