PM calls for India-like US nuclear deal
Saturday, October 04, 2008
MULTAN: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said Pakistan will demand a civilian nuclear agreement with the United States after Washington signed such deal with India.
The US Senate endorsed a landmark US-India nuclear pact, removing the final legislative hurdle for resumption of civilian nuclear trade between the two countries after three decades. Pakistan, the world’s only nuclear-armed Islamic nation, is a key US ally in the “war on terror” but it remains at the centre of global concerns over an international black market run by its top atomic scientist.
Referring to US-India deal, he said: “This is a step forward. Pakistan now will have the right to a similar civilian nuclear deal that India has gotten from the United States.î The PM added, ìWe do not want discrimination. Pakistan will make efforts for civilian nuclear technology and the United States will have to accommodate us.î
Pakistan and India had been locked in hostilities for more than six decades and carried out tit-for-tat nuclear detonations in 1998. They launched a peace process in 2004, but the Indian nuclear deal has been a source of annoyance to Islamabad since US President George W Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh first agreed to the deal in 2005.
Pakistan has an ìenergy security planî envisaging an increase in nuclear power generation from the current 425 megawatts to 8,800 megawatts by 2030 to meet its growing energy demands.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=17629
Haqqani seeks Aafia’s custody from US
Saturday, October 04, 2008
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US Hussain Haqqani has demanded that the US should immediately hand over Dr Aafia Siddiqui to Pakistan. According to Geo News, he said there were better facilities of psychiatric evaluation and treatment in Pakistan. Earlier, the US State Department apprised the Pakistan embassy that Dr Siddiqui had been moved to Texas from New York for psychiatric evaluation on the court’s order. Earlier, Dr Aafia’s lawyer pleaded that she should not be sent to Texas where she would undergo psychiatric examination only, adding Siddiqui required medical treatment as well.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=17632
Families of UN staff, UK diplomats to leave Pakistan
Saturday, October 04, 2008
By Mobarik A Virk
ISLAMABAD: Due to the deteriorating security situation in Pakistan, the UN Secretary-General on Thursday approved imposition of Security Phase-III, which requires the children and spouses of the international staff to leave the country and relocated for an interim period.
According to a press release, the Security Phase-III has been imposed in parts of Pakistan, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Quetta and nine districts of Balochistan. Peshawar and some other NWFP districts have already been under the 'Security Phase-III', according to sources in the United Nations in Islamabad.
"The UN shall keep reviewing the security and safety situation in the country, and shall revert to Security Phase-II as and when the security situation improves," a press release issued by the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) here on Thursday said.
"Following a number of security incidents in the recent past, including the bombing of the Marriott hotel, have drawn attention to the prevailing security situation in the country and the potential security risks to the international and national communities," it said.
"After a careful assessment of the security situation in the country and implications for the United Nations in Pakistan, the secretary-general has approved a change to Security Phase-III for certain locations in Pakistan," it added.
Meanwhile, sources in different organisations of the UN in Islamabad told The News on condition of anonymity that the recommendations enhancing the Security Phase were sent to the UN headquarters in New York.
They said the Pakistani authorities concerned tried to convince the UN not to enhance the Security Phase in Pakistan, as it would hurt the status of the country internationally. But they failed to convince the UN headquarters and the secretary-general eventually approved enhancing the security phase in some parts of Pakistan from phase-II to phase-III.
A senior UN official, when contacted by The News, said following the declaration of Security Phase-III in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, nine districts of Balochistan, including the provincial capital Quetta, the spouses and children of the international staff of the UN would be required to be relocated temporarily.
However, sources also said those spouses, who might wish to be here, would be allowed to stay in these cities and districts. "The UN will strive to minimise any adverse effects of phase-III security measures on the scope and efficacy of its programmes. We wish to reaffirm that the United Nations stands committed to maintaining its support and assistance to the people of Pakistan," the UNIC press release said.
AFP adds: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office decided that the children of UK-based staff at the British High Commission should leave Pakistan following the increased security threats, a spokesman said. The spokesman said the “core work of the High Commission will not be affected.”
http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=17634