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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan once again strongly rejected assertions made in a BBC documentary claiming that Pakistani security services are supporting the Taliban in Afghanistan, Express 24/7 reported on Sunday.

The Foreign Ministry ruled out all the claims, saying that the series ‘Secret Pakistan’ has made baseless and fabricated allegations about Pakistan.

The statement termed the series as fiction which cannot belittle Pakistan’s sacrifices and contribution in countering terrorism.

On the other hand, the Pakistani army also strongly denied claims made in the BBC documentary.

The army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas described the allegations made by the US and Afghan officials as baseless and malicious.

The BBC series program accused Pakistan of playing a double game.

The series lay blame on Pakistan of acting as America’s ally in public while secretly training and arming its enemy in Afghanistan.

KARACHI: MQM – in a tit for tat move and in an attempt to strengthen the vulnerable alliance with PPP – carried out a massive rally against PML-N in Karachi on Sunday. 

Two days after the PML-N showed the government its street power in Lahore, the MQM brought thousands of people out on the roads.

Addressing the rally via telephone, MQM chief Altaf Hussain condemned the derogatory remarks used by Punjab Chief minister Shahbaz Sharif against President Zardari. He said MQM is united against all conspiracies being hatched against democracy.

The MQM chief also challenged Sharif brothers to take out such a massive rally in Karachi to show its roots among the masses.

He also ruled out mid-term elections, saying that PML-N will have to wait till the next elections as the PPP government will complete its tenure.

MQM workers from across the city converged on MA Jinnah Road to make the show a success. The rally had the theme called ‘Strengthen Democracy’ and the entire route was decorated with MQM and national flags.

MQM and PPP leaders had been appearing on media since morning to condemn what they called Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s derogatory remarks against President Zardari.

End of live updates

4:42pm

“Hum latkanay ki baat nahi karte hum zaban se baat karte hain” says Altaf Hussain.

The MQM chief adds:

“These [Sharif brothers] people run away to Jeddah. There’s talk of hanging people upside down. When the Sharif brothers were in jail, sounds of crying could be heard from their cells. Zardari bore his 11-year sentence like a man.”

4:37pm

MQM chief condemns Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif for using derogatory language against President Zardari.

“We [MQM] can speak the same language too” says Altaf.

In response to PML-N’s calls for “Go Zardari Go”, MQM’s Altaf Hussain says “No Sharif baradraan (brothers) No”.

“I tell PML-N to wait for the elections and participate and come to power democratically. But we will not allow undemocratic actions” says Altaf.

The MQM chief adds that the nation is united in strengthening democracy.

MQM leaders as well as those of other political parties have repeatedly said how this rally was organised within 40 hours.

4:30pm

MQM chief Altaf Hussain begins his address.

The party’s song “Saathi” preceded the speech as thousands of supporters sang along and waved MQM flags

PML-Q leaders Halim Adil Shaikh and Shehryar Mahar are also at the rally. Shaikh, addressing the rally says, the PML-N is destined to fail.

4:10pm

In their speeches, PPP leaders Agha Siraj Durrani and Pir Mazharul Haq criticise Shahbaz Sharif and his use of derogatory language against President Zardari, our correspondent Saba Imtiaz reported.

They also invoked memories of the treatment of the PPP in the 1990s during PML-N’s terms in power.

3:45pm

MQM’s Faisal Subzwari says they’re expecting hundreds of thousands – current crowd is about 35% as buses still arriving.

Agha Siraj Durrani addresses the gathering:

Saba_Imtiaz - So Agha Siraj Durrani couldn’t get the crowd to respond to cheers of Jiye Bhutto. Jiye Altaf gets a resounding echo. #mqm

 

Saba_Imtiaz  Agha Siraj Durrani reminiscing about time spent with Shahbaz Sharif in Landhi jail. #mqm #ppp

PPP leaders Prof ND Khan, Taj Haider, Agha Siraj Durrani, Pir Mazharul Haq, Sharmila Faruqi, Najmi Alam, Waqar Mehdi have arrived at the MQM rally, says our correspondent Saba Imtiaz.

Prof ND Khan is addressing the rally.

3:25pm

Haider Abbas Rizvi, Dr Sagheer Ahmed, Faisal Subzwari, Anis Qaimkhani, Nasreen Jalil are also present at the growing rally say correspondent Saba Imtiaz.

Provincial Minister Raza Haroon while talking to the media said that the MQM is holding a protest rally as it strongly detests derogatory remarks used for President Zardari by Pakistan Muslim League.

3:05pm

According to our correspondent Saba Imtiaz, the crowd already appears several thousands strong.

There are fairly strict security arrangements in place, with the police, Rangers and MQM’s own volunteers managing the flow of people.

Party leaders Dr Farooq Sattar, Waseem Akhtar, Mustafa Kamal, Raza Haroon, Wasay Jalil and Rauf Siddiqui are at the rally along with members of the clergy and representatives of minority faiths.

2:45pm

The arrangements of the rally have been finalised as party chief Altaf Hussain is scheduled to address a huge crowd at Tibet Centre in the afternoon.

The route of the rally – which has been entitled as ‘Stabilising Democracy’ – is decorated with MQM and national flags. Tight security arrangements are in place to avoid any untoward incident.

Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz rallied against the PPP and President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday in Lahore. In a political rebuke to PML-N, the MQM announced it would hold a “protest rally against the derogatory language used against President Zardari by the PML-N leaders” in Karachi.

Earlier, the ban imposed in Sindh on public rallies and processions was lifted for two days after a notification of one-month extension of the ban was imposed so that the MQM can express solidarity with the president and protest the use of unparliamentary language against the president by Shahbaz Sharif during his speech on Friday.

ISLAMABAD: The mastermind behind the terrorist plot to attack the Pakistan Parliament was arrested in Okara by law enforcement agencies on Sunday.

The arrested suspect, Saadullah is a former Special Services Group (SSG) commando, which is the elite wing of the armed forces of Pakistan.

The plot to attack the Parliament was foiled by the law enforcement agencies on October 8 this year.

The police had arrested four suspects and seized four suicide jackets, plenty of hand grenades and other explosive material from them. Saadullah was arrested through intelligence provided by the suspects arrested earlier.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has not issued any statement in this regard.

The Mohajir Qaumi Movement (MQM-Haqiqi) chairman, who has been incarcerated since 2004, filed a number of applications through his authorised representative, Syed Iqbal Kazmi, on Saturday asking for his petition No. 808 of 2010 to be heard. The applicant, implicated in a number of murder and attempted murder cases maintained that, as an under trial prisoner (UTP), his life is under serious threat.

The MQM-H chairman states that he has even gone as far as to remove all the lawyers representing him as their lives were also under threat and one of his lawyers and close aides was killed recently. He also pointed out that at least three Sindh High Court judges have also refused to hear his case, something that suggests that they too may have received threats.

He asked the court to issue orders for him to be produces before the court so that he can argue out his petition as one of his basic rights. The main application, moved on Saturday, asked the court to hear his petition on Monday, October 31.

The SHC received the applications and are likely to be granted. The petitioner asked the court to look into the details of all the pending cases against him and to stop the Karachi police from registration new ones without the court’s permission.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2011. 

Former SP Khurram Shahzad did not appear before the court, earning the judge’s ire since charges could not be framed in either his or his lawyer’s absence. Special Judge Anti-Terrorism Court-I Shahid Rafique adjourned the hearing till November 5, since Malik Rafique Ahmed, counsel for both police officers implicated in the former premier’s murder, was busy with the Supreme Court Bar Association’s elections.

Special Public Prosecutor Federal Investigation Agency Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali protested against the inordinate delay in court proceedings by the defence. He said it had been four years since Bhutto was murdered, but a formal trial of the accused was still to be initiated. He requested the court to ensure daily hearings under anti-terrorism laws to serve justice.

The court was expected to indict former city police officer Rawalpindi Saud Aziz, former SP Khurram Shahzad, Aitzaz Shah, Husnain Gul, Rafaqat Hussain, Sher Zaman and Rasheed Ahmed for the twice-elected prime minister’s assassination. The prosecution in the case has shortlisted its witnesses which now number less than 30. Initially, names of 80 witnesses had been submitted before the court.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2011. 

In a white paper on local finance, the Jeeway Pakistan Jeeway Maqami-Hakoomat (JPJM) said the illegal allocation of local government funds has gone on for three years.

“The Punjab government doled out Rs119.7 billion, the Sindh government Rs83.5 billion, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Rs23.8 billion and Rs8.8 billion were given way by the Balochistan government,” the paper states. The federal government realeased large funds to the provinces following the 18th amendment and the National Finance Commission (NFC) award. The share of local governments in the overall transfer of funds came down drastically from 60% of the net divisible pool in 2009-10 to 41% in 2010-11 in Punjab, showed the paper.

Similar ratios were observed in Balochistan, Sindh and K-P.

The paper also showed that provinces received a higher share under the NFC Award. Punjab received Rs205 billion, compared to last year’s Rs151 billion, while Sindh received Rs158 billion, an increase of Rs64 billion from the previous year.

In K-P, the total increase in allocation to local governments was as high as Rs13 billion and Rs17 billion against estimated amounts of Rs10 billion to Rs13 billion in 2010-11. An increase of Rs4 billion was earmarked by Balochistan.

According to details, Rs151 billion intended for local governments was misappropriated by Punjab, despite a substantial improvement in the provincial consolidated fund. In Sindh the figure was Rs121 billion, in K-P Rs54 billion, and in Balochistan Rs4 billion.

The white paper also quoted Pakistan’s Nov 28, 2008 agreement with the International Monetary Fund to increase interest rates to reduce inflationary pressure. However, contrary to the agreement, the State Bank of Pakistan decreased interest rates by 1.5%.

Over the last two years, representatives of local council associations have filed 27 cases in superior courts for the restoration of local governments and against the appointment of administrators in place of nazims. So far there has been no progress in the courts.

Meanwhile, JPJM chairman Daniyal Aziz has decided to launch a campaign against the government for not holding local government elections. “It’s a violation of Article 140-A of the constitution,” he said.

Provinces, he added, had illegally transferred local government funds into MPA’s discretionary funds. “We are going to hold a convention on the restoration of the local government system after holding elections,” he said. The convention will be held in Gujranwala on November 3. Aziz also said that the Punjab government categorically refused to give permission to hold the convention in their province.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2011. 

Nisar was speaking to the media after attending a seminar titled “Accountability and performance of Public Accounts Committee (PAC),” organized by Transparency International Pakistan (TIP).

Responding to a question on whether his the PML-N’s “Go Zardari Go” movement had been given the go-ahead by the military establishment, Nisar said that, although the current political climate was conducive to a military takeover, such a move would be harmful for both the army and the country. He emphasised that his party would never let such a coup happen.

Nisar explained that his party’s movement was not targeted at anyone in particular. “Poor governance, inflation, the power crisis, unemployment, rampant corruption in state institutions and the miseries of the people” were the reasons behind the party’s recent agitation, he said.

Nisar added that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government had failed to deliver – and therefore had relinquished their right to rule.

Earlier, TIP Chairman Sohail Muzzaffar urged the government to sign an agreement with the Swiss government so that the alleged $100 billion held by Pakistanis in Swiss banks can be taxed, as it is by other countries. “According to a conservative estimate, we can get $20 billion which can be used for payments of our debts,” he added.

He also urged the PAC, which recovered a record Rs115 billion in the last three years, to be vigilant with regard to the memorandums of understanding signed by the government with other countries.

Addressing the seminar, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan acknowledged and appreciated the support of the government that led the PAC to clear a large backlog. However, he also said that “22,000 paras (audits) are waiting for implementation, which is to be done by the government.”  Nisar hinted at an impediment – which he did not name – faced by the PAC, saying “there are some bottlenecks in the way of PAC which is all set to look into the accounts of the incumbent government.”

Reviving his earlier threat of resigning the PAC chairmanship, Nisar said: “I will not be part of a PAC which is reduced to nothing.” By flouting decisions of the Supreme Court, he argued further, the government has severely clipped the institution’s wings.

Riaz Hussain Pirzada, a member of the committee, said that there would be no corruption if foreign aid and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) are brought under the umbrella of the PAC.

Noorul Haq Qadri, another member of the committee, commended the role of the PAC and said that if the PAC is supported by the government and other public institutions, there would be no need for the NAB.

Zahid Hamid of the PML-N, who is also a member of the PAC, said that the committee had disposed of 22,000 audit paras and had compiled 10 audit reports. He said that PAC is not an accountability body and cannot initiate cases against those who are found guilty. However, he added, the body has recommended disciplinary action against more than 200 people, including army officials.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2011. 

“Our leadership has always condemned these in the strongest terms and [they are] unjustified,” Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar told students here at a lecture at the University of Western Australia, organised by the Australian Institute of International Affairs.

Khar, who was there for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), spoke about the challenges facing Pakistan in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

She categorically rejected that Pakistan was into any “double game”, as alleged by the BBC documentary on the war against terror.

“Had we not been sincere, why would the terrorists and extremists target our innocent people and security forces?” asked Khar.

The Afghan prospect

Khar said Pakistan’s biggest foreign policy objective was peace and stability in the neighbourhood.

She termed the death of Professor Burhanuddin Rabbani as the most damaging incident for the Afghanistan peace prospects. She said blaming Pakistan for this was “just complicating” the matters.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2011.

PERTH: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has sought the international community’s help to shift three million Afghan refugees residing in Pakistan back to Afghanistan in order to curb illegal cross-border movement, and to help Islamabad prevent the spread of polio.

“They (Afghan refugees) need to return … the relief centres have to be in Afghanistan,” Gilani said while addressing a joint conference at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHGM) with British Prime Minister David Cameron, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Saturday.

Gillard invited a select group of heads of state and government from countries where polio is still prevalent, along with those who are funding campaigns for the eradication of the crippling disease.

Pakistan managed to eliminate the disease but it had resurfaced in the past seven years, with 132 new cases being reported, Premier Gilani said. “The situation is unacceptable,” he said. “We launched a national emergency action plan for polio eradication and to interrupt the transmission of the virus in Pakistan by the end of 2011.”

Attributing the resurfacing of polio to cross-border movement, he said it was difficult to administer vaccination to children living in camps and villages in the “inhospitable” terrain along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

It’s difficult for Pakistan to monitor illegal movement along the over 2,000 kilometres-long border with Afghanistan and that’s what is preventing Pakistan from eradicating the disease completely.

Over 40,000 people cross the Pak-Afghan border daily. Polio remains endemic in four countries, three of which are members of the Commonwealth – India, Nigeria – Pakistan, besides Afghanistan.

Gilani also pointed towards the influence of extremist elements in these areas who he said were preventing the administration of the vaccine. The Pakistani government is seeking help from religious scholars in order to convince the “fanatics” about the importance of vaccine, he said.

Pakistan is launching a three-day campaign every three months to administer anti-polio drops to 33 million children across the country, Gilani said, adding that the government was committed to the cause and had designated Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, daughter of President Asif Ali Zardari, as the goodwill ambassador.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2011.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain appears to be raring to deliver a tirade against PML-N at the protest rally being organised by his party in Karachi on Sunday.

Hussain, who addressed party workers via telephone on Saturday, criticised PML-N leaders, particularly Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, allegedly using ‘derogatory’ language to refer to President Asif Ali Zardari. Hussain dismissed PML-N’s rally in Lahore on Thursday as mere hue and cry.

“They should have respected the office of the president,” said Hussain. “I find the language used at the rally regrettable. The Punjab chief minister used vulgar and derogatory language and said that people should be ‘hanged upside down’ … I will shed light on that in detail tomorrow.”

Hussain also called on PML-N workers who believe in a just cause to attend the rally, as well as the Pakistan Peoples Party, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid, Pakistan Muslim League-Functional and other religious and political parties.

According to Hussain, the PML-N wants to “jam the wheels of the democratic process”.

“The MQM will wholeheartedly support the democratic process,” he said.

While criticism is a valid right, it should be done in a civil manner, he added.

Hussain also noted how the late iconic poet Habib Jalib’s poem was ruined, referring to Shahbaz Sharif singing Jalib’s “Dustoor” at the PML-N rally. Hussain, while apologising to Jalib’s soul, sang a version of “Dustoor”, changing the words to hit out at Sharif’s Raiwind residence, his Sasti Roti initiative and the party’s “nonsensical words”.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2011.

LAHORE: Yasin Azad took the lead in the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) presidential elections, after defeating Justice (r) Rasheed A Razvi by 82 votes, according to unofficial results.

Around 2,255 members of the bar association cast their votes to elect a new body for the year 2011-2012. Yasin bagged 940 votes, while Razvi got 858 votes.

Azad won from polling stations in Lahore, Peshawar, Hyderabad, Bahawalpur, Multan, and Quetta, while Razvi won from Abbotabad, Islamabad/Rawalpindi and Karachi.  Razvi was fielded by Hamid Khan’s Professional Group, which was prominent during the lawyers’ movement, while Azad had the support of the Latif Khosa group, perceived to be strongest group of lawyers in Lahore and known as the “People’s Lawyer Forum”.

Prominent amongst Azad’s supporters were outgoing SCBA president Asma Jahangir, Pakistan Bar Council members Ahsan Bhoon, Azam Nazeer Tarar, and Ramazan Chaudhry.  Around 50% of the voters were from Lahore, making presidential candidates focus their campaign in the city. Azad and Razvi bagged 451 and 418 votes from Lahore, respectively.

Speaking to the media, Azad said his victory was a result of support from lawyers across the country, while adding that as the new SCBA president he will not compromise on principles. This is the second consecutive victory of Latif Khosa’s “People’s Lawyer Forum” group in SCBA elections over the Hamid Khan professional group. Last year, Latif Khosa group fielded Jahangir for the presidency of SCBA, who defeated Hamid Khan Group fielded Ahmad Awais by a margin.

Razvi secured 147 votes in Islamabad, whereas Azad secured 138 votes out of a total of 346 registered voters in Islamabad/Rawalpindi.

Azad took the lead in Balochistan by bagging 59 of a total 92 votes. According to unofficial results, Razvi secured 37 votes. The polling was held at Balochistan High Court, with Abdul Hameed Baloch as the presiding officer.

Azad and Razvi secured, respectively, 67 votes and 45 votes  from Peshawar, 12 and 23 from Abbottabad, 20 and 2 from Hyderabad, 33 and 18 from Bahawalpur, 57 and 50 from Multan, 59 and 32 from Quetta, 450 and 422 from Lahore, and 103 and 122 from Karachi.

(With additional reporting by Qaiser Zulfiqar in Islamabad, Zeeshan Mujahid in Karachi and Shehzad Baloch in Quetta)

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2011.

As caravans bound for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) October 30 rally approach the city from across the province, the city’s traditional political leadership, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), watches with bated breath.

The rising prominence of PTI, and particularly its chief Imran Khan, has the PML-N ‘deeply worried,’ leading senior party leaders to devise a new campaign to counter its new rival in urban Punjab.

Top PML-N officials said the party had been closely monitoring Imran’s political moves, and public response to them, in recent months, and concluded that there was definitely a need to take it seriously.

Imran, whose party has been making significant inroads as a ‘street power’ but has yet to do well in elections, is being seen by observers as at least a ‘game changer’ in coming parliamentary polls, especially in Punjab’s urban areas.

At least 40% of electoral constituencies in Punjab are urban, according to rough estimates based on the 1998 census, and have historically served as the powerhouse for PML-N, save the 2002 general elections when General Musharraf-backed Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) won a landslide victory.

Potent challenge

Imran’s PTI now serves as the most potent challenge to PML-N’s conventional vote-bank, observers say.

PTI would field more than 200 candidates across Pakistan for the National Assembly seats in the 2013 general elections, said the party’s spokesperson.

“Our aim is to see Imran Khan as the next prime minister of Pakistan,” said PTI’s information secretary Omar Sarfaraz Cheema. This will be highest number of candidate fielded by the PTI in an election.

The enthusiasm among the rank and file of PTI has not gone unnoticed.

“We are politicians and we keep an eye on a person or a group who can harm us even in a single constituency,” said PML-N spokesperson Senator Mushahidullah Khan when asked if his party was taking Imran’s PTI seriously.

He hastened to add, though, that his party’s leadership was not worried by Imran’s activities.“We are definitely not panicking as far as Imran is concerned. You’ve seen what happened to his candidates in by-elections in Rawalpindi last year, and recently in Sahiwal,” the senator said.

Keeping a watch

Not all PML-N leaders appear to be so dismissive though.

At least two senior party members said that PTI’s activities had been part of every PML-N meeting in recent months and all leaders, including Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif, were taking it seriously.

“It is wrong to say that we are either unconcerned or not worried about the rise of Imran,” said one of the leaders on condition of anonymity. “In politics, you can never sit back and relax. Things change overnight,” the official added.

Targeting the youth

In its effort to plug in all loopholes in campaign strategy that rivals, especially Imran’s PTI, could take advantage of, PML-N is working on a policy exclusively aimed at reaching out to the youth.

“We will go out to tell them what Nawaz Sharif, and his two stints in power, have given to Pakistan,” PML-N’s deputy information secretary Engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan said.

“We will tell them that the motorway they travel on was not always there … these modern airports in Lahore and Karachi, somebody had the vision to build all these things,” Khurram said.

“The youth itself must realise that serving a country is one thing and raising hollow slogans is another,” he added, in an apparent rebuke of Imran’s anti-America rhetoric, especially his opposition to drone strikes.

Overrated?

Political analysts, however, are unsure about Imran’s capabilities of posing any serious challenge to the PML-N.

“I will say he is overrated … and supported by those who want to undermine genuine political forces,” said Harris Khaliq, a political commentator.

“Who is with him? Only affluent urban middle class elite … but the problem is that they don’t understand politics from inside-out,” Khaliq said, adding that he did not see any major victory for Imran in the coming elections.

Stage set in Lahore

With 45,000 chairs set up under the shadow of Minar-e-Pakistan, the stage is set for PTI’s public gathering scheduled to be held on Sunday (today). Party officials are expecting a gathering of around 100,000 supporters and workers, majority of them from Lahore.

The party had assigned a target of 15,000 supporters from Southern Punjab – Multan, Bahawalpur and DG Khan – besides a large number from Faisalabad and Gujranwala.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2011.

LAHORE/KARACHI: Condemning what he termed “indecent language” by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif for President Asif Zardari during the opposition’s rally in Lahore on Friday, former president Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Aitzaz Ahsan called for an amendment to the constitution in order to protect public offices from defamation,Express 24/7 reported on Saturday.

Advising Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) members against any action that would bring down all signatories of the Charter of Democracy (CoD), Ahsan urged PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif to immediately take notice of the issue. Ahsan was speaking to the media at the Supreme Court’s Lahore registry where he had gone to cast his vote on Saturday for the Bar’s annual elections 2011-12. “Rallies can’t bring change, only democratic procedure can,” he said.

Referring to Shahbaz’s fiery speech against President Zardari, Ahsan indirectly held the PML-N “more responsible” for the present situation and said that except for a few individuals, the PPP was, by and large, following a policy of reconciliation.

Asma criticises Shahbaz’s remarks

Everyone has the right to criticise, but  emotions should not be played up, SCBA outgoing president Asma Jahangir said on Saturday.

Talking to the media, Asma also lamented the language used by Shahbaz against President Zardari. Conflicts are the beauty of democracy, but the use of indecent language is wrong, she maintained.

Nawaz received funds from Bin Laden

The Sharif brothers may have received funding from unidentified sources to finance their anti-government rallies, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said while addressing a news conference at the Sindh Secretariat on Saturday.

“The Sharif brothers have earned their doctorate in corruption and their master’s in lies. They aren’t Khadim-e-Aala, they are Dakait-e-Aala,” Memon said.

Nawaz reportedly received funds in the past from former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden to topple former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s government, Memon said, adding that maybe they had received the same kind of support again to hatch conspiracies against the PPP-led regime.

Hitting hard against the Sharif brothers, Memon alleged they were involved in corruption worth billions or rupees. “It appears the brothers suffer from a Zardari-phobia and are afraid of the upcoming Senate elections,” he said. “They should have used the money they spent on the rally to fight dengue instead,” Memon added.

President Zardari is not a ‘layman’

The language used by the Punjab chief minister was “non-political and undemocratic”, PPP General Secretary Senator Jahangir Badar said.

Addressing the media, Badar said the reason for calling the press conference was not Friday’s rally but the language used in it. “The language was against the current government and sought Zardari’s resignation. President Zardari is not a ‘layman’,” Badar said.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2011.

“They will not succeed because the [Pakistani] people know their politicking against democracy,” the premier said in a wide-ranging address to the Pakistani Diaspora in the Australian city of Perth.

Though the prime minister did not name any political leader, the obvious target of his scathing criticism was the PML-N which on Friday kicked off a mass movement to rid the country of the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) “corrupt” government.

“If anyone has problems, they should either move the courts or take the political trajectory and contest the next election on the basis of issues,” the premier said. “This is not the way to come out on the streets and chant slogans against the country’s leadership.”

At Friday’s public rally in Lahore, PML-N leader and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif declared war on President Asif Zardari, threatening him to resign or else the PML-N supporters would “hang him upside down at Bhatti Chowk”.

For his use of ‘insulting language’ against Zardari and denunciation of the head of the state, Sharif invited the wrath of political leaders of all hues. But the PML-N is unmoved by this criticism and plans more street protests against the government.

Prime Minister Gilani, however, advised the PML-N to stop using unconstitutional means in its quest for power because it was in nobody’s interest.

He rejected the allegations of inefficiency against his government and recounted his achievements in all fields. But in the same breath he added that no single political party or individual could steer the country out of the mess.  “The nation needs to stand united, and together we can face the challenges,” he added.

Premier Gilani recalled that the PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif had decided to boycott the 2008 elections but President Zardari made him change his mind and lead his party in the elections.

About US drone strikes in the tribal regions which, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has made a rallying point, Prime Minister Gilani categorically said that they have not given any permission to the US to launch missile attacks inside Pakistan.

The premier said such attacks were counterproductive because of the collateral damage they caused and undermined the government’s efforts to get the unanimous support of the masses against extremists and terrorists.

He admitted that drone attacks were one of the reasons behind strained relations between Pakistan and the United States. About the fight against militancy, the premier told the Pakistani Diaspora that the nation stood united to eliminate extremism and terrorism from the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2011.

PESHAWAR: Standing in an area that was once the stronghold of Pakistan’s most wanted man, a top commander of the army pledged that Pakistan was, and would continue, to take action against militants on this side of the border.

Peshawar Corps Commander Lt Gen Asif Yasin Malik was speaking to a select group of journalists on Saturday during a visit to South Waziristan’s Kotkai area – an area famous for being the stronghold, and the hometown, of Tehreek-i-Taliban (TTP) chief Hakeemullah Mehsud.

In a visit that included a trip to the dreaded TTP commander’s home as well as to that of his deputy Qari Hussain, Gen Malik said that the Pakistan Army was doing its part on this side of the border – and urged international forces in Afghanistan to do their part to destroy militant sanctuaries.

“Pakistan will not tolerate any infiltration in its area. The Afghan government and Nato should not allow terrorists’ safe havens in Afghan provinces along the Pakistan border,” he said.

“We will take action against the terrorists in our area and Nato and Afghanistan should also take action against them (terrorists) in their area across the border.”

General Yasin Malik, who is supervising military operations in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, said that any dialogue with militants would be conducted and initiated by the political leadership. Malik informed the reporters that the army had sealed the Pak-Afghan borders in Mohmand and Bajaur agencies, Dir and Chitral districts.

The commander went on to add that no one would be allowed to live in Pakistan illegally and those who wished to migrate would have to fulfill all legal formalities. Malik claimed that the military had cleared around 80 % of South Waziristan from militant activities while the remaining area would also be cleared soon.

“Our troops will stay here until complete security is ensured in this area, the Pakistan army is not going back from the tribal regions,” Malik said.

Journalists who visited Mehsud’s and Hussain’s deserted homes in Tarangy village of Kotkai said that the TTP commander’s house, built on a 300 square yard property, had been lying in ruins.

Express News correspondent Yasir Ali, who visited the property, said that the house had three rooms, including a kitchen, washroom and verandah which were destroyed while pamphlets of the militant outfit littered the floor. The house of Qari Hussain was also seen in complete destruction and in the control of security forces.

Security forces had launched Operation Rah-e-Nijat (Path to Deliverance) on October 17, 2009 to clear South Waziristan Agency of militancy.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2011.

DUBAI: Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal took five wickets to steer Pakistan to a nine-wicket win in the second Test against Sri Lanka at Dubai Stadium, going 1-0 up in the three-match series.

The 34-year-old finished with five for 68 to help restrict Sri Lanka to 257 in their second-innings before Pakistan went about reaching their modest 94-run target to seal victory with a day to spare. Ajmal was ably supported by left-arm spin partner Abdur Rehman (two for 65) and paceman Junaid Khan (two for 38) as they exploited the spin and low bounce on a weary pitch to the best effect.

Pakistan lost Taufeeq Umar but Mohammad Hafeez (59) and Azhar Ali (29) scored the required runs inside 24.1 overs soon after the lights went on in the stadium. Ali took the winning single much to the delight of a 2,000 holiday crowd but it was Hafeez who hit five boundaries and two towering sixes to secure Pakistan’s win on the fourth day.

Pakistan captain Misbahul Haq praised the team effort.

“It was a thorough professional performance,” said Misbah, who has now won four of his nine Tests as captain, losing one and drawing the other four. “Our pacemen gave us the edge on the first day and we kept that pressure well.”

Misbah’s counterpart Tillakaratne Dilshan said his team needs to bat well.

“We batted poorly after winning the toss,” said Dilshan, yet to win a Test as captain in eight attempts. “Sangakkara’s wicket was the key and then Pakistan bowled well.”

Sri Lanka, who resumed at 88 for one, had been hoping for Sangakkara to stay longer and keep Pakistan at bay as he did in the second innings of the first Test when he scored an epic 211. But the batsman was reduced to adding just a single to his overnight score when he did not offer a stroke to Rehman’s incoming delivery and was adjudged leg-before. Mahela Jayawardene missed a sweep off Ajmal and was bowled and Dilshan’s horrible form in the series continued when he was trapped leg-before by Junaid three runs later.

Man of the Match Ajmal applauded a helping pitch.

“We thought of stopping the flow of runs, and then getting the wickets,” he said. “The captain told me to stay at the pitch when I was batting. The pitch was very good. For the first three days it was good for batting and after that we got bounce from it.”

The third and final Test starts in Sharjah from November 3.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2011. 

You can watch a slideshow of pictures from day four here.

Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said that the US demand from Pakistan to “do more” in the fight against terrorism is against ground realities, Express 24/7 reported Saturday.

She said this during her address at the University of Western Australia.

Khar said that Pakistan was the biggest sufferer in the war against terrorism and that the demand to do more could not be justified.

She told the audience that Pakistan wants to see a stable and prosperous Afghanistan, which is in the interest of both the countries.

The foreign minister also said that Islamabad wants sustainable relations with all its neighbours, including India.

Speaking about relations with New Delhi, Khar said that Islamabad wishes to resolve all issues through talks, including the long-standing Kashmir Issue.

Khar is accompanying Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani at the second Executive Session of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which was officially inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II at the Perth Exhibition and Convention Centre.

KARACHI:  

Apparently, Sindh was all set to extend the implementation of Section 144 when it decided to backtrack and lift the ban on public rallies and processions for two days.

On Saturday, the home department’s notification said religious rites and funeral processions and those with special permission from the department are exempt from the ban that will now come into effect from October 31.

The ban was imposed on September 28. Home department officials told The Express Tribune the change comes as the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) announced that they would be rallying today (Sunday) at MA Jinnah Road against the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. They will also express solidarity with President Asif Ali Zardari and protest the use of unparliamentary language against the president by Shahbaz Sharif during his speech on Friday.

MQM MNA and federal minster Raza Haroon spoke to the media after inspecting the arrangements for the rally at Tibet Centre. He explained that the purpose of the rally was to protest the use of unethical language against President Asif Ali Zardari. He said that nobody should be allowed to use inappropriate language from any forum or stage against the president and army.

When the initial announcement of the ban being extended came in, MQM’s Wasay Jalil did not sound concerned and said the party’s rally would go ahead as scheduled. “The government will give us a relaxation for the event,” he told The Express Tribune.

While the home department’s Sharfuddin Memon refused to comment, sources said the department issued the first notification automatically without consulting the Sindh government as the previous one had expired. Later, however, the chief minister ordered another notification. In addition, the memo directed Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders and workers to attend the rally. According to a statement issued by the party on Saturday, senior minister and PPP Sindh Assembly parliamentary leader, Pir Mazharul Haq, their Sindh general secretary Taj Hyder, senior leader ND Khan, Karachi division president Najmi Alam, the CM’s media adviser Waqar Mehdi, Local Government Minister Agha Siraj Durrani and Archives Minister Rafique Engineer will lead party workers at the rally.

Waqar Mehdi said that only PPP workers belonging to Karachi division will participate in the rally.

Home department officials also said that the president also told the home minister to take care of security. Police meanwhile, are confused as to how they are expected to provide security to the rally’s participants as they had not received any official intimation till Saturday evening. They plan to deploy special commandos of the Special Protection Group and Rapid Response Force but will not block the routes leading to MA Jinnah Road.

“We will only be able to map out a security plan once we get a copy of the permission letter,” District South DIG Commandant Shaukat Ali Shah told The Express Tribune. “It depends on the size of the crowd.”

As no terrorism threats have been made, the authorities see no reason to beef up the security. “Muharram and Rabiul Awwal have their own threat of terrorism and we make extra arrangements for them accordingly,” said DIG Shah. “However, this is a political rally and neither there is any threat, nor is there any political or government pressure on us. So we will make arrangements as we see fit.”

Scheduling the rally on a Sunday means the traffic police are also off the hook. DIG Traffic Khurram Gulzar said that there would not be a traffic jam because it is Sunday and only the areas where the rally is being held would be blocked.

“We will just have to set up two diversions, one at II Chundrigar Road and the other at Nishtar Road,” he said. “As soon as the rally ends, we will open up the MA Jinnah Road.”

The Sunni Tehreek, which has seen hundreds of their activists arrested under Section 144, has strongly criticised the government’s decision. They had a rally planned on October 22 at MA Jinnah Road that was halted for the same reason.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2011.

UNITED NATIONS: The needs of flood-hit Pakistani people and reported outbreaks of water-and- vector-borne diseases are rising as winter approaches, the United Nations reported Friday, warning that funding for humanitarian assistance in the country remains low, with stocks of some relief items severely depleted.

In southern Sindh, stagnant water remains a major environmental and health hazard, and water-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue are on the rise.

An outbreak of diarrhoeal illness was reported in a camp in Sanghar district on Thursday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in an update. Access to clean drinking water remains critical and the onset of winter in mid-November in most parts of flood-affected areas means that people will require more winterised shelter, OCHA said. Although receding water levels have allowed some displaced populations to return to their villages, relief needs continue because of poor sanitation in areas where homes, crops and livestock were lost to the floods, it said.

Since the beginning of the latest floods, about 1.8 million people or 50 per cent of those in need have been provided with food, while 700,000 received essential medical services, according to OCHA. An estimated 375,000 people (76 per cent) have emergency shelter and 870,000 of the affected population (35 per cent) received clean water. The rapid response plan launched on 18 September is only 23 per cent funded, with only $80 million of the requested $357 million received so far.

Unless additional resources are made available, UN agencies warn that most relief stocks are likely to run out, according to OCHA. Pakistan has been severely affected by floods for the second consecutive year, leaving more than five million people in need of safe drinking water, sanitation services, food, shelter materials and other essential support.

LAHORE: The Director General Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Syed Tahsin Anwar Ali Shah left the country late on Friday in order to ‘deliberately’ avoid appearing before the Supreme Court (SC), sources revealed.

The SC summoned the DG FIA on October 25 instead of the Secretary Interior, Director and Assistant Director FIA Lahore to explain why they failed to cooperate with lead investigator of National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) multi-billion scandal Zafar Qureshi, while knowing that he was investigating the case in pursuance of the Supreme Court directives, sources familiar with the matter told The Express Tribune.

According to the Supreme Court’s orders, Shah was supposed to assist Qureshi in the NICL case investigations, but he left the country under mysterious circumstances to allegedly avoid implementing the court orders.

Justice Amir Hani Muslim had also sent a notice to the interior secretary on September 19 saying that the DG FIA’s failure to sign any progress report may lead to contempt of court proceedings. The FIA has also not submitted two fortnightly progress reports scheduled for October 6 and October 22 to the chamber of Justice Muslim.

Justice Muslim had already directed the interior secretary to ask Shah for an explanation within three days, but Shah left the country instead. He returned to Pakistan on a one-page emergency passport recently but on October 28, he again left the country as per previous practice, sources familiar with the matter revealed.

According to Supreme Court orders, Shah was bound to attend “meetings as a team member of the investigation if he had signed any documents as the DG FIA,” sources further revealed.

Shah left the country from Allama Iqbal International Airport Lahore late on Friday through Bangkok bound Thai Airlines flight TG-346 scheduled to 11:40 pm.

Sources in the FIA said that the DG FIA has gone abroad to participate in the 80th Interpol General Assembly being held at Hanoi, Vietnam, from October 31 to November 3.